Resource Management

• The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is a community responsibility and should not be confined to new home-buyer. The actions required to conserve natural resources and reduce emissions are multi-pronged but should focus upon three core strategies:
  o Reduction in resource demand per dwelling across the existing residential sector.
  o Reduction in resource demand for new dwellings, and
  o Infrastructure investment in generating technologies that can reduce emissions and consumption of natural resources.
• Cost-effective measures to enhance the development of more sustainable housing through voluntary market-based incentives should be supported rather than regulation.
• Further research is required to establish the real impact of regulations on consumption and outputs.
• Governments should be undertaking a regulatory impact statement with net benefit outcomes to home buyers prior to any new or amended resource management measures being applied to housing. The Housing Industry should also be consulted on the findings before implementation.
• The costs of new regulation should to be calculated by a transparent process, with industry involvement and subject to third party verification by a regulatory ‘gatekeeper’.
• Regulation should encourage innovative measures and technology development to conserve natural resources across all building sectors, not just housing.
• Regulations which do not deliver a significant net benefit will not be supported by HIA.
• Broader based land estate solutions should be pursued for their large scale savings of resources over individual lot based solutions.
• Pricing mechanisms should reflect the true value and encourage efficient use of resources.
• Governments should support research and technology for new products and measures to assist with conserving resources.
• Governments should provide rebates for the supply and installation charges of capital purchase items that are required to meet sustainability objectives for new and renovated homes
• Governments should promote the benefits of saving water and energy through all forms of media and lead by example and demonstrate water efficiency is being implemented in their own buildings and development works.
• The housing industry should be recognised by governments for its efforts to develop sustainable housing for the future.