This information was authored by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. The policy functions transferred to the Treasury in May 2025.
We aim to ensure Australia's building and plumbing industries are safe, accessible and sustainable.
On this page
- Building Ministers’ Meeting
- Restoring confidence in the building industry
- Ensuring building safety and quality
- Improving building access for people with disability
- Advice for builders, building owners and tenants
- Responding to building inquiries
State and territory governments regulate building and construction activities in Australia.
The Australian Government collaborates with state and territory governments to promote nationally consistent regulations through the National Construction Code (NCC).
We do this through the Building Ministers’ Meeting and the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
Building Ministers’ Meeting
The Building Ministers' Meeting (BMM) oversees policy issues affecting Australia’s building and construction industries.
The BMM brings together Australian Government and state and territory government ministers responsible for building and construction. The Australian Government minister responsible for the building industry chairs the BMM.
The BMM works to:
- harmonise building regulations and standards
- collaborate on compliance and enforcement.
It sets the strategic direction for the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). The ABCB is a multi-jurisdictional standards writing body. It oversees development of the National Construction Code (NCC).
Read more about these roles and responsibilities in the Intergovernmental Agreement on the ABCB website.
Restoring confidence in the building industry
We work through the BMM to restore confidence in Australian building and construction standards.
We do this by:
- mitigating the public safety risks of industry non‑compliance
- addressing systemic problems in the industry consistently and in a timely way
- considering national priority reforms for states and territories to implement.
Building confidence: Building Ministers’ Forum expert assessment
The BMM’s predecessor, the Building Ministers’ Forum, commissioned an expert assessment of Australia’s building and construction regulatory systems.
Building confidence report: implementation plan
The Building Ministers’ Forum developed a roadmap to implement the recommendations of the expert assessment and restore community confidence.
Building Confidence Report Implementation team
The ABCB established the Building Confidence Report Implementation team to oversee responses to the recommendations in consultation with industry and governments.
Ensuring building safety and quality
States and territories adopt and enforce the NCC. The NCC contains minimum building, plumbing and construction requirements for:
- safety and health
- amenity and accessibility
- sustainability.
Each jurisdiction regulates:
- licensing building practitioners
- certifying buildings
- enforcing building regulations
- identifying non-compliant building products.
Improving building access for people with disability
The Premises Standards specify how public buildings must provide access for people living with disability. State and territory governments adopt the Premises Standards into their building codes.
We review the Premises Standards every 5 years.
Advice for builders, building owners and tenants
Builders or workers in the building industry wanting to know how regulations and reforms will impact them should contact their state or territory regulator.
Tenants renting apartments can raise concerns about building defects or issues with their landlord.
Apartment owners can raise concerns with their body corporate or owners' corporation. Other property owners can contact the consumer protection agency or building regulator in the property’s state or territory.
Who to contact in your state and territory
Find your state or territory’s building and plumbing administrations on the ABCB website.
Responding to building inquiries
We provide input and respond to parliamentary inquiries related to building and construction.
Senate inquiry into non-conforming building products
The government’s response to the Senate Economics References Committee’s final report.
Senate inquiry into the use of smoke alarms
The government’s response to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee’s inquiry report.