ACT needs to get bold if it wants to rein in big emitters

So, as the ACT government races towards a net-zero emissions future, the role of the property industry cannot be overlooked.

Canberra was the first city outside Europe to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy supply and is now on a mission to eliminate fossil fuels, which currently contribute over 20 per cent to its emissions.

In the realm of sustainability, the ACT government is often at the forefront, boldly pursuing numerous ambitious initiatives.

Sustainable, all-electric homes, buildings and communities in the ACT serve as excellent examples of what can be accomplished when government works with industry.

But ambitious goals need grounded public policy to match it.

That's why Property Council and the Green Building Council of Australia have today released a new report in Canberra, calling on governments to adopt policy proposals to prepare Australia's buildings for net-zero emissions.

A key pillar of the report, Every Building Counts, asks governments to implement sustainability planning incentives such as density and height bonuses to facilitate the rapid development of energy-efficient, all-electric new buildings.

This helps builders deal with the time delays and expenses of the planning system while providing more homes for Canberrans that are comfortable to live in and affordable to run.

The government is set to release its Integrated Energy Plan next year that will provide a welcomed pathway for electrification of our buildings.

To ensure its success, we need industry and government to work together to establish the right parameters, ensure grid capacity, facilitate workforce transitions and prevent older commercial buildings from being left stranded.

In the ACT, this means providing planning incentives and shoring up our supply chains, along with Lease Variation Charge remissions.

In light of the announcement the federal government is mandating fully electric office leases for itself, the report calls on governments to embrace zero-carbon-ready standards for both new and existing government-owned and leased buildings by 2030.

As one of the largest tenants in our city, the federal government adheres to its leasing policies to achieve its targets and the alignment between the ACT and federal governments is imperative.

The report also advocates for ensuring we support low-income households in this transition, while creating incentives for electrification retrofits and mandating energy efficiency disclosure at the point of sale for our homes.

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But this transition will not be easy, which is why the government must come to the table and support the industry.

Consider, for instance, the remaining life of equipment in buildings powered by gas, such as boilers, which may still have 10-15 years of working life left. While replacing at the end of life makes sense, the question arises: what do we do with perfectly good equipment now?

It won't be easy, but we need to get this right. We can be the first jurisdiction to electrify all our buildings if we get the settings and incentives right.

More than ever, every building must count.