Romilly Madew Chief Executive of Green Building Council of Australia
The GBCA strongly supports any incentive to retrofit existing buildings, as this is one of the most cost-effective carbon abatement opportunities available. This announcement demonstrates the Gillard Government’s commitment to greening the built environment and is a strong indication of leadership. A retrofitting program will do more than reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Research from Davis Langdon has found that retrofitting a significant quantity of commercial stock will support the growth of green skills and has the potential to create jobs for more than 10,000 people in the building and construction industry. This retrofitting program will create jobs growth without needing to create additional commercial stock – future proofing our existing buildings, ensuring they perform closer to new standards and addressing tenant expectations.

Peter Verwer chief executive of Property Council of Australia
The incentive will bridge the significant payback gap between an investment in energy efficient capital and subsequent energy cost savings.In addition, the extension of the Green Building Fund to cover more building types, such as shopping centres, will further build on the innovative green technologies pioneered under the current scheme. In combination, these initiatives will leverage emission reductions by lifting the energy efficiency of commercial buildings.These measures help build a mechanism for reducing GHGs by more than 80 megatonnes over the next decade. A nation-wide energy efficiency, or white certificate, scheme would further complement these initiatives