Australian Industry Group has expressed disappointment at Victoria's decision to break from a nationally consistent construction code and withdrawal of its support of a sell through period for existing WaterMark certified plumbing products as the end of the transition to lead-free requirements takes effect on 1 May 2026.
The decision places Victoria at odds with the nationally coordinated approach supported by industry and progressed through the Australian Building Codes Board, and risks undermining Australia's longstanding nationally consistent approach to plumbing regulation. That national framework has been deliberately built over decades to improve safety, reduce regulatory fragmentation and provide certainty across state borders, and it is now at risk of being weakened by state-based divergence.
Australian Industry Group has consistently supported the move to lower lead content in plumbing products. The transition to lead-free plumbing is not a response to a failure of Australia's plumbing system, which is already among the safest in the world. Rather, it represents the next step in a longstanding, evidence-based process of making a safe system even safer.
"Through the WaterMark certification scheme and the National Construction Code, Australia already has a robust plumbing safety framework that protects public health," said Tim Piper, Victorian Head of the national employer association, Australian Industry Group.
"The lead-free transition is about future improvement. Existing certified plumbing products remain safe and compliant, and there is no public health advice suggesting Australians are currently at risk from their plumbing systems."
Industry has worked constructively with governments and regulators since the reform was first proposed in 2018, supporting lower lead thresholds while consistently calling for practical transition arrangements, including a reasonable sell through period for existing stock.
Manufacturers and suppliers have invested heavily to redesign products, retool production lines and navigate new certification and accreditation processes. Those efforts reflect industry's commitment to safety and public health. However, denying a sell through period now risks creating unnecessary waste, supply disruptions and cost pressures that do little to improve safety outcomes.
With the conflict in Iran causing disruptions to the availability of construction products, this risks adding further complexity to an already stretched supply chain.
"In well-designed regulatory systems, safety improvements are delivered through steady, coordinated change rather than sudden disruption," Mr Piper said.
"Fragmented implementation settings increase complexity and uncertainty, undermining confidence in the regulatory system and making it harder to deliver safe and affordable products to market.
"Australian Industry Group urges Victoria to reconsider its position and work with other jurisdictions and the Commonwealth to restore a nationally consistent approach to the implementation of lead-free plumbing requirements – one that continues Australia's long tradition of strengthening public health while ensuring the system remains safe, stable and workable."
