Climate change
Over the past 18 months, climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing policy challenges facing Australia. The Brotherhood of St Laurence has been a leading voice calling for protection of low-income and disadvantaged Australians from the effects of, and the responses to, climate change. The federal government and the Garnaut Climate Change Review have endorsed the need for assistance to low-income and disadvantaged households in coping with added costs and other adverse effects of climate change.
The Brotherhood’s approach to climate change links four important themes: reducing greenhouse gas emissions; seizing the opportunities climate change presents; protecting low-income households from the impacts of climate change; and enabling their participation in solutions including increased energy efficiency and ‘green collar’ jobs.
Current projects include:
Disadvantaged households and energy efficiency
Contact: Damian Sullivan dsullivan@nullbsl.org.au
As climate change measures are expected to increase energy costs, the Brotherhood is keen to address the significant barriers to energy efficiency faced by households with low incomes, including limited funds and often poor quality housing. Researchers have documented measures to reduce low-income private renters’ energy costs, such as retrofitting with insulation and more efficient appliances, improved building standards and body corporate rules, reformed energy tariffs and more accessible information. The Brotherhood partnered with KPMG to develop a proposal for a national energy efficiency program that would retrofit many homes while creating employment and training opportunities.
Policy submission
BSL submission re the National Energy Savings Initiative February 2012 (PDF file, 174 KB)
Reports and papers
Johnson, V and Sullivan, D 2011, Urban sustainability and household energy efficiency: inequities, impacts and ways forward, paper presented at the State of Australian Cities conference, Melbourne, 2 December (PDF file, 349 KB)
Energy efficiency and affordability for Australian households, May 2011 (joint statement) (PDF file, 320 KB)
Brotherhood of St Laurence and KPMG 2008, A national energy efficiency program to assist low-income households (PDF file, 1.7 MB)
A follow-up to this report considered the economic stimulus effects of the proposal:
KPMG 2008, Stimulating the Australian economy through a national energy efficiency program, December 2008 (PDF file, 24 KB)
Brotherhood of St Laurence 2008, Enabling low-income households in the private rental market to respond to climate change: recommendations and report from the roundtable convened December 2007 (PDF file, 600 KB)
Damian Sullivan 2007, Climate change: addressing the needs of low-income households in the private rental market, background paper, Brotherhood of St Laurence (PDF file, 80 KB)
Book chapter
Damian Sullivan and Josie Lee 2010, ‘A national energy efficiency program for low-income households: responding equitably to climate change’, in I Jubb, P Holper and W Cai, Managing climate change: papers from the GREENHOUSE 2009 Conference, CSIRO, Collingwood.
Warm Home Cool Home program evaluation
Contact: Victoria Johnson vjohnson@nullbsl.org.au
This study aims to identify the social impacts within households of the Warm Home Cool Home program which offers energy audits and retrofits to low-income households in the City of Moreland in Melbourne's northern suburbs. It was funded through Moreland Solar City, an Australian Government Solar Cities initiative. A report of baseline data has been completed and a final report is expected in mid 2012.
Report
Victoria Johnson and Damian Sullivan 2011, Improving energy efficiency in Moreland: research sample, baseline measures and recruitment for the Warm Home Cool Home program evaluation (PDF file, 290 KB)
Carbon price impact on low-income households
Contact: Damian Sullivan dsullivan@nullbsl.org.au
The Brotherhood’s research has shown the need to protect low-income and disadvantaged Australians from the effects of, and the responses to, climate change. A study commissioned from the National Institute for Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) highlighted the disproportionate impact of an emissions trading scheme, also known as a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), on these households. Subsequent research showed that people in outer suburban and rural areas would be most disadvantaged by a carbon price, and used the NIEIR modelling to further illustrate the regressive impact of the CPRS.
Reports and paper
Justin Sherrard and Alan Tate 2008, A national Emissions Trading Scheme and low income households, discussion paper prepared for the Brotherhood of St Laurence roundtable 11 April 2008 (PDF file, 600 KB)
Bill Unkles and Janet Stanley 2008, Carbon use in poor Victorian households by local government area (PDF file, 409 KB)
National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) 2007, The impact of carbon prices on Victorian and Australian households, prepared for the Brotherhood of St Laurence (PDF file, 319 KB)