Policy Snapshot - August 2022

Strengthened commitment to emissions reductions

In the first sitting weeks of Australia’s 47th Parliament, the Albanese government strengthened Australia’s commitment to climate action, introducing legislation to cut emissions by 43% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Importantly, the bill makes it clear that all future national contributions submitted as part of the Paris agreement must be an increase on current commitments.

GBCA commends the new legislation as an important step towards achieving our net zero goals, but there is a lot more work to do. We will match the passage of the bill through the upper house - and any amendments - with interest. GBCA looks forward to continuing to work with the Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments to move further and faster towards a more sustainable, climate positive and resilient built environment. 

Equivalency or certification that you can trust?

After two decades of hard graft, Australia now has some of the world’s most robust, reliable rating systems. Trusted trademarks such as Green Star and NABERS provide independent verification of sustainability achievements. Projects and organisations that claim ‘equivalency’ to Green Star might be guilty of greenwash and making sustainability claims that don’t stack up.

Positive changes for Victoria's Planning Provisions

Recent changes to the Victorian Planning Provisions mean that all planning schemes in Victoria must include provisions which expressly require the consideration of climate change (including mitigation and adaptation) as part of the decision-making process. Another amendment removes the requirement for developments to connect to reticulated gas, paving the way for all-electric developments to support implementation of Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy 2021 and Gas Substitution Roadmap 2022. These are great steps towards a low climate positive future for the built environment and we look forward to other jurisdictions looking at these changes in the context of their own regulatory frameworks.

Electrifying the ACT

The ACT government announced its plan to electrify Canberra and transition away from the use of fossil-fuel gas by 2045. As part of the initial phase of the transition, new 'greenfields' suburbs will no longer be connected to gas mains, and from 2023 new gas connections will cease for future infill developments. 

Look out for GBCA's upcoming Practical guide to electrification - For existing buildings, due for release in September 2022.

Ever wondered how local councils are embedding sustainability into their own policies and local planning systems?

We're holding a joint webinar with the Planning Institute of Australia on how local councils can deliver positive impact at scale given the the challenging limitations in the planning systems councils work within.