The ACT Government has secured agreement at a national meeting of building ministers to establish a nationally consistent approach to measuring emissions in the commercial construction sector, Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, announced.

The 2025 National Construction Code will now feature a nationally consistent way of measuring carbon in construction using the six-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS).

NABERS rates a building’s efficiency from one to six stars across energy, water, waste, and the indoor environment. This helps building owners to understand their building’s performance versus comparable buildings in the same sector, providing a benchmark for progress.

Buildings are responsible for 40 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions, and use approximately 40 per cent of the world’s energy and 30 per cent of the world’s available drinking water.

Ms Vassarotti said the new nationally consistent approach would provide ‘the right foundations’ to reaching net-zero carbon in the construction of new commercial buildings.

“Tackling the climate crisis head on demands a spotlight on every part of our economy contributing to the ongoing destruction of the planet,” Ms Vassarotti said.

“Across Australia, new buildings represent 10 per cent of overall carbon emissions. Most of these emissions come from the materials, transport, and construction associated with new buildings.

“Currently, there is no national standard for measuring what we call ‘embodied carbon’, that is, the emissions that come from building materials, transport, construction, repairs, and renovations.

“That’s why I have proposed updates to the National Construction Code to bring every state and territory under the same system to start measuring carbon emissions in construction of commercial buildings.

“Establishing a nationally consistent approach to measuring emissions is the first step to empowering governments across the nation to develop robust action plans to effectively combat and reduce emissions within the sector.

“It will also support the construction industry by providing a single national approach, removing confusion and administrative costs from potentially having to comply with multiple schemes.

“This work complements efforts already underway in the ACT to develop a 10-year pathway towards achieving the world’s best practice, sustainable buildings.”

More information about the ACT Government’s 10-year Sustainable Construction Pathway will be published before the end of this term of Government.

“As the climate gets hotter and as our energy demands increase, a building’s ability to withstand extreme weather events will become paramount to the health and safety of the people in it,” Ms Vassarotti continued.

“I am committed to a legacy where our buildings within the territory are high-performing, affordable, and work with, not against, the natural environment for years to come.

“As the local Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, I am thrilled the national meeting of building ministers has endorsed our proposal.”

Ms Vassarotti thanked the Australian Institute of Architects and the Australian Building Sustainability for bringing the issue to her attention and for championing Australia’s pathway to net zero carbon in its buildings.