Portfolio Budget Statements 2004-2005

Human settlements Environmental protection at uranium mines in the Alligator Rivers Region (ARR)

Human settlements, principally cities and towns but including mining and indigenous settlements, are where most Australians live, where 95% work and 90% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product is generated.

In recognition of this, the Australian Government has put in place a number of policies and programmes to ensure that our human settlements are on the path to sustainable development. While a number of relevant activities are outlined here, this output has significant cross linkages with activities in other outputs, such as 1.1 Atmosphere, 1.2 Biodiversity and 1.4 Environmental Assessment and Approvals.

In 2004, the Year of the Built Environment, the Australian Government continues to demonstrate leadership in the development and implementation of initiatives that improve the sustainability of our major cities and towns. In the 2003 04 Budget, the Government announced the five year Sustainable Cities Programme. This programme funds a range of activities to ensure an understanding of, and action for, sustainable Australian cities into the future.

In 2004-05 under the Sustainable Cities Programme, the Government will continue the development of national standards and increased compliance and enforcement activities across a range of issues with an urban focus including air quality, the management and control of chemicals and industrial residues, and green building standards. The Government will also prepare a response to the current House of Representatives Inquiry into Sustainable Cities 2025.

By working with our state and territory government and industry partners, the Australian Government will continue to support strategies that are targeted at protecting the environment through the sustainable management of priority national wastes, such as plastic bags, used tyres and electrical and electronic scrap.

Addressing the generation, use and release of chemicals into the environment is a significant challenge for the future sustainability of human settlements. Of particular concern is household use of chemicals, as these are used widely but householders often have little information or knowledge about what chemicals are in the products they use, what risks to the environment they may pose or how they should be disposed of. The Government has in place a national framework to ensure that the environmental risks of agricultural, veterinary and industrial chemicals, other hazardous chemicals such as dioxins, genetically modified organisms and other biological agents are reduced.

Our work to reduce the impact of industrial activity on the environment extends to supervising the environmental management of uranium mining in the ARR of the Northern Territory, to ensure that the environment in this sensitive area remains protected.

The position of Supervising Scientist was established in 1978 under the Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978 to conduct research on the impact of uranium mining on the environment of the Alligator Rivers Region and to supervise the regulation of uranium mining in the region on behalf of the Australian Government.

To assist the Supervising Scientist perform his role, the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist (ERISS) and the Office of the Supervising Scientist (OSS) were established.

The ERISS conducts research into the impact of uranium mining on the environment and people of the ARR, and on the protection and management of wetlands. The ERISS also conducts routine monitoring of uranium mining to provide independent assessment of environmental impact. OSS carries out audit and policy functions. OSS also works in conjunction with the Northern Territory Government, which is responsible for the regulation of mining operations in the ARR.

The Supervising Scientist also provides advice on mining and nuclear issues, and contributes to the development of national and international environmental policy on these and other environmental issues as requested.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The Australian Government's medium term strategic priorities for Output 1.6 are to:

Improving the sustainability of our human settlements requires collective participation of all levels of Government, the community and industry.

The Environment Protection and Heritage Council is developing national frameworks to develop and implement national environment and heritage protection policy solutions to a number of national issues impacting on sustainability. The Australian Government will continue through 2004-05 to work with the Council on urban air and water issues, developing safe and sustainable approaches to chemicals and their use, and tackling national priority wastes.

Initiatives to be progressed this year include implementing a water efficiency labelling scheme and associated minimum product standards, developing better management of chemicals to reduce their environmental impacts, and action on priority waste streams, such as plastic bags. Retailers have voluntarily agreed to reduce plastic bag usage by 25% (1.75 billion bags) by the end of 2004, with a further reduction of 50% by end 2005.

As industry has an important role in working towards sustainability, the Government continues to place a high importance on partnership approaches with this sector to protect and conserve the environment. Partnerships with industry include 12 current eco efficiency agreements (with 33 industry associations), the Government's Environment Industry Action Agenda and the National Packaging Covenant, which aims to reduce packaging through the product supply chain. The Covenant, which was due to expire in July 2004, has been temporarily extended to allow for consultation and consideration of a successor arrangement.

Hazardous chemicals can have a significant impact on our environment if their production, use and/or disposal are not managed appropriately. The Australian Government continues to take a full life cycle approach to their management, where appropriate in cooperation with states and territories, to ensure that the environmental impacts of these substances are reduced.

It does this by having effective systems that identify the potential risks of their exposure to the environment, providing governments, industry and the community with the right tools to reduce and manage those risks. Fulfilling this function, the Department of the Environment and Heritage provides to Government regulatory agencies expert advice on the environmental impacts of agricultural, veterinary and industrial chemicals, and genetically modified organisms.

Australia will also ensure that its international obligations with respect to chemicals management are fully met. This includes continuing to enforce the Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989, which gives effect to the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal. This Act ensures that the export, import and transit of hazardous waste are managed in an environmental sound manner.

The Government will also implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent for the International Trade in Hazardous Waste, both coming into force during 2004. The three conventions (Stockholm, Rotterdam and Basel) together provide a significant international framework governing the environmentally sound management of hazardous chemicals.

Research into the environmental impacts of uranium mining in the ARR is essential to ensure that the surrounding environment is fully protected and any impacts are minimised. To ensure that a robust and complete research programme is put in place, the Australian Government has established the Alligator Rivers Regions Technical Committee (ARRTC). The ARRTC has the responsibility of advising the Government on an appropriate research programme, and ERISS must consult with the it in finalising its research priorities for the year.

EFFECTIVENESS IN DELIVERING THE OUTPUT

Effectiveness Indicator: The sustainability of Australia's human settlements

The sustainability of our human settlements as one entity is impossible to measure. As such, activities that are contributing to working towards sustainability of Australia's human settlements are presented. For example, the waste oil programme aims to improve the sustainable use of oil products through recovery, recycling and reuse, and the number of environmental risk assessments of chemicals provides an indication as to the reduction in risk new and existing chemicals will have on the environment.

Graph 1.6.1 Volume of waste oil collected nationally under the Product Stewardship for Oil Programme each year.

Graph 1.6.1 indicates the amount of oil collected under the Product Stewardship for Oil Programme. The data is provided by the Australian Taxation Office (who administers the Programme on behalf of the Department) and is based on when the benefit payments are made to recyclers of used oil. Industry estimates that only 150-165 million litres of used oil was being recycled prior to the implementation of the Programme (on 1 January 2001).

Graph 1.6.2 Total number of companies signatory to the National Packaging Covenant

The National Packaging Covenant is the leading instrument for managing packaging waste in Australia. It is designed to reduce waste from packaging going to landfill, minimising the environmental impacts of consumer packaging waste throughout the entire life cycle of the packaging product.

Graph 1.6.3 Number of environmental risk assessments of industrial and agricultural and veterinary chemicals undertaken each year

The Department undertakes environmental risk assessments of chemicals on behalf of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS). These assessments (Graph 1.6.3) ensure that potential adverse environmental impacts of new and existing agricultural, veterinary and industrial chemicals are reduced.

Environmental protection at uranium mines in the Alligator Rivers Region (ARR)

Effectiveness Indicator: The ARR environment is protected from the impacts of uranium mining

Graph 1.6.4 shows the median and maximum concentrations of uranium measured downstream of the Ranger mine during three years of monitoring by the Supervising Scientist. Co-operative management of water quality leaving the Ranger mine resulted in uranium concentrations in the downstream environment well below (less than 5 % on most occasions and less than 20% at the most) the ecotoxicological limit of 5.8 µg/L set by the Supervising Scientist. By meeting the limit, based on environmental protection criteria, the higher criteria for human protection (the drinking water guideline is 20 µg/L) is also met.

Graph 1.6.4 Ranger median and maximum annual uranium concentrations as a percentage of the limit (5.8µg/L) downstream of mine-site.

PERFORMANCE IN DELIVERY OF DEPARTMENTAL OUTPUTS

*Sub-output Human settlements*
Programme administration	Quantity	Number of projects/activities approved under each programme.
	Quality	Extent to which (self-imposed, Ministerial or external) timeframes are met.
	Quality	Accurate and timely payment of monies.
	Quality	Degree to which projects, activities, agreements/plans contribute to the output.
Statutory administration	Quantity	Extent to which statutory timeframes are met under legislation.
	Quantity	Number of permits considered (granted and refused) under legislation. .
	Quality	Extent to which stakeholders meet legislative requirements.
Policy advising, ministerial and parliamentary	Quality	Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of briefs provided by the Department.
	Quality	Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of draft ministerial correspondence by the Department.
International	Quantity	Percentage of written pre meeting objectives at international meetings achieved.
	Quality	Extent to which Australia's strategic objectives is achieved through international fora.
Stakeholder awareness	Quantity	Information and education products distributed to stakeholders (measured by website hits, information material distributed, etc).
Research, analysis and evaluation	Quantity	Number of research reports, articles and papers prepared and publicly released.
Price – Human settlements		$19.543m
*Sub-output Environmental protection at uranium mines in the Alligator Rivers Region*
Statutory administration	Quantity	Extent to which statutory timeframes are met under legislation.
	Quantity	Number of permits/applications considered (granted and refused) under legislation.
	Quantity	Number of plans/arrangements assessed under legislation.
	Quality	Extent to which stakeholders meet legislative requirements.
Policy advising, ministerial and parliamentary	Quality	Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of briefs provided by the Department.
	Quality	Minister is satisfied with the timeliness and quality of draft ministerial correspondence by the Department.
International	Quantity	Percentage of written pre meeting objectives at international meetings achieved.
Stakeholder awareness	Quantity	Information and education products distributed to stakeholders (measured by website hits, information material distributed, etc).
Research, analysis and evaluation	Quantity	Number of research reports, articles and papers prepared and publicly released.
Price - Environmental protection at uranium mines in the Alligator Rivers Region		$7.426m
Total Price Output 1.6		$26.969m

Portfolio budget statements

Part C - Agency Budget Statements (continued)
Department of the Environment and Heritage (continued)

Section 2 - Outcomes and Outputs Information Outcome 1 - Environment (continued)
Performance Information for Departmental Outputs - Output 1.6 Human settlements

SUB OUTPUT:

EFFECTIVENESS STATEMENT

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