Call for action on state-owned building emissions

The WA government is being urged to set a specific plan for carbon emission reduction from state-owned buildings, as it maps a path to a net-zero future.

The Every Building Counts report was released by the Property Council Australia and Green Building Council of Australia today.

Across the jurisdictions, including in WA, it calls on the state government to set a target to make its owned and leased buildings zero-carbon-ready by 2030.

“A meticulously planned energy transition is imperative for ensuring a successful and sustainable future,” Property Council of Australia WA interim executive director Emily Young said.

“As the state government looks to advance policies to increase the energy performance of WA buildings, it must also tackle the challenges within its own property portfolio.

“The WA government has a significant presence in Perth’s urban environment.”

The report defines zero-carbon-ready as buildings which are highly energy efficient, that use either renewable energy directly or an energy supply that will be fully decarbonised by 2050.

WA government owned and leased buildings are estimated to span 560,000 square metres of office space, as well as 40,000 social homes, 800 schools and 80 hospitals.

In September last year, the state government committed to an interim target of reducing emissions 80 per cent below 2020 levels by the end of the decade.

That target covered emissions across 100 agencies and government trading enterprises, including the state’s major power producers, as well as major emitters including the Department of Transport.

It incorporated a range of initiatives including the rollout of renewable energy systems and the procurement of renewables, reduction of vehicle emissions and the use of local offsets. However, the plan did not make specific reference to government buildings.

In November the federal government released a strategy document outlining a plan to achieve net zero in government operations by 2030, which included a section on government buildings focusing on office spaces.

The national strategy set out specific targets for energy efficiency in government buildings leased or refurbished from the middle of the decade, using the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).

Ms Young said the decarbonisation of state government buildings would have multiple benefits.

“A commitment by government to proactively improve its own asset portfolio will supercharge upskilling our state’s workforce, which is needed to support a clean energy transition, allow for deeper understanding of the challenges of retrofitting assets, and substantially improve its environmental footprint,” she said.

“The private sector is already taking huge strides in decarbonising WA’s property industry.

“The transition to net-zero will be smoother and faster if the state government commits to zero-carbon-ready buildings across its extensive portfolio by 2030.”

Australia’s built environment accounts for 23 per cent of all emissions and half of all electricity use, according to the report.

The state government has been contacted for comment.