On 30 January 2013, the Australian Building Codes Board (the Board) announced the decision to introduce new National Construction Code (NCC) provisions to apply in flood hazard areas as designated by state, territory or local governments. The new requirements are designed to ensure the structural integrity of, and survival of utilities in, new residential buildings in designated flood hazard areas in all states and territories of Australia. The new requirements apply to the design and construction of certain class buildings. The decisions made by the Board include requiring:
- water resistant materials to be used for structural items such as bracing, columns, connections, fasteners, wall framing members, etc;
- the finished floor level of any habitable room to be above the flood hazard level; and
- utilities must not be placed below the flood hazard level unless they have been designed to cope with flood water inundation.
The option recommended in the Regulation Impact Statement and agreed to by the board was found to increase construction costs by $216 million (present value over 10 years) with the benefits of ensuring structural integrity and survival of amenities estimated to be $352 million (present value over 10 years). Therefore, this option was found to have a net benefit to the community. A Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by the Australian Building Codes Board and assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
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