Decision details

Moved by Councillor Ellsmore, seconded by Councillor Davis –

It is resolved that:

(A)       Council note:

(i)         the City of Sydney has in place, endorsed or proposed planning rules to achieve net zero by 2035, including through supporting the transition to all electric homes and banning gas in new residential buildings;

(ii)        however, State and Federal planning frameworks continue to allow the construction of new residential building powered by fossil fuels, including gas; and

(iii)       accelerating the transition to all-electric buildings powered by renewable energy and ending the construction of new homes which rely on gas are important steps to combat global warming; and

(B)       Council endorse the following motion for submission to the 2024 Australian Local Government Association National General Assembly:

This National General Assembly calls on the Australian Government to:

(i)           note that, while the National Construction Code (NCC) was updated in 2022 to improve the thermal and energy performance of new residential buildings, the revised NCC still allows new homes to be powered by toxic and polluting gas appliances;

(ii)          notes that recent modelling by Climate Works demonstrates that the current energy performance standards in the revised NCC will not allow Australia to meet its Paris Agreement commitment to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees; and

(iii)         accelerate the transition to all-electric homes by ensuring new homes are powered by 100 per cent electricity and no gas, which will require an update to the NCC to explicitly require homes to be powered by 100 per cent electricity.

The motion was carried on the following show of hands –

Ayes (8)     The Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chan, Davis, Ellsmore, Kok, Scott, Weldon and Worling

Noes (2)     Councillors Gannon and Jarrett.

Carried.

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