17 Dec 2025
We go further when we go together. For me, that is the theme of 2025.
Nothing this year was achieved by one organisation, one reform or one breakthrough. Progress came from the steady alignment of many hands: policymakers, industry partners, technical experts, designers, developers and communities.
We can see this in the almost 2,000 certifications issued in a single year. Flick through Green Star: A year in focus FY2024-25, fresh off the press, and you’ll find hospitals and hotels, schools and sports facilities, embassies and entertainment precincts side by side. Over the last five years, 700 certified Green Star projects have avoided at least four million tonnes of carbon.
But there is a bigger story than activity alone. These figures show how high-performing, low-impact buildings have become the industry’s reflex – a collective instinct shaped by people choosing to lift together.
Policy is following that alignment. After years of deliberation, reforms to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act took a step forward this month. No legislation satisfies everyone, but this moves Australia closer to the vision outlined in our draft Nature positive roadmap. It also reminds us that consensus is often slow to build yet powerful once reached.
The gap between advocacy and action continues to narrow because more of us are carrying the work. We see this in the consultation following the release of our Freeze Frame paper. This has revealed an opportunity to elevate ambition in Green Star Buildings v1.1. The revised credit – with stronger baselines and clearer safeguards – shows what happens when we design solutions together. You can read the paper and have your say to shape the next steps until 2 April 2026.
Culture continues to move with us. I am proud to sit on the judging panel of Future Homes, Jamie Durie OAM’s new program on Channel 9. The latest episode explores new building techniques that could help tackle Australia's housing crisis with homes that are affordable, quick to build and sustainable. Australians’ interest in this program shows that sustainability is no longer left to specialists – it has become part of a shared national conversation, carried by many voices.
Markets are moving. Policy is ploughing ahead. Standards are strengthening. Communities are leaning in. And through it all, we are reminded that we go further when we work together for a shared future.
As 2025 draws to a close, thank you for your contribution to our shared project. On behalf of the GBCA team, I wish you a safe and happy festive season. Our office will be closed from 24 December until 6 January, and we look forward to stepping into 2026 together.
Postscript: Since writing this column, we have been deeply affected by the events at Bondi Beach. Our thoughts are with those who were harmed, their families, and the communities now carrying that shock and grief.