Consultation open on new Queensland Housing Code 

• Public consultation opens on Queensland Housing Code to cut red tape and fast-track supply of new homes.
• Over 70 per cent of new homes built across Queensland are detached dwellings but there are different design and siting rules from three-quarters of councils.
• Modernising the code is part of the Crisafulli Government’s Building Reg Reno delivering a better building framework for Queensland. 

The Crisafulli Government has opened consultation on a new Queensland Housing Code to streamline the building process and fast-track the delivery of more homes for Queenslanders sooner. 

The draft Queensland Housing Code proposes simplified and consistent design and siting rules for detached homes on single lots, cutting unnecessary delays and making it easier for home builders and buyers. 

Labor left outdated, inconsistent rules in place for more than a decade, stalling housing supply, driving up costs and making it harder for Queenslanders to build a place to call home.  

Existing Queensland Development Code provisions around design and siting are no longer contemporary and are extensively varied by local governments across the State. These inconsistencies add time and cost to housing projects. 

Following extensive and positively received industry and local government consultation, the proposed changes provide fit-for-purpose design and siting provisions while still retaining the ability for local variation. 

The new Queensland Housing Code forms part of the Crisafulli Government’s Building Reg Reno reforms designed to cut red tape, standardise planning rules, and get on with delivering the one million homes Queensland needs by 2044. 

The Queensland Housing Code complements other reforms underway, including the Queensland Productivity Commission’s review of the building and construction sector and the broader Building Reg Reno package introduced by the Crisafulli Government. 

The six-week consultation period opens today.  

Minister for Housing and Public Works Sam O’Connor said reforms to the Queensland Housing Code were long overdue after years of inaction by the former Labor Government. 

“Labor sat on outdated, inconsistent design rules during a housing crisis, locking Queenslanders out of housing,” Minister O’Connor said. 

“We’re rebuilding Queensland’s housing system from the foundations up to get more homes for Queenslanders sooner. 

“That means putting in place modern, sensible rules to support more housing construction. 

“We’ve already consulted with councils and the construction industry. Now we’re asking the broader community to have their say so we can deliver the most fit-for-purpose housing framework Queensland has ever had."

Property Council Queensland Executive Director Jess Caire said the Property Council had long advocated for the need to create greater efficiency and fast-track housing via a single State-wide housing code. 

“Queensland is the only state not to have adopted a single housing code, which adds complexity for industry trying to build housing across different local government areas,” Ms Caire said.