Environmental Policy

Planning and building regulations across Australia are increasingly dealing with ways to improve the environmental performance of housing and address climate change. These regulations can often have an impact on housing affordability and the way new homes and existing homes are built or renovated.

The major environmental issues being dealt with in housing design and construction include:

• Identifying ways to conserve our natural resources through environmentally responsible housing
• Improving the energy efficiency of new and existing housing
• Improving the water efficiency of new and existing housing
• Addressing the operational energy and water use of all housing

HIA’s National Policy Congress has endorsed a series of policies on existing and emerging issues such as energy and water efficiency to assist in HIA’s responses to these important issues.