“Today’s (February 17 2020) announcements that builders and homeowners will be able to easily access the Australian Standard for building in bushfire prone areas will help thousands of people impacted by the recent bushfires move through the rebuilding process a little more smoothly,” said Kristin Brookfield, HIA Chief Executive Industry Policy.
“This is an important joint initiative between the Commonwealth Government and Standards Australia. Along with many other initiatives announced by the Commonwealth and state governments, we hope this one will reduce the red tape involved in designing and building a new home which needs to meet these requirements.
Australian Standard 3959:2018, Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas provides the technical design requirements for building homes in bushfire areas, along with the criteria to assess the bushfire risk of a property.
“Standards Australia and the Commonwealth Government are to be commended for this important funding agreement.
“This is an important example of how Standards Australia are working with new licensing arrangements to ensure those who need to access Australian Standards can do so readily.
“The residential building industry relies heavily on these technical standards and contributes significant time and resources to support their development. As a member of the Standards Council and a member of the AS 3959 Committee that develops this particular standard, HIA is pleased to see open access being provided.’
Source: HIA