Season 1 · Episode 2
Weekly Building Gossip - 9th April 2026
Mindful Builder · Matthew Carland and Hamish White
April 8, 202617m 16s
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Show Notes
Episode Title: The NCC Maze, Red Tape Blues, and a Win for Passive House
Date: 9 April 2026
Hosts: Matt & Hamish
In this second instalment of The Weekly Gossip, Matt and Hamish navigate the "grey areas" of the 2025 National Construction Code (NCC) updates and the mounting administrative burden currently squeezing the life out of small building businesses. We also look at some progressive moves in South Australia and shout out a Kiwi builder doing the absolute "impossible" on the side of a cliff.
Inside This Episode:
- The NCC "National" Discrepancy: Why are some states adopting the 2025 updates on 1 May while NSW and the ACT push it back to 2027? We discuss the confusion of a "National" code that isn't actually national.
- Mandatory Education: The hosts argue that government bodies, not just industry associations like the HIA or SBA, should be responsible for educating practitioners on code changes through mandatory sessions.
- Lead-Free Plumbing: Victoria is moving to lead-free plumbing standards by May 2026 to align with global safety standards—no grace period expected.
- The "Bullshit Jobs" of Construction: A deep dive into the HIA Small Business Conditions report, revealing that builders are spending a minimum of 10 hours a week just on "red tape" and administrative hurdles.
- Industry Stress & Retention: With 88% of small builders reporting increased personal stress and 68% considering closing their doors, we discuss the urgent need for a more supportive regulatory environment.
- Passive House as a Pathway: A massive win for South Australia, as they begin allowing Passive House standards as a performance-assessed pathway to meet thermal performance requirements.
- The Weekly Shout-Out: We head across the ditch to New Zealand to look at Josh from Compound and his mind-blowing project, "The Hill," in Queenstown.
Important Dates & Events:
- HIA National Conference (Gold Coast): 17–18 April 2026.
- The Mindful Builder SA Road Trip: 20–21 April 2026. Join Matt and Hamish for a Q&A at Jackson’s display home (Enduro Builders).
- SBA Retrofit Event: 7 May 2026. Featuring Sarah Lebner, Dylan Orwin, and Helen Oakley.
- Passive House Association Conference (Thrive): 25–26 June 2026. Use promo code THEMINDFULBUILDER.