Outcome 2: Sustainable Population and Communities
Improved sustainability of Australia’s population, communities and environment through
coordination and development of sustainable population and communities policies; and the
reduction and regulation of waste, pollutants and hazardous substances.
Main responsibilities for this outcome
Programme 2.1: Management of Hazardous Wastes, Substances and Pollutants
National Waste Policy, National Waste Report and product
stewardship, including the National Television and Computer
Recycling Scheme.
Environment Quality Division
Air quality, fuel standards and vehicle emissions.
Hazardous substance regulation and management.
Chemical policy and risk assessment.
Protection of the ozone layer and management of synthetic
greenhouse gases.
Biotechnology risk assessment.
National Pollutant Inventory.
Programme 2.2: Sustainable Communities
Measuring Sustainability Program.
Suburban Jobs Program.
Sustainability Policy and
Analysis Division
Programme 2.1: Management of Hazardous Wastes, Substances and Pollutants
Objective
To improve the quality of the environment and reduce pollution in Australia through the
implementation of national frameworks, standards, regulation, monitoring and reporting of
wastes, hazardous substances, air pollutants, ozone depleting substances and synthetic
greenhouse gases; and destruction of synthetic greenhouse gases.
Programme 2.2: Sustainable Communities
Objectives

Contribute to a sustainable Australia by promoting sustainable communities.

Improve the quality of and access to information about Australia’s environment and
sustainability for use in decision-making and planning at national and community
levels.

Demonstrate and promote information about approaches to achieve sustainable,
diverse employment in suburban locations.
Results for deliverables and key performance indicators
Programme 2.1: Management of Hazardous Wastes, Substances and Pollutants
Deliverables
2013–14 results
National Waste Policy,
including:
The Department progressed key Government strategies under
the National Waste Policy.

In May 2014 MobileMuster was the first voluntary product
stewardship arrangement to be accredited under the Product
Stewardship (Voluntary Arrangements) Instrument 2012. In
June 2014 FluoroCycle was the second voluntary product
stewardship arrangement to be accredited.

delivery of the product
stewardship legislative
framework, including
legislative
arrangements for
voluntary product
stewardship
delivery of the National
Television and
Computer Recycling
Scheme.
Administering national
legislation covering product
stewardship; fuel quality
standards; the disposal and
re-use of used petroleum
based oil, national
environment protection
measures; the export,
import and transit of
hazardous waste; and the
import, manufacture, use
and destruction of ozone
depleting substances and
synthetic greenhouse
gases.
In June 2014 the Minister published the second annual product
list as required by the Product Stewardship Act 2011. In
preparing the annual list the Minister considered Australia’s
international obligations and advice provided by the Product
Stewardship Advisory Group and jurisdictions.
A total of 635 television and computer collection services have
been delivered around Australia, across metropolitan, regional
and remote areas.
The Department administered:

product stewardship legislation, including:
-
the Product Stewardship (Televisions and Computers)
Regulations 2011
-
the Product Stewardship (Voluntary Arrangements)
Instrument 2012

the Product Stewardship for Oil programme, which is an
economic incentives package for the disposal and re-use of
used petroleum-based oil

fuel quality standards for petrol, automotive diesel,
biodiesel, liquefied petroleum gas (autogas) and ethanol
(E85)

regulation of the export, import and transit of hazardous
waste to ensure that transboundary movements are
minimised and managed in an environmentally sound
manner

controls on the import, export, manufacture, acquisition,
use, storage, handling and disposal of ozone-depleting
substances and synthetic greenhouse gases.
Applying an equivalent
carbon price to the import
and manufacture of
synthetic greenhouse
gases, and arrangements
for destruction of waste
synthetic greenhouse
gases and ozone depleting
substances until June 2014.
Discontinued as a result of changing Government priorities.
Implementing transitional
arrangements for the export
refund scheme and for
imports made between
1 April 2014 and
30 June 2014 where the
synthetic greenhouse
gases were entered into a
warehouse licensed under
the Customs
Act 1901.
The Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import
Levy) (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2013 was tabled in
Parliament to reduce the risk of possible gas shortages before
the carbon tax was repealed. The Bill did not proceed as
legislation to repeal the carbon price was enacted on 17 July
2014.
Meeting Australia’s
obligations under
international agreements on
waste and hazardous
substances, hazardous
chemicals, synthetic
greenhouse gases, and
ozone depleting
substances.
The Department fulfilled Australia’s international obligations on
hazardous waste by:
Following the 2013 federal election the Government committed
to repeal the carbon tax, including the equivalent carbon tax that
applied to synthetic greenhouse gases. Legislation to repeal the
equivalent carbon price for synthetic greenhouse gases was
enacted on 17 July 2014.

administrating national legislation regulating the export,
import and transit of hazardous waste to ensure that
transboundary movements are minimised and managed in
an environmentally sound manner

significantly improving Australia’s hazardous waste data and
reporting under the Basel Convention

compiling an inventory of Australia’s hazardous waste
infrastructure.
The Department fulfilled Australia’s obligations on hazardous
chemicals by:

administering the prior informed consent procedure under
the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent
Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides
in International Trade (Rotterdam Convention) for chemicals
traded in Australia

leading the ratification process for the addition (endorsed by
the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties on 12 May 2014)
of chemicals to Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention in
2013

monitoring levels of persistent organic pollutants in the
environment, as part of the effectiveness evaluation for the
Stockholm Convention

leading Australia’s consideration of the ratification of 2009
and 2011 amendments to the Stockholm Convention.
The Department continued to fulfil Australia’s obligations to
phase out ozone-depleting substances controlled under the
Montreal Protocol. In 2013–14 imports totalled 58.58 ozonedepleting potential (ODP) tonnes (39.98 ODP tonnes of
hydrochlorofluorocarbons and 18.60 ODP tonnes of methyl
bromide)—well within Australia’s Montreal Protocol limit of
156.30 ODP tonnes.
Leading Australia’s
consideration of the
ratification of the Minamata
Convention on Mercury.
Australia became a signatory to the Minamata Convention on
Mercury in October 2013. The Department coordinated the
Australian Government’s engagement on the negotiation of the
Minamata Convention.
In April 2014 a public consultation paper was released as part of
the ratification process; submissions were due on 30 June
2014.
Leading work with the
states and territories to
advise governments on an
environmental standardssetting body for chemicals
relating to better
environment protection and
management.
In November 2013 the Commonwealth and all states and
territories agreed to proceed to a decision regulation impact
statement on options for creation of a standards-setting body to
enable a nationally consistent and more effective approach to
managing the environmental risks of industrial chemicals. The
decision regulation impact statement will be ready for
consideration by Australia’s environment ministers in 2015.
Contributing to work led by
the states and territories in
the development of national
air pollutant emission
reduction strategies and the
evidence base to support
these strategies.
In April 2014 environment ministers agreed to work towards
developing a National Clean Air Agreement by 1 July 2016. Two
decision regulation impact statements—one on reducing
emissions from wood heaters and one on non-road spark
ignition engine and equipment—are due for completion by late
2014. Work is also well advanced to strengthen the particle
standards in the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air
Quality) Measure.
Providing advice to the
statutory regulators on the
risk and environmental
impacts of the trial and
release of genetically
modified organisms,
nanomaterials, chemicals
and biological products.
The Department provided 332 risk assessments, along with risk
management recommendations and ad hoc professional advice,
to the statutory regulators: Gene Technology Regulator and the
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority; the
National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment
Scheme; and under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
Administering the National
Pollutant Inventory and
annual publication of the
previous year’s dataset by
31 March.
The annual update of National Pollutant Inventory data was
published on 23 May 2014. The delay was to enable final
checks to ensure data quality.
Key performance indicators
2013–14 results
Ramp up roll-out of the
voluntary product
stewardship arrangements
in 2013–14.
The first call for applications for accreditation of voluntary
product stewardship arrangements was completed.
Importers and
manufacturers of
televisions, computers,
printers and computer
products achieve a
recycling target of 33% in
2013–14.
Progress reporting during 2013–14 indicated that the 33%
target, requiring the recycling of more than 43 000 tonnes of
waste televisions and computers, will be achieved.
Continued implementation
of the equivalent carbon
price on imports and
manufacture of synthetic
greenhouse gases and
arrangements for
destruction of waste
synthetic greenhouse
gases.
Discontinued as a result of changing Government priorities.
Legislation to repeal the equivalent carbon price for synthetic
greenhouse gases was enacted on 17 July 2014.
Accurate and readily
accessible data on
emissions and transfers of
93 key pollutants from
industrial facilities are
published by the National
Pollutant Inventory by 31
March, with data on
emissions from diffuse
sources, such as motor
vehicles and households,
updated as required.
The annual update of National Pollutant Inventory facility data
means that the National Pollutant Inventory now includes 15
years of pollutant data, covering more than 4300 facilities.
In January 2014 the Minister launched Tyre Stewardship
Australia, the organisation established by tyre importers to
administer the voluntary national tyre product stewardship
scheme. The tyre industry will start collecting a levy in 2014–15
to support the start of the scheme.
Annual reports are due to the Minister by 30 October 2014.
Key performance indicators
2013–14
Budget
target
2013–14 results
Used oil recovered for re-use over a threeyear average under the Product Stewardship
(Oil)
Act 2000.
>250
256 megalitres
Site visits undertaken to test fuel samples as
part of the complete programme under the
Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000.
650
403
Assessments of chemicals and genetically
modified organisms.
Approx
250
332 including 94 agricultural and
veterinary chemicals, 226
industrial chemicals,
eight genetically modified
organisms and four assessments
on the amendment of the live
export list of the Environment
Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
Licences and permits to control import and
export of ozone depleting substances and
synthetic greenhouse gases issued within
statutory timeframes (%).
100
100
Programme 2.2: Sustainable Communities
Deliverables
2013–14 results
Continued implementation of three
projects funded under the
Suburban Jobs Program in Penrith,
NSW (through the University of
Western Sydney); Melton, Victoria
(through the Melton City Council);
and Playford, South Australia
(through the City of Playford).
Projects funded under the Suburban Jobs Program
continued to be implemented in accordance with agreed
milestones including:
A set of headline sustainability
indicators that will track progress of
key economic, social and
environmental factors over time;
biennial public reporting against
the indicators by an independent
National Sustainability Council; and
an online directory of sustainability
With the abolition of the National Sustainability Council,
the Department commissioned research and data to
address a number of priority information gaps related to
environment indicators, including:

construction starting at each of the three project sites

marketing of facilities to prospective tenants

delivery of research reports outlining business
innovation and growth, employment, education and
training opportunities, and community development
in suburban areas.

extending the breadth and depth of Australia’s
environmental condition monitoring and reporting at
national and regional scales (through the Terrestrial
information.
Ecosystem Research Network)

developing an Australian Bird Index to accompany
Australia’s set of national biodiversity indicators (with
BirdLife Australia).
Key performance indicators
2013–14 results
Suburban Jobs Program projects
implemented and information
shared across project proponents.
Project implementation continues and information was
shared across project proponents through the Suburban
Jobs Project Group.
A biennial public report against a
set of sustainability indicators by
30 June 2015.
With the abolition of the National Sustainability Council,
the Council’s functions will be absorbed by the
Department.