Tropical design to be recognised and rewarded
Source: Queensland. Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. Media Release
"A Tropical Design Forum will be held in Cairns to celebrate the unique sustainable characteristics of Queensland homes. Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said feedback from the forum would help shape national building guidelines to determine the energy efficiency of Australian homes. Mr Hinchliffe said under a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) initiative, announced in April 2009, all new residential buildings would have to meet 6-star or equivalent energy efficient requirements by May 2011. He said while the initiative was encouraging, not all Australian homes were the same. The Bligh Government is leading the charge to have Queensland’s unique tropical design features recognised and rewarded."