The Urban Boundary: An economic activity perspective of South-East Queensland

The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. This paper was presented at SOAC 6, held in Sydney from 26-29 November 2013. SOAC 6was the largest conference to date, with over 180 papers published in collected proceedings. All papers presented at the SOAC 2013 have been subject to a double blind refereeing process and have been reviewed by at least two referees. In particular, the review process assessed each paper in terms of its policy relevance and the contribution to the conceptual or empirical understanding of Australian cities

Energy justice, the built environment, and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy transitions in urban Australia: a dynamic panel data analysis

This study contributes to an understanding of how the distribution of benefits and costs of energy production should occur. In doing so, this study draws attention to an uneasy tension between urban planning practice focused on urban consolidation and the promotion of solar photovoltaic panels in Australia's capital cities. Specifically, this study investigates the impact of built environment and feed-in tariffs (FiTs) on the installation of solar rooftop photovoltaic (PV) in Australia's capital cities. It uses a dynamic panel data model to analyse a unique dataset of solar PV panel installations at the postcode level for Australia's capital cities over the period 2001–2015. The results of this study indicate that denser built environments can detract from solar PV panel installations in the short-run and in the long-run. These effects are distinct from the socioeconomic status of an area. Specifically, the results indicate that while increases in the density of the built environment detract from solar panel installations, these changes in the built environment appear to be more than offset by FiTs. The results point to the need to mitigate the risk of energy disadvantage entrenchment through urban consolidation policy

Densification, what does it mean for fuel poverty and energy justice? An empirical analysis

Energy is increasingly at the forefront of the global political agenda. While there is a longstanding literature relating to fuel poverty and increasingly energy justice, there remains little evidence which explores its link with the urban form. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the urban consolidation hypothesis and the cultivation of energy justice in Australia. This study uses data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey (years 2007–2014), a national probability sample and indefinite life panel. The substantive findings of this study demonstrate that for low income and renting households greater urban density corresponds to a higher likelihood of experiencing fuel poverty. Further, for households with a dwelling type described as an apartment (two or three storeys) there is a separate and quite generalisable indication that this type of dwelling is associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing fuel poverty. This study connects the debate regarding urban consolidation and energy consumption to the fuel poverty and energy justice literature. Alongside this contribution, this study also provides policymakers and planners with new evidence to inform remediation policies that are directed at supporting the fuel poor

On the confluence of city living, energy saving behaviours and direct residential energy consumption

The purpose of this study is to shed light on the connection between income, dwelling type, tenure type and city living, in terms of both a household’s energy saving behaviours and direct residential energy consumption. This study employs data from the Household Energy Consumption Survey, Australia. Using a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) system of equations the results reveal some key mechanisms which may allow householders to realise lower levels of energy consumption and hence lower carbon emissions. The results indicate that there are characteristics unique to living in a city that are linked to higher levels of direct residential energy consumption. On a number of measures (e.g. household income, tenure type and dwelling type), the results point to a lower likelihood of engaging in energy saving behaviours in cities. Also, depending on the number of energy saving behaviours, these actions have the potential to more than offset higher direct residential energy consumption of householders residing in separate houses. Coupled with these findings renters, a more vulnerable social group, are found to be significantly disadvantaged, suffering from a much lower adaptive capacity. Specifically, householders who rent their home are 77% less likely to have solar electricity. A result which may reflect differences in access to opportunity. Further, householders who rent are less likely to engage in energy saving actions. A finding which may reflect difference in ontological security and the greater psychological burden associated with undertaking energy saving behaviours (a barrier) borne by renters not shared with home owners

Human Dimensions of Residential Sector Energy Consumption

The papers presented at the 2015 State of Australian Cities National Conference (SOAC 7) were organised into seven broad themes but all shared, to varying degrees, a common focus on the ways in which high quality academic research can be used in the development and implementation of policy. The relationship between empirical evidence and theoretical developments that are presented as part of our scholarly endeavours and policy processes is rarely clear and straightforward. Sometimes, perhaps because of the fortuitous alignment of various factors, our research has a direct and positive impact on policy. Sometimes it takes longer to be noticed and have influence and, sometimes, there is no little or no evidence of impact beyond or even with the academy. And while there are things we can do to promote the existence of our work and to present it in more accessible formats to people we believe to be influential, ultimately the appreciation and application of our work lies in the hands of others. This paper is one of 164 papers that have each been reviewed and refereed by our peers and revised accordingly. While they each will have been presented briefly at the SOAC conference, they can now be read or re-read at your leisure. We hope they will stimulate further debate and discussion and form a platform for further research. Adapted from the SOAC 7 conference proceedings introduction by Paul Burton and Heather Shearer The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. SOAC 7 was held in the City of Gold Coast from 9-11 December 2015. The conference featured leading national and local politicians and policy makers who shared their views on some of the current challenges facing cities and how these might be overcome in the future

Revisiting feed-in tariffs in Australia: a review

Globally, solar photovoltaic (PV) is rapidly becoming a key source of energy, incentivised through the use of feed-in tariffs (FiTs). Solar PV is enjoying a similarly swift adoption in Australia, encouraged through FiTs. This review builds on earlier work, compiling and comparing FiTs in Australia across its states and territories for residential small scale photovoltaic installations. The purpose of this review is three-fold: (1) to synthesise a set of data on FiT policy which can be used to inform future Australia-wide policy analysis; (2) to understand the coevolution of: policies to subsidise solar panel installation; installation costs; and installation numbers; and (3) to employ this set of data on FiT policy to examine whether FiT policy corresponds with unintended adverse energy justice outcomes (i.e. electricity disconnections from the grid). The analysis presented in this review indicates that FiT policies correspond to a greater number of electricity disconnections from the grid. These findings are discussed in the context of broader debates

Economic vulnerability and regional implications of a low carbon emissions future

Climate change, as well as associated mitigation efforts, will substantially disrupt some economies. Seemingly inevitable market and policy changes will push economies to transition away from reliance on industries with higher carbon emissions and bring transient economic impacts, especially in regions that are currently heavily reliant on such industries. This situation is not unusual in a global context. To underpin betterinformed decisions that enable a smoother economic transition to a low-emissions future, we developed a ‘latent economic vulnerability to emissions reduction’ (LEVER) index, which maps and explores regions that are more likely to be economically impacted from climate change mitigation. Thus, this paper provides an analysis and discussion of the potential regional implications of a future low-emissions economy, with the analysis contextualised for the state of Queensland, Australia. Given this case study, the economic impacts and future of coal-fired power stations, coal mining and renewable energy are discussed. The LEVER index weighs the risk of high carbon economic exposure against the variability in carbon economic resilience from employment in low-emission sectors across local economies. We find that between 3 and 6 per cent of Queensland regions are assessed as having a very high latent economic vulnerability to increased decarbonisation of industrial activities. To promote a smoother transition, these regions will require targeted investments and strategies to enable their transition towards lower carbon-intensive systems, while maximising economic and social outcomes

A New Chapter: Opportunities to seed new industries for Queensland over the coming decade.

Queensland’s post-COVID economic recovery and transformation depends on being ready for new economic opportunities. In a time of significant change and disruption, the state has an opportunity to harness its strengths in science and technology to position itself ahead of the curve. This report was developed by CSIRO and the Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Future Enterprise and commissioned by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science. It aims to explore the areas where Queensland’s scientific and technological capabilities overlap with its comparative advantages and state priorities, opening up the potential to seed new industry opportunities for the state.Through this work, a set of nine emerging, knowledge‑driven seed industries have been identified as having potential for strong, sustained jobs growth, if supportive ecosystems can be established for them. They should not necessarily be viewed as the only opportunities or the best opportunities for Queensland, but as additional options for policy-makers to consider. Each of the nine seed industries presented in this report is defined using a holistic approach that considers the social, economic and environmental benefits and costs, to support innovation and entrepreneurship, investment and job creation opportunities and overall economic outputs and exportsfor Queensland

A Preliminary Guide to Equitable Energy Programs

The three frameworks developed in Phase 1 of the Energy Equity Work Program are proposed as key components of a national, co-ordinated strategy to address energy hardship. Policymakers and others in the energy sector can use the frameworks to measure, assess, strengthen, and track energy hardship.The frameworks build on a more comprehensive understanding of energy hardship, which differentiates between vulnerability and four distinct levels of hardship. These new insights can support policymakers to better design and target programs based on household needs