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.

The ultimate test of the business case for high performance low carbon building is to consider how the human benefits of these buildings could be reliably quantified to prove beyond all doubt the positive Return on Investment (ROI). After all, staff costs, including salaries and benefits, typically account for about 90% of business operating costs.