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Services Australia Annual Report 2018–19

APPENDIX C: Environmental performance

Section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 requires Commonwealth agencies to report annually on their contribution to the principles of ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and the measures taken to minimise their effect on the environment.

The ESD principles are set out in section 3A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

How administered programs accord with ESD principles—Section 516A(6)(A)

In 2018–19, the department administered the programs of Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support in accordance with the principles of ESD.

Fundamental considerations in administering these programs are the economic, environmental, equity and social consequences in short-term and long-term decision-making.

How outcome 1 contributed to ESD principles—Section 516A(6)(B)

In 2018–19 the department continued to contribute to the principles of ESD in delivering efficient and convenient services. Our activities that made a direct contribution to ESD included:

increasing the number of online self-services
improving the functionality of Express Plus mobile apps
exploring new ways of providing digital services through a technology innovation centre.

Effect of activities on the environment—Section 516A(6)(C)

To assess the risk of our activities affecting the environment, the department uses the international standard Risk Management ISO 31000:2018 and the Standards Australia handbook Managing environment-related risk HB203:2012. We manage activities that pose the most significant risk through the department’s environmental management system, which aligns with the international standard EMS ISO 14001:2015.

In general, our activities that most affect the environment are those that consume considerable resources and generate significant waste. They include:

building operations and refurbishments
use of information and communications technology
use and disposal of stationery supplies, including paper
operating vehicles.

Table 94: Resources use

	Units	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19
Stationary energy (electricity and gas)	gigajoules	314,400	313,955	NA^(a)
Transport energy (fuels)	gigajoules	25,356	21,060	NA^(a)
Total energy use	gigajoules	339,756	335,015	NA^(a)
Internal paper use	tonnes	682	571	538
Letters to customers^(b)	A4 sheets	80,617,954	89,212,087	87,887,078
Property use	square metres	727,161	722,799	741,694^(c)

(a) Stationary and transport energy reporting for 2018–19 is unavailable prior to finalising the annual report. The department’s energy reporting is in line with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007.

(b) Paper procured by the department and letters printed by an external print provider.

Table 95: Waste, resource recovery and pollution

	Measure	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19
Net greenhouse gas emissions—energy use	tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents	83,231	80,619	NA^(a)
Office copy paper recycling	% coverage (square metres)	98	98	98
Mobile phone recycling	kilograms	98	155	145
Fluorescent and other lamps recycled	units	3722	6334	4795

(a) Stationary and transport net greenhouse gas emissions for 2018–19 is unavailable prior to finalising the annual report. The department’s energy reporting is in line with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007.

Measures taken to minimise the effect of activities on the environment—Section 516(6)(D)

The department’s Environmental Sustainability Policy (available at humanservices.gov.au) guides our efforts to minimise the effect of our activities on the environment and to drive better practice, performance and accountability.

We assess any proposed environmental initiative or measure by conducting a cost–benefit analysis that includes other business benefits associated with the initiative.

Table 96: Measures taken to minimise effect on the environment

Activity	Measures
Air travel	· The department encourages staff to use online conferencing rather than air travel to attend meetings.
Building operations	· The Green Lease Schedule requirements for landlords and tenants have improved overall energy efficiency in our large offices. · National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) energy assessments are undertaken at offices over 2,000 m2 with Green Leases. · The department continued to roll out a photovoltaic solar installation program to reduce greenhouse emissions and energy costs and to support local electricity grid stability. · The department uses reputable eco-labels and other environmental standards to improve environmental performance—such as Green Star for building design and fit-out, and the Energy Rating Label star system for electrical appliances. · The department supports the FluoroCycle scheme to ensure that hazardous fluorescent lamps are recycled on disposal. · The department participates in Earth Hour each year to promote sustainability.
ICT	· Data centres are located in highly energy-efficient premises. · The department continues to virtualise server applications, which avoids the need to purchase additional servers. · The department continues to roll out docked tablets to enable better workforce mobility. · Desktop computers automatically shut down after three hours of inactivity. · The department uses the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) eco-label in making decisions on ICT equipment purchasing. · Printers and multifunction devices are allocated to maximise resource efficiency. · Relevant contracts contain better practice e-waste clauses.
Management and communication	· The department’s Environmental Sustainability Policy continues to strengthen our environmental management program. · The department has an online sustainability reporting system to improve reporting and performance capability. · Clauses in the department’s Leasing Heads of Agreement require lessors to consider installing photovoltaic solar systems and/or upgrading to LED lighting. · The department continues to promote and communicate environmental initiatives within our offices. · The department uses reputable eco-labels and environmental standards in making relevant procurement decisions, to improve environmental performance at product and supplier levels. · The department is trialling a web-based system for redeploying surplus assets across government. · The department continues to support and participate in the Government Agencies Environmental Network.
Motor vehicle travel	· The department procures energy-efficient vehicles in accordance with the Australian Government Fleet Vehicle Selection Policy. · An electronic log book system continues to accurately monitor and manage vehicle use and to improve reporting quality.
Stationery (including paper)	· More than 72 per cent of the paper purchased for internal printers, photocopiers and multifunction devices was 100 per cent recycled content paper. · The department has increased its digital record-keeping capability and has significantly reduced the number of paper-based files.

Mechanisms to review and increase the effectiveness of those measures—Section 516(6)(E)

In 2018–19, the department continued to review and report on our environmental performance and seek ways to achieve further improvements. Table 97 below outlines our performance against the Energy Efficiency in Government Operations (EEGO) policy targets.

Table 97: Office energy performance

Measures	EEGO target	Actual 2016–17	Actual 2017–18^(a)	Actual 2018–19
Office—tenant light and power (megajoules per person)	7,500	4,853	4,994	NA^(a)
Office—central services (megajoules per square metre)	400	326	323	NA^(a)

(a) Stationary energy reporting for 2018–19 is unavailable prior to finalising the annual report. The department’s energy reporting is in line with the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007.

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