On 1 July 2015 Standards Australia published new 2015 versions of AS/NZS 3500, Part 1 Water services and Part 2 Sanitary plumbing and drainage.

As of 1 May 2015 the Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) is the primary document that sets the plumbing standards in Western Australia and the AS/NZS 3500:2003, Parts 1, 2 and 4 are called up as Deemed-to-Satisfy referenced documents in the PCA.

It should be noted that these versions will not come into effect or be enforced until 1 May 2016 when the PCA 2016 adopts the new 2015 versions of AS/NZS 3500.

The new versions have been drafted in order to meet the Australian Building Codes Board’s protocols for standards referenced in the National Construction Code, Volume 3 (the Plumbing Code of Australia).

These protocols will ensure that Deemed-to-Satisfy standards:

• do not contain Public Policy;

• clearly identify normative from informative content;

• avoid duplication in the PCA;

• do not assign regulatory responsibility to others. Examples include “in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations” or “approved by the authority having jurisdiction”; and

• provide clarification of provisions and terms within the Standard.

Consequentially there are no technical changes in the new versions although due to Standards Australia formatting, the numbering of some sections and clauses have changed and all tables and figures have been renumbered.