New Minimum Sustainability Standards for Commonwealth Government Office Space
A new policy from the Commonwealth Government will leverage its procurement power to drive action in climate change as part of its Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy.
09 April 2024
- Existing office buildings: From July 2024, the policy instructs government Departments to prefer all-electric buildings when signing new leases from July 2024. From July 2025, office buildings in capital cities (four or more years, over 1,000sqm) must have a 5.5 NABERS Energy rating to sign a lease with a Commonwealth entity, the highest energy efficiency target of any government in Australia.
- New office buildings: From 2026, all new office buildings built by or for the Australian government must achieve and maintain a 6-star NABERS Energy rating and must be all-electric. Buildings must also achieve a 4-star Green Star rating, an example of how the strengths of NABERS and Green Star can complement each other to achieve more in government environmental policy.
- Electricity metering: From 1 January 2025, new office space of 1,000sqm or more must be separately metered where practical.
- EV charging: From 1 July 2024, all office space with allocated parking and fleet must have an EV charging plan where possible. And where possible, have facilities to support EV charging from 1 January 2025 if the Commonwealth entity has EV fleet vehicles on site.
- Green lease schedules: From 1 January 2025, a lease of 1,000sqm or more must contain a Green Lease Schedule.
- Embodied emissions: Consideration for reducing embodied emissions in construction and fitout are noted but not prescribed in the new guidelines.
New procurement guidelines/preferences for data centres, warehouses and hotels have also been communicated. For full detail, visit the Net Zero Buildings section in the Commonwealth Government's Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy.
