Closure of CSIRO fire testing facility risks Australia's housing innovation pipeline

THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) has expressed deep concern over the planned closure of the CSIRO's North Ryde Fire Technology Laboratory, warning that the loss of one of Australia's most important building-product testing facilities will have significant implications for housing innovation, product development, and the delivery of new homes.

The facility is used extensively for fire-resistance testing of construction materials and systems, but is scheduled to close when its lease expires in December 2026.

The North Ryde laboratory has been a critical part of Australia's building and construction ecosystem, according to the HIA, providing independent fire testing that supports product certification, National Construction Code compliance, research and development, and the commercialisation of innovative building products. HIA's concern is that its closure would remove up to half of Australia's large scale fire-testing capacity at a time when demand for testing and certification is increasing.

HIA chief executive for industry and policy, Simon Croft, said the decision comes at the worst possible time for a nation seeking to improve housing affordability, boost productivity and accelerate the delivery of new homes.

"The closure of CSIRO's North Ryde Fire Technology Laboratory is more than the loss of a testing facility, it is the loss of nationally significant innovation infrastructure," Mr Croft said.

"Independent testing capability is fundamental to developing new building products, supporting housing delivery and accelerating modern construction methods. At a time when Australia faces a housing shortage and is seeking to boost productivity, we should be strengthening these capabilities, not reducing them."

Mr Croft said Australia's ability to adopt innovative building products and construction systems relied on access to timely, affordable and independent testing services.

"Every new building product, construction system, prefabricated solution, engineered timber product or bushfire-resistant housing component must pass rigorous testing before it can be widely adopted by the industry," Mr Croft said. "Without that capability, innovation slows, costs increase and housing delivery becomes harder.

“Industry stakeholders have warned that reduced testing capacity could result in longer approval timeframes, increased certification costs and further pressure on housing supply.

“Australia cannot afford to lose decades of specialist expertise and nationally significant testing capability without a clear replacement strategy," he said.

"If Australia is serious about building more homes, embracing innovation and improving productivity in construction, we need world-class testing and certification infrastructure. The North Ryde facility has played a vital role in providing exactly that.

"Governments, industry and CSIRO must work together to ensure independent fire-testing capability remains available in Australia and that there is no gap in the infrastructure needed to support housing innovation and research and development.

“HIA is calling for an urgent national response to preserve Australia's building testing capability and ensure researchers, manufacturers and builders continue to have access to the facilities required to bring innovative housing solutions to market,” Mr Croft said.