The National Construction Code (NCC), which sets minimum requirements for the design, construction and performance of buildings across Australia, became freely available online from February 1, 2015.
It means tradespeople and businesses in the building, construction and plumbing industries will no longer have to pay $400 to get a copy of the code.
The new online version aims to make the code more accessible. It will also increase its use by tradespeople and businesses, from 12,000 to a potential 200,000 across Australia, according to the parliamentary secretary
to the Minister for Industry, Karen Andrews.
"At a minimum, this will result in savings to Australian businesses of $4.8 million," she said.
"This significant reform will also mean that building, construction and plumbing practitioners will no longer have to pay almost $400 for a copy of the document.
"This measure will significantly reduce red tape for Australia’s building industry, improve the code’s useability and ensure that Australia’s building, construction and plumbing industries continue to maintain high standards."
The Commonwealth will continue to work with the States and Territories to promote free access to the Code which provides model regulations for buildings and plumbing through state and territory legislation.
Details on the process to register for free online access to the NCC are available at the Australian Building Codes Board website at http://www.abcb.gov.au/.