By Tina Perinotto 16 May 2012 – The Association of Building Sustainability Assessors says the move to more efficient housing has taken another step backwards with the decision by the new conservative Queensland Government to scrap the Home Sustainability Declaration on energy efficiency. Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 16 May 2012 – If you are confused about the star ratings for buildings, a proposal on the table from the federal government might just sort it all out and bring the sustainability rating schemes into harmony, across types of ratings, between residential and commercial, and ramp the whole lot up to 10 stars for good measure. These ideas, part of a proposal released on Monday only days after the budget’s axing of the Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program, seem to have taken the industry by surprise. But the ideas are a draft only and members of the working party that helped devise the framework say theu are not as radical as they might at first appear The proposal, the National Building Energy Standard-Setting, Assessment and Rating Framework, is essentially a roadmap for the rebranded National Building Code, previously the Building Code of Australia. Key questions raised in the framework include, should the star ratings of tools that might figure in minimum... 
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14 May 2012 – The NSW Government has announced a program to retrofit 150 of its buildings for energy efficiency with projected annual savings of $5.8 million. Among the properties to be included are:  The NSW Police Academy at Goulburn, Westmead Hospital, and fire, police and ambulance stations (14 of these in the Illawarra). The move, announced last week NSW Minister for the Environment Robyn Parker, preceded a similar investment, of $6.9 million, announced by on Monday the City of Sydney Read More  
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14 May 2012 – The City of Sydney has appointed Origin Energy to be lead contractor on a major overhaul of its 45 properties to make them more energy and water efficient, ahead of the rollout of the city’s trigeneration network, also by Origin. Read More  
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9 May 2012 –The Property Council of Australia, ClimateWorks and Seed Advisory has called on the Australian Energy Market Commission to streamline the grid connection process for embedded generators, and asked it to change the national electricity rules. The Property Council said that the electricity rules needed to be changed to: Provide an improved connection process for embedded generators that are ineligible for automatic access and a right of export. Allow electricity network companies to charge an optional fee-for-service to promote collaboration with their customers. Oblige electricity network companies to publish annual network reports identifying where capacity is limited. Provide an automatic right of connection to the grid and standard access terms. This would apply to generators that meet automatic access standards. Enable embedded generators a right to export electricity to the grid. “These improvements will replace electricity customers’ case-by-case negotiations... 
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2012 federal budget coverage 9 May 2012 –[Updated 10.26 am and 11.23] Well, they axed the $1 billion  Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program in last night’s federal budget, amid a few scraps for sustainability and casual redirection to the Clean Energy Finance package.  We were warned early last week. The Property Council chief executive Peter Verwer was scathing. The axing of the Tax Breaks was sending a valuable program that could leverage $7 billion of investment to the “policy knackery,” he said. The PCA would ask The Greens to step in and try to reverse this “short sighted decision.” Tom Roper, president of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council and chair of the industry roundtable convened to  redesign of the program was also furious. Read More  
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3 May 2012 – The NSW Government has released a discussion paper for contribution to a new metropolitan strategy for Sydney over the next 20 years.. “Throughout the year the Department of Planning & Infrastructure will consult with communities, residents, businesses, workers, government and industry about what people want from Sydney,” an announcement form the Department of Planning and Infrastructure said. A draft strategy will follow in mid-late 2012. A final document will be released following community consultation. For details see: Sydney Over the Next 20 Years The Discussion paper  
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By Tina Perinotto 4 April 2012  – City of Sydney and Origin’s Cogent Energy have overcome some of major barriers to ambitious plans for a low carbon emissions trigeneration energy network in Sydney and signed a heads of agreement for the first tranche of the rollout. Read More  
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By Lyn Drummond 27 March 2012 – Lawyers say a threat by a NSW developer to take a local council to court because it is warning property owners of potential flooding from sea level rises has little chance of success. The threat followed a report warning that new homes are being approved in coastal zones under local government planning Read More  
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By Lyn Drummond 21 March 2012 – The City of Fremantle’s recent initiative to ban plastic bags was driven by local businesses, a public petition, and strong commitment to sustainability and renewable energy, according to the WA city’s mayor, Brad Pettit. The city is the first carbon neutral local government in WA  Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 7 March 2012 ­– The Prime Minister Julia Gillard and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell today (Wednesday) jointly announced that Sydney would be the headquarters for the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corporation. “Sydney has been selected because it has a strong clean energy sector and a network of financial, legal and professional services that will ensure the smooth set up and operation of the Corporation,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said. Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 1 March 2012 – It’s official Sustainability Victoria will be focusing strongly on waste, drop several of its programs – particularly those aimed at households –but the property industry is hopeful that its lower grade inefficiency buildings will finally come in for attention. How much attention is still unclear. The review document released this week concentrated on discussion of waste management. Read More  
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29 February 2012 – A new SA urban renewal authority aimed at increasing the supply and diversity of affordable housing and to accelerate the renewal of social housing stock will start operating from 1 March, the SA Premier and Minister for Development, Jay Wetherilll has told the SA Parliament. The authority will be responsible for all the residential and industrial land holdings of the Land Management Corporation and Defence SA industrial holdings will be added to this portfolio, Mr Wetherill said. . It would have a mandate to work on creating a vibrant city, maintaining safe communities and healthy neighbourhoods and having an affordable place to live for everyone. The authority would work with communities, local government, the private sector and the not for profit sector and would have a strong focus on community engagement, he said. It will plan all future significant redevelopment projects of assets owned by the South Australian Housing Trust and work with not-for-profit organisations... 
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By Tina Perinotto 29 February 2012  –UPDATED 5.59 pm The Greens have called on the Federal Government to re-instate the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme for solar hot water systems, which it said produced the cheapest forms of greenhouse emissions reductions but was suddenly axed on Tuesday. Read More  
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By Tina Perinotto 9 February 2012 – Sustainability Victoria will call tenders for the sale of its FirstRate5 residential thermal rating tool, but only private industry need apply, it seems. Newly appointed chief executive officer of SV Stan Krpan on Wednesday said: “We believe owning and maintaining software is not in line with our future direction and FirstRate5 would be better maintained by private industry. Read More  
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9 February 2012 – The Federal Government today (Thursday) opened its package of energy efficiency programs designed to improve energy efficiency in households communities and businesses. The programs opened include: The Community Energy Efficiency Program – $200 million to assist local government, not-for-profit and community organisations to undertake energy efficiency upgrades to community infrastructure. The Low Income Energy Efficiency Program – $100 million to support groups of service providers to demonstrate smarter energy use in low income households across Australia. The Energy Efficiency Information Grants program – $40 million to support small and medium sized businesses and community groups by providing information and advice to make smarter energy choices. Applications open on 13 February. Details: www.climatechange.gov.au  
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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 could be the time to reshape the state’s land development agency as a fully functioning urban developer, similar to Victoria’s. Read More  
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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 Victoria is the only state to mandate smart meter installation and consumers there are paying hundreds of dollars extra in electricity bills, often before they even get a meter. Read More  
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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 Genia McCaffery, and the deputy chief executive of the Business Council of Australia Maria Tarrant. Other members include the Green Building Council of Australia’s Romilly Madew, the Property Council of Australia’s Peter Verwer,  the Planning Institute of Australia’s Kirsty Kelly, the Australian Institute of Architects’ David Parken and Consult Australia’s Megan Motto. It will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure and Transport Mike Mrdak. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the forum would complement earlier urban policy initiatives: Creation of the Major Cities Unit Release of the National Urban Policy—Our Cities, Our Future—a long term blueprint for Australia’s 18 biggest... 
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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 decision to introduce six-star, we believe that this regulation is long overdue and should be put in place sooner than in 18 months time,” ABSA’s chief executive officer Alison Carmichael said. “We believe that this is an important change that will assist the people of Tasmania to address the continual price rises in electricity, gas and water to ensure that their homes are thermally comfortable. Delaying it by 18 months only delivers more homes that are less sustainable and thermally inefficient.” ABSA would write to the Tasmanian government to urge them to review and reverse the decision, Ms Carmichael said. “We know from experience that improving the star rating of a new home will make it thermally efficient, which... 
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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, Environment Protection Authority Victoria, and the University of Queensland, the Carbon Offset Guide is an independent directory of carbon offset providers in Australia. The guide acts as a gateway for businesses owners who want to find out more about carbon offsets and carbon management strategies in Australia, or are considering carbon neutral certification through the Australian Government’s Carbon Neutral Program under the National Carbon Offset Standard. It provides the latest details of carbon offset prices, project descriptions and locations, and accreditation standards. Chief executive officer of Low Carbon Australia Meg McDonald said managing the guide was a way for Low Carbon Australia to support and encourage the voluntary carbon... 
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By Lyn Drummond 28 November 2011 – The wheel has turned more than 100 years to an electric car comeback in Sydney.  Read More  
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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 the job of making sure  the  Victorian state government’s development agency can develop all the land it needs to. Read More  
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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 Change and Energy Efficiency Minister Greg Combet presented the award to Lord Mayor Clover Moore, on behalf of Low Carbon Australia, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City had reduced and offset its carbon pollution by 210,000 tonnes since unofficially achieving carbon neutrality in 2008. “Carbon neutral means the City’s net emissions are zero,” Ms Moore said. “Carbon emissions by the City’s vehicles, the coal-fired electricity it uses and other emissions sources are reduced by actions such as improving energy efficiency and installing solar panels. Remaining emissions are offset by buying carbon pollution credits from projects such as wind farms. “We are on track to reach one of the most ambitious emissions... 
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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 public galleries show the Prime Minisiter Julia Gillard is as resilient and tough as this country needs to be Read More  
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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  
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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 with Greens Leader Bob Brown Read More  
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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 the new profile of the authority after last week announcing a new board chaired by former Melbourne City councilor Peter Clarke. Read More  
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By Lynne Blundell Read More  
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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 2011. The paper outlines four steps to follow to comply with the new disclosure obligations. These include: Determine the eligibility of the area under the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act (2010). Review the expiry dates of your NABERS Energy rating and Tenancy Lighting Assessment. If you do not have a current NABERS Energy rating and a current Tenancy Lighting Assessment for the space, appoint an accredited assessor to undertake these ratings. Read More  
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