News
HEADLINES
- ASBEC partners Australian Government to promote Telework Week
- ABS consultation - Green Growth: Measuring the Environmental Impact of Buildings (Jan 2012)
- Consult Australia launches ‘Tomorrow’s Cities Today’ (Dec 2011)
- Australian Government releases National Energy Savings Initiative Issues Paper (Dec 2011)
- SA Government announces 4th Round of Building Innovation Fund (Dec 2011)
- ASBEC Welcomes Australia's First Urban Design Protocol (Nov 2011)
- ASBEC Launches 'Defining Zero Emission Buildings - Review and Recommendations' report (Nov 2011)
NEWS ARCHIVES
ASBEC Partners Australian Government to promote Telework Week
January 14th 2012
With projections that Australia's cities will accommodate up to 85% of our population by 2050, Australians are seeking new and innovative ways to address the significant social, economic and environment challenges that this increased urban densification will present. Technology provides one such method of addressing these challenges, through the increased capacity for employees to work from home, enjoying faster and more flexible connectivity with workplaces while increasing productivity and reducing the time spent commuting. Significant environmental benefits can also be achieved, through potential reductions in congestion, a lowering of public transport demand, reduced transport-related emissions and improvements in the quality of life for many Australian employees.
The Australian Government has acknowledged the benefits that are to be gained, with the Commonwealth Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy announcing Australia's first National Telework Week, to be held in November 2012.
As defined by Telework Australia, at its simplest telework is work from a distance. Telework is about people: how they work, how they interact and how they prepare for an increasingly changing world. Telework is about flexibility: flexible work locations and work times, flexible management structures and flexible responses to the challenges of change. Telework is about resilience and getting the most out of available resources. It provides better ways of working and better responses to modern challenges. It provides an alternative to time lost from to commuting in increasingly congested traffic, an alternative to office distractions and an alternative to tying up capital in expensive office space or car parks.
The world has changed and is continuing to change at an ever-increasing rate. To cope with the changes that surround us we need to be smarter about how we manage our businesses. Organisations have to find new ways of retaining valued staff, increasing profit and productivity and managing the performance of work. Telework needs to be implemented sensitively and telework initiatives must be appropriate to the organisation and its staff. However, there are many possible benefits for employers, individuals, government and the wider community.
ASBEC is proud to partner with the Australian Government on this exciting intiative and will be actively promoting and participating in National Telework Week, to be held from 12th - 16th November 2012.
Click HERE to download the Ministerial Media Release.
Click HERE to visit the Telework Australia website for more information.
ABS consultation - Green Growth: Measuring the Environmental Impact of Buildings
January 9th 2012
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has been conducting research into how it can contribute to the statistical measurement of green growth focusing on green building. As a result, a draft consultation paper has been produced that reports the findings of that research and makes suggestions as to measuring green building.
The paper aims to assess issues such as defining the concept of green building and its various interpretations and goes on to review possible data sources that could be used in the production of measurement indicators.
The paper has drawn on the guidance contained in various international initiatives that have called for better information to support this challenge. These include the United Nations’ (UN) Green Economy Initiative, the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Green Jobs Initiative and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Green Growth Strategy.
The aim of this document is to outline the ABS’ thinking on how it can contribute to the statistical measurement of green growth focusing on green building. Various interpretations of green building (sometimes called green construction or sustainable building) do exist and these require exploration. However, the definition provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is particularly comprehensive and will be used throughout this paper. In addition, green building needs to be considered alongside broader concepts such as green growth and the green economy.
It is hoped this consultation paper will help identify stakeholders that have an interest in the measurement of green building, and the green economy more generally, so that a measurement framework capable of answering key policy questions can be developed.
Click HERE to download the ABS Consultation Paper.
Comments should be submitted by January 24th 2012 and can be forwarded electronically to brendan.freeman@abs.gov.au or a hard copy to:
Director
Centre of Environment Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
Belconnen, ACT, 2616
Alternatively, please call Michael Vardon (02 6252 7348), Brendan Freeman (02 6252 6579) or Sam Larsen (02 6252 6887) during business hours for more information.
Consult Australia launches ‘Tomorrow’s Cities Today’
December 6th, 2011
ASBEC member, Consult Australia launched a new report – ‘Tomorrow’s Cities Today’ – , at an event held in December 2011, with speakers including former Sydney Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull, City of Sydney Chief Executive Monica Barone and the Major Cities Unit Executive Director Dorte Ekulund.
Developed through individual and peer review by Consult Australia’s Infrastructure and Sustainability Round Tables, the report outlines the organisation’s vision around the initiatives critical to the delivery of the cities we need and want for tomorrow. Acknowledging the challenges faced by Australia’s urban centres into the future, from climate change and shifting population demographics to urban sprawl and increased congestion, the report proposes a range of practical recommendations, framed within the context of Australia’s National Urban Policy. It seeks to encourage the planning and investment needed from government at all levels, to achieve the goals of sustainability, liveability, productivity and good governance that will be required to ensure that our urban centres are adequately equipped to address those challenges for the 21st Century and beyond.
The report is an excellent complement to the work of ASBEC’s Cities Task Group and reinforces a number of the policy platforms currently being developed by the Task Group. More detail about the Cities Task Group work will be available early in 2012. Click HERE for more information.
Additionally, the report supports the ASBEC Green Skills and Education Task Group’s focus on improved green skills across the education sector, through partnership with industry, tertiary education and the vocational education and training sector. Click HERE for more information on ASBEC’s Green Skills and Education Task Group.
Click HERE to download Consult Australia’s ‘Tomorrow’s Cities Today’ report in full.
Click HERE to download a summary of Consult Australia’s ‘Tomorrow’s Cities Today’ report
Australian Government releases National Energy Savings Initiative Issues Paper
December 20th 2011
The National Energy Savings Initiative Working Group has released an Issues Paper on a national Energy Savings Initiative (ESI) for public comment. This Issues Paper was developed with the assistance of the National Energy Savings Initiative Advisory Group; and many other stakeholders who attended workshops in Adelaide and Melbourne in November 2011.
The Working Group is seeking the views of individuals and organisations on aspects of design and implementation of a national ESI. Information on how to make a submission can be found at the back of the Issues Paper and on the DCCEE website. Submissions close on Monday 27 February 2012 at 4pm.
Click HERE to download the Issues Paper.
The national ESI Secretariat plans to host a series of workshops and meetings in capital cities in late January / early February to discuss the Issues Paper with stakeholders. Proposed dates and locations are listed on the DCCEE website but should be treated as being preliminary in nature and may be subject to change. Workshops and meetings will be confirmed subject to sufficient numbers. To indicate your interest, please send an email to ESIworkshops@climatechange.gov.au with the city and event/s you would like to attend.
The Working Group is also seeking comment on a report on modelling assumptions of a national energy savings initiative. This report outlines the methodology, assumptions and data that have been applied in preliminary modelling work on the potential economic and energy market impacts of a national Energy Savings Initiative. More information about the modelling and how to make a submission on the assumptions report is on our website. Submissions on the modelling report close on Friday 17 February 2012 at 4 pm.
Click HERE to download the Energy Market Modelling of National Energy Savings Report.
For more information on the National Energy Savings Initiative, click HERE to visit the website
SA Government announces 4th Round of Building Innovation Fund
December 1st 2011
South Australia's Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Paul Caica has announced that the fourth round of the State Government’s $2 million Building Innovation Fund is now open to encourage commercial businesses to enhance the performance of their buildings and to help demonstrate innovative ways to reduce the carbon footprint of existing commercial buildings.
The fund offers grants to owners of office buildings and some hotels and shopping centres for initiatives that demonstrate new and leading edge approaches to reducing a building's energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
The fund supports the commercial property sector agreement between the South Australian Government and the Property Council of Australia (South Australian Division) made under South Australia's climate change legislation.
The fund offers grants in two streams:
-
Capital works stream offers grants for implementing leading edge approaches in retrofitting commercial buildings.
-
Feasibility and case study stream provides funding toward feasibility and case studies that demonstrate leading edge approaches to retrofitting commercial buildings.
Applications close 5pm, Friday, 24th February 2012.
Further information including the Program Guidelines, application forms and a sample Grant Agreement are available from the South Australian Government Website.
Click HERE to download the Ministerial Media Release
ASBEC Welcomes Australia's First Urban Design Protocol
November 30th 2011
Announced by the Hon. Anthony Albanese MP, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, at the fifth annual State of Australian Cities conference in Melbourne, Creating Places for People—an urban design protocol for Australian cities offers a new tool with which to improve the quality and useability of public spaces and city buildings, by encouraging world class urban design and architecture.
Developed in clear and accessible terms, the tool includes a plain-English ‘how-to’ guide and check list for decision makers and professionals whose work affects the built environment, as well as members of the public who care about the design of their local community. The Protocol document is complemented by a website (http://www.urbandesign.gov.au/), collectively designed to help create spaces where people want to live work and relax.
ASBEC has been calling on the Australian Government to take a coordinated, streamlined approach to our cities and this Protocol is an important step in achieving that goal. Enhancing the National Urban Policy, released earlier this year and incorporating Universal Design and Accessiblity Principles, the Protocol will also complement existing industry-led projects, such as the Green Star - Communities, which aim to set best practices benchmarks for planning, design and construction of sustainable communities across Australia.
ASBEC congratulates the Australian Government on this important work and will continue to work closely with government to advocate a collaborative approach in developing the cities we need for the future.
Click HERE to download the ASBEC Media Release
Click HERE to download the Ministerial Media Release
Click HERE to visit the Urban Design website
ASBEC Launches 'Defining Zero Emission Buildings - Review and Recommendations' report
November 15th 2011
The residential sector is estimated to be responsible for nearly 10 per cent of Australia’s total green house gas emissions, making it an obvious target for sustainability initiatives. It is vital that players across the sector are all speaking the same language and using the same terminology when it comes to zero emission buildings, to ensure that expectations are met. This is particularly important as we move towards greater measuring and reporting requirements across government, industry and the consumer market.
To that end, ASBEC's 'Defining Zero Emission Buildings - Review and Recommendations' report, launched today, recommends adopting common language and definitions for use in the discussion of low energy residential development and is aimed at equipping both industry and the consumer with a clearer understanding of the low emission housing landscape.
Developed by the ASBEC's Zero Emissions Residential Task Group, with support from Sustainability Victoria and in conjunction with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS (Sydney), the report seeks to clarify some of the confusion that exists around the terminology relating to low energy and zero carbon homes.
Task Group Chair, Mark Allan (GBCA) said that “we are encouraged to see so much work being done in Australia around low carbon homes and this paper will serve to strengthen the discussion on how we bring these concepts into the mainstream market.”
”ASBEC looks forward to engaging across the sector to encourage the use of this terminology and to promote the residential sector’s transition to a low carbon future,” ASBEC President, the Hon. Tom Roper said in launching the report today.
Click HERE to download a full copy of the final report
Click HERE to download the associated media release
