Appendix 6 - Ecologically Sustainable Development and Environmental Performance

Table of Contents 

ESD principles
Forestry
Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
Market access and biosecurity
Water policy and sustainable land management 
Product Integrity, Animal (including aquatic animal) and Plant Health
National Landcare Program
Quarantine
Agriculture – Advancing Australia (AAA) programs 
Science-based decision-making
Plant Breeders’ Rights
Climate change
New Industry Development Program 
Property and Equipment
Fishing
Departmental administered legislation influencing ESD


The importance of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) in all spheres of activity is being increasingly recognised – and we consider ourself to be in the forefront of developing and implementing policies based on the ESD principles.

The sustainable use and management of natural resources underpins Australia's agricultural, food, fisheries and forestry industries, and it is one of the department’s key objectives to advance this.

ESD principles

Decision-making processes should effectively integrate both long-term and short-term economic, environmental, social and equity considerations.

Most of our programs have environmental outputs and national initiatives that target biodiversity conservation and maintain ecological integrity.

Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

The department has a major role in Australia’s two biggest environmental initiatives – the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) and the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) which we administer jointly with the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH). For full details of the NHT, see the Natural Heritage Trust 2002-03 Annual Report.

The NAP and NHT contributed to ESD during the year by improving Australia’s understanding of scientific, social and economic issues involving water, salinity and vegetation management and by moving towards a more strategic, targeted and integrated approach to natural resource management. This new approach is focusing on regional delivery in partnership with state and territory governments to conserve and increase biodiversity, and decrease salinisation and related land degradation. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) provided substantial briefing to the department to assist with the NAP accreditation process.

Through the NHT, we worked with industry to improve natural resource management and the general environment, and to develop innovative ways to integrate environmental, social and economic outcomes on privately owned land. Initiatives include a grants program to support farmers developing environmental management systems (EMS). The department commissioned 15 EMS pilot programs to test its potential for agricultural industries. 

The National Land and Water Resources Audit (NLWRA) – re-established during the year – will run until 2007, and will have a key role in helping to assess the performance of the NHT and NAP.

Water policy and sustainable land management

The department places strong emphasis on sustainable and profitable use of water resources to provide secure access to water for commercial use and to maintain ecological health and sustainability of surface and subsurface water systems. The emphasis is on balancing the needs of consumptive and environmental users.

Our contributions through support for the Murray-Darling Basin Council and Commission in 2002-03 focused on developing integrated environmental, economic and social outcomes to improve the health of the Murray River.

Intergovernmental forums, such as the Chief Executive Officers' Group on Water, developed principles to improve the security of water access entitlements, including for the environment, and approaches to water management.

Funds provided under the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative enabled significant progress to be made during the year, reducing water wastage and pressure recovery to the pastoral industry and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

Bilateral agreements between the Australian Government and states for the NAP provide policy or institutional reform to improve water-use sustainability. All jurisdictions have agreed to put in place arrangements to cap extractive water use from all surface and groundwater systems that are over-allocated, or approaching full allocation. There was also agreement to provide for the integrated management of surface and groundwater resources. 

ABARE continued to provide essential input into issues on environmental flows, water property rights and sustainable land management. The input is often based on integrated economic-biophysical models to underpin departmental policy development in these areas.

ABARE had considerable success in raising awareness among policy-makers and irrigation stakeholders of the importance of effective water markets to minimise the opportunity cost of environmental flows, and to account for the environmental impacts of trade.

The bureau’s collection of work relating to environmental flows in the Murray was enhanced with the release of a research paper highlighting the need to target public investments in water-use efficiency carefully. The existence of salinity benefits, and potential impacts on downstream availability, underpin arguments to target investments in improved water use efficiency carefully.

ABARE has been involved in assessing the possible impact of changes to land-clearing controls in Queensland. This has involved working closely with the BRS and members of the Australian Government reference group, and has been a substantial input to the policy debate.

An integrated resource assessment case study of the Burdekin catchment was also completed. The results from this research provide a significant contribution to the debate over actions to address water quality in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

National Landcare Program

The National Landcare Program (NLP) has long provided a model for natural resource and environmental management. During the year we continued to work with peak industry bodies and associations, through the NLP, to improve the skills of landholders and farmers in managing their land, water and vegetation.

The NLP presented new opportunities for us to advance our sustainability, productivity and profitability objectives – for example, by working with the dairy industry to implement the Dairying for Tomorrow strategy. We also worked with the fertilizer sector to improve fertiliser storage, spreading, transport and product knowledge to prevent nutrients being lost in waterways, and to achieve sustainability and economic gains.

The NLP’s investment in local landcare coordinators and facilitators also complements the new system of regional facilitators and coordinators being set up under the NAP and NHT. 

The National Landcare Conference in Darwin provided the department with the opportunity to arrange workshops involving 60 delegates from 12 countries. The workshops discussed the potential role of Landcare programs to promote ESD in other countries.

Agriculture – Advancing Australia (AAA) programs

The successful AAA - Farm Innovation Pilot Program funded a range of projects dealing with environmental issues, including waste and water management, salinity, reduced chemical use, landfill reduction, improved land management practices and green energy production.

Another successful AAA program, FarmBis helped more than 2573 primary producers and land managers undertake NRM training in 2002-03.

Plant Breeders’ Rights

The Plant Breeder’s Rights Intellectual Property Protection program promotes innovation in new plant varieties, including some that specifically address salinity and erosion control. Other varieties – such as those that use less herbicide, water or fertilizer, and natives – have beneficial conservation side effects. 

New Industry Development Program

More than a quarter of the projects funded under the New Industries Development Program (NIDP) during the year helped boost positive environmental outcomes by reducing product waste. 

The department commissioned the development of a national profile of the Australian organics sector to help the industry with strategic planning. In conjunction with the Australian Industry Group, we co-funded the Queensland Eco-Efficiency project to investigate eco-efficiency in small food companies and to develop a toolkit based on cost-benefit analysis and economic outcomes.

Fishing

The sustainable management of fish stocks is a global issue, and during the year we worked through Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and international fisheries forums to address this crucial challenge. We worked bilaterally with neighboring countries to improve the management of shared fishery resources and to implement strategies to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 

The department is coordinating a national approach to help prevent new marine pest incursions and to underpin coordinated emergency response and management measures for Australia’s marine biodiversity and natural resources.

ABARE continued to provide advice and information on the effective and efficient management of Commonwealth fisheries. The bureau completed a number of reports to help develop fisheries management regimes that deliver maximum returns to the community within sustainability constraints. The reports, Fisheries management: a framework for assessing performance and Efficiency of ITQs in fisheries management provide information that can be used directly to improve management effectiveness.

ABARE also participated in meetings of the Fishery Assessment Group for the Northern Prawn Fishery, the South East Fishery, the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery and the sub-Antarctic Fisheries, as well as the ‘socio-economic and ecosystem based management group’ of the National Oceans Office. In these forums, issues affecting fishery sustainability and efficiency, and the broader ecosystem, are assessed and policy options are canvassed.

Forestry

We played a key role in enacting the Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002, which underpins the national approach to the ecologically sustainable management of native forests. 

Our other key forestry roles included: 

• measuring and reporting forest management sustainability against international (Montreal) criteria
• developing an Australian Forestry Standard for independent third-party certification of sustainable forest management
• being involved in consideration of sustainable private forestry development through the Private Forestry Consultative Committee
• the implementation of the Plantations for Australia: the 2020 Vision partnership
• supporting regional plantation committees to encourage the optimisation of environmental and agronomic benefits from commercial plantations and other commercial tree plantings.

Market access and biosecurity

The department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in October 2002 covering our joint responsibilities with the Department of the Environment and Heritage on environment issues in import risk analysis. Our Market Access and Biosecurity unit co-chairs and provides secretariat support for quarterly meetings of the Biosecurity Environment Liaison Team to discuss MOU issues.

Product Integrity, Animal (including aquatic animal) and Plant Health

Separate research programs made considerable progress in assessing the environmental impact of control operations on vertebrates, invertebrates and aquatic fauna. The Product Integrity Animal and Plant Health area has main responsibility for agricultural and veterinary chemicals policy and plays a major role in representing Australia in international conventions on hazardous chemical use, management and education.

Quarantine

In its dual role of protecting Australia’s animal and plant health status and of maintaining market access for the nation’s food and other agricultural products, AQIS undertakes activities that accord with ESD principles. These include, in particular, intergenerational equity – the present generation should ensure that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations by the delivery of effective quarantine services.

Science-based decision-making

Our ability to act according to ESD principles is enhanced by our use of scientific advice, assessments and decision-making tools.

The Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS), for example, produces a range of publications and resources to assist long and short-term decision-making on economic, environmental, social and equity considerations. BRS also carries out specific assessments of environmental performance, e.g. Australian Government fisheries performance and monitoring of Regional Forest Agreements.

Climate change

ABARE’s research into the economics of climate change response provided critical analytical input to the Australian Government’s policy processes. The research continues to inform Australia’s negotiators and stakeholders through rigorous economic analysis of the international climate change response policies, and by participation in the international climate change discussion forums.

ABARE undertook extensive, model-based economic analysis of wide-ranging issues associated with developing a domestic climate-change response policy under the Climate Change Forward Strategy. The bureau discussed its analytical framework and research findings at a climate-change interdepartmental committee workshop, and prepared a paper with the Australian Greenhouse Office, laying out the key policy insights from the modelling, for attachment to the Cabinet submission. The bureau continues to participate in the Interdepartmental Projections Group, including reviewing the current emission projections for the Australian agricultural sector in light of the drought.

ABARE is closely involved in inter-agency discussions of the criticisms of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios, and participated in the first scoping meeting for the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report in Marrakech in April, at the request of the IPCC.

The Bureau organised and hosted a two-day international workshop on the role of economic modelling in climate change policy. The workshop, held in Canberra in May, successfully brought together some key climate change policymakers/negotiators and leading modellers from around the world. 

It was so successful that participants agreed to organise repeat workshops to promote useful communication and understanding between the two groups and assist good policy development. Several informal, but useful, bilateral and Umbrella Group meetings were held in association with the workshop. The workshop outcomes will help shape the bureau’s stream of long-term climate change research.

ABARE continues to participate in the Stanford Energy Modelling Forum and is involved in a model comparison exercise focusing on the impact of including non-combustion gases in abatement policy. This will result in a paper to be published in a special issue of Energy Economics.

The Bureau’s extensive publications program during the year included a paper entitled Dealing with climate change: possible pathways forward, in the APPEA Journal. The paper examines the issues associated with developing a potential long-term international framework for addressing climate change.

ABARE also published a conference paper examining feasible ‘business as usual’ baselines for the world economy over the next 100 years. The paper was presented at the 6th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, held in the Hague in June. The paper is part of a series dedicated to developing an inter-temporal version of GTEM, the next generation ABARE model that will enable assessment of climate change response policies on emissions and atmospheric concentrations over the long run.

Property and Equipment

The department also applies ESD principles to the management of its properties. Our property portfolio comprises some 91 600m2 across Australia and the Torres Strait and includes: corporate offices; storage facilities; and special purpose buildings, such as laboratories, quarantine stations and dog kennels. The Edmund Barton Building (EBB) in Canberra occupies 38 247m2 and is the largest of the occupied properties.

Canberra Office / Edmund Barton Building

During the reporting period we commissioned DASCEM to develop our environmental management system (EMS). This included an initial environmental review (IER) of the EBB, covering nearly half the space occupied by the department. The aim of the IER was to identify departmental activities that may have positive or adverse environmental impacts; understand current work practices, procedures and systems; and establish benchmarks to ensure environmental performance is improved.

The review found that the department already had some positive environmental initiatives and practices in place. The implementation of the EMS will enable us to build on these initiatives, formalise actions and procedures and set the framework for the introduction of environmental improvement measures.

It should be noted that the IER and the EMS relate to the department’s administrative and support functions and do not address or consider the potential environmental impact of the ‘business of government’ – policy advice, legislation or related activities.

The IER indicated that the department managed environmental issues associated with our administrative and support activities within the EBB adequately. There was evidence of a strong staff and senior management commitment to minimise environmental impacts and improve environmental performance.

The review identified the following positive elements of current practices:

• good level of paper recycling
• re-use of paper by the departmental copy centre
• high level of double-sided photocopying in the copy centre
• user control over office lighting
• energy management initiatives being taken
• considerable use of bicycles for transport to work
• strong moves towards electronic publishing
• shutting down computers at night

The EBB electricity metering system in place for 2001-02 did not allow direct measurement of each tenancy’s energy use and the calculation of electricity used was based on the area occupied. Based on this formula, electricity consumption in the EBB (for tenant light and power) in 2001-02 was 4 962 893 kWh, which included a 3 per cent contribution from Greenpower. This equates to around 10 815 MJ/person/annum, which is close to the Australian Government’s target for 2002-03 of 10 000 MJ/person/annum.

In 2002 the building’s owner installed a new metering arrangement that provides immediate and accurate information on energy use and cost and identifies tenant and base-building energy use patterns. This will enable us to develop strategies to reduce energy consumption. Accurate reports from the metering system became available from February 2003 and indicate that consumption is around 8300 MJ/person/annum, which is under the Australian Government target of 10 000 MJ/person/annum. The electricity supply to the EBB and the department’s site at Fyshwick, ACT, now includes a 5 per cent Greenpower component.

The installation of the EBB smart metering system was included in the Energy Use in Commonwealth Operations 2001-02 as a case study of a successful energy management outcome.

The department is committed to improving the identification and monitoring of energy-use patterns and developing consumption reduction strategies. We intend to develop strategies after we bed down the Smart Metering System and complete an energy audit.

The Executive has endorsed our participation in the Greenhouse Challenge and has developed a detailed preliminary list of actions.

Our ACT fleet of around 100 vehicles each consumed 11.33 L/100km in 2001-02, which is in line with the average of all Australian Government agencies of 11.4 L/100km. Energy use was 3.87 MJ/km against the average of 3.9 MJ/km for Australian Government agencies. The department does not generally permit officers to order official vehicles with V8 engines.

The department purchases goods and services in line with the Australian Government’s Procurement Guidelines, which seek to ensure that goods and services are environmentally sound in manufacture; are reusable or recyclable; designed and made for reliability and long life; and meet environmental best practice in energy efficiency or energy consumption.

During the financial year we purchased around 15 000 reams of recycled paper. Our copy centre also undertakes photocopying for external clients using this paper. We estimate that more than 80 per cent of the paper that we use is collected for recycling. Double-sided printing is available on photocopiers and printers. Our copy centre estimates that 95 per cent of its orders for photocopying are for double-sided output. The copy centre also produces pads from recycled paper. Used printer and toner cartridges are generally recycled.

The owner of the EBB is considering replacing the current toilets with dual flush units as bathrooms are refurbished over the next 12 months.

There are no hazardous materials or chemicals in the department’s EBB tenancy apart from standard cleaning products.

Other property

Energy data for the rest of the department’s property portfolio is not yet complete as a number of bills are yet to arrive. The department will provide a comprehensive report on its energy use in Energy use in Commonwealth operations 2002-03, which will be tabled in parliament later this year. However, early figures indicate an overall reduction in energy consumption across the portfolio.

The department is relocating to a number of new premises in 2003-04. This will incorporate initiatives to reduce environmental impact and will include lighting at AS lux levels unless function requires stronger intensities; offices constructed on internal walls to allow maximum natural light to open-plan work areas; and separate electrical metering where possible to enable monitoring of energy consumption. Comprehensive recycling programs are also in place at properties across Australia.

We will progressively apply our environmental management system to sites nationally and are also considering doing energy audits at quarantine stations during 2003-04 to identify peaks and implement strategies to reduce consumption.

Departmental administered legislation influencing ESD

• Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development (PIERD) Act 1989 
• Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Administration Act 1992 
• Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994 
• Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002 
• Fisheries Management Act 1991 
• Fisheries Administration Act 1991 
• Quarantine Act 1908
  
  • Quarantine Proclamation 1998
  • Quarantine (Cocos Islands) Regulations
  • Quarantine Regulations 2000
    
• Export Control Act 1982
  
  • Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982 
  • Export Control (Processed Food) Orders
  • Export Control (Dried Fruits) Orders
  • Export Control (Processed Fruits and Vegetables) Orders
  • Export Control (fresh Fruit and Vegetables) Orders
  • Grain, Plants and Plant Product Orders
  • Export Control (Organic Produce Certification) Orders
  • Export Control (Mung Beans) Orders
  • Export Control (Animal) Orders
  • Prescribed Goods (General) Orders 1985
  • Export Meat Orders 1985
  • Game Poultry and Rabbit Meat Orders
  • Export Control (Unprocessed Wood) Regulations
    
•  Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997
  
  • Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry (Export Licensing) Regulations 1998
  • Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Regulations 1998
    
•  Imported Food Control Act 1992
  
  • Imported Food Control Regulations 1993
  • Imported Food Control Order 2001