Released 29/11/2025
The ACT Government is progressing planning and legislative reforms to build more homes by driving jobs growth and strengthening productivity in the construction sector.
Minister for Planning and Sustainable Development Chris Steel said these reforms will simplify development assessment and building processes to ensure new homes can be built sooner without compromising on quality.
“Construction productivity is a key part of delivering our priority of enabling 30,000 homes for Canberrans by 2030,” said Minister Steel.
“To build more housing sooner we are streamlining planning building approval processes and reducing building costs.
“This will make it easier for applicants to build, whilst freeing up government resources to focus on assessing larger and more complex applications.
“Ideas, both big and small, have come from the construction industry to develop the ACT’s Construction Productivity Agenda, all adding up to real productivity gains with cost savings for home owners.”
The first tranche of reforms identifies a few simple ways we can improve and streamline some of our processes to make things easier for consumers and industry alike.
Many of the productivity reforms involve improving how we run the planning approval system and include tightening up internal processes, consolidating tasks, and improving the effectiveness of existing resources.
“The agreed reforms under our productivity agenda will lead to better outcomes for all Canberrans with noticeably shorter timeframes for building and development to be assessments,” said Minister Steel.
The first stage of legislative reforms is being progressed over coming months and includes changes to:
- Make greywater piping requirements in new homes voluntary, with a direct cost saving of approximately $1,550 for homeowners
- Simplify energy efficiency upgrade requirements for extensions and renovations
- Recognise Passive House (PassivHaus) certification as a compliance pathway for energy efficiency requirements of new homes
- Expanding exempt development for low-impact minor building works and the types of development which can apply for an exemption declaration.
“Since the Millenium drought, there has been a requirement to install greywater pipework in all new houses in the ACT, but very few homes have actually installed grey water systems. This an example of a well-intentioned requirement that has come at a significant cost with very few benefits realised," said Minister Steel.
“Making grey water piping installation voluntary is just one measure proposed in our broader reforms that will make housing simpler to build and more affordable.”
Further tranches of reforms under the Construction Productivity Agenda will be brought forward in 6 monthly stages and will focus on improving productivity to support housing and economic outcomes, strengthening the resilience of the construction sector and ensuring new homes are delivered to high standards within a timely manner.
The ACT Government is also working under National Competition Policy Federation Funding Agreement and the associated ACT Jurisdiction Specific Reform Plan which was recently agreed by ACT Treasurer, Chris Steel, and Australian Government Treasurer, The Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP.
The ACT Government has committed to a range of actions under the ACT Jurisdiction Specific Reform Plan to be progressed in coming year. This includes projects which will:
- limit anti-competitive objections to development
- remove anti-competitive considerations from planning, rezoning and development processes
- expand the range of permissible land uses
- streamline criteria and processes for development assessment and rezoning
- support the uptake of modern methods of construction (e.g. prefabricated and modular construction).
For more information on the National Competition Policy including the ACT Jurisdiction Specific Reform Plan, visit the Treasury website.
- Statement ends -
Chris Steel, MLA | Media Releases