MEDIA RELEASE
13 May 2026
Federal Budget 2026 Delivers Free Access to Australian Standards — Simplifying Building Regulations
ArchiTeam welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement in the 2026 Budget that mandatory Australian Standards underpinning the National Construction Code (NCC) will be made freely accessible.
As part of a broader productivity and regulatory reform package, the Government has committed $42.7 million over four years to provide free public access to mandatory Australian Standards referenced in the NCC.
This reform is particularly significant for sole practitioners and small practice architects, who have long carried the disproportionate cost burden of accessing essential technical and compliance information required for professional practice.
ArchiTeam has advocated for improved access to Standards for more than eight years, recognising that Australian Standards are critical everyday reference documents covering construction methods, accessibility, safety, materials, sustainability and compliance.
In recent years, ArchiTeam also worked with the Association of Consulting Architects (ACA) to explore opportunities for collective member access to Standards.
Making Standards freely available will reduce costs for small practices, improve consistency across the industry and support better compliance outcomes.
ArchiTeam will continue to monitor implementation details and keep members informed as further information becomes available.
Reference: Budget to boost productivity and cut regulatory costs by $10 billion | Treasury Ministers