Australian Government launches Net Zero operation strategy
The Australian Government has launched its Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy policy. The policy includes committing to leasing buildings with a 5.5-star NABERS energy rating only in metropolitan areas. All government entities will prefer all-electric buildings from July 2024 onwards.
All new office buildings owned or built for the Government must also be 6 stars NABERS energy and 4 Stars Green Star rating or higher, and from 2026, buildings must be all-electric.
Government NABERS Energy rating will be considered when making travel decisions starting July 2024, with minimum standards to be considered in 2026-27. This is the first time a government body has used its procurement power to drive decarbonisation in hotels.
The strategy was developed by the Department of Finance in collaboration with APS Net Zero and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Melbourne Premier’s sustainability awards winners announced
Nightingale Housing added to its accolades last week taking out the Industry Leader category at the 2023 Premier’s Sustainability Awards and Brimbank City Council winning the Community Champion award in the sustainable places category.
Overall winners were Assembled Threads received the Premier’s Recognition Award and Geelong Sustainability received the Premier’s Regional Recognition Award.
Assembled Threads is a company that manufactures and supplies environmentally conscious workwear essentials, while creating employment for disadvantaged Australians.
And Geelong Sustainability is a not-for-profit organisation that assists residents of Geelong and surrounding regions to be more sustainable and safer from climate risks.
AACA reaches new registration agreement with Singapore and New Zealand
The Architects Accreditation Council of Australia has reached an agreement with the Board of Architects Singapore and the New Zealand Registered Architects Board to renew their tripartite Mutual Recognition Agreement from 21 November.
This means it is now easier for Australian architects to have their professional registration recognised internationally.
AACA chief executive Kathlyn Loseby is hoping the agreements will enable architects to pursue more opportunities overseas – such as the collaboration between WOHA and Architectus on 443 Queen Street Brisbane and the expansion of Woods Bagot into Singapore.
The United States, Australia and New Zealand agreement is currently in review and expected to be completed in mid-2024 to remove the requirement of 6000 working hours after registration and expand to include an additional 14 US states.
New EV chargers for Sydney
Transport for NSW has launched the first in a series of new charging sites, starting with Penrith on the Great Western Highway. The collaboration with charge point provider JOLT provides EV drivers across greater Sydney access to more charging stations around key transport locations.
There are plans for up to 50 sites across NSW to have new EV charging stations, including commuter car parks and other transport facilities in the coming months. Next on the installation list are Cronulla and Oatley, which will receive their new fleet of chargers in the coming weeks.
EV drivers can access seven kilowatts of fast charging for free each day, providing about 45 kilometres of driving range. Charging is expected to take around 17 minutes, with drivers expected to pay if they need to more charging.
Jobs news
CLT Toolbox has appointed Marko Dimitrijevi as product manager for the cross-laminated timber educational platform to help the company kick off its European expansion.
Dimitrijevi is a structural engineer based in Belgrade, Serbia, with experience in designing and managing mass timber projects in Europe and the US. Part of his role to help the company prepare for its 2024 launch in Europe will develop the company’s Eurocode modules and onboard structural engineers and suppliers throughout Europe.
And as most people have now twigged, it turns out David Palin couldn’t stay away from Mirvac for too long. After not much more than a month in the new gig at Colliers as national director of ESG he’s back at Mirvac where he’s now director ESG – up a notch from his prior role of national ESG manager.