NSW: Q&A Staying compliant while waiting for the AS 1851 fire safety update

This article discusses what NSW strata committees should do about fire protection systems to stay compliant with the upcoming AS 1851 changes.

Question: What’s happening with the delayed update to Australian Standard 1851, and what should strata committees do about fire protection systems to stay compliant?

I’m on the committee of an older strata building in NSW and have heard about planned updates to AS 1851, which covers fire protection system maintenance. We were told the update was due soon, but it has since been delayed. Can you explain what caused the delay, what changes we should expect, and what our committee should do in the meantime to ensure we remain compliant?

Answer: If the owners have been meeting their existing NSW strata legislation requirements to maintain their building and essential fire safety measures, AS 1851 should bring no change.

Regarding the delay, it occurred because the NSW Building Commission did not believe adequate education to end-users and research into the impact of legislating that had been undertaken by them or the industry.  

There is a whole series of FAQ’s and more to be released imminently, ready for the proposed Feb 2026 implementation date. I am co-chair of the Building Commission’s Strata and owner sector of the industry reference group assembling those FAQ’s. 

Your committee needs to be aware that the new standard is coming. They should ensure their current fire maintenance contract requires their contractor to “undertake maintenance of their Essential Fire Safety Measures to AS1851-2012”. 

That is all they need to do. There are no requirements for an upgrade.

If the owners have been meeting their existing strata legislation requirements to maintain their building and essential fire safety measures, there should be no change whatsoever. If they have not been maintaining them, they need to start maintaining them in accordance with AS 1851 and rectify the identified defects. Again, to be clear, no upgrades are required. 

Right now, you can find out more on the NSW Government website: Reforms to building fire safety regulation. Stay in contact with LookUpStrata, 2020 Fire Protection and other relevant industry bodies, and you will see the official FAQ’s released soon!

Rob Broadhead
2020 Fire Protection
E: rob.broadhead@2020fire.com.au
P: 1300 340 210

This post appears in the November 2025 edition of The NSW Strata Magazine.

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