Green Star Buildings v1.1 and its social credits
Green Star is best known for carbon and energy, but its People and Responsible credits ask for hard proof of who was employed and who was paid. Here is what changed in v1.1 and what your team needs to keep.
What is Green Star?
Green Star is the Green Building Council of Australia's sustainability rating for buildings, communities, fitouts and building performance. Projects earn points across credits and certify at 4, 5 or 6 Star. New buildings register under Green Star Buildings v1.1, where Credit 36 covers social procurement and workforce inclusion.
New Buildings and Major Refurbishments
Green Star Buildings v1.1 is the current tool for new buildings and major refurbishments, and all new registrations have used it since 1 May 2026.
Projects Already Registered Under v1
These projects can stay on v1 and are expected to submit within three years of registration. They can ask to upgrade to v1.1 before Round 1, but an upgrade cannot be reversed.
Precincts, Fitouts and Existing Buildings
GBCA runs separate tools for these: Green Star Communities for precincts, Green Star Fitouts for interiors and Green Star Performance for operating buildings.
Apartment Projects
Class 2 multi-unit residential projects can use an optional Apartments Pathway, which excludes student accommodation and hotels.
What Green Star asks for.
What you report, and when.
Round 1 Upgrade Request
To GBCA, through an Eligibility Query
Green Star Designed
To GBCA
Credit Submission
To GBCA
Employment Opportunities Reporting
To GBCA, with the stepped points calculator
- Social Procurement Strategy
- Stepped Points Calculator for Credit 36
- Reconciliation Action Plan With Project-Level Deliverables
- Cultural Competency Training Records
- Fit-for-Purpose PPE Policy and Facilities Evidence
- Health Program Evaluation Report
- Responsible Procurement Risk and Opportunity Assessment
Working From an Old Credit Number
Many guides still call the social procurement credit Credit 33, which is the v1 number. On a v1.1 project it is Credit 36, and its requirements and scoring have changed, so check the version on your registration first.
Stopping at the Strategy
v1.1 simplified the strategy criterion and put the weight on what the project actually delivers. A strong strategy with thin spend and workforce records leaves the Employment Opportunities criterion short.
Starting Responsible Procurement Too Late
GBCA's own consultation found the real difficulty was doing the risk and opportunity assessment early enough. Leave it until after tender and the key items are harder to influence.
How Catchment manages Green Star.
Verified Supplier Spend Against Credit 36
SocialProPursuing Credit 36 under Green Star Buildings v1.1 creates a Verified Supplier Spend target, with one Certified Spend row per invoice holding the supplier ABN, certification, value excluding GST and any invoice file you attach. Confirm the target value against your Submission Guidelines, because the app records certification rather than checking it with the certifier.
Labour Hours by Target Group
SocialProPursuing Credit 36 adds a Labour Hours by Target Group target, fed by monthly hours from trade partners (subcontractors). It starts as total hours with no groups set, so add the groups you report and convert hours to FTE yourself. It gives you the record to report from when you complete the Employment Opportunities calculator.
People Credit Documents As Requirements
GovAssureWhen you pursue the matching credits, the Social Procurement Strategy, Contracts Showing the Targets Written In, Supplier Certification Records, First Nations Cultural Competency Training Record and Gender-Inclusive Facilities and PPE Evidence are generated as named requirements. Package-level ones reach each new work package, and you switch them on for packages that already exist.
Responsible Procurement File
GovAssureThe Responsible Procurement Plan (ISO 20400) + Risk Assessment, Tender Extracts Incorporating the Responsible Procurement Plan and Responsible Procurement Impact and Data Reporting sit as their own requirements. Keep your current versions in the Document Register, which holds every revision, and select them when you file.
Credit Tracking and an Evidence Pack
GovAssureGreen Star projects get credit tracking across the adopted framework. When it is time to submit, the evidence pack exports a ZIP of the documents filed against the framework with a manifest, ready for you to lodge with GBCA yourself.
Adopting this framework on a project generates these targets and documents. You can edit them to match your contract.
Green Star questions.
Which Green Star credit covers social procurement?
In Green Star Buildings v1.1 it is Credit 36, Procurement and Workforce Inclusion. It recognises spend and jobs for disadvantaged and under-represented groups, including through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, social enterprises and disability enterprises.
Is Green Star Credit 33 the same as Credit 36?
They are the same subject in different versions. Older material on Green Star Buildings v1 calls the credit Credit 33, while the v1.1 change log lists Procurement and Workforce Inclusion as Credit 36 with changed requirements. Use the number and rules that match your project's registration.
What percentage of contract value does Green Star require for social procurement?
The benchmarks are in the Green Star Buildings v1.1 Submission Guidelines and the Credit 36 stepped points calculator, and summaries online do not always match the Australian v1.1 tool. GBCA lists the guidelines at no cost in its shop, so take the figure from your own copy.
When did Green Star Buildings v1.1 start?
It was launched on 21 October 2025, and Revision A followed on 17 December 2025. Registrations under v1 closed on 30 April 2026, and all new projects have registered under v1.1 since 1 May 2026.
Can a v1 project use v1.1 credits?
Yes, in most cases. GBCA's substitution guidance of 17 March 2026 lets a v1 project substitute most v1.1 credits, including Procurement and Workforce Inclusion, without upgrading its registration. A full upgrade is separate, goes through an Eligibility Query before Round 1 and cannot be reversed.
Does a project need a Reconciliation Action Plan for First Nations Inclusion?
A plan is one route, not the only one. Credit 35 has a Reconciliation Action Plan criterion, with at least 10 project-relevant deliverables, and an Inclusion of First Nations Design criterion. v1.1 also asks for cultural competency training for key project personnel.
How many points is the Procurement and Workforce Inclusion credit worth?
It was worth 3 points in Green Star Buildings v1. In v1.1 it uses stepped points, so whole points are awarded for results between benchmarks. Check the v1.1 Submission Guidelines for the current split.
- Green Star Buildings v1.1 (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Green Star Buildings (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Green Star Buildings v1.1 Change log, Version 1.1: Revision A, 19 December 2025 (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Guidance on credit substitution: Using Green Star Buildings v1.1 in Green Star Buildings v1, 17 March 2026 (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Green Star Buildings v1.1 Consultation paper (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Insights into social procurement and workforce (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Green Star rating system (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Green Star Buildings v1.1 launched to meet future policy, investor and climate demands (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Green Star Buildings v1.1 Submission Guidelines (shop listing) (Green Building Council of Australia)
- Winya Indigenous furniture (secondary, used only for the v1 credit numbers) (Indesign Live)
Reviewed 4 November 2026. General information to help you plan reporting, not legal advice. Policies change, so check the current version with the policy owner before you rely on it.
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