Green building has received increased attention over the past decade from both environmental economists and policymakers. While there is no single definition of “green buildings” or its related policy, researchers and organizations tend to emphasize resource efficiency in building and reducing the impacts of buildings on human health and the environment.

A range of sustainability rating tools for buildings exist in Australia. In setting sustainability standards for Council buildings, this policy primarily references the GBCA’s holistic design framework and assessment tool ‘Green Star - Design and As Built’ , which is widely used in the commercial and local government sectors and considered the most appropriate tool for Council buildings.

This paper introduces the major state-level regulations and policies for improving energy efficiency in buildings. The purpose of the review is to discuss the challenges and issues in policy implementation and the latest trend in adopting innovative instruments. The implementation of customer efficiency programs increasingly incorporates non-price instruments to encourage participation and deep savings. States pay attention to not only code adoption and update but also compliance and evaluation.