The tragic 2019/20 bushfires in Australia have demonstrated the devastation that can be reigned on Australian communities by the rugged and natural Australian landscapes with questions now being asked as to “What is the rebuild process?” and “What are the specific rebuild planning and construction requirements?”.
This short desktop review was designed to elicit key insights into the current regulatory ‘state of play’ in Australia and understand the current bushfire regulations across state and territory jurisdictions; identify primary/secondary approval bodies and approval mechanisms across all jurisdictions (i.e. planning, building, emergency services); outline state and territory regulatory approaches, priorities, and/or differences regarding the use of referenced documents within the National Construction Code; and identify barriers to timber usage within bushfire prone areas across jurisdictions.
This report has been updated to clarify the timber requirements in relation to the NSW Rural Fire Service “Planning for Bushfire Protection 2019”.
