A Government Focus on Productivity Improvements In light of the recent Federal election win by Labour, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has placed increasing emphasis on “productivity improvements” as a way to strengthen Australia’s economy, lift wages, and make growth more sustainable....

In the world of building and construction, ensuring compliance with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) is essential to achieving safe, functional, and sustainable new development and structures. This is particularly critical for landuse planning and buildings in bushfire-prone...

In NSW, planning and building requirements for new development on Bushfire Prone Land have been in force since 1989 with the release of Circular C10 Planning in Fire Prone Areas issued by the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning in 1989. This was followed by the first version...

In today’s fast-paced business world, it’s easy to confuse the two. Both bring immense value, but the way they engage, the questions they ask, and the level of partnership they offer can be very different. Building trust isn’t a short-term game. It’s built on consistent...

Specification 43 of the Building Code of Australia (BCA) is a recent regulatory development from the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) that is now a requirement for some Class 9 buildings stirring concern across the health, education and aged care, planning and building...

My presentation at the Blue Mountains Bushfire Conference on 6th September 2023. The workshop was designed to challenge some current approaches and elevate the problem-solving skills and strategies of Bushfire Planning and Design practitioners. The primary goal of this workshop...

Where considering current approaches to bushfire management and future adaptations, it is good to reflect on past lessons and recommendations. The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission conducted an extensive investigation into the devastating bushfires that occurred in Victoria,...

The Queensland Government’s bushfire planning strategies have evolved into well structured legislative processes.

We often get queries about providing advice on landscape design to reduce bushfire risk. Managing vegetation to reduce bushfire risk is something that all land owners and managers can do. People that live in bushfire prone areas (which is an area of land that can support a...

In 2020 the Rural Fire Service (RFS) approached Blackash Consulting to help them undertake work to assist the bushfire rebuild in NSW after the 2019/20 state-wide bushfire natural disaster which destroyed over 2400 homes across 34 local government areas. Many communities in NSW...