A Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on a proposed national mandatory disclosure scheme for residential buildings was released for public consultation by the Commonwealth Government on Thursday 21 July 2011. The Consultation RIS outlines and evaluates several possible implementation models for the disclosure of a home’s energy, greenhouse and water information when the property is sold or leased.

Since 1 January 2010 in Queensland a Sustainability Declaration has been required when a residential property is marketed for sale. It does not apply to leases. The Sustainability Declaration identifies a property's environmental and social sustainability features in the areas of energy, water, access and safety. It also indicates the potential annual savings associated with the inclusion of each particular feature and increases community awareness of the value of such features. The declaration is a self-assessable two page checklist designed to be completed by the seller.

The Queensland Government will continue to work with the Australian Government with respect to how any proposed national scheme may impact on Queensland’s current disclosure requirements.