The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has released its 2026 Policy Snapshot, outlining its advocacy priorities and reflecting on the global and domestic forces shaping Australia’s built environment.
Framed by commentary from GBCA Head of Policy Shay Singh, the update comes at a time of shifting global risk settings, evolving national building standards, and renewed attention on how environmental performance intersects with economic resilience.
Global risks and economic realities
The snapshot opens with reference to the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report for 2026, which ranked extreme weather events fourth in short term risk severity over a two year outlook. While that marks a drop from previous years, the report makes clear that environmental threats remain dominant over the longer term. Over a ten year horizon, extreme weather, biodiversity loss and critical changes to Earth systems continue to rank among the most severe global risks.
At the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, business leaders and policymakers drew explicit connections between environmental stewardship and economic performance. Among them, André Hoffmann, Vice Chairman of Roche Holding and Interim Co Chair of the Forum, warned that business and shareholder value ultimately depend on functioning natural systems.
For GBCA, the global conversation reinforces a central message: environmental performance is not a competing priority to economic growth, but a prerequisite for it. The organisation argues that this linkage is particularly relevant to the property and construction sectors, which sit at the intersection of emissions reduction, resilience, productivity and investment.
Reflecting on 2025 progress
The snapshot looks back on several policy developments in 2025 that GBCA considers significant.
One of the most notable was the release of the Built Environment Sector Plan, accompanied by funding commitments to strengthen and expand established programs including NABERS, NatHERS and the Commercial Building Disclosure Program. These programs underpin energy performance measurement and disclosure across residential and commercial buildings.
GBCA also highlighted endorsement of the updated Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings in August 2025, replacing the 2019 framework. The subsequent Implementation Plan for 2026 to 2027, endorsed by Energy and Climate Ministers in December, introduces new priority areas such as efficient electrification, refrigerant reduction, resilience and equitable transition.
According to GBCA, these additions reflect a more integrated approach to decarbonisation, recognising that building performance must address operational emissions, embodied impacts, and social equity considerations simultaneously.
National Construction Code in focus
A central policy focus for 2026 is the Australian Building Codes Board led update to the National Construction Code. Building Ministers agreed late last year on NCC 2025, with a preview expected by February 2026. Ministers also agreed to pause further residential energy efficiency changes until 2029, except for essential safety measures.
GBCA has signalled its intention to advocate for timely implementation of NCC 2025 and for broader modernisation of the Code. The organisation argues that the NCC must prepare homes and buildings for the impacts of a changing climate while also supporting productivity improvements in the construction industry.
A consultation is currently open to consider ways to streamline and modernise the Code. For industry participants, this process may shape compliance pathways, performance solutions and design expectations over the remainder of the decade.
Environmental reform and the EPBC Act
The Policy Snapshot also addresses implementation of amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), following passage of the Environment Protection Reform Bills 2025.
Key changes include the introduction of three new decision making tests, development of national environmental standards, establishment of a new environmental protection agency, and a greater emphasis on regional planning.
The Australian Government has recently consulted on proposed National Environmental Standards and offsetting frameworks. GBCA lodged a submission containing ten recommendations aimed at strengthening and clarifying the draft standards.
For the property sector, the amended EPBC framework may influence site selection, biodiversity offsets, environmental assessment timelines and investor confidence in major developments. GBCA’s involvement reflects its broader ambition to align building performance tools with evolving national environmental policy.
Green Star and public sector delivery
Another theme in the snapshot is practical implementation. GBCA reports ongoing conversations with project teams about how the Green Star rating tools are being applied in practice, including in complex government projects.
In response, the organisation has released a new best practice guide focused on engaging Green Star project teams effectively. It has also scheduled a webinar targeted at public sector and government project participants, examining what successful Green Star integration looks like at scale.
GBCA argues that leadership from government clients is critical in driving market transformation, particularly in areas such as low carbon materials, circular economy principles and nature based solutions.
NABERS performance and cost savings
The latest Annual Report from NABERS, covering 2024 to 2025, indicates that over the past two decades the rating system has helped customers save $2.23 billion in energy bills and avoid 15.48 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
GBCA cites these figures as evidence that performance based tools can deliver measurable economic benefits alongside emissions reductions. In an environment of rising energy costs and investor scrutiny of climate risk, the council positions NABERS as a mature, cost effective mechanism for improving asset performance.
Commercial building emissions and industry planning
Beyond federal policy settings, the snapshot references sector wide initiatives, including a roadmap to reduce emissions in commercial buildings and the release of a 2026 to 2030 Strategic Plan by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC).
These frameworks aim to coordinate industry, government and financial sector action to meet emissions reduction targets while maintaining asset value and tenant appeal.
GBCA’s alignment with these broader industry strategies reflects a continued emphasis on collaboration rather than isolated reform.
State and local developments
The snapshot also highlights activity at state and local levels. Updates include the opening of a new public school in the ACT, the release of the Homes for NSW Strategy, a Retrofit Insulation Installation Training program in Victoria, and local initiatives such as soft plastics diversion from landfill.
These examples illustrate how policy, training and circular economy initiatives are being implemented across jurisdictions. For GBCA, consistent national direction combined with local delivery is essential to achieving scale.
Balancing urgency and uncertainty
A recurring theme in the Policy Snapshot is the tension between a rapidly shifting global operating environment and the steady nature of long term sustainability priorities.
While geopolitical and economic risks have risen in perceived severity, GBCA maintains that climate resilience, biodiversity protection and low energy building performance remain foundational issues. In the words cited within the update, the future depends on present action.
For Australia’s building industry, 2026 appears set to be another year of policy consultation, standards refinement and implementation work. The NCC preview, EPBC reforms, and low energy buildings implementation plan will require industry engagement and adaptation.
GBCA’s Policy Snapshot positions the council as both advocate and collaborator in that process, emphasising that sustained action across regulation, investment and practice will be necessary to meet 2035 emissions reduction targets and improve resilience across the built environment.
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