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Proposals for Change (PFCs)
The Proposal for Change (PFC) process is used by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) to consider technical proposals to change the BCA. The process is consistent with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) regulatory principles to ensure appropriate rigour is used in the assessment of proposals.
The Proposal
Proponents of change are required to provide justification to support their proposal. This justification should be proportionate to the size of the proposed change or its potential impacts.
This justification includes:
- a description of the proposal;
- an explanation of the problem it is designed to resolve;
- evidence of the existence of the problem;
- how the proposal is expected to solve the problem;
- what alternatives to regulation have been considered, and why they are not preferred;
- who will be affected and how they will be affected; and
- any consultation that has taken place.
Consideration of PFCs
PFCs are considered by the ABCB's Building Codes Committee (BCC) each time it meets. The role of the BCC, which consists of representatives of all levels of government as well as industry representatives, is to provide advice, guidance, and make recommendations relating to technical matters relevant to the BCA.
If the proposal is considered to have merit, the BCC may recommend that changes be included in the next public comment draft of the BCA. For this to occur, the proposal must be submitted by 1 February in order to permit the BCC to consider the proposal prior to the release of the public comment draft mid-year. Proposals received after this date will be considered for inclusion in the public comment draft issued in the following year, i.e. the change will not be considered for the next edition of the BCA.
When considering more complex proposals, the BCC may recommend that the proposal be included on the ABCB's work program for further research, analysis and and consultation.
PFCs should be submitted electronically using the PFC template in Microsoft Word format to ABCB.Office@abcb.gov.au.
Further guidance information to assist in preparation of a PFC is also contained in the PFC template. Enquiries can be directed to 1300 134 631.