Building Ministers confirm NCC 2025 release and commit to supporting MMC adoption

Australia’s Building Ministers have confirmed that no further residential changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) will be made until mid-2029, following finalisation of NCC 2025—a move intended to provide regulatory certainty and space for innovation. (main image: Modules manufactured by Modscape for Queensland’s largest modular housing development in Woree. Image credit: Modscape.)

Meeting on 22 October 2025, Commonwealth, State and Territory ministers agreed that pausing residential changes would enable builders to invest with confidence in skills, technology and manufacturing. The exemption will apply only to essential safety and quality updates, with all other adjustments held over until the next full edition of the Code.

Streamlining and modernising the NCC
Ministers endorsed a broad review of how the NCC is developed and applied, signalling an intent to modernise Australia’s building code framework.

The agreed scope includes measures to:

• streamline and apply AI to improve code useability for trades and small businesses
• reduce regulatory burden across the construction sector
• remove barriers to the uptake of modern methods of construction (MMC)
• review the cadence of NCC updates and improve consultation through the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).

According to the communiqué, these reforms aim to create a “fit-for-purpose regulatory environment” that supports the delivery of more homes, more quickly. The streamlining effort is also expected to drive greater national harmonisation, while allowing states and territories to maintain variations suited to local conditions.

NCC 2025 timeline and content

Stakeholders in the commercial building sector have welcomed confirmation that NCC 2025 will be published by 1 February 2026, with adoption possible from 1 May 2026.

The upcoming edition will include provisions for:

• commercial energy efficiency reforms, including mandatory onsite solar photovoltaic systems
• condensation mitigation measures
• carpark fire safety updates for commercial and apartment buildings
• water management provisions to prevent ingress.

Voluntary embodied carbon guidance will be published separately by the ABCB, while new EV charging and residential energy efficiency changes have been deferred.

Together, the measures position NCC 2025 as a stabilising framework that encourages innovation—including greater adoption of modern methods of construction—within a more predictable regulatory environment.

Find the Building Ministers October 2025 Communiqué HERE