BuildMate Now Covers NSW, VIC, and QLD — One Tool for Three States

BuildMate by Light Tune now covers building codes across NSW, VIC, and QLD.

---

Sound Familiar?

Scenario A: Your design team works on projects across NSW and VIC. Every time you check codes, you need to remember different systems — NSW uses NCC + SEPP + LEP, VIC uses Planning Schemes + ResCode. Worse, you’re never sure “how does Victoria phrase this requirement?”

Scenario B: You just got a holiday home project in Brisbane and need to check pool fence requirements. You open the Queensland Government website, find the Queensland Development Code, download the PDF, scroll to MP 3.4… another 20 minutes gone.

Scenario C: You’re doing residential development in Melbourne and need to check Casey Council’s planning requirements. Open Casey Council website, find Planning Scheme, search for relevant clauses… wait, was this updated in 2023 or 2024?

---

If any of these sound familiar, this update is for you.

Before: BuildMate covered NSW — 30 seconds to find a code.

Now: BuildMate covers NSW + VIC + QLD, reaching 80% of major development areas across three states — still 30 seconds.

New Feature: Region selector — NSW/VIC/QLD/ALL, switch search scope with one click.

This article shows you 3 tips to get started with multi-state code search.

---

Tip 1: Use the Region Selector for Precision

Problem: You’re working on a Melbourne project and only want Victorian codes, not NSW or QLD results.

Solution:

Open BuildMate and look for the region selector above the chat input box:

• NSW — Search only New South Wales codes
• VIC — Search only Victoria codes
• QLD — Search only Queensland codes
• ALL — Search across all three states

💡 Note: National codes like NCC are always included in search results, regardless of your state selection.

Use Cases:

• Local projects: Select your state to avoid noise
• Multi-state projects: Select ALL to compare in one search
• Research differences: Ask the same question with different state selections

Example:

Working on a townhouse in Melbourne, enter double-storey townhouse setback requirements, select VIC, and BuildMate returns only Victorian codes — Townhouse and Low-Rise Code clauses.

---

Tip 2: VIC Coverage — Good News for Melbourne Designers

Coverage:

BuildMate’s VIC database includes:

• Council Planning Schemes: Covers Melbourne and surrounding development areas
• State design codes: Townhouse, medium-density housing, and other development codes

Simply put: Most codes you need for Victorian projects are here.

Real Example:

Working on a townhouse in Casey Council:

Enter: Casey Council townhouse setback requirements

BuildMate returns: Casey Planning Scheme clauses + Townhouse Code supplementary requirements, with source citations and PDF links.

How It Differs from NSW:

• NSW: NCC (national) + SEPP (state policy) + LEP (local planning)
• VIC: Planning Schemes (local) + state design codes

BuildMate covers both systems — just ask in natural language.

---

Tip 3: QLD Coverage — Queensland Building Codes

Coverage:

BuildMate’s QLD database covers the main parts of Queensland Development Code:

• Fire safety: Accommodation and infrastructure building requirements
• Residential facilities: Pool barriers, flood-prone buildings, temporary accommodation
• Special codes: External cladding, farm buildings

Simply put: Most state-level building codes for Queensland are covered.

Real Example:

Working on a holiday home in Brisbane with a pool:

Enter: Queensland residential pool fence height requirements

BuildMate returns: QDC MP 3.4 clauses — scope, technical requirements, exceptions, with official PDF links.

Note: QLD currently covers state-level QDC only. For specific Council planning requirements, you’ll need to check Council websites separately.

---

Tip 4: ALL Mode — Smart Multi-State Search

Problem: You’re working across states and want to see how requirements differ in one search.

How ALL Mode Works:

BuildMate understands your question and searches across all three states, labeling which state each result comes from.

Example:

Enter: townhouse front and side setback requirements, select ALL

BuildMate searches all three states and returns:

• NSW: SEPP setback clauses
• VIC: Townhouse Code requirements
• QLD: State-level provisions if available

You see the differences at a glance.

Best Practices:

• Multi-state projects: Use ALL mode to quickly compare
• Local projects: Use specific state mode to reduce noise
• Detailed research: Check one state, then switch to another for manual comparison

---

Coverage Summary

State	What’s Covered
NSW	National codes + State policy + Local planning
VIC	Major Council schemes + State design codes
QLD	Main Queensland Development Code provisions

---

How to Get Started

BuildMate by Light Tune is currently in open beta — all features are free to use.

New Users

1. Visit buildmate.lighttune.com.au
2. Click Sign Up (top right), enter email and password
3. Complete the 2-minute Onboarding survey
4. Unlock three-state code search immediately

Existing Users

Three-state data is automatically unlocked. Log in and you’ll see the region selector above the chat input.

No re-registration needed. No extra payment required.

---

🚀 Next Steps

If you work on multi-state projects, or VIC/QLD local projects:

1. Open buildmate.lighttune.com.au now
2. Try your most common question (e.g., “townhouse setback requirements”)
3. Switch the region selector to compare results across states

After your first multi-state search, you’ll find: one tool, three states — that simple.

---

BuildMate — The building code assistant designed for Australian construction industry by Light Tune.

Questions or feedback? Contact us via the feedback button on the bottom right of the website.