Tranche 2 of the Construction Productivity Agenda reforms were introduced to the Legislative Assembly through the Building and Construction Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 on 24 September 2026.
The reforms in this Bill would:
– allow substantially completed buildings with an expired building approval to obtain a new approval under the same version of the National Construction Code as the initial approval, helping projects avoid costly redesigns and delays;
– remove building approval requirements for solar panel and solar hot water installations on existing commercial and multi-unit buildings where structural safety requirements are verified by a professional engineer, reducing costs and supporting faster renewable energy installations; and
– provide greater flexibility for construction practitioners by allowing licence holders to move to a different licence type during renewal without needing to lodge a new application and pay additional fees.
These reforms aim to streamline building processes, reduce regulatory burden and support the delivery of more homes across Canberra. If passed, they are expected to commence by the end of 2026.
Further information on these reforms and the ACT’s Construction Productivity Agenda is available on the ACT Planning website.
