The Building Better Homes campaign we have been leading to make homes more accessible for all Australians took a major step forward at the beginning of October.
From 1 October 2023, new homes in Queensland and Northern Territory will be built to LHA silver standards. While these are relatively minor adjustments to the building code – requiring for example, a level entry to the home and slightly wider doorways and corridors – we know it will make a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people that already live with mobility impairment.
Beyond that though, it will benefit all of us as we all age, with an increasing range of housing options available.
Over the next 12 months, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia will also implement these standards, meaning close to 150,000 new homes will be built across the country each year that are accessible to all.
We are continuing to work to bring the WA and NSW governments on board with these changes.