The concern for urban design in Australia and its role in the creation of urban environments have increased and matured over the last decades. Placing a focussed lens on Australia, this paper aims at analysing Urban Design Guidelines (UDGs) through the three pillars of sustainability. This study set out to identify gaps in the existing UDGs at three governmental levels (national, state/territory and local) and offers avenues for future research and guideline development. This study implies that despite the abundance of guidelines, a major shift is needed to enhance the efficiency of UDGs in delivering a sustainable living environment.