By Tina Perinotto 3 February 2012 – Could John Brogden be the man to save Sydney? The Urban Taskforce thinks so. The developers’ lobby group leapt on this week’s appointment of the former Liberal Leader as chairman of Landcom to say this... 
Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell 1 February 2012 – Smart meters, hailed by government and electricity distributors as the answer to reducing power use, have fallen victim to an inefficient distribution system, regulatory complexity and inflexible pricing. So far... 
Read More > >

27 January 2012 – The case against wind farms on health grounds took a dramatic step backwards this week after Freedom of Information documents obtained by Friends of the Earth slammed claims that wind turbines are bad for local residents’ health. The... 
Read More > >

20 January 2012 – The Federal Government on Friday announced its new Urban Policy Forum of 30 members. It will include former South Australian Premier Mike Rann, former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe  current head of the Local Government Association... 
Read More > >

20 January 2012 – Australia’s energy, transport and telecommunications infrastructure could well do with a new national body to co-ordinate greater resilience to climate change, a new government report has found. The report, The Role of Regulation... 
Read More > >

By Michael Mobbs 20 January 2012 When Somalia’s political system collapsed the country had no government. The government collapsed after a 2006 US-backed Ethiopian invasion. There was no one to issue fishing licences, to control national or international... 
Read More > >

26 May 2011 – FAVOURITES: Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy of Curtin University’s Sustainability Policy Institute in Perth, Western Australia, say a new phenomenon is under way –  “peak car use”.* Peak car use suggests that we are witnessing... 
Read More > >

14 December 2011 – The Tasmanian Government’s plan to delay six star energy efficiency requirements for new homes in the state until May 2013 has disappointed the Association of Building Sustainability Assessors. “While we support the state government’s... 
Read More > >

2 November 2011 – Low Carbon Australia has revamped the online guide for the voluntary carbon market, the Carbon Offset Guide, which will include information on the Carbon Farming Initiative . The result of a partnership between Low Carbon Australia,... 
Read More > >

1 December 2011 – A Climate Commission report released on Wednesday predicts that without rapid action climate change will undermine society’s prosperity, health, stability and way of life and to minimise this risk the economy should move to clean... 
Read More > >

28 November 2011 – China’s plan for seven pilot carbon market schemes across the country has been welcomed by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet. The pilots are expected to start in 2013, across Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing... 
Read More > >

By Lyn Drummond 28 November 2011 – The wheel has turned more than 100 years to an electric car comeback in Sydney.  Read More > >  
Read More →

By Tina Perinotto 17 November 2011 – Does it sound strange that we are still reviewing NABERS? The energy (and other environmental metric) rating system that started out so long ago is currently being re-reviewed, this time by the Australian Institute... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 17 November 2011  – Peter Clarke is struggling to see what the problem is. As  chairman of the new look, newly renamed Places Victoria – formerly VicUrban and for a while, the Urban Renewal Authority – Clarke is charged with... 
Read More > >

NABERS is under review. Again. This time the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating, has been appointed to undertake the work by the NABERS stakeholders’ advisory committee. Chief executive officer Phil Wilkinson said... 
Read More > >

10 November 2011 – The City of Sydney last night officially became the first first council in Australia to achieve formal certification as carbon-neutral, under the National Carbon Offset Standard, introduced by the Australian Government last year. Climate... 
Read More > >

8 November 2011 – At last Australia has a carbon price and a Clean Energy Future package that will unlock the riches from saving the Earth, rather than burning it up. The package of carbon price bills passed in the Senate today to applause from the... 
Read More > >

8 November 2011 – The Federal Government today delivered a mammoth broadside of information on promises and plans for the introduction of the carbon price, to match the size of the reforms now under way. Read More > >  
Read More →

8 November 2011 – Today’s passing of the carbon price and the  Clean Energy Future legislation in the senate was an historic win for Austarlia, the Australian Greens said today. Australian Greens Deputy Leader Senator Christine Milne (pictured... 
Read More > >

3 November 2011 –Victoria has revamped its urban planning authority with a change of name to Places Victoria and the appointment of acting chief executive Sam Sangster to the role on a permanent basis. The Victorian Government yesterday launched... 
Read More > >

2 November 2011 – Climate Change minister Greg Combet and Energy Efficiency minister  Mark Dreyfus have released consultation draft regulations to support the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units. “The Registry will be used to track... 
Read More > >

31 October 2011 – Australia was currently relying on a “primitive export market, based on the extraction of non-renewable resources”, Deputy Greens Leader Christine Milne told the Senate today (Monday) in support of the Clean Energy Future... 
Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell Read More > >  
Read More →

25 October 2011 – Jones Lang LaSalle has released a Mandatory Disclosure Update Paper to help prepare building owners and tenants for the Commercial Building Disclosure Program, also known as Mandatory Disclosure, which comes into effect from 1 November... 
Read More > >

20 October 2011 – The federal government’s latest installment of the yearly report, State ofAustralian Cities 2011, released today, devoted significant space to sustainability issues. Read More > >  
Read More →

By Tina Perinotto 13 October 2011  – Melbourne has claimed victory in the  race worldwide to sign the first Environmental Upgrade Agreement. Read More > >  
Read More →

By Lynne Blundell 13 October 2011 – We are on the cusp of a wave of progress and innovation that will transform the way we live and the types of dwellings we choose to live in, Jane Nathan, president of the Australian Population Institute told delegates... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 12 October 2011  – The Clean Energy package has sailed through the Lower House, Jillian Broadbent from the Reserve Bank has been appointed to head the new $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Tony Abbott may  not be... 
Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell 12 October 2011 ­ The Productivity Commission report on Australia’s urban water sector, released today (Wednesday), recommends a range of reforms, including improved performance of institutions, more transparent and consistent regulations... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 7 October 2011 – OK, we are going on a bit about density and planning, but wow, it’s a hot topic and should be hotter. Former NSW Government architect Chris Johnson this week stepped into the role of chief executive of the... 
Read More > >