Skip to content

Following recent changes to departmental responsibilities, functions of the former Department of Housing and Public Works have been transferred to new departments. Work is underway to develop and update departments' websites.

Liveable housing design

We will make our homes safer and easier for all to use.

Queensland has an ageing population with changing health and mobility needs.

By incorporating design features that improve accessibility, we make our homes easier and safer to use for older people, people with mobility impairments, those with temporary injuries, and families with young children.

It is more than 20 times more efficient to include key liveable housing design features when you are building a home than retrofitting when an unplanned need arises. So not only does it make practical sense, these design changes also allows people to age in place without too much difficulty.

The Queensland Government is leading the way by ensuring the homes we build are accessible and liveable. This means features like wider doorways and hallways, lever-type sink taps rather than screw-type variety, grab rails and a stepless entry.

Work is underway to help increase the uptake of liveable housing design so that Queenslanders will have the opportunity to live in a home that best suits their needs.

We are also working with other states and territories to develop a national approach to accessibility standards for private dwellings that will benefit all Australians.

Action items

  • Investigate an accessibility disclosure scheme for properties for rent, sale and construction in partnership with industry and consumers.
  • Update Economic Development Queensland’s Guidelines regarding benchmarks for liveable housing design in Priority Development Areas.
  • Advocate for a national approach to the development of minimum accessibility standards for private dwellings for potential inclusion in the National Construction Code.
  • Implement the outcomes from the national regulatory impact assessment on silver and gold performance levels for a minimum accessible standard.
  • Work with disability advocacy organisations and industry to draft a Queensland Development Code.
Last updated: 
29 November 2019