Green Guide to Government Policy
The Advocate - January 2010
Wed 27 Jan, 2010 Advocacy
In this section
- GBCA green building agenda
- A New Deal for Urban Australia
- Improving existing buildings - what finance options are available?
- Submissions to Government in 2013
- Submissions to Government in 2012
- Submissions to government in 2011
- The Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future package
- Carbon pricing and Australia's property and construction industry
- GBCA supports Thriving Neighbourhoods conference
- Businesses for a Clean Economy (B4CE)
- The Advocate - July 2011
- Putting a price on pollution: what it means for Australia’s property and construction industry
- A summary of Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP) 2011
- A Minister for Cities is needed to build Australia's future, says ASBEC
- Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing: Update on Commercial Programs
- Submission to the 2011-2012 Federal Budget
- GBCA Sustainable Population Strategy submission
- GBCA submission to DCCEE Tax Breaks for Green Buildings Consultation Paper
- Our cities: building a productive, sustainable and liveable future
- Calling for submissions for the Tax Breaks for Green Buildings consultation paper
- The Advocate - October and November 2010
- Green Schools
- The Advocate - September 2010
- Federal election an opportunity to move green building from voluntary to vital
- Water Industry Competition Amendment Regulation 2010- call for comment
- UK Green Building Council - Coalition Agreement
- The Advocate - May 2010
- The Advocate - April 2010
- The Advocate - March 2010
- The Advocate - February 2010
- The Advocate - January 2010
- The National Strategy on Energy Efficiency
- Call to Action Copenhagen by International Organisations of Architects
- GBCA submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Safe Climate Bill
- GBCA's Submission to the Australian Building Codes Boards
- GBCA's 2009 Federal Budget Submission
- Advocating green policies
- Advocacy wins in 2009
News from our man in Canberra, Dave Peebles
Canberra is remarkably quiet at the moment as the politicians holiday around the country before returning to the nation's capital for fireworks and other products, not to mention the first week of Parliament, in early February.
Of course, this year brings the action, the excitement and the romance of a federal election campaign. What new electronic medium will the Prime Minister find to communicate in? What new swimming venues will the Leader of the Opposition frequent?
For all the hubbub, there will be some very serious policy contests, and green buildings are likely to move to centre stage as Australia debates how to best tackle climate change.
When Tony Abbott announced that the Opposition would not support the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), he said that the Opposition would instead focus on developing policies that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, amongst other initiatives.
The Government hasn't just relied on its ETS either. The Government's framework for promoting energy efficiency is the National Strategy for Energy Efficiency, which the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to in mid-2009. Minister for Innovation Senator Carr and Minister for Climate Change Senator Wong have just announced changes to the 2010 Building Code of Australia to increase the energy efficiency of new buildings, as part of this framework.
The GBCA will be working with all parties to promote green buildings, to ensure the federal election campaign produces good policy. The facts are clear. UNEP has stated, 'no other sector has such a high potential for drastic emission reductions.' The World Business Council for Sustainable Development believes:
Urgent action is needed because of the timescales involved in the building sector. Buildings, unlike cars, last decades or even centuries in some countries. A country's entire car fleet can be renewed in a dozen years, rapidly making room for new technology and greater efficiency. But buildings constructed now will probably still be standing near the end of the century.
So green buildings are likely to feature more prominently in this election campaign than any before it... and you can be sure that the GBCA will be in the thick of it.
To be continued...
