Global Property Linked Finance Initiative Launched – Anchoring Australia’s 100,000 Homes Ambition

This week, the Global Property Linked Finance Initiative (GPLFI) was launched in New York during Climate Week, co-chaired by the Green Finance Institute and the Climate Bonds Initiative, with Advisory Group members spanning international finance, industry, and policy.

The PLF Accelerator is proud to be a founding Advisory Group member, bringing 15 years of Australian experience into this new global platform. From pioneering Environmental Upgrade Agreements to building today’s PLF Accelerator, our track record is shaping the draft PLF Principles, a framework designed to efficiently scale PLF markets and unlock the trillions in private capital needed to decarbonise the world’s buildings.

From Global Standards to Local Delivery

Australia is one of only two countries with legislated PLF frameworks, and the PLF Accelerator is working with councils, industry, financiers and governments to prove what PLF can deliver.  We are focusing our effort in an ambition to finance upgrades for 100,000 homes.

The challenge is clear: Australia’s 11 million existing homes must be retrofitted to meet our climate and housing goals. Yet today’s finance offerings don’t align with that ambition. To build a viable retrofit market, we need to crowd in private capital and create the conditions for industry to scale.

Our work is focused on creating those conditions:

• Through our RACE for 2030 project, we are examining how PLF can unlock finance for the retrofit of existing homes, particularly where households are currently excluded from PLF markets.

• At the same time, we see new homes as the industrial launchpad, embedding PLF into new builds can drive early demand, create liquidity for investors, and establish the supply chains and workforce needed for large-scale retrofits of existing homes.

• With builders, councils and financiers, we are also developing a series of demonstration projects to show how affordability, comfort and resilience can go hand in hand.

To align with the PLF Principles, Australia must harmonise current state frameworks and remove barriers to action to scale up our 15 year old market to continue to lead the world.  A concerted effort, complementing current policies can demonstrate how global standards translate into real outcomes here at home.

Why It Matters Now

With the Government’s new 2035 emissions reduction target of 62–70% and the release of the Net Zero Plan and sectoral pathways, the debate has shifted from ambition to implementation.

Australia’s built environment is central to that task, yet less than 1% of our 12 million homes and buildings are ready for a net zero future. We already have a head start through our 15-year-old EUA framework, now the task is to scale.

At full scale, PLF could:

• Mobilise $250 billion in private capital.

• Deliver more than $2.5 billion in annual household bill savings.

• Cut around 20 million tonnes of emissions each year.

• Support tens of thousands of construction and trades jobs, especially in regional communities.

PLF removes structural barriers, protects consumer borrowing power, and allows upgrades to be repaid over time through property rates, making it a proven pathway for turning national targets into household outcomes.

What’s Next

The beta version of the Property Linked Finance Principles is now open for consultation. We encourage stakeholders from finance, government and industry to review the Principles and share feedback: www.propertylinkedfinance.com

In parallel, the PLF Accelerator is working with investors and industry to deliver the 100,000-homes program. We are calling on governments to help make this a reality through:

• Targeted legislative updates to support residential retrofits and whole-of-home upgrades.

• National harmonisation of frameworks to provide certainty and scale for investors.

• Catalytic capital deployment to crowd in private finance.

By combining global standards with local delivery, Australia can demonstrate how Property Linked Finance cuts bills, creates jobs and accelerates the path to net zero, turning commitments into action.

Scott Bocskay

Managing Director, PLF Accelerator