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Australia has rapidly expanded use of green-building rating systems, but the available evidence does not prove that it ranks first in the world. The strongest documented story is national growth in two different programs: NABERS certified 11,000 ratings in financial year 2025 (FY25), while the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) recorded 1,951 Green Star certifications in the same year and 7,616 certifications issued since the program began, counted to June 2025. Those figures show substantial adoption; they are not a single, internationally comparable league table.
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Does Australia lead the world in green-building adoption?
Australia is a clear international reference point for building-performance measurement and sustainability certification. Its programs have operated at scale for decades, publish detailed annual results and are expanding into embodied carbon, biodiversity and circularity. That supports a description such as “world leading” for particular achievements or tools.
It does not, however, establish that Australia is the number-one country across all green-building measures. The available Australian figures use different units and denominators from one another, and there is no comparable global dataset in the evidence available here. A country ranking would require the same definition of adoption, the same time period and comparable data for every country being ranked.
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At the 2024 NABERS + CBD Conference, Assistant Minister for Climate Change Jenny McAllister described NABERS’ achievements as “nothing short of world leading.” The statement is an attributed assessment of NABERS, not a statistical claim that Australia leads every nation in every aspect of green construction.
The latest adoption figures, separated by system and scope
The safest way to read the headline numbers is to keep each program, period and unit intact. A NABERS rating is not interchangeable with a Green Star certification.
| Program and period | Reported result | What the number represents |
|---|---|---|
| NABERS, FY24 | 5,000 certified ratings | Annual NABERS rating activity for the financial year ending in 2024 |
| NABERS, FY25 | 11,000 certified ratings | Annual ratings; 120% more than FY24 |
| NABERS, FY25 | 98% certified within 10 days of submission | Program-reported processing result for submitted certifications |
| Green Star, FY25 | 1,951 certifications | Annual Green Star certification activity reported by GBCA |
| Green Star, to June 2025 | 7,616 certifications issued all-time | Cumulative Green Star total, not one year’s activity |
NABERS attributes much of the FY25 increase to public-school portfolio assessments across multiple jurisdictions. That matters because a portfolio assessment can produce many ratings in a coordinated exercise; it should not be interpreted as 11,000 newly constructed buildings.
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NABERS also reports cumulative program impacts of $2.23 billion in energy-bill savings and 15.48 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide emissions saved over more than two decades. These are program-reported totals. They should not be presented as independently verified savings from every Australian green building or as a direct comparison with another country’s building stock.
Likewise, adding 11,000 NABERS ratings to 1,951 Green Star certifications would create a misleading “total.” The programs can cover the same property, and they measure different activities.
What NABERS measures
Operational performance in real buildings
NABERS rates environmental performance across building types and sectors. Its core value is measurement of how a building operates: energy use and related environmental outcomes are assessed against benchmarks for the relevant building type. The result is a rating for a defined building, tenancy, portfolio or other eligible scope, rather than a generic claim that a design is sustainable.
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This operational focus makes NABERS useful after a building is occupied. Owners and facilities teams can use a rating to identify performance gaps, track changes and communicate measured results. The precise scope still matters: a whole-building rating, a tenancy rating and a portfolio assessment are not equivalent observations.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe FY25 expansion into embodied carbon
NABERS’ FY25 update describes a new embodied-carbon tool supported by rules, a national materials-emissions database, a calculator and trained assessors. Embodied carbon covers emissions associated with materials and construction, including stages that occur before a building is occupied. This extends NABERS beyond the operational-energy question that made the program widely known.
For anyone comparing ratings over time, the benchmark version is essential. The 2025 NABERS Energy benchmark update uses 2024 National Greenhouse Accounts emissions factors and reflects the increasing share of renewable electricity in the grid. NABERS says the next planned Energy benchmark update is in 2030. A rating from one benchmark period should therefore be interpreted with its benchmark year and emissions-factor basis, not treated as a perfectly unchanged scale across decades.
What Green Star measures
Project and building sustainability criteria
Green Star is GBCA’s certification family for sustainable development, including tools for new buildings and major refurbishments. Green Star Buildings v1.1 evaluates a project against a broader set of design, construction and performance criteria than a single operational-energy score. Current emphasis includes climate action, nature, circularity and alignment of embodied-carbon reporting with NABERS.
A Green Star certification is therefore evidence that a defined project met the requirements of the relevant tool and rating level. It is not an annual energy reading, and the certification count is not a count of all Australian buildings.
The biodiversity requirement beginning in 2028
For projects registering from 2028 and pursuing a 5- or 6-Star Green Star Buildings v1.1 rating, GBCA specifies a 10% net biodiversity gain requirement. The date and rating threshold are part of the condition: it is not a present requirement for every Green Star project. Owners planning projects that register earlier, or that seek a different rating level, must check the applicable version and registration rules.
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Where Green Star certifications are concentrated
GBCA’s FY25 distribution shows where certified ratings were recorded, but it is not a population-adjusted state ranking. The percentages below describe the distribution of FY25 Green Star certified ratings.
| State or territory | Share of FY25 Green Star certified ratings |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | 35% |
| Victoria | 31% |
| Queensland | 20% |
| Western Australia | 7% |
| South Australia | 4% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2% |
| Tasmania | 1% |
| Northern Territory | Below 1% |
Because the denominator is certified Green Star ratings in FY25, these percentages cannot tell you which state has the highest adoption per resident, per square metre or per building. Those questions require different data.
Which building types account for Green Star certifications?
GBCA reports the following shares of its all-time certified ratings by building use. They describe the Green Star portfolio, not the composition of Australia’s entire building stock.
| Building use | Share of all-time certified ratings |
|---|---|
| Offices | 33% |
| Industrial | 32% |
| Retail | 19% |
| Other uses | Not stated in the reported distribution |
The concentration in offices, industrial projects and retail reflects where certification has been documented most often. It should not be read as proof that these sectors are greener than every other sector or that residential, health or education buildings are absent.
How the two systems differ in practice
| Comparison point | NABERS | Green Star |
|---|---|---|
| Primary object | A rating of measured environmental performance for a defined building, tenancy, portfolio or sector scope | Certification of a project or building against the requirements of a Green Star tool |
| Typical timing | Used to assess operating performance and update ratings over time | Applied through project design, construction and relevant certification stages |
| Annual figure quoted here | 11,000 certified ratings in FY25; 5,000 in FY24 | 1,951 certifications in FY25 |
| Cumulative figure quoted here | Not stated as an all-time rating total in the reported figures | 7,616 certifications issued to June 2025 |
| Environmental emphasis | Operational performance, with an expanding embodied-carbon scope | Climate action, nature, circularity, embodied carbon and other project criteria |
The systems can complement each other. A project may use Green Star to set and verify sustainability outcomes through design and delivery, then use NABERS to measure operational performance once occupied. That complementary use is different from treating one certification as a substitute for the other.
How to choose and use a rating system
1. Define the decision you need to make
Choose a performance rating when the immediate question is “How is this occupied asset operating?” Choose a project certification when the question is “Has this new building or refurbishment met a defined set of sustainability requirements?” A large development may need both questions answered at different stages.
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2. Fix the boundary before collecting data
Write down the buildings, tenancies, common areas, services, construction stages and reporting period included. For a portfolio, identify every property and whether the result is one portfolio assessment or multiple individual ratings. This prevents a later comparison between unlike denominators.
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For NABERS, record the rating type, benchmark year and emissions-factor basis. For Green Star, record the tool, version, registration date and target rating level. The 2028 biodiversity condition, for example, applies to projects registering from that year and seeking 5 or 6 Stars under Green Star Buildings v1.1; it should not be retroactively applied to every certification.
4. Assemble evidence and use qualified assessors
NABERS’ embodied-carbon expansion includes trained assessors, a calculator and a materials-emissions database. Green Star projects must demonstrate compliance with the documentation and verification rules for their selected tool. Keep source records for energy, materials, design decisions and construction outcomes so that an assessor can reproduce the submission.
5. Report the result with its full qualifier
- Name the system and tool.
- State the financial year, calendar year or certification date.
- Describe whether the figure is a rating, a certification, a portfolio assessment or an all-time total.
- Identify the geographic, building-type and project-scope denominator.
- For trend comparisons, include the benchmark and emissions-factor version.
Common mistakes when interpreting Australia’s progress
Calling a large annual increase a national building count
NABERS’ 120% increase from 5,000 ratings in FY24 to 11,000 in FY25 is a change in certified-rating activity. Public-school portfolio assessments helped drive the increase. It does not mean Australia built 6,000 additional green buildings in one year.
Combining incompatible totals
Annual NABERS ratings, annual Green Star certifications and Green Star’s all-time total answer different questions. Adding them produces a precise-looking number with no consistent meaning.
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Turning a distribution into a league table
New South Wales’ 35% share of FY25 Green Star certified ratings is larger than Victoria’s 31% share, but the figures are not adjusted for population, construction volume or floor area. They show the location of certified activity, not which state has the highest adoption rate.
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Ignoring changing benchmarks
Grid emissions factors change as renewable electricity becomes a larger part of supply. The 2025 NABERS Energy benchmark uses 2024 National Greenhouse Accounts factors, and the next planned update is in 2030. A raw star or score comparison without the benchmark context can overstate or understate real improvement.
What comes next for Australian green buildings
The direction of both programs is broader than energy efficiency alone. NABERS is adding practical infrastructure for embodied-carbon measurement. Green Star Buildings v1.1 places explicit weight on climate action, nature and circularity, and its future biodiversity requirement raises the level of evidence expected from high-rated projects.
At the 2024 conference, GBCA chief executive Davina Rooney was quoted saying, “The future is all electric.” The phrase signals the sector’s direction, but it is not a statistic and does not by itself prove that every Australian building is electrified or powered by renewable energy. The measurable case for Australian leadership remains the scale, transparency and continued development of the rating systems themselves.
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Australia can credibly be described as a world-leading example in specific areas, especially the maturity and reach of NABERS and the scale of Green Star certification. The FY25 numbers show strong momentum: 11,000 NABERS ratings and 1,951 Green Star certifications, alongside 7,616 Green Star certifications issued by June 2025. But no evidence here supports a literal first-place global ranking. The accurate claim is narrower and more useful: Australia has substantial, fast-growing adoption of established green-building rating systems, with increasingly comprehensive treatment of operational performance, embodied carbon, climate, nature and circularity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Australia officially ranked number one in green-building adoption?
No. The available figures document strong Australian adoption but do not provide a comparable international denominator or a verified country ranking. “World leading” is supported as an attributed description of particular NABERS achievements, not as proof that Australia ranks first overall.
Can NABERS ratings and Green Star certifications be added together?
No. NABERS reports annual certified ratings of measured environmental performance, while Green Star reports project or building certifications. They can overlap on the same property and use different scopes and time periods.
What caused the 120% rise in NABERS ratings in FY25?
NABERS reports that certified ratings rose from 5,000 in FY24 to 11,000 in FY25, with public-school portfolio assessments across multiple jurisdictions identified as a major driver.
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For Green Star Buildings v1.1 projects registering from 2028 and pursuing a 5- or 6-Star rating. It is not a current requirement for every Green Star project.
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