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 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 > >

17 June 2010 - The fact that Sydney wasn’t listed first or second on the KPMG audit of major cities’ planning systems probably says as much as you need to know about whether or not some action is urgently needed, the audience at the Built Environment Meets Parliament summit in ...Read More > >

26 May 2010 - The Shopping Centre Council of Australia says  that sustainability drivers for shopping centres “do not exist”, and that there are huge barriers to energy efficiency investment  that warrant government funding and changes to the law to recover capital investment in these areas The claims, made in a  ...Read More > >

By Boris Kelly 3 May 2010 - In its submission to the Senate Inquiry into the federal government's failed home insulation scheme, the Australia Institute drew on the results of its survey of home owners eligible for the scheme. The results appear to confirm media reports of aggressive and misleading marketing used ...Read More > >

2 May 2010 – UPDATED 3 May 2010  - The Henry Tax Review has been released today and with it some lengthy responses to the huge number of property items it considered.  Among these items - and of significant concern is the review's apparent acceptance of the arguments pushed by ...Read More > >

From the Council of Australian Governments – 22 April 2010 – COAG said this week it would look at competition issues in land supply as part of its inquriy to target the slow supply of new housing, house price pressures, population growth and “a healthy economy continuing to add to ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 22 April 2010- Planners have reacted angrily to widescale moves to deregulate zoning controls, create land “competition” and fast track more urban sprawl that emerged in an avalanche of government announcements in the past week. Leading sustainability and planning authority Professor Peter Newman of Curtin University said more low-density ...Read More > >

By Lynne Blundell 31 March 2010 - public discussion paper on the federal government’s proposed framework for setting energy efficiency standards for buildings has been released for public consultation. The discussion paper presents the National Building Energy Standard-Setting, Assessment and Rating Framework, which is part of the National Strategy on Energy ...Read More > >

By Andrew Starc - 31 March 2010 – The formation of the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency has been welcomed by environment and green groups for its promises of economic benefits and emissions reduction. The Task Group, which will make recommendations for generating a step-change improvement in Australia’s energy efficiency, ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 16 March 2010 - Six key sectors of the Australian economy have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 levels for the cost to householders of a cup of coffee, according to a new report released today. The Low Carbon Growth Plan ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto The Green Building Council of Australia said the Australian Government’s State of Australian Cities 2010 report would support the property and construction sector’s drive to Sustainability. GBCA chief executive Romilly Madews said the new Green Star –Communities environmental rating tool, which is under development would help address the key ...Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto REPORT - 2 March 2010 - Less than 200 corporation operating in Australia account for a whopping 30 per cent of total greenhouse emissions and 44 per cent of all energy related emissions. And of those, only 20 companies are responsible for half all emissions measured through the ...Read More > >

By Maria Atkinson... Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to alert you to serious flaws in Federal Government data on emissions from buildings and to request urgent action to establish accurate data, to ensure Australia’s carbon pollution reduction responses are soundly based. My specific concern is that inaccurate data from the Australian ...Read More > >

By Romilly Madew... Commercial and residential buildings account for 23 per cent of Australia’s annual emissions – making the built environment sector vital in any carbon pollution reduction scheme. The Australian Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) won’t have an impact on Australia’s built environment, and so won't achieve reductions in the very ...Read More > >

by Peter Szental The Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) draft National Strategy on Energy Efficiency makes important steps, but leaves the building sector out in the cold and Australia’s greatest energy efficiency opportunities untapped. Investing in energy efficiency is more than a double-dividend. Energy efficiency creates green jobs, improves Australia’s economic competitiveness, ...Read More > >