The Fifth Estate

Let’s hack housing: What some of our panellists are saying ahead of next week's event

Diplomat for the #climate Richard Merzian this week has moved into a new role as CEO with the Clean Energy Investor Group. I caught him for The Fifth Estate on his way out of the international beat with the Smart Energy Council, where he focused heavily on Australia and the Pacific winning the bid to host #COP31 in 2026. I know UN processes can be clunky, and it's big talkfests can be inconclusive, but like Richie I still see this as a compelling opportunity for Australia in and with our region.

The Fifth Estate attended the Bus Industry Confederation’s national bus and coach show in Brisbane this week. All buses on display were fully electric, from unreleased fleets in New South Wales, such as the Go Zero Group, to the lighTrams, soon to be known in Brisbane as the “Metro”, which we thought closely resembled the trackless trams in Perth. Then there was Yutong Bus & Coach and VDI Australia’s product, ZEB, and new technologies manager Luke Edwards, who gave us a private presentation on the techy bits of how their buses operate; the big focus, he said, is that the bus fleets have been built to adapt the extreme weather. Catch up with the highlights here: https://lnkd.in/gtxpGkJJ And enjoy a video of the unveiling of Yutong's newest mini bus below:

We need breakthrough solutions on housing. Come and help us cut through the white noise next Thursday

The NSW Productivity Commission’s report on fixing the housing crisis released this week says that the major barriers to fixing the housing crisis are finance costs. But you have to dig for it, because the biggest, showiest focus of the report is on doing away with quality in apartments, such as sunlight, amenity, and loosening up the planning regime so that projects are fast tracked. Then there’s the commission’s weird focus on the costs of labour. Read the full takeaways: https://lnkd.in/epcvZGc4 #housingcrisis #NSWProductivityCommission #housingaffordability #developerfeasibility

City of Melbourne recently terminated share scheme contracts with operator Lime... [but] while safety and behaviour concerns must be addressed wherever e-scooters are ridden, e-scooters are here to stay, writes Vanessa Johnston, Melanie Davern, Robbie Napper and Marilyn Johnson. While cycling benefits health, and both cycling and e-scooters benefit traffic congestion and decrease carbon emissions, the increase in these micro-mobility modes brings new risks and challenges to Australia’s transport mix. Read the 5 things you need to know about e-scooters: https://lnkd.in/gmfnFsBx #EScooters #Melbourne #mobility #activetransport

The NSW Productivity Commission isn’t concerned with people’s social, physical and mental outcomes. It’s about advancing the market economy, which is perfectly fine if you’re dealing with widgets. In his presentation ahead of the housing report, the NSW Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat explains that for Australia to move ahead, we need to improve our productivity – by either working longer hours for more output or working smarter through technology and innovation and so on. Achterstraat might think the market will self regulate, but how, when it can take two years for the leaks to start or five for the walls to crack? Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eeJxeJDu #housingcrisis #NSWProductivityCommission #buildingregulation #housingdevelopers

Yesterday PIA NSW published a media release to respond to the NSW Productivity report. PIA NSW President Sue Weatherley RPIA (Fellow) highlighted how the Commission’s review of housing supply challenges and policy options for NSW Report, brushed over the biggest facing issues facing housing supply today, including construction costs, finance costs and labour availability. 📑 Read PIA media release: https://lnkd.in/gH_cKUq9 With a note of thanks for Tina Perinotto's featured article in the The Fifth Estate : https://lnkd.in/gvkktjny

“With the rise of advanced applications like AI pushing data centers for multiservices - this requires solutions [based in] sustainability and energy efficiency. As environmental concerns grow, there's a strong push towards green data centers,” said Mario M. from ABB. “This is both a great opportunity to create investment in renewables but also poses a challenge for power generation and transmission structure…” The Fifth Estate is reporting in from the #Sydney Cloud and Data Centre conference. Want to get involved in the making of our Ebook on Buildings as Batteries, electrification and big sheds? Get in touch! Contact editorial@thefifthestate.com.au #datacentres #renewableenergy #electrification #sustainability

Don’t be fooled by the recycled images of herds of wind turbines floating majestically atop deep blue seas – Australia doesn't actually have any offshore wind turbines. None. Not one, writes Samuel Allam and Anna Vella. When the draft legislation was introduced to parliament, the Coalition’s minister said the Offshore Act would “strengthen our economy, create jobs and opportunities for Australians, and ensure the delivery of affordable and reliable power”. Read Baker McKenzie's latest whole of environment report: https://lnkd.in/gnc9CfXR #Australia #OffshoreAct #RenewableEnergy #EconomicGrowth #windfarms