In 2020–21, we continued to mitigate the effects of our impact on the environment by:

• considering environmental sustainability in our purchasing decisions where appropriate
• complying with all relevant Commonwealth, state and territory environment-related legislation, regulations, policies and initiatives
• continuing to increase our use of technology, such as telepresence and desktop videoconferencing, to facilitate meetings where appropriate so we could reduce interstate travel
• encouraging and supporting staff to use environmentally friendly modes of transport through measures such as the introduction of an e-bike charging facility at the Andrew Fisher Building, 1 National Circuit, Barton.

We minimised our impacts on the environment in the areas of energy efficiency, waste and water use by:

• attaining a National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) rating of 4.5 stars for whole building energy and 3 stars for water at the Andrew Fisher Building
• monitoring energy usage at our properties to identify potential savings
• operating as a ‘paper-light office’ by supporting the use of electronic document management and collaboration as well as digital and mobile technology solutions for staff
• using a 75,000-litre rainwater tank to flush toilets and water the gardens at the Andrew Fisher Building
• replacing the hail-damaged 99 kw solar power system
• installing LED lighting for the 2 basement car park levels in the Andrew Fisher Building to reduce energy consumption
• encouraging recycling by providing recycling bins as well as waste bins. The café is supporting the collection of organic waste for composting on the local worm farm
• using drought-tolerant plants in gardens at the Andrew Fisher Building
• maintaining an Environmental Management System based on the Australian Standard AS/NZS ISO 14001
• defaulting office printers to black-and-white and 2-sided printing
• using energy saver mode for most office equipment when not in use across Canberra office locations.