30 Sep 2026
Green Building Voice column: Davina Rooney, Chief Executive Officer, Green Building Council of Australia
“From farm gates to factory floors, freight routes to front doors, everyone wins when Australia electrifies.”
This is a line from the Electrify Australia campaign launched at Parliament House this month.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg and independent MP Nicolette Boele attended the launch, alongside people from 30 organisations representing households, transport, agriculture, energy, resources and, of course, the built environment.
Bowen, Bragg and Boele being in the same room says a lot about electrification’s appeal. Health or hip pocket, climate or cost, petrol prices or pollution, the solution can be the same induction cooktop.
We know why we need to electrify. My June Green Building Voice column and an op-ed for The Fifth Estate earlier this month explored the many benefits. Now we need to get smarter about the way we electrify.
Electrification could save households $5,000 a year, one headline reads. But there’s a catch: the Australians who stand to gain most from lower energy bills can be the least able to afford the upfront cost of making the switch.
The campaign calls for targeted Commonwealth funding to help households electrify, especially renters, social housing residents, First Nations communities and those on low incomes. Measures include interest-free loans and discounts for energy upgrades.
For commercial buildings – which account for around a quarter of Australia's electricity use – Electrify Australia recommends making the policy machinery we've already built work harder.
We already have the Commercial Building Disclosure program. Why don’t we disclose when a building is fully electric? We already have NABERS. How can it evolve to make electrification more visible? We already have the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. How can discounted lending help mid-tier buildings make the switch?
Government can also lead by doing. Electrifying Australia’s enormous government property portfolios would grow demand for electric technologies, skilled trades, expertise and equipment.
We don’t have to imagine what this smarter way looks like. The all-electric Yitpi Yartapuultiku, which we feature in this month’s Green Building Voice, is South Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star Buildings project and is expected to use 61% less operational energy than a standard build.
Last week, the COP31 Presidency launched the 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, calling for electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to reach 35% by 2035.
Remarkably, Australian analysis lands on precisely the same number. During Electrify Australia’s launch, Energy Efficiency Council CEO and ASBEC Vice-President Luke Menzel noted that “focused, sustained effort” could take Australia’s electrification rate from around 21% today to 35% by 2035.
Electrify Australia’s open letter notes that the barriers are different for each sector, but the answer is the same everywhere. “Clear policy signals, effective regulation and targeted incentives.”
I’ll add one more: talented, committed people.
Some the people shaping what an electric 2035 looks like will be in the room at Green Building Forum. We kick off in Melbourne on 27 October before heading to Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, with a virtual forum on 18 November. I hope you’ll join us.