What Is DDA Compliance?

DDA compliance in Australia generally refers to providing access to premises without unlawful discrimination against people with disabilities.

The legal framework starts with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA). For applicable buildings and building work, the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010, commonly called the Premises Standards, provide specific requirements for access.

The government has created the Premises Standards under the DDA. These standards provide dignified and equitable access to buildings and give building certifiers, developers, and managers greater certainty about their responsibilities.

For a building project, disability access compliance may also require considering the NCC and Australian Standards referenced in the applicable provisions.

How Does the Disability Discrimination Act Apply to Buildings?

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 is Commonwealth legislation that protects people against discrimination based on disability across areas of public life.

Section 23 deals specifically with access to premises and makes disability discrimination unlawful in certain circumstances involving access to or use of premises.

The DDA establishes the legal obligation, while more detailed building accessibility requirements are provided through the Premises Standards, NCC and referenced technical standards.

For developers and property owners, these requirements influence decisions about entrances, paths of travel, amenities, parking, vertical circulation, and other building parts.

What Are the Premises Standards in Australia?

The Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010 are legally enforceable standards made under the DDA.

They contain the Access Code for Buildings, which establishes accessibility requirements for specified buildings and building work. The Standards also identify responsibilities applying to building certifiers, developers and managers.

New building approvals and certain upgrades to existing buildings can trigger the Premises Standards. The building type and proposed work determine the exact application.

This is why broadly referring to DDA building requirements can be misleading. Projects may need to evaluate several parts of Australia’s accessibility framework.

How Do the DDA, Premises Standards and NCC Work Together?

For project teams, their roles can be understood as follows:

The NCC’s access provisions and the Premises Standards align closely, providing consistency between building approval and non-discriminatory access requirements.

In practice, a developer planning a new commercial building must determine the building classification, accessible areas, applicable NCC provisions, and technical requirements from referenced standards early.

What DDA Building Requirements Can Affect Your Design?

Accessibility requirements affect much more than ramps and accessible toilets.

Depending on the building classification and use, DDA building requirements and related NCC provisions may affect:

• entrances and accessible paths of travel
• doorways and circulation spaces
• ramps and stairs
• lifts and vertical access
• accessible sanitary facilities
• accessible car parking
• braille and tactile signage
• hearing augmentation
• tactile ground surface indicators
• wheelchair seating in assembly buildings
• access to certain swimming pools

NCC Part D4 contains Deemed-to-Satisfy provisions dealing with access for people with disability, including accessible areas, car parking, signage, hearing augmentation and tactile indicators.

Building classification and area determine the extent of required access. Design teams should plan and integrate accessibility features early, rather than adding them as individual elements late in the process.

Do Existing Buildings Need to Be DDA Compliant?

Existing buildings require more careful review than a simple yes or no.

The DDA is still relevant to access to premises, while the Premises Standards apply depending on the circumstances and building work.

Applications for approval of upgrades to existing buildings can trigger requirements under the Premises Standards.

For a property owner planning alterations or refurbishment, the key question is: What accessibility requirements apply to this building and the proposed works?

Establishing this early clarifies the access upgrades needed.

What Is a DDA Access Audit?

Auditors evaluate an existing property to identify accessibility barriers and review areas against requirements.

Depending on the building and purpose of the audit, the review may cover:

• entry into the property
• accessible paths of travel
• doorways and circulation
• ramps, stairs and handrails
• lifts
• sanitary facilities
• accessible parking
• signage and wayfinding
• tactile ground surface indicators

Owners and asset managers gain a clearer picture of access issues and can better prioritise upgrades or refurbishment planning by commissioning an audit.

Learn more about AI Consultancy’s Access Audits for Existing Buildings →

Does NCC Compliance Automatically Mean DDA Compliance?

The NCC and Premises Standards contain technical accessibility provisions that closely align, providing consistency between building approval and non-discriminatory access requirements.

However, the DDA has a more extensive anti-discrimination function.

The Premises Standards themselves provide certainty in relation to DDA obligations to the extent that the Standards cover those matters.

For property owners and developers, NCC accessibility compliance and DDA compliance should not be treated as interchangeable. The building’s circumstances, use, and proposed work also matter.

What Role Does AS 1428.1 Play?

AS 1428.1, Design for access and mobility, is one of the key Australian Standards used for accessible building design.

It contains technical requirements affecting elements such as accessible paths, circulation spaces, doorways, ramps and stairs.

There has been a recent regulatory update relevant to current projects. Following amendments to the Premises Standards and NCC 2022 Amendment 2, AS 1428.1:2021 is the referenced edition.

[For NSW projects: NCC 2022 Amendment 2 remains the current applicable edition in 2026. The NSW government has announced that NCC 2025 will commence on 1 May 2027.]

Project teams should check project documentation against the edition referenced by applicable regulations, not specifications from earlier projects.

Other Australian Standards may also apply depending on the building and accessibility aspects being assessed.

When Should an Access Consultant Be Involved?

We can easily plan and integrate accessibility features when layouts, levels, and circulation arrangements can still be changed.

Here are some cases:

• For a new development, an access consultant can review concept and design-development drawings to identify requirements affecting entrances, paths of travel, amenities, parking and other building elements.
• For approval and detailed documentation, the consultant can assess the proposed design against applicable accessibility provisions, prepare access reports and identify departures requiring further consideration.
• For alterations to an existing building, early review establishes how existing levels, circulation spaces, entrances, and constraints affect the proposed work.
• For existing properties, an access audit can identify barriers and help owners prioritise future accessibility improvements.

If you are a property owner or developer seeking practical support with accessibility, our DDA Access Consulting service can help you understand your obligations and achieve compliance.

What Should Property Owners and Developers Do?

The appropriate next step depends on the project:

The objective is to define applicable prerequisites early enough to coordinate them with the building design.