Address: Main Office: John Gorton Building

Outcome 2: Sustainable environment. The department’s work to promote waste reduction and regulating hazardous substances, wastes, pollutants, ozone-depleting substances and synthetic greenhouse gases through national frameworks, standards and regulation and monitors wastes, hazardous substances, air pollutants, ozone-depleting substances and synthetic greenhouse gases.

Outcome 3: Antarctica. Australia’s Antarctic interests included a strong focus on protecting the Antarctic environment and managing the sustainable use of marine resources.

Outcome 4: Sustainable water. The department’s work to enhance the sustainability and efficiency with which Australia’s water resources are managed and used delivering multiple benefits across the environment, economy and society.

Outcome 5: Environment protection and heritage conservation. The department’s work to increase protection, awareness and appreciation of Australia’s environment and heritage, including regulating matters of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act. Promotes ecologically sustainable development by supporting the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources and heritage values.

Outcome 6: Sustainable population and communities. The coordination and development of sustainable population and communities works helps to maintain and enhance wellbeing across the environment, society and the economy for current and future generations.

Corporate outcome. In keeping with the department’s broader mission, the department’s policies and use of technology give consideration to minimising harm to the environment.

Table 7: How the department applies the principles of ecologically sustainable development

Principles	Activities
Integration principle—Decision-making processes should effectively integrate both long-term and short-term economic, environmental, social and equitable considerations.	Sustainability policy. The department was responsible for policy advice and implementation to achieve the government’s strategic sustainability objectives. Of particular note is the Sustainable Population Strategy and associated measures, which explicitly address present and future community wellbeing considerations across environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. Integrated natural resource management. The department developed and invested in natural resource management plans and other strategies to maintain ecosystems These included the regional component of the Caring for our Country initiative and bioregional marine plans. These plans integrate long-term and short-term economic, environmental, social and equitable considerations. Integrated reporting. The department publishes a State of the Environment report. The next report is being developed for 2011.
Precautionary principle—If there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation.	Environmental impact assessments. The department applied the precautionary principle to prevent serious environmental damage when assessing the possible environmental impacts of proposed actions. Assessments must often be made in the absence of full scientific certainty, most notably assessments under the EPBC Act and through chemical and gene technology assessment schemes.
Intergenerational principle—The present generation should ensure that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations.	Pollution prevention. The department applied laws and National Environment Protection Measures to prevent environmentally harmful substances from entering the environment. Laws include the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981, the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989, the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 and the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989. Whole-of-government policy development. In addition to the sustainability policy functions outlined above, the department worked to ensure that environmental protection is appropriately considered in the development of other government policies, including major energy and water reforms. Community capacity building. The department administered the government’s major natural resource management programs that have an environmental focus, including the Caring for our Country program. These programs increased the capacity of Australians to conserve ecosystems for future generations. Protecting cultural and heritage values. The Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 protects Australia’s heritage of movable cultural objects and supports the protection by foreign countries of their heritage of movable cultural objects. Heritage values were considered where an action by the department may have had an impact.
Biodiversity principle—The conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity should be a fundamental consideration in decision-making.	Biodiversity conservation. The department applies laws for the conservation of biodiversity to protect wildlife and heritage places with environmental values, including the EPBC Act and, through the Caring for our Country program, marine protected areas, terrestrial parks and reserves.
Valuation principle—Improved valuation, pricing and incentive mechanisms should be promoted.	Conservation incentives. The department promoted incentives for protecting wildlife and habitats on private land through covenants. It supported fishing industry adjustment processes to reduce pressures on the marine environment. Waste reduction incentives. The department provided incentives for more efficient use of resources. This included markets for waste products, such as used lubricating oils, and water efficiency labelling. It also contributed to reducing packaging waste, as a signatory to the National Packaging Covenant.

Environmental performance

The department was committed to pursuing environmental sustainability and ensuring that our corporate operations reflect environmental best practices in a public service agency. The department did this by:

• 
  fostering a culture of environmental responsibility at work, including mandatory online environmental training for new staff
  
• 
  promoting efficient use of energy, water and other natural resources
  
• 
  preventing or minimising pollution, waste-to-landfill and greenhouse gas emissions
  
• 
  favouring the purchase of more sustainable goods and services in line with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines ‘whole-of-life costing’ requirements
  
• 
  maintaining certified Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for the operations of the department’s main Canberra offices and the Australian Antarctic Division.
  

Due to the diverse nature of the department’s operations across Australia, the Southern Ocean and its territories, environmental performance is generally managed at a local level. Accordingly, the detailed environmental performance of the department has been reported separately for our Canberra offices, the Supervising Scientist Division, the Parks Australia Division and the Australian Antarctic Division. This local management approach is supported by a number of environmental performance action plans, including climate change plans for most of the national parks and the botanic gardens, and EMS targets and action plans for the Australian Antarctic Division and the department’s main Canberra offices.

A new Departmental Environmental Performance Committee strengthened the coordination of whole-of-department environmental performance and management. The departmental Environmental Contact Officer Network (ECONet) volunteers have continued to raise the profile of environmental issues at the local workplace level and contributed many innovative ideas and suggestions for improving our environmental performance.

During 2010–11 there was considerable improvement in the environmental performance of the department’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) through the implementation of the ICT refresh program. The ICT refresh program involved:

• 
  the replacement of ageing Personal Computers (PCs) to a new desktop fleet profile, including 80 per cent thin client devices and 20 per cent PCs—the rollout is 85 per cent complete
  
• 
  relocation of the primary data centre to a highly energy-efficient commercial data centre, with relevant server, storage and network equipment consolidated during the process
  
• 
  replacement of the printer and photocopier fleet with fewer, new, energy-efficient multi-function devices utilising swipe-to-print technology.
  

The combination of these improvements is demonstrated in the following energy and paper results below. The department will also avoid around 57 tonnes of e-waste over the next 10 years given the extended life of thin client devices and smaller number of multi-function devices.

These initiatives also provided a platform to meet the mid-term targets set in the Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010–2015. The plan is applicable to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 agencies and describes measures and targets for energy, waste and resource management. The department has overall responsibility for the coordination and implementation of the plan.

Canberra office operations

Sites and staffing

The department’s Canberra office operations included major tenancies in the John Gorton Building in Parkes and 33 Allara Street in Civic, and a sub-lease for Lovett Tower in Woden. The department also maintained two warehouses in Fyshwick and Queanbeyan. The total number of staff in 2010-11 decreased by 13 per cent from 2009–10.

Environmental management framework

During 2010–11 the department continued to improve the management of waste, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption and other environmental impacts resulting from our Canberra office operations.

The department’s Canberra office Environmental Management System (EMS) provides a framework and methodical approach to planning, implementing and reviewing efforts to reduce our negative environmental impacts. The Canberra office EMS has been certified continuously to the international standard for environmental management systems (ISO14001:2004) since 1999. In May 2011 the department successfully extended the scope of certification from the John Gorton Building to include our second major tenancy 33 Allara Street. Independent certification to the standard ensures ongoing commitment to achieving environmental improvements and provides an annual external review of the methods used to plan and manage our initiatives and actions.

In implementing the EMS the department has continued to:

• 
  abide by the department’s environmental policy commitments
  
• 
  identify and follow legislation and other obligations that apply to the environmental aspects of the department in Canberra, including developing an improved process for identifying and evaluating our compliance
  
• 
  review the environmental aspects of the department’s activities in consultation with key staff and prioritise those with a significant environmental impact
  
• 
  develop and implement plans and operational controls to manage those significant aspects and monitor progress
  
• 
  provide appropriate environmental training and awareness activities for staff
  
• 
  have processes in place to record and correct any identified problems or determine opportunities for improvement
  
• 
  conduct annual reviews of the effectiveness of the EMS and progress towards achieving environmental improvement targets through a dedicated management committee.
  

Energy

The department has implemented a number of initiatives that have reduced both our energy use and the impact of the energy used, including the purchase of GreenPower and the roll out of the ICT refresh project in the Canberra offices.

The electricity use per employee for the Canberra offices is continuing a downward trend and is now averaging 4 974 megajoules (MJ) per employee per year, which is well below the overall government target of 7 500 MJ per employee per year and just below our Canberra Office target of 5 000 MJ per employee per year.

Figure 3: Total Canberra office electricity use for 2007–08 to 2010–11

The departmental staff in the Canberra offices continued to decrease their transportation energy consumption through the lease of fuel-efficient vehicles for its Canberra pool fleet including several hybrid vehicles and an electric vehicle in December 2010. Data for fuel use for the fleet was unavailable at the time of reporting, so estimates have been included for the Canberra fleet only, based on odometer readings. These figures will be reported in 2012 in the Energy Use in the Australian Government’s Operations Report, under the Energy Efficiency in Government Operations (EEGO) Policy, administered by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. The department also continues to provide a fleet of bicycles for staff to use locally. The total distance travelled by air by Canberra staff has decreased from the last reporting period.

Waste

The department continued to implement initiatives to reduce and recycle waste. The department has begun to implement the ACTSmart Office program for the two main Canberra offices. Participation in this program is expected to result in a reduction of the current rate of contamination in our waste-to-landfill waste stream.

Figure 4: Total Canberra office waste generated 2010–11

In 2010–11 the department purchased an average of 9.97 reams per employee per year for use in its Canberra offices, a significant improvement from 13.17 reams per employee per year in 2009–10.

Figure 5: Total Canberra office paper purchased for 2007–08 to 2010–11

The department has new printing and cleaning contracts which included standard environmental clauses to limit the department’s waste and resource consumption.

Darwin/Jabiru

Sites and staffing

For the purpose of ecologically sustainable development reporting, Darwin/Jabiru reports on two premises—the Darwin office and the Jabiru Field Station which accommodate staff from the Supervising Scientist Division Darwin/Jabiru (SSD) and Parks Operations and Tourism Branch, Parks Australia, Darwin Parks Operations and Tourism (POT). The Darwin office is shared by SSD and the POT. SSD buildings at both sites are used for office and laboratory operations as well as storage of plant and equipment. POT only uses office space in Darwin. The Jabiru facility is also shared with a commercial tenant. It should be noted that calculations reported per person for electricity, water use and waste at the Jabiru site do not separate use of the resources by commercial tenants at the site—their use is combined with that of staff.

Staffing levels have varied over the last three years with a 6.6 per cent increase in occupancy over both sites from 2009–10 to 2010–11.

Environmental management framework

Darwin/Jabiru contributes to the department’s sustainability objectives through a range of measures aimed at continuously improving the environmental performance of business operations and minimising any associated environmental impacts.

The department is exploring the possibility of developing an Environmental Management System for Darwin/Jabiru in the future. In the interim, Darwin/Jabiru’s operations are conducted in a manner consistent with the department’s aim to minimise the ecological footprint on the environment. This involved a range of strategies including complying with legal and other agreements, actively promoting sustainable work practices, preventing pollution as a result of work practices, focusing on continuous improvement, public reporting of environmental performance as part of the department’s annual report and procurement and use of sustainable goods and services.

Energy

During 2010–11 total power consumption decreased by eight per cent compared with 2009–10. Even with the increase in occupancy rates, there has been a reduction in the use of electricity per person of 15 per cent at both the Darwin and Jabiru facilities.

To more effectively manage electricity use, Darwin/Jabiru have improved routine maintenance of electrical items including testing and tagging of electrical items, replacing faulty and aged equipment and replacing the seals of industrial fridges and freezers. Additionally, an air conditioning engineer was engaged to review and fine tune the efficiency of Darwin’s air conditioning system. Proactive management of the system assisted performance improvements.

There has been a 10 per cent increase in electricity use at the Darwin hangar, used for storage of equipment and records, as adjustment to the operating times of the air conditioning system was required to deal with the extended wet season weather conditions.

There has been an 18 per cent reduction in electricity use at the Jabiru site. This has been offset by the need to generate electricity using a diesel generator during periods of power outage. Installation of new and separate air conditioning units in individual rooms that can be run independently from the main air conditioning system have helped with reducing electricity usage.

Figure 6: Electricity purchased from 2008–09 to 2010–11

Vehicle mileage decreased by 19 per cent from 211 006 kilometres to 170 568 kilometres, resulting in a decrease in fuel use of 28 per cent. Although there was an increase of 11 per cent in diesel use, it is offset by a significant decrease of 77 per cent in the use of unleaded petrol (ULP). As fleet vehicle leases have expired, ULP vehicles have been replaced with more fuel-efficient diesel vehicles. Assessments of leased vehicles will continue to ensure they meet operational and fieldwork requirements and fuel efficiency and Green Vehicle Guide (GVG) ratings.

Staff are encouraged to car pool where possible and use video conferencing facilities instead of driving or flying long distances to attend meetings.

Waste

In 2010–11 there was an increase in landfill waste by nine per cent, offset by a 40 per cent decrease in paper product waste, and a one per cent increase in co-mingled waste (plastic/glass only) sent for recycling. Changes to waste collection and disposal at the Darwin facility have resulted in a significant 20 per cent reduction in production of greenhouse gas emissions. Darwin continues to house a worm farm for recycling organic food waste.

The Jabiru Field Station does not collect data on waste, although it continues to sort waste to be recycled at the local waste repository. This has been enhanced by the purchase of new bins.

Figure 7: Total waste by type 2010–11

The amount of paper purchased during 2010–11 is identical to the total purchased in 2009–10, although as building occupancy has increased, this is a reduction of reams per person of 7 per cent. This can be attributed to improved record-keeping systems and policies. Additionally, the acquisition of a new multi-function printing device with scanning and emailing options has reduced paper use.

There was a corresponding decrease of 13.5 per cent in the amount of office paper sent for recycling during 2010–11. The organisation provides copies of all publications on the Supervising Scientist Division’s (SSD) website, which has reduced the need to print publications for stakeholders.

Water

Water consumption at the Darwin facility increased by 17 per cent during 2010–11—from 1 886kL recorded use in 2009–10 to 2 202kL. Construction works have been undertaken in the area and may have contributed to the increase in water usage, although at this stage further investigation into the cause of the increase is required.

Water consumption at the Jabiru Field Station increased by 26 per cent—from 8 021kL in 2009–10 to 10 111kL in 2010–11. SSD is responsible for only one quarter of total water used at the Jabiru facility. The increase in water use at the Jabiru site can be attributed to the upgraded aquaculture facility in addition to revegetation of the site where buildings have been demolished.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Total greenhouse gas emissions for the Darwin and Jabiru Field Station in 2010–11 were 761 tonnes—a decrease of 11 per cent when compared with 2009–10. This reduction results from a decrease of Co₂(t) of 36 per cent from waste, 37 per cent from transport fuel and seven per cent from electricity. In addition to previous years a total of 21 tonnes of Co₂(t) were produced through indirect energy.

Figure 8: Greenhouse gas emissions 2010–11

Parks Australia

Sites and staffing

In 2010–11 Parks Australia employed approximately 362 staff spread over numerous sites. The environmental performance for the Canberra-based staff is covered by the Canberra offices report, and the performance of Darwin-based staff is covered by the Darwin/Jabiru report. The Parks Australia report covers the activities of:

• 
  Kakadu National Park
  
• 
  Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
  
• 
  Christmas Island National Park
  
• 
  Pulu Keeling National Park
  
• 
  Booderee National Park
  
• 
  Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden
  
• 
  Australian National Botanic Gardens.
  

Environmental management framework

Management plans were in place or in preparation for all sites to ensure environmental, economic and social considerations are outlined and integrated. Appropriate environmental monitoring and reporting regimes were also in place. A range of operational requirements contributed to the carbon footprint of each site, including electricity generation, transport, development of new infrastructure, and waste management. Some properties have specialised needs—for example, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, which has to maintain climate-controlled conditions in many of its glasshouses. The remote location of some of the department’s parks and reserves has at times limited the opportunities to reduce its environmental footprint. Park activities such as revegetation projects and fire and pest management also had implications for the carbon cycle.

In 2010–11 a climate change strategy was developed for the Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden. Climate change strategies are already in place for Kakadu National Park, the Australian National Botanic Gardens and Booderee National Park, and work will continue to develop and implement strategies for its other parks and reserves.

Conserving biodiversity is a primary objective for all reserves, and careful management of the use of fire and vegetation can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, reliable indicators are not yet available to measure the contribution that the biodiversity management activities make to cutting emissions.