Publications

Our performance at a glance

This section summarises our key performance indicators. Additional detail on each of these indicators is provided in relevant sections of the rest of this report. A list of abbreviations used can be found at the end of this report.

Environmental outcomes

• Retained ISO14001 certification of our Environmental Management System (EMS).
• Purchased 100% accredited greenpower for our office tenant light and power at the John Gorton Building.
• Recycled 97 375 kg of paper, 22 225 kg of comingled recyclables, 22 060 kg of organic waste, 171 kg of printer & toner cartridges and 173 kg of fluorescent tubes.
• Reduced our combined gross greenhouse emissions to 530 tonnes of CO₂e, through better management of our energy use, fleet and waste. Our net emissions (after offsets) were 388 tonnes. If we had not undertaken our EMS initiatives, our business as usual emissions would be 1821 tonnes, or almost five times our current net emissions.
• Caught and reused grey water in the John Gorton Building. Flow reduction devices, leak reporting and water efficient appliances all help to reduce our consumption of potable mains water.
• Reduced our paper consumption to 15.08 reams per person per year (around 30 sheets per person per day), by using electronic circulation of press clips and duplex trays for all printers. This is down from approximately 45 sheets per person per day in 2002. We purchase recycled paper for our internal copying and printing.

Social outcomes

• Employed 1340 staff (78% in the Australian Capital Territory), with 74% full-time ongoing.
• Achieved a total staff turnover rate (gross) of 24.6%, which is a slight increase on the 2002–03 rate of 24.15%. Seasonal employment in Parks Australia makes a significant contribution to this figure.
• Made flexible working arrangements available to staff, including a variety of leave types and part-time work.
• Lost 2.44% of available working hours for every 100 working days through staff being on sick leave (with or without a doctor’s certificate).

Economic outcomes

• Spent $41.4 million on suppliers for the provision of goods and services.
• Paid over 90% of invoices within 30 days of receipt.
• Paid Department of the Environment and Heritage staff a total of $90.6 million in wages and related benefits.

Staff profile

During 2003–04, the typical Department of the Environment and Heritage employee:

• produced 559 kg of greenhouse gas from a working year, or 409 kg after offsets
• used 30 sheets of paper a day
• consumed 28 litres of water per day (at work)
• was aged 40 years or over
• was female
• worked full-time as an ongoing employee
• took 6.4 days of sick leave
• Used small airlines for 23.1 per cent of Canberra-Sydney travel.