The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has called for the inclusion of building resilience as a key objective in the country’s National Construction Code.
The ICA had been invited to provide a submission to provide feedback on the National Construction Code 2025 (NCC).
In a letter signed by Andrew Hall, Executive Director and CEO of the ICA, Hall pointed out that a key point of concern is that the current iteration of the Code does not seek to define building resilience.
“The Insurance Council has long called for the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) to adopt building resilience as a key objective of the National Construction Code, alongside health, amenity and safety,” the letter read.
“We strongly believe buildings need to be able to withstand intensifying cyclones, more severe bushfires, and worsening flooding. Embedding resilience in the Code is a critical step towards achieving this objective,” Hall added.
In the letter, Hall and the ICA welcomed and acknowledged the recent decision by Building Ministers to include climate resilience as a specific objective of the ABCB from 2025.
“This is an important step towards ensuring the 2028 National Construction Code and its associated Standards formally recognise resilience,” the letter noted.
The letter also noted that ministers have agreed that the ABCB will consult with industry before implementing any changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) related to climate resilience.
Hall and the Insurance Council offered to work with the ABCB to inform stakeholders about the economic and social benefits of improving building resilience to extreme weather events.
“We look forward to continuing to play a key role in informing stakeholders about the economic and social benefits from improving the ability of future buildings to withstand the worsening extreme weather events we are experiencing now and into the future,” Hall said.
“I would welcome the opportunity to discuss with you the ABCB’s future approach to this issue if that
would be of assistance, as well as the insurer data and insights that may assist you in this important
work,” he concluded.
