Planning Minister John Day recently announced that the State Government had approved measures that would see the bushfire construction requirements of the Building Code of Australia, which includes deemed-to-satisfy compliance with Australian Standard AS 3959, apply from 1 May 2015.

The measures will apply to new homes located on land that is identified by the State or local government as a bushfire-prone area, or where a map does not exist, if the home is to be located within 100m of one hectare or more of bushland. If land intended for development is located on a bushfire map or close to a large area of bushland a bushfire hazard assessment will be required.

The assessment will identify the bushfire risk level to ensure that appropriate levels of bushfire resistant construction in accordance with the Building Code of Australia  will  be applied when the new home is constructed.

The Department of Planning is working across government with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Building Commission to implement the changes.

View Minister John Day's media release for more information