Every Australian deserves a home they can easily access, built to last a lifetime.

Housing is a fundamental human need, and greatly influences people’s quality of life. Housing with livable and accessible design is crucial for meeting the needs of all Australians throughout their lifetime, including people with disability and older people.

The 2022 National Construction Code now includes requirements for livable housing design to improve the suitability of new Australian homes for people with reduced mobility.

The Livable Housing Design Standard is a significant improvement that will provide housing designed to better meet the needs of the community over the lifecourse, including people with disability and older people.

The Livable Housing Design Standard includes at least 1 step-free entry, slightly wider internal doors and corridors, 1 step-free access into a bathroom and shower, an accessible toilet and reinforcing of bathroom and toilet walls to allow for handrails.

All governments need to ensure people can live in their local communities and age in place by making sure houisng is accessible. This must be done through enacting and monitoring the implementation of the National Construction Code.

As of 1 October 2024, all states and territories except NSW and Western Australia have enacted or begun to enact the Standards. This means that the majority of states have now begun improving their accessible housing supply. It is time for NSW and WA to get on board and sign up to the Livable Housing Design Standard immediately.