Policy Snapshot - June 2021

The Northern Beaches Hospital, NSW. Healthscope. 4 Star Green Star – Healthcare As Built v1.

25 Jun 2021

The case for sustainable social infrastructure 

A new paper by the Australian and New Zealand Green Building Councils has been launched urging governments to accelerate the transition to a climate-resilient and net zero emission future by unlocking the benefits of sustainable, resilient social infrastructure.

The Green Star in focus: the case for sustainable social infrastructure report provides information aimed at helping governments to demonstrate leadership and unlock a range of benefits for the buildings they construct, own, operate and occupy, including:

  • The benefits of Green Star certification such as savings in emissions, resource use and operational costs, access to innovative finance opportunities and improved health, wellbeing and productivity outcomes. 
  • How using Green Star can support robust procurement, streamline reporting for sustainability objectives, reinforce the credibility of environmental claims, promote innovation and build industry capacity. 
  • How Green Star can support greater resilience for social infrastructure and communities. 
  • The costs of using Green Star. 
Read the report

Brisbane a step closer to hosting 2032 Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is currently undertaking the selection process for hosting the 2032 Olympic Games. Earlier this month, the recommendation was made that the Queensland bid should be put to the IOC for a final vote of endorsement. 

Following recent discussions with the Queensland Government, we warmly welcomed the release of their sustainability aspirations for the 2032 Games, spanning across the areas of infrastructure and natural sites, sourcing and resource management, mobility, workforce and climate. Notable objectives around infrastructure include:

  • Maximising the use of existing venues with new permanent infrastructure only used where there is clear long-term legacy need.
  • Auditing all existing venues for energy efficiency and onsite renewable energy retrofits, with all cost-effective abatement options with less than ten-year RoI considered.
  • Implementing best practice industry standards in the planning, design, and delivery of games infrastructure, including targeting 6 star Green Star Buildings ratings for all new vertical infrastructure projects or significant upgrades.
  • Targeting zero net waste and 100% renewable electricity and fuel use for construction phases of capital programmes and delivering assets that achieve the same in operation. 
  • Incorporating technologies that support low carbon operations as appropriate such as EV charging infrastructure. 
See the Queensland Government's bid

Support for local government education and training

We are excited to be embarking on a new project with support from the Commonwealth Government, to promote greater understanding across the local government sector of how Green Star can be used to improve sustainability outcomes in new development.

Many planning authorities around Australia use Green Star to drive the transition to low and zero net emissions buildings and precincts. The rating system is also used to support local government planning functions, as it provides a holistic set of best-practice criteria for sustainable development.

Over the coming months, our policy and membership teams will work to produce several resources designed to support and provide guidance for professionals working with Green Star in the local government sector. These will include a training course, fact sheets and guide to ESD in planning. 

Contact us to learn more
Government education

Energy efficiency grants for hotels

We welcome the news that the Federal Government’s Hotel Energy Uplift program has been successfully subscribed to by over 440 hotels, motels and serviced apartment facilities.

The $10.2 million program, announced in the 2020-21 Budget was targeted at supporting equipment and facilities upgrades for hotels across Australia. Hotels, motels and serviced apartments with up to 99 rooms were eligible to receive grants under the program.

Grants of up to $25,000 have assisted hotels to lower their energy bills by upgrading to more efficient building equipment and improving their thermal performance through the installation of double glazing and insulation. These grants have also been used to fine tune building performance by installing energy monitoring equipment and carrying out energy audits.

Learn about the Hotel Energy Uplift program

Industry leader Suzanne Toumbourou moves on from ASBEC

We congratulate Suzanne Toumbourou’s recent appointment to CEO of the Australian Council of Recycling. A long-standing Executive Director of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC),

Suzanne has played a major role in advancing the sustainability of Australia’s built environment through her passionate advocacy and leadership through key policy deliberations. As a member of ASBEC, we are also delighted to have worked closely with Suzanne on numerous projects in pursuit of resilient, net zero buildings and communities in Australia. We applaud her enormous contribution to the sector and warmly welcome Alison Scotland as ASBEC’s Interim Executive Director.

Suzanne Toumbourou
Suzanne Toumbourou