Policy Snapshot - March 2022

08 Mar 2022

Top picks for policy people at TRANSFORM

GBCA’s 4th annual TRANSFORM conference will be held on 23-24 March 2022, with additional breakout events from 25 March to 6 April. TRANSFORM will unpack the challenges, reveal solutions, and provide insights into how we can accelerate a thriving future and there is plenty in the program to inspire great policy leadership!

Attendees can join the conference in person in Sydney or online to learn about: 

  • COP26 - What happened, why it matters, and what next with Nigel Topping, the UN’s High-Level Climate Action Champion for COP26.
  • Innovation in the Big Apple – Delivering New York City’s Roadmap to reducing greenhouse gases 80% by 2050 with Gina Bocra, Chief Sustainability Officer, NYC Department of Buildings.
  • Collaborating with government to drive meaningful action towards a sustainable built environment in Australia with The Hon. Rob Stokes MP, NSW Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Cities, and Minister for Active Transport, and leaders from Sustainability Victoria, Landcom and the Government of Western Australia. 

As well as sessions on practical steps to electrification, realising the circular economy, zero emissions mobility, responsible products and procurement, improving building performance, innovative infrastructure for a climate-positive Brisbane Olympics and much more. 

View the agenda and learn more

Decarbonising building operations – the fastest and least-cost ways to get there

The built environment has a critical role to play in delivering Australia’s 2050 net zero emissions target. The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is leading a project which aims to create resources for industry and government that set out the decarbonisation options available to building owners, managers and developers.

A discussion paper, Rapid and least cost decarbonisation of building operations, has been released as the first step to engaging industry stakeholders and consultation is open until 1 April 2022. Anyone interested in the sustainable transformation of the built environment is invited to complete a short survey and/or provide more detailed feedback.

Read the paper

Planning for a more sustainable built environment 

The NSW Government has been undertaking consultation and engagement with industry and the community to update NSW planning processes. A new planning policy, the Design & Place State Environment Planning Policy (DP SEPP), has been proposed which aims to puts sustainability, resilience, and quality of places at the forefront of development. GBCA supports a greater focus on sustainability in planning and will continue to work with industry stakeholders and the NSW Government to provide feedback on how sustainability provisions can be included and implemented for the best possible outcomes. GBCA’s submission will be finalised and made available in the coming weeks, please contact Andrew Fischer, Senior Manager, Policy and Government Relations, for more information.

Learn more about DP SEPP