Brief - 1 September 2010 - The Australian Local Government Association has welcomed an agreement between Labor and the Greens to hold a referendum in this parliamentary term to include local government in the Australian constitution. ALGA president Geoff Lake said that such a change to the constitution would help protect ...Read More > >

 by Lynne Blundell Climate change has emerged as a key issue in determining which of Australia’s two major political parties forms government with the Independents. Renewable energy is high on the agenda, with at least two of the Independents and the Greens’ Adam Brandt pushing for increased investment in renewable energy. Here ...Read More > >

25 August 2010 - The NSW Government’s Solar Bonus Scheme will undergo a performance review after it reached its first milestone capacity of 50 megawatts. NSW Minister for Energy Paul Lynch said that the important terms of the Scheme, such as its length and the tariff rate, were locked into legislation. “If ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 20 August 2010 - Here’s a hypothetical: The new Federal Government is sworn in on Monday morning. The very first thing it does is convene a "citizen's assembly" from key parts of the sustainable property industry to ask them what are the five most important things that it ...Read More > >

18 August 2010 - Landcom was a key contributor to the voluntary code for universal housing adopted last month by coalition of property, housing, social services and government agencies. The voluntary guidelines, which aim to influence all new house constructed by 2020, are expected to make good social and economic sense. See ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto and Andrew Starc 12 August 2010 - Mandatory disclosure of energy efficiency for large offices will at last take effect on 1 November. After a series of delays and lobbying to head off unforeseen problems, the industry has won itself a year-long transition period and a number of exemptions ...Read More > >

Brief - 11 August 2010 - The federal government will provide financial incentives for households and businesses to invest in off-grid systems as part of changes to the Renewable Energy Target legislation. The new system relies on the “Solar Credits” scheme multiplier to provide the financial incentive for people in remote ...Read More > >

13 July, 2010 - The number of rating tools, policies, reports, incentives and legal rulings on sustainable residential  development has proliferated in recent years. In this comprehensive work, legal firm Herbert Geer has created clear and focused guide through the maze. At least for the eastern seaboard. In 2020, Australian greenhouse ...Read More > >

Left to right:  Senator Penny Wong,  Arch Bevis,  Mirvac’s chief executive officer investment Andrew Butler By Tina Perinotto 10 July 2010 - Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Senator Penny Wong last week chose a Green Building Fund recipient in Brisbane, Mirvac's  building at 340 Adelaide Street, to formally announce that ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 5 August 2010 - Lend Lease today launched a new solar company to roll out photovoltaic installations across the residential and commercial sectors of the property industry, tapping into federal and state governments policies to fast track the rapidly emerging sector. The move is another strong signal that one ...Read More > >

By Nicola Woodward ANALYSIS - 26 July 2010 - It isn’t every Monday you wake up to the fact that a Sunday press release by the incumbent Government in the run up to a general election contains a promising policy. Yesterday the Labor party announced its Tax Breaks for Green Buildings initiative ...Read More > >

25 July 2010 - Updated 26 July 2010 - Last week it was lean pickings for the green property in election promises so far. By Sunday the worm had turned in the sector’s favour with big welcome news from the Labor Party of a 50 per cent tax deduction bonus ...Read More > >

By Gary Wertheimer FAVOURITES - May 5 2010 - The Building Code of Australia 2010 has been in effect from 1 May. Section J, dealing with energy efficiency, has been updated but few people understand what is involved. The way buildings are designed, documented, cost estimated and constructed will need to ...Read More > >

21 July 2010 – As the federal government considers its next steps on pollution and climate change, the Climate Institute has released its policy priorities, detailing a list of action points for both government and businesses to help reduce pollution and energy consumption. Summary: 2010 Pollution and Climate Policy Priorities 1. Limiting ...Read More > >

21 July 2010 - As the federal election campaigning gets into full swing, the Green Building Council of Australia today released its green building agenda for 2010-2013. It sets out five priorities and encourages all political parties to commit to green buildings, communities and cities as part of their policies for ...Read More > >

21 July 2010 - With the approach of greenhouse gas and energy reporting deadlines, senior environmental consultant at NDEVER Matt Drum has compiled a document detailing the requirements for corporations liable under the National Greenhouse and Energy Report (NGER) Act. Complying with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act for 2009-10 ...Read More > >

Reports - 20 July 2010 - With the initial phasing in of mandatory disclosure laws commencing in October, Global real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle has issued a report detailing all the major implications of the new laws to help commercial property owners and lessees with the transition: Mandatory Disclosure ...Read More > >

14 July, 2010 - According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the number of people with a disability more than doubled to nearly 4 million in the two decades to 2003. But embedding design features into a house, such as reinforced bathroom walls, smart positioning of power points and wider corridors ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell 14 July 2010 - This week the federal government is expected to announce a national energy efficiency scheme following months of consultation with industry and numerous submissions from stakeholders. But will the scheme bring the drive that is needed to change the way we think about and use ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell FAVOURITES: 11 March 2010 -India is determined to reduce carbon emissions and to supply renewable power to its enormous population. But with the massive hydro power generation dam projects under way in the sensitive Himalayan foothills, the cost is high. Lynne Blundell recently travelled to the region ...Read More > >

Brief – 25 July, 2010 – Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum have agreed to embark on a project to create up to 20 low-carbon model cities using energy-efficient technologies including smart grids and renewable power generation. Announced at APEC’s forum meeting in Japan 19 June, the 21-member body will ...Read More > >

24 June 2010 - The mandatory disclosure bill was on Tuesday night passed by the House of Representatives, after the Federal Government made some concessions to the property industry and winning the full backing of the Property Council, among other industry leaders. The Green Building Council of Australia yesterday issued a ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 22 June 2010 - The Property Council of Australia has today come out strongly in support of the proposed mandatory disclosure legislation and urged the Opposition, The Greens and Independents to pass the bill which is about to face Parliament in the final frantic days of sitting before ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell 17 June 2010 - The Senate committee conducting the inquiry into the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Bill last month delivered its final report, recommending that the Bill be passed, with some changes. In doing so it appears to have glossed over opposition to the proposed scheme, claiming it ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 18 June 2010 - The Federal Government has ceded ground in the battle to water down the provisions of the mandatory disclosure scheme for commercial buildings, which is about to face Parliament in the final two weeks of sitting before the long winter break, and possibly a federal ...Read More > >

Brief - 16 July, 2010 - The Australian Local Government Association has launched its Local Roads and Transport Agenda, outlining a vision for the next decade. President of the ALGA Geoff Lake said that local councils play a significant role in the planning and maintenance of roads and transport infrastructure, with ...Read More > >

By Ché Wall 15 June 2010 - the Australian Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency wades through the 187 submissions it has received, it would do well to consider discussions in Paris last month about how best to measure and achieve energy efficiency improvements in buildings. All the peak global ...Read More > >

11 June 2010 - The Green Building Council yesterday released a guide to government policy frameworks to green buildings, as part of a study that shows that all levels of government had embraced a green building agenda. GBCA chief executive Romilly Madew said  most jurisdictions had developed "well-defined policies that guide ...Read More > >

By Adrian McGregor, McGregor Coxall FAVOURITES - 7 October 2009 - "The so-called global economy was not a permanent institution, but a set of transient circumstances peculiar to a time, the Indian Summer of the fossil fuel era". – James Kunstler, The Long Emergency: surviving the converging catastrophes of the twenty-first century ...Read More > >

by Lynne Blundell 3 June 2010 High rise apartment blocks, it turns out, are the biggest energy guzzlers in the residential market. But they are falling through the cracks when it comes to energy and water efficiency incentive schemes. It is something that local councils are acutely aware of while state ...Read More > >