15 Jul 2025
Throughout May and June, the GSAP community showed up to the Green Building Day events across Australia, hungry to learn and share experiences. In each city we were lucky enough to be joined by elders who welcomed us to country, including by Aunty Maxine Ryan, a Dharawal woman, who reminded us of the importance of being role models for the next generation and working with respect for the land we are on today.
Each city has its own unique sustainability community, which is important to understand and acknowledge, but it’s the things that are common across this vast country that really stand out.
Collaboration was a word that came up time and time again, and it showed the crucial role that GSAPs play in educating project teams and bringing them along the journey.
Each case study was a demonstration of the way a broad framework like Green Star is being applied to create unique outcomes across a breadth of project typologies. Social infrastructure and its ability to improve lives showed up as a theme across projects like Rockpool Carseldine Aged Care located in the 5 Star Green Star Communities Carseldine Village in Brisbane, Powerhouse Parramatta in Sydney, U City in Adelaide, Melbourne University (Melbourne) University of Melbourne Arts & Cultural Building, and Perth Metronet.
Right now, we're engaged in sophisticated conversations about the complex and interconnected challenges facing our industry. These discussions go to the heart of systemic transformation, including:
Green Building Day is also an opportunity to catch up with peers, many who have become friends over the years of fighting the good fight. There was a clear feeling of connectedness and celebration as we got a chance to collectively acknowledge the ways in which the built environment has changed for the better. It’s through the tireless work of these people that change happens, which is why it was also exciting to celebrate the Green Star Champions for 2025.
On a personal level, the informal parts of the day are just as fruitful as the program. I loved catching up with folks that have volunteered their time and learnings to make Green Star more impactful and meaningful. There were many familiar faces, but I also relished the opportunity to meet new people and connect those doing great things that may not have otherwise crossed paths.
I tip my hat to the GBCA’s incredible education and events team who do an amazing job of making these events run seamlessly. Last year you told us you wanted more time for networking and to ask questions. This year I saw you take up the opportunities we provided with gusto, making the day feel like one big important conversation. It was reflected in your feedback this year with some of the highest levels of satisfaction we have seen to date.
Now that I’m back home I am more excited than ever to deliver the work on Green Star we’ve been promising – in particular Green Star Fitouts and Green Star Buildings v1.1, but also a draft of supporting guidance documents borne of conversations from events like Green Building Day.
Thanks for having us and we look forward to catching up again in the near future.
The Draft Nature Positive Roadmap for New Developments has been released for industry consultation. This roadmap offers a practical pathway for our sector, aligning with global frameworks such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Taskforce on Nature Related Financial Disclosures, while building on the GBCA’s longstanding work — including Building with Nature and the integration of nature into Green Star.
With the draft roadmap released, we want to hear from you.
There are several ways for you to get involved:
The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute released the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy on 17 June. The document provides a common language for green and transition finance in Australia, supporting the allocation of capital towards activities that enable Australia’s net zero ambitions.
GBCA is pleased to see Green Star formally recognised as a proxy within the taxonomy for the following criteria:
Registrations are now open for Green Star Communities v2, with formal submissions accepted from January 2026. Use this early window to plan, engage stakeholders, and connect with the GBCA.
We're currently updating the Green Star Performance v2 online submission platform to enhance your experience. During this time, the platform will remain accessible for demo purposes only, submissions will be possible offline. For more information, please reach out to your Green Star Coordinator.
We’ll soon be reaching out to everyone who has an active registered project, or recently certified project, to get your feedback in our annual Green Star satisfaction survey.
We want to hear from you! Please keep an eye out in your inbox in the coming weeks, to complete the survey.
See how we responded to last year’s feedbackTo improve system functionality and reduce clutter, we’ll soon begin removing Demo projects three months after their creation. If you have a Demo project approaching this deadline, you’ll receive a notification asking you to confirm whether you’d like to keep it. If no action is taken, the project will be deleted.
Please note that a CPI increase will be applied to Green Star certification fees on 1 November 2025.
The increase will be applied to certification fees for Green Star Buildings, Green Star – Interiors, Green Star - Communities v1, Green Star – Performance v1.2 and Green Star Homes.
For more information please contact the Market Engagement team