20 Aug 2025
July marked the first sitting week of the new Parliament, and it was a busy one. Our CEO, Davina Rooney, and I spent the day in Canberra meeting with ministers, advisers, senior public servants, and the ACT Treasurer to advance GBCA’s advocacy priorities.
Productivity is front of mind across government. The Treasurer’s Economic Reform Roundtable this week brought leaders together to explore solutions for overcoming barriers and lifting productivity across the economy. Ahead of this, several ministers convened high-level sectoral roundtables. GBCA was at the table for the Energy and Resilience Roundtable, ensuring the voice of the sustainable built environment was part of the national conversation.
Our contribution focused on what drives a productive construction sector and how that sector underpins Australia’s resilience. This includes recognising the challenges we face, rising costs, skills shortages, barriers to innovation, and a complex planning and regulatory landscape, while also keeping sight of the bigger picture.
Because what we know is this: no matter the pressures of today, Australia’s long-term productivity depends on our ability to plan, design, and deliver safe, healthy, resilient buildings and communities. If we fail to build for the climate impacts of today and tomorrow, the costs and challenges for our economy will only grow.
The Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council (ECMC) met last week to set strategic priorities for ensuring a safe and resilient energy system in the transition to net zero. Consumer energy resources, the growth in data centres and reducing the demand for gas were all on the agenda. Also announced was the Update to the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings. The updated Trajectory continues to focus on the energy and emissions performance of the built environment, as well as expanding the scope to cover embodied emissions in construction, electrification, resilience against future climate risks and refrigerant emissions.
GBCA will continue to advocate for a clear implementation plan to back up the Trajectory, including timelines, actions and responsibilities to drive action and accountability aligned with emission reductions goals and community needs.
See the update to the trajectory See the communique from the ECMC meetingIn June, GBCA welcomed announcements from City of Sydney and the Victorian Government that mark important steps in the electrification transformation. City of Sydney will ban gas in new homes from 1 January 2026, while in Victoria gas hot water systems must be replaced with efficient, electric systems when they reach end of life from 1 March 2027.
Read our media releaseAfter a lengthy process of engagement, consultation and review, Amendment C376 – Sustainable Building Design was unanimously adopted by City of Melbourne councillors on 29 July. The amendment will update planning rules to improve the liveability and performance of new buildings (including electrification), increase greenery and more.
Find out moreWe are currently inviting public feedback on the nature positive consultation paper, closing 30 August. The roadmap sets out a pathway to support nature positive outcomes in new developments. GBCA has led several workshops and briefings on the draft roadmap, including with government, and we continue to welcome feedback and engagement on this important issue.
See the draft Nature positive roadmap: For new developmentsThe surge in extreme weather disasters around Australia reinforces the need for national leadership on adaptation to keep communities safe in a changing climate. A new report from the Climate Change Authority examines how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of flooding, bushfires, extreme storms and coastal erosion, and the rising costs of these events for Australians.
Meanwhile, the NSW Reconstruction Authority has released guidelines to support the development of Disaster Adaptation Plans and a Victorian parliamentary standing committee released its report on the inquiry into climate resilience. The inquiry finds that Victoria’s built environment faces increasing climate change risks with intensifying impacts driven by rising global temperatures and more extreme weather events.
Read new report from the Climate Change Authority Read the NSW Reconstruction Authority's new guidelinesNational:
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