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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Tuesday, 24 August 2004) . . Page.. 4064 ..

the natural environment as its fundamental principle, and a distinctively Australian designed signature which models equity and accessibility for its citizens.

These are ideas that were inherent in the original Canberra plan but which have real and renewed significance today. To improve the current state of planning in the ACT and the new development application and design guidelines issued by ACTPLA, the government must commit to the following:

(1) Mandatory five-star efficiency standards for all new developments and an extension of the rating scheme up to 10 stars to reward well-designed houses. Evidence from Victoria shows that five-star homes will cost about $1,100 more to build than four-star homes. This would add $90 per year to the average mortgage repayment. This is more than offset by an expected 50 per cent cut in energy bills, which will save $210 per year on average. Water consumption in a five-star home is also expected to fall by 25 per cent.

(2) Mandatory solar hot water for new homes and a requirement that replacement hot water systems in existing homes be solar or some other approved low greenhouse option.

(3) Mandatory rainwater tanks for new homes and incentives for adoption of other water-saving technologies such as grey water reuse systems.

(4) Five-star efficiency for all government office developments and all new government tenancies, using a recognised assessment and accreditation tool such as the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme.

(5) Introduction of minimum sustainability standards linked to territory level targets for reducing water and energy use as a first step, and regular reporting against the same.

(6) Ensuring that all new design applications demonstrate that they meet sustainability standards, compliance with water and energy use targets as a minimum, via a modified residential sustainability report.

(7) Random audits across the full range of development types to monitor compliance with sustainability commitments set out in development applications at design and construction stage, and reporting on results, with penalties for non-compliance.

(8) Ensuring that commercial, industrial and institutional developments demonstrate compliance with minimum sustainability standards, by way of a sustainability report at application stage.

(9) Mandatory benchmarking at design and construction stages for all large-scale developments, to recognise and reward better practice.

(10) Along with the mandatory passive solar siting of new houses and streetscapes in new suburbs and rural villages, a commitment to environmental outcomes having priority over design elements such as consistent street frontages.

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