BUREAUCRATS are always an easy target. But sometimes, they really are their own worst enemies.

Take the "Sustainability Declaration" for instance. This is the form that all homeowners are now supposed to fill out when they sell their property. The State Government introduced this new piece of red tape at the beginning of the year with the confident declaration that it would "inform buyers about the sustainability features of a property and increase community awareness of the value of such feature".

That sounds reasonable enough, especially in these greenhouse gas-conscious days. But, as is often the case when a good idea gets processed through a bureaucracy, the actual delivery of this sensible thought has been completely woeful.

The first public airing of the proposal was back in mid-2008 when the Government released a discussion paper called "Improving Sustainable Housing in Queensland". Sustainability declarations, it suggested, "would assist Queenslanders to make their homes more sustainable" but wasn't specific on how the filling out of a form would actually make this happen.

But it did note that "research shows that the majority of people believe that homes with more sustainability features are worth more".

So far so good, but right about here, the bureaucrats get into gear, first by offering the view that this good idea should be compulsory.

"It is envisaged that failure to have a sustainability declaration in place at time of sale or lease will be subject to infringement notice." So now a good idea is being made an enforceable law.

And then there was the proposed form itself, 36 questions ranging from whether your eastern and western windows were shaded from the summer sun (by verandas or at least 600mm eaves or window awnings) to whether or not there was "safe egress in an emergency".

Presumably, would-be buyers could have asked about such things if they were interested. Now they would have to be told, under pain of a fine.

The discussion paper went out for three months of public consultation and by late 2008, the Government had its feedback – 284 individuals and organisations replied, including "detailed written submissions from 51 industry and key stakeholders groups, such as building, planning designed manufacturing and conservation groups". And what did they think?

"Almost all the proposed measures received a high level of community support of 59-95 per cent, except a voluntary sustainability document."

Right, so now the Government has floated the concept of a sustainability document and no one seems to much like it, so what does it do? It presses on with the idea and turns the declaration form into a 56-point questionnaire, which it voted into law in November last year.

At the same time however, it would seem the Government was starting to realise that not everyone would be enamoured of this new piece of compulsory paperwork. Their arguments in its favour began getting weaker, to say the least.

Here's Infrastructure Minister Stirling Hinchcliffe's manful effort at positive spin: "Just as many people look at fuel economy and ongoing running costs when buying a car, sustainability features should be an important consideration for prospective homeowners".

Good point, except people don't usually sleep in their cars and no one ever bought a car because of "location, location, location".

The bureaucrats produced a sustainability declaration fact sheet that was a model of weasel-worded diffidence. "The declaration also promotes possible ongoing financial and environmental benefits that could be achieved with specific features. It is anticipated that the declaration will help promote the sustainability of a home and become a key marketing tool for real estate agents and private sellers."

All of which sounds like some committee's wish-fulfilment rather than a rigorously thought-through reason for imposing new paperwork on property sellers,

No one seemed terribly convinced it was all for our own good. By December last year Hinchliffe had announced a three-month moratorium before on-the-spot fines for failing to fill in the forms came into effect.

And by February complaints about the new paperwork had reached such a level the Government was forced to review their form and cut out 22 questions in an effort at simplification. Among them was the one to estimate the number of kilowatt hours the house was generating through windpower.

And now, just to complicate things, the Federal Government says it wants to introduce its own version of a sustainability declaration, something called an "environmental performance disclosure".

In words that should chill us all, it advises that "the policy measure is currently being developed".

"Extensive consultation will be undertaken during mid-2010, which will look at what information will be required from homes, how homes should be assessed and rated and how the measure should be regulated."

The Government is planning to phase in its new measures by May next year.

That should be something to look forward to.

Robert MacDonald is The Courier-Mail's Viewpoint editor.

Originally published as Red tape on home energy use