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 – 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 > >

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 > >

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 > >

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 > >

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 > >

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 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 Lyn Drummond 4 October 2011 – While young families look for house size and type, older and single-person households are more likely to think the characteristics of where they live are more important, a survey by The Grattan Institute on housing... 
Read More > >

By Lyn Drummond 20 September 2011 – A survey of green office buildings has shown they are almost twice as energy efficient compared to the Read More > >  
Read More →

By Leon Gettler 22 September 2011 – A top level report has recommended a radical overhaul of Australia’s electricity rules to speed up the adoption of cogeneration and trigeneration, creating more greener buildings around the country. Australia... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 11August 2011 – Comment: The Productivity Commission again took a stick to zoning issues with its draft retail report released last Thursday on 4 August, recommending, among other things, that the retail industry would be more... 
Read More > >

18 July 2011 – A series of forums that sets out to redesign inner city Adelaide is currently under way and just one of a number of initiatives stimulated by the appointment in 2008 of Adelaide Thinker in Residence Laura Lee. Professor Lee’s... 
Read More > >

9 June 2011 – The Productivity Commission on Thursday released a report that reveals the extent of climate action in key economies and sectors. The results suggests it’s time for Australia to wake up, climate and green groups say. The report,... 
Read More > >

FAVOURITES: 9 September 2011. [Updated] The Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan, published recently by Beyond Zero Emissions, has received widespread support from eminent scientists, academics, industry leaders and energy sector businesses. At... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 20 April 2011 – Updated: The federal government has axed the $1billion tax breaks for green buildings program from the coming budget and put it up for consultation for 12 months after a storm of protests from the property industry... 
Read More > >

By Lyn Drummond 20 April 2011 – Market mechanisms reduces emissions most effectively and cheaply, a report by the policy think tank, The Grattan Institute has found. Three market-based schemes have produced 40 per cent of Australia’s emissions reductions... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 19 April 2011 – Property industry lobbyist Caryn Kakas was among the long line up of people today announced by the Gillard Government to sit on the Land Sector Working Group to examine the benefits and opportunities for the land... 
Read More > >

Leon Gettler 24 March 2100  – A centre-piece of the ALP campaign in last year’s election was its promise of $1 billion in tax breaks for businesses on investments in energy-saving measures for commercial building, one of a number of climate... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 21 January 2011 – The federal government has released a consultation paper on the tax breaks for green buildings program which will be worth up to $1 billion. It has even provided a handy set of questions as a starting point for... 
Read More > >

By Lyn Drummond 19 January 2011 – With some economists putting a figure of $20 billion on the Queensland flood damage, the terms of reference for the state government’s Commission of Inquiry has already come under fire for not being broad enough.... 
Read More > >

By Lyn Drummond 19 January 2011 – Architects will propose to the Queensland government that building design be considered in its terms of reference for its Commission of Inquiry into the Queensland floods, as industry bodies respond to the crisis. According... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 2 December 2010 – The federal government yesterday released the most important document in national urban planning since the Whitlam years – a discussion paper on options for how to manage growth and sustainability for Australia’s... 
Read More > >

13 December 2010 - [Updated] Cancun is over. Was Cop 16 a success? Here are the views of a few leading players and observers: Federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet Mr Combet said the main points of the outcome at the United Nations Climate Change... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 12 December 2010 - A raft of built environment organisations, professionals, academics and corporations has signed an open letter to call for bi-partisan support for urban policy, in the hope that political rivalries will not kill... 
Read More > >

26 November 2010 – Business leaders meeting today in the first sitting of the  Business Roundtable on Climate Change said there was a need for a carbon price to support long-term investment. Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan and Minister for Climate... 
Read More > >

By Tina Perinotto 23 November 2010 -The race to outperform on  sustainability is back on with today’s announcement that the NABERS Energy rating for office buildings would be “stretched” to six or even seven stars. NABERS manager... 
Read More > >

8 October 2010 – Following are highlights of reactions to the Report b the Prime Minister’s Task Group on Energy Efficiency The Greens: The Gillard government should move ahead immediately with energy efficiency policies which cut household... 
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... 
Read More > >