Page 878 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 20 March 2019

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(a) the Government is reviewing the EER system and investigating minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties under the Greens/ALP Parliamentary Agreement;

(b) the Government’s Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme is improving household heating, cooling and energy efficiency, and reducing energy bills. The 2018-19 Budget extended the scheme to public housing, and will see significant upgrades in 2200 public housing homes over three years; and

(5) calls on the ACT Government to deliver the following action plan:

(a) investigate potential changes to planning rules to improve apartment design and reduce summer heat inside new apartments, including requirements for improved solar access, external summer shading, adequate cross-ventilation and key elements of the NSW SEPP 65 “Apartment Design Guide”;

(b) investigate potential changes to ACT Housing design requirements for public housing purchases and construction that address the needs of vulnerable tenants in a future hotter climate, for example inclusion of energy-efficient cooling and external summer shading;

(c) investigate potential expansion of the Energy Efficiency Improvement Scheme to cover more options that would keep Canberrans cool in heatwaves;

(d) investigate how the ACT Government can improve the performance of the EER system without waiting for national reform, for example by requiring separate NatHERS ratings for winter and summer, setting maximum air-leakage standards and basing the ratings on Canberra’s future hotter climate;

(e) improve monitoring of building quality to ensure that buildings meet the EER rating they were approved with;

(f) report to the Assembly and the community on the findings of parts (5)(a) to (e) by the last sitting day in October 2019; and

(g) release a draft Territory Plan Variation for community consultation for part (5)(a) by the end of March 2020.

As we all know, the climate is warming. Summers are getting hotter and heatwaves are occurring more often. This summer was a time of record-breaking extreme heat in our city. It was a testing time for Canberrans, who struggled to go about their lives with day after day over 40 degrees. This summer also tested our readiness for future hotter climates. One area where we clearly failed that test is that we are building apartments that, without air conditioning, are unlivable and potentially unsafe in hot weather. Some are even unlivable with air conditioning running flat out over 24 hours of the day.

I noticed this myself several years ago, when I was living in a new east-facing apartment in Woden. It was hot all summer and the air conditioner did not do enough

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