1. Policy framework

The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) is an environmental regulator and a manager of parks and gardens in NSW, and develops and leads policy and reform in environmental regulation, sustainability, biodiversity and native vegetation, coastal protection and Aboriginal cultural heritage.

In regulatory matters for environment protection, staff act under the powers of the statutory Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and its Board.

On 5 October 2011, the NSW Government announced that it will be modernising the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as an independent, statutory authority and rebuilding its identity as a strong regulator with the community’s interest at heart.

The OEH’s Knowledge Centre provides information catered to a wide spectrum of interested bodies.

1.1 NSW Greenhouse Plan

The NSW Greenhouse Plan provides a strategic approach to combating climate change in NSW from 2005 to 2008 and beyond.

The Plan sets out action to reduce NSW Government emissions and to work with other stakeholders to reduce emissions from their activities. It commits the State to long-term reduction targets, including:

• a 60% cut in greenhouse emissions by 2050, and
• a return to year 2000 greenhouse emission levels in NSW by 2025.

Key initiatives under the Plan for the building sector include:

• minimum greenhouse emissions standards for buildings
• point of sale disclosure of home efficiency ratings to assist prospective home buyers.

The Greenhouse Plan is being updated and will be replaced by the draft Climate Action Plan, which will become the key NSW policy document for government climate change action over the next five years.

1.2 NSW 2021 - A Plan to Make NSW Number One

The NSW 2021 is a 10 year plan to rebuild the economy, return quality services, renovate infrastructure, restore accountability to government, and strengthen local environment and communities. It replaces the State Plan as the NSW Government’s strategic business plan.

The plan lists 32 goals across   nine areas including Environment and Communities. With a shift to a decentralised decision making structure, the plan hopes to allow a greater community impact on the shaping of NSW over the next 10 years.

1.3 Metropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036

The Metropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036 outlines the NSW Government's strategic vision for Sydney until 2036, including the priorities and strategies for tackling climate change. A number of major initiatives in the Metro Plan will help to make building design and urban form in Sydney more resilient to the impacts of climate change. These include: incorporating climate change adaptation in the review of BASIX, incorporating climate change into centre renewal, investigating green cover opportunities in Western Sydney, and developing a climate change adaptation strategy for Sydney.

The Metropolitan Plan incorporates broad sustainable building principles to holistically address the challenges facing Sydney, including:

• Growing and renewing centres (e.g. locate at least 80% of all new homes within the walking catchments of existing and planned centres of all sizes with good public transport);
• Transport for a connected city (e.g. target development around existing and planned transport capacity);
• Balancing land uses on the city fringe (e.g. contain Sydney's footprint by focusing greenfield development in the North West and South West Growth Centres); and
• Tackling climate change and protecting the natural environment (e.g. integrate environmental targets into land use and infrastructure decisions).

1.4 NSW Sea Level Rise Policy Statement

Sustainable building policy in NSW takes into account the potential impacts of climate change on communities. Released in November 2009, the NSW Sea Level Rise Policy Statement sets out the Government's approach to sea level rise, the risks to property owners from coastal processes, and assistance that Government provides to councils to reduce the risks of coastal hazards.
Importantly, it sets out sea level planning benchmarks (relative to 1990 sea level) of 40cm by 2050, and 90cm by 2100. This will ensure that when councils, proponents or the community assess the impacts of coastal erosion, tidal inundation and coastal flooding (including its interaction with flood waters from the catchment), they use consistent figures for assessing the effect of sea level rise on each of those hazards along the NSW coast. The sea level rise planning benchmarks are based on the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report, plus an allowance for ice flows, plus an allowance for regional sea level rise variation as indicated in studies by the CSIRO.