STRATEGIC PLAN 2013–2017
Our mission:
To advance a sustainable Australia: our environment, water, heritage and communities
Our strategic priorities:

Improving protection, awareness and appreciation of Australia’s environment and heritage.

Improving how water resources are managed nationally, particularly in the Murray-Darling
Basin.

Conservation and protection of Australia’s terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity
and ecosystems.

Efficient and effective environmental regulation.

International leadership in Antarctic science, policy and environmental management.

Supporting sustainable communities.

Helping to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.
Our work:

Policy advice

Program and grant delivery

Managing protected areas

Regulation

Research and monitoring
Our approaches:
LEAD by taking on difficult issues.
PRIORITISE by evaluating risks and determining actions and investments.
CONNECT and engage with stakeholders early, fostering enduring relationships.
COLLABORATE in a positive working environment, where all are valued.
DEBATE new ideas, test assumptions, identify options.
INTEGRATE different perspectives, knowledge and expertise into our business.
EVALUATE objective, independent advice to inform decision making.
Our measures of success:

Individual, community and national wellbeing is improved.

Our environment, water and heritage are managed sustainably.

Stakeholders are engaged and informed.

Government and communities value our advice.

Staff are motivated and high-performing.
OUTCOMES AND PRIORITIES
Outcome 1: Biodiversity and
Ecosystems
The conservation and
protection of Australia’s
terrestrial and marine
biodiversity and ecosystems
through supporting research,
developing information,
supporting natural resource
management, and establishing
and managing Commonwealth
protected areas.
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.
Outcome 3: Antarctica
Advancement of Australia’s
strategic, scientific,
environmental and economic
interests in the Antarctic by
protecting, administering and
researching the region.
Outcome 4:
Sustainable Water
Adaptation to climate change,
wise water use, secure water
supplies, and improved health
of rivers, waterways and
freshwater ecosystems by
supporting research, and
reforming the management
and use of water resources.
Outcome 5: Environmental
Protection and Heritage
Conservation
Increased protection,
awareness and appreciation of
Australia’s environment and
heritage through regulating
matters of national
environmental significance
and the identification,
conservation and celebration
of natural, Indigenous and
historic places of National and
World Heritage significance.
Outcome 6:
Commonwealth
Environmental Water
Protection and restoration of
environmental assets through
the management and use of
Commonwealth environmental
water.
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Administer funding through the
Caring for our Country initiative
to support the health, resilience
and conservation of Australia’s
environmental assets.
 Effectively support the
management of Commonwealth
marine and terrestrial reserves.
 Provide opportunities for
landholders to protect and
enhance carbon and biodiversity
values on their land through the
Biodiversity Fund.
 Continue efforts to reform the
International Whaling
Commission into a truly 21st
Century conservation-focused
organisation while maintaining
best practice cetacean
management in Australian
waters.
 Build a trusted, comprehensive
and accessible national
environmental information and
research base.
 Continue to forge closer ties
between the department’s
business areas and researchers
under the National Environmental
Research Program
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Support analysis of sustainability
within the department and by
government, and enhance
access to sustainability
information by decision makers
and communities.
 Implement the National Waste
Policy, in particular by supporting
the operation of the Product
Stewardship Act 2011 and
National Television and
Computer Recycling Scheme,
and the development of voluntary
product stewardship
arrangements.
 Complete COAG reforms for
managing chemical impacts on
the environment and the review
of national legislation to safely
manage hazardous waste.
 Reduce carbon pollution through
the application of an equivalent
carbon price to synthetic
greenhouse gases.
 Support Australia meeting
international obligations on waste
and hazardous substances,
hazardous chemicals, synthetic
greenhouse gases, and ozone
depleting substances, and
progress ratification of new
listings.
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Lead and collaborate
internationally to further
Australia’s research and policy
interests.
 Enhance Australia’s capability to
deliver on Antarctic priorities,
including by modernisation of
transport and infrastructure, and
derive optimum benefit from our
assets in the region.
 Gain recognition as an
international leader in Antarctic
science and environmental
management.
 Maintain and reinforce Australian
sovereignty in the Australian
Antarctic Territory.
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Help communities and industries,
particularly in the Murray-Darling
Basin, use water resources
sustainably and efficiently.
 Improve the health of rivers,
wetlands and aquatic
ecosystems.
 Support the finalisation and
implementation of national water
reforms, including the MurrayDarling Basin Plan.
 Implement reforms that allow for
the sustainable development of
water resources.
 Ensure community access to
transparent, objective scientific
evidence informing regulatory
decisions regarding coal seam
gas and coal mining
developments, which potentially
impact on water resources.
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Ensure efficient and effective
environmental regulation in
cooperation with stakeholders,
especially in relation to matters of
national environmental
significance and international
wildlife trade.
 Improve the delivery of regulatory
services under the Environment
Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
 Encourage governments,
businesses and communities to
value, protect and conserve
biodiversity and ecosystems.
 Protect and increase awareness
and enjoyment of the places and
stories and other national,
Indigenous and historic values
that make Australia special.
 Ensure that the environment and
natural values of the Alligator
Rivers Region are protected from
the impacts of uranium mining.
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Improve the health of MurrayDarling Basin rivers, wetlands
and freshwater ecosystems.
 Manage the Commonwealth
environmental water holdings in
accordance with the MurrayDarling Basin Environmental
Watering Plan and the
obligations under the Water Act
2007.
 Identify opportunities for more
efficient and effective use of
environmental water.
 Improve transparency,
accountability and local
stakeholder engagement.
 Implement a monitoring,
evaluation and reporting
framework to evaluate outcomes
from the use of Commonwealth
environmental water.
Cross-cutting priorities
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Pursue environmental, social and
economic sustainability across the
breadth of our work.
Corporate Outcome:
Organisational effectiveness
Improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of our department
Priorities for 2013–2017
 Support the government by effectively
engaging with our stakeholders and
the public.
 Develop our capacity for innovation.
 Adapt to the impacts and challenges
of climate change.
 Engage states and territories to deliver
on COAG priorities.
 Increase the leadership and capability of our
people to ensure the department’s current and
emerging business needs and priorities are
met.
 Ensure the cooperative implementation of
Australia’s international responsibilities
relevant to the portfolio.
 Target our research efforts.
 Contribute to Closing the Gap on
Indigenous disadvantage.
 Deliver efficient and effective environmental
regulation
 Improve our business processes through a focus on
greater use of knowledge, information and
technology.
 Enhance our whole of agency financial management
capability to ensure sound financial results and good
budget outcomes.
 Strengthen our governance and accountability
frameworks including better management of
projects and risks.
 Improve organisational efficiency.
HOW WE UNDERSTAND AND PURSUE SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability Framework
SUSTAINABILITY: the maintenance or improvement of wellbeing over time.
Wellbeing is a combination of economic prosperity, community liveability and environmental
integrity, determined by the quality, quantity, distribution, use and preservation of stocks of
economic, human, social and natural capital.
How we think about sustainability
Linking the Three Pillars: Environmental | Social | Economic
The environment, society and the economy are interdependent. Sustainable outcomes
require a whole-of-system view, considering interactions between pillars rather than only a
discrete analysis of each.

Environmental, social and economic elements should be considered early, tested often,
and integrated in policies and programs.

Evaluation and consideration of environmental, social and economic information should
be objective, rigorous and transparent.

Trade-offs within or between capital stocks may be necessary, but are not inevitable –
opportunities for win-win outcomes should be fully explored.
Diverse Values & Perspectives
There are diverse views on how sustainability can be achieved and how each pillar is valued.

All values and perspectives are acknowledged, understood and respected to help identify
common goals and interests.

Engage with the issues from the perspective of different stakeholders to identify links
across pillars, and factor them into decision-making and communications.

Values can relate to both means and ends, and in many cases, we are dealing with nonmarket values (or the lack of a price).
Multiple Scales
Sustainability covers issues of both space and time. While our activities may typically focus
on a particular time and space, the potential impacts of our activities are not as limited.

Take a broader approach to an activity than may be requested – consider its impact in
both the short and long term, and on the small and large scale.

When considering different scales, there is a need to take account of the relevant
cumulative effects of decisions, benefits and consequences that may apply.
Uncertainty
Gaps in knowledge about the nature, extent and value of capital stocks, and the relationships
between them, make it challenging to evaluate benefits, costs and risks.

Research, planning and risk assessment will help to reduce uncertainty and risk.

Limits and thresholds of natural systems should be identified where possible and
explicitly considered.

Base decisions regarding the use of capital stocks on evidence of their quality,
abundance and resilience.

Take a precautionary and adaptive management approach, focusing on no-regrets
options and future opportunities for improvement.
HOW OUR PLANNING DOCUMENTS SUPPORT OUR WORK
CORPORATE STRATEGY AND PLANNING
Strategic Plan, Annual Operational Plan, Our Departmental Outcomes
Describes how we will be accountable for achieving the Government’s priorities.
BUSINESS PLANNING
Division, Branch and Section Plans, Human Resources
How our functions and outputs will be delivered at an operational level to achieve our
departmental outcomes, including the priorities identified in the Strategic Plan and the Annual
Operational Plan.
HOW WE WORK
Our Performance Management Framework
Shows how individual accountability is linked to the achievement of departmental outcomes
through our business planning framework.