Attachment 7 · MCU21/0083

An accessible home design should:

   •    be easy to enter;
   •    be easy to move in and around;
   •    be capable of easy and cost-effective adaptation; and
   •    be designed to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of home occupants.

An accessible designed home seeks to enhance the quality of life for all occupants at all stages of
their life by including safer and more user friendly design features.

For the home occupant of today, accessible housing seeks to enhance the overall comfort, safety
and liveability of the home. For the home occupant of the future, these same features could enable
key living spaces and features to be more easily and cost effectively adapted to meet changing needs
and abilities. A wide range of Australians immediately benefit from homes that are universally
designed, including:

    •   families with young children who need to get strollers and prams into their homes and want
        safer homes;
    •   people who sustain temporary or permanent injuries which limit their mobility, for example
        sporting and motor vehicle injuries, who would potentially require less time in hospital if
        they could safely move around their home while recovering;
    •   ageing baby boomers who are looking to renovate their existing homes to better
        accommodate their future needs;
    •   older people who are particularly vulnerable to slip, trip and fall injuries in their homes;
    •   people with disability and their families who are looking for a home that will accommodate
        their current and future needs;
    •   people with disability who wish to visit the homes of friends and relatives; and
    •   home care workers and family and friends who provide in-home care and support.



Accessible housing is being regulated, commencing September 2022
In April 2021 building Ministers across Australia agreed to include the Livable Housing Provisions
(Silver Level) as mandatory requirements in the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022. In agreeing
to implement a regulatory solution, Ministers took into consideration the feedback from industry,
advocates and the lived experience of members of the community affected by the lack of accessible
housing. Ministers also agreed the ABCB will publish a voluntary gold technical standard for
accessible housing.

The Australian Building Code Board (ABCB) has prepared a draft standard (attached) providing a set
of technical provisions that, if complied with, will enable dwellings to better meet the needs of the
community, including older Australians and people with mobility limitations. This ABCB Standard has
been adapted from the ‘Silver’ level requirements of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG),


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An accessible home design should:

¢ be easy to enter;
¢ be easy to move in and around;
¢ be capable of easy and cost-effective adaptation; and

¢ be designed to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of home occupants.

An accessible designed home seeks to enhance the quality of life for all occupants at all stages of

their life by including safer and more user friendly design features.

For the home occupant of today, accessible housing seeks to enhance the overall comfort, safety
and liveability of the home. For the home occupant of the future, these same features could enable
key living spaces and features to be more easily and cost effectively adapted to meet changing needs
and abilities. A wide range of Australians immediately benefit from homes that are universally

designed, including:

e families with young children who need to get strollers and prams into their homes and want
safer homes;

e people who sustain temporary or permanent injuries which limit their mobility, for example
sporting and motor vehicle injuries, who would potentially require less time in hospital if
they could safely move around their home while recovering;

e@ ageing baby boomers who are looking to renovate their existing homes to better
accommodate their future needs;

e@ older people who are particularly vulnerable to slip, trip and fall injuries in their homes;

e@ people with disability and their families who are looking for a home that will accommodate
their current and future needs;

e@ people with disability who wish to visit the homes of friends and relatives; and

e@ home care workers and family and friends who provide in-home care and support.

Accessible housing is being regulated, commencing September 2022

In April 2021 building Ministers across Australia agreed to include the Livable Housing Provisions
(Silver Level) as mandatory requirements in the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022. In agreeing
to implement a regulatory solution, Ministers took into consideration the feedback from industry,
advocates and the lived experience of members of the community affected by the lack of accessible
housing. Ministers also agreed the ABCB will publish a voluntary gold technical standard for

accessible housing.

The Australian Building Code Board (ABCB) has prepared a draft standard (attached) providing a set
of technical provisions that, if complied with, will enable dwellings to better meet the needs of the
community, including older Australians and people with mobility limitations. This ABCB Standard has

been adapted from the ‘Silver’ level requirements of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG),