Engage with Your Local Candidates: A Call to Action for High-Performance, Sustainable Buildings for All Australians

As we approach the 2025 Federal Election, it's crucial for each of us to actively engage with our local candidates and make our voices heard on key issues affecting our built environment. The Australian Passivhaus Association (APA) has taken the initiative to better understand where candidates stand on these issues by sending out a comprehensive survey to all federal candidates. This is our opportunity to ensure that the future of Australian buildings is healthy, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient.

Why Your Engagement Matters

Every election is a chance to shape the future. This election is no different. With rising energy costs, the growing threat of climate change, and the need for high performance, climate resilient sustainable housing solutions, it's vital that we ask the right questions and hold candidates accountable for their positions on critical issues that impact the built environment.

How Can You Engage with Local Candidates?

Engaging with your local candidates is simple and effective. Here’s how you can get involved:

1. Ask the Right Questions:
   When you meet with or communicate with your local candidates, ask them questions related to the future of Australia’s buildings. Some key questions you can ask include:

   • Healthy Homes: What will you do to ensure all Australians have access to homes with good air quality, thermal comfort, and protection from mould and overheating?

   • Cost of Living: How will you address rising energy costs by supporting efficient homes that require less heating and cooling?

   • High-Performance Buildings: What policies will you support to ensure our buildings are energy-efficient, resilient, and comfortable?

   • Energy Efficiency & Electrification: What steps will you take to promote airtight, well-insulated homes that reduce energy demand and enable all-electric, net-zero living?

   • Climate Action & Building Resilience: How will you ensure our buildings can withstand extreme weather events while reducing emissions and reliance on fossil fuels?

   • Retrofitting Existing Buildings: What is your plan to prioritize retrofitting solutions that improve energy efficiency and indoor comfort, while reducing carbon emissions?

   • Ask your Local Candidates to respond to the APA Candidate Survey.

2. Use Your Voice on Social Media:
   Share these questions with your network and encourage others to ask their candidates. The more people asking the right questions, the more pressure candidates will feel to prioritise these issues. Use hashtags like #HealthyHomes, #EnergyEfficiency, and #ClimateResilience #passivhaus to amplify the message.

3. Follow APA’s Live Tracker:
   Stay updated on the responses from candidates through our live tracker on the APA website. You can see where your local candidates stand and how they are addressing these critical issues. We will also be posting updates on social media to keep you informed.

Why These Issues Matter

• Healthy Homes ensure that every Australian has access to homes with excellent indoor air quality and protection from extreme weather. This directly impacts our health, comfort, and quality of life.

• Energy-Efficient Homes like Passivhaus can significantly reduce household bills, addressing the rising cost of living while also helping to fight climate change.

• High-Performance Buildings reduce energy demand and make our homes more resilient to extreme weather events, while improving overall comfort.

• Retrofitting Existing Buildings offers a cost-effective way to improve our current housing stock, reducing emissions and enhancing energy efficiency.

Take Action Today

We all have a role to play in advocating for better buildings and a sustainable future. By engaging with your local candidates and asking the right questions, you can influence the policies that will shape Australia’s built environment for generations to come.

Remember, APA is here to help you stay informed. Check out our website and social media channels for the latest updates on candidate responses and how you can continue to get involved.

Let’s make healthy, energy-efficient, and climate-resilient buildings a priority this election.