The Property Council calls on the Victorian Government to make sustainable development a key priority. This will assist Victoria to achieve its 20% emissions reduction target by 2020 in a cost effective way.
The Property Council argues that advancements in sustainable development require shared responsibilities between governments and industries.
“Existing buildings constitute 97% of the built environment, and buildings and their occupants contribute to around 23% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions,” outlined the Property Council’s Victorian Executive Director, Jennifer Cunich.
“Despite a growing commitment from the property industry to pursue environmentally sustainable initiatives, financial and structural barriers impede its ability to achieve this aim.
“On a positive note the built environment may offer significant abatement reductions with little new innovation, if ‘barriers’ are reduced, ” said Ms Cunich.
To realise this potential, the Property Council promotes policies that can transform buildings, precincts and cities to become more resilient and adaptive to deal with climate change, increasing resource demand and environmental degradation.
Key sustainability and climate change policies to support this task include:
- advocate for an accelerated green depreciation and national white certificate schemes;
- grants for building retrofits;
- gross feed in tariffs for the residential and commercial sectors;
- an elimination of the regulatory and market barriers for embedded energy solutions; and
- public - private partnership energy efficiency programs.
The Property Council has presented its 2011-12 Pre-Budget Submission to the Victorian Government.
-ENDS-
Jennifer Cunich, Executive Director – (03) 9650 8300
Danni Addison, Public Affairs Manager – (03) 9664 4230 or 0408 861 408
TECHNICAL ADVICE: Mendo Kundevski – (03) 9664 4229 or 0458 728 777
