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Office Accommodation Standards

Office Accommodation Guidelines | Office Accommodation Cost Savings Strategy |
Space usage table | Government Office Accommodation Framework |
Green Building Standards | Disability Discrimination Act |

Office Accommodation Guidelines

These are the guidelines to assist in meeting government office accommodation standards. They consist of a Management Guide and a Workbook. These guidelines apply to office accommodation occupied by all South Australian Government agencies, statutory authorities and public sector corporations.

The guidelines consist of two parts:

	1. The Management Guide Provides public sector executives and managers with an overview of the office accommodation planning process and highlights the policies, principles and objectives that underpin this process.
	2. The workbook: ‘What makes a good office?’ For use at officer level and describes the tasks to be undertaken at each step in the planning, procurement and delivery of office accommodation.

Office Accommodation Cost Savings Strategy

Cabinet endorsed a Government Office Accommodation Cost Savings Strategy in early 2008. The strategy incorporates a 10-point Action Plan to achieve mandatory office accommodation standards and deliver sustainable long-term savings in government office accommodation. The savings strategy supports a number of targets as specified in South Australia's Strategic Plan, and it is our role as to assist agencies achieve these targets. (see 10-point Action Plan below).

The proposed savings plan targets real and sustainable office accommodation savings through the requirement that at the next available lease expiry, renewal or when the fitout reaches 15 years of age, agencies must, if economic, refit or relocate to accommodation that meets mandatory government office accommodation standards at a price consistent with prevailing market costs for the required standard.

Agencies will need to plan to invest in new or upgraded fitouts at these milestones and agencies choosing not to re-fit and/or chose to exceed the mandated standards will be required to provide the additional capital and/or have their recurrent funding reduced, unless considered by the Government Office Accommodation Committee (GOAC) and approved by Cabinet.

10-Point Action Plan to achieve Office Accommodation Cost Savings This 10-Point Action Plan assists agencies in achieving office accommodation savings as part of the Government's Cost Savings Strategy.

Space usage table

To be included in planning your office accommodation at the Facility Plan stage and for inclusion in your GOAC submission.

Government guidelines - space usage table To calculate the square metre rate per person.

Government Office Accommodation Framework

This Premier and Cabinet circular is the administrative instruction to agencies and statutory authorities for the planning, approval procurement and management of office accommodation.

The approvals table on pages 16 & 17 outlines the changes to the approval process, consistent with Cabinet's decision in December 2003 to apply space usage and cost targets as mandatory standards to be applied across government.

PC018 Government Office Accommodation Framework ** (currently under review - please contact your Client Manager for details) Details and explains the approval process for those office accommodation projects that do, and do not, require Cabinet approval.

Green building standards

	Fact sheet: Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR) Information from the Australian Greenhouse Office.
	Office rating calculator The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) is a performance-based rating system for existing buildings.
	Fact sheet: Green Star and ABGR The Green Star rating system uses the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating Scheme in the calculation of the Energy assessment.
	Fact Sheet: Creating NGACs using the ABGR Scheme information on NSW (New South Wales) Greenhouse Abatement Certificates.

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

	Disability Discrimination Act 1992 - Section 4 From the Commonwealth Consolidated Acts web site
	Access to Premises Information from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.

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