On 28 November 2013 the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) agreed to introduce a requirement in the Building Code of Australia to require interconnection of smoke alarms in dwellings and sole-occupancy units. This change took effect from 1 May 2014. The Building Code of Australia (BCA), which is part of the National Construction Code (NCC) series, requires smoke alarms, a smoke alarm system or a smoke detection system to be installed throughout new Class 1 dwellings, within sole-occupancy units of Class 2 or 3 buildings and in a Class 4 part of a building (buildings in which occupants sleep). Smoke alarms installed to comply with the BCA provisions are required to be located in strategic positions such as hallways serving bedrooms, in order to facilitate an early response by occupants to a fire within a dwelling. In some circumstances, the size or layout of the dwelling or sole-occupancy unit necessitates the installation of more than one smoke alarm within that dwelling or sole-occupancy unit. For example, a two-storey dwelling or sole-occupancy unit requires at least one smoke alarm to be installed on each storey (even if there are no bedrooms located on one of those storeys). Under the change to the Code, multiple smoke alarms must be interconnected within all new Class 1 dwellings, within sole-occupancy units of Class 2 or 3 buildings and in a Class 4 part of a building. This means that when one alarm is activated, it will activate all other alarms in the occupancy. Additions/extensions that require more than one smoke alarm will also have to interconnect those smoke alarms in order to comply with the BCA. However, they are not required to be interconnected with any other smoke alarms in the existing dwelling. The ABCB was compliant with the COAG RIS requirements, preparing adequate Regulation Impact Statements at the consultation and decision-making stages. The RIS was published on the ABCB website on 25 March 2014.
