Australian Standards win
Yesterday’s Federal Budget commitment to make Australian Standards freely accessible is a genuine win for the profession, and one we have advocated for over many years. This move will be a game-changer (we don’t say that very often!) for the architectural profession and the construction industry more broadly.
Page 142 of the budget reads:
“$42.7 million over four years from 2026–27 to provide ongoing grants to Standards Australia to provide free public read only access to standards referenced in Commonwealth and state and territory legislation.”
This announcement is both significant and sensible. For too long, architects have faced annual costs running into the thousands simply to access the standards required for compliance.
At a time when architects are being asked to lead on climate resilience, embrace new digital technologies, boost productivity, and help solve a housing crisis, locking essential standards behind a paywall is impossible to justify. We are thrilled the Government has finally announced this necessary change.
We thank our colleagues at ACIF for joining us in our advocacy efforts, our committee members and staff for the sustained work delivering this campaign and, most importantly, our members, whose support and testimonials gave weight to our argument.
We also acknowledge the policymakers, including Ministerial staff, who read our submissions, met with us and engaged genuinely with the case we put forward. Their willingness to listen made this outcome possible.
There is much more in the budget to unpack and understand how it will play out in practice. We will keep you informed as we learn more. But for now, we are taking today to celebrate this win!
Angelina Pillai, CEO & Emma Brain, Advocacy Manager