What is the Framework?
ABSA's policy framework outlines ABSA's public policy positions and describes how those positions are decided. The framework is arranged as a hierarchy driven by a foundation of policy objectives, upon which policy statements, submissions and media releases are built. The objectives are important because they outline what we believe is necessary to achieve the ABSA vision and straetgic plan, as well as providing a criteria to effectively judge current and proposed government policy.
For example, we recognise that the current building trend toward McMansions does not complement our vision - "improving sustainability through the design and use of buildings" - but without the objectives cannot effectively outline why McMansions don't improve sustainability, and more importantly, what needs to change so that McMansions do not continue to reduce sustainability. See the McMansions case study for a greater explanation of this.
What are the ABSA policy objectives?
Strong and responsive governance is the hallmark of successful policy development and implementation. It aligns stakeholders, processes and controls to ensure the effective delivery of outcomes. Good governance clearly outlines the role, responsibilities and purpose for all stakeholders. Clear accountability for the the various parts of Australia’s building sustainability policies are needed to reduce duplication, improve effectiveness and remove 'blame' shifting.
Australia’s energy efficiency targets are falling behind international comparisons, not only through the delayed introduction of 6 star minimum legislation, but also the exclusive focus on energy efficiency. New building metrics, aligned to the national carbon abatement policy goals, that can be easily communicated to households, and facilitate improvement benchmarking, are needed urgently.
Although good design has been hallmark of iconic buildings and places for hundreds of years, the skills and knowledge are still very niche. Without appropriate tools to connect the community to this knowledge, a market transformation where sustainable housing is the norm, not the exception, will be unnecessarily long and arduous. The use of transparent simulation tools and software that are rigorously tested, regularly updated and developed by legal and accountable entities is necessary to improve the sustainability of Australian houses.
Building design is a niche skill set that combines knowledge of building physics, thermal dynamics, materials and technology to optimise building performance. This knowledge comes from academic training, continued professional development, extensive experience and observation. To achieve the most effective and wide-reaching sustainability improvements it is necessary to employ these skills at the start and throughout the design process.
Without specific action and incentives for existing residential building stock, continued emissions from buildings will make achievement of the national carbon reduction goal very difficult because current action accounts for less than 2% of annual building stock and relying on new-building minimum regulations will make the retro-fit process unnecessarily long. Specific incentives are needed to improve the sustainability of the existing building stock and provide cost and amenity benefits to all Australians.
Learn more about the policy framework
