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Current Control Measures in Australia

Table 1 - Summary of Air Quality Controls in Australia

Location	Pollutants	Present Controls
Outdoor	Criteria Pollutants	National standards and monitoring protocols established under the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality for the criteria pollutants: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, lead and particles.
	Air toxics	Varying levels of control by States and Territories with no uniform national approach. (National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Toxics is under development for five air toxics: benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene and xylenes.)
Workplace	Air pollutants	Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation relating to occupational health and safety (www.nohsc.gov.au)
Indoor (other than workplace)	Air pollutants	National guidelines are available for some individual indoor air pollutants.

National actions

The National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) for Ambient Air Quality was agreed in 1998 and it established Australia's first national standards for the six criteria pollutants in outdoor (or ambient) air. The States and Territories are required to achieve these standards within 10 years. This NEPM can be downloaded at www.nepc.gov.au.

At present, there are no national standards for air toxics in outdoor air and no national standards for either criteria pollutants or air toxics in indoor air in the non-workplace environment. The National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) has directed that a new National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) for ambient air toxics be developed and this work is currently under way. Ongoing reviews of the Air Quality NEPM are also planned.

The quality of indoor air in the workplace (both industrial and non-industrial) is already managed under occupational health and safety legislation. There are no similar mechanisms in place for non-workplace indoor air environments. State and Territory occupational health and safety practices often draw upon guidance and standards developed by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission.

Certain codes (such as the Building Code of Australia available at bcaonline.abcb.gov.au), standards (such as those developed by Standards Australia) and guidelines¹ (such as the national health guidelines prepared by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council) apply to indoor air quality in general. Please refer to Where to Get More Information for contact details.

The National Environment Protection Council is comprised of State and Territory Ministers. It is a statutory law making body which: makes National Environment Protection Measures; and assesses and reports on their implementation and effectiveness. National Environment Protection Measures (NEPMs) are legally binding instruments that outline agreed national objectives for protecting particular parts of the environment. A NEPM typically contains a goal, standards and/or guidelines. The standards in a NEPM specify quantifiable limits. For example, in the NEPM for Ambient Air Quality, the standard for lead expressed as a maximum concentration is 0.50 mg/m3 (or half of one millionth of a gram of lead in a cubic metre of air) averaged over one year. For further information on NEPMs, see www.nepc.gov.au.

States and Territories

In Australia, the States and Territories have responsibility for the day-to-day management and monitoring of air quality. Over several decades, they have successfully lowered the emissions of air pollutants-criteria pollutants and air toxics.

Each State and Territory has developed its own approach to managing air toxics and each has made major advances over the past few decades.

Most approaches emphasise cooperation with industry. They are based on performance and focus on the prevention or minimisation of emissions through cleaner production and pollution control measures. Enforcement mechanisms include licensing, limits on discharges, works approvals for potential pollution sources, and notices issued to control pollution from premises. More information can be obtained from your local environment agency.

Each State and Territory has an air quality management plan or policy. Several of the States and Territories are taking steps to integrate air quality management into urban transport and land use planning.

The extent to which air toxics in outdoor air are being monitored varies between the various States and Territories. Some have well-established air toxics monitoring programs but the approaches used differ, making it difficult to compare results between jurisdictions.

Examples of State Achievements in Controlling Air Toxics

New South Wales

New South Wales has successfully reduced hydrocarbon emissions in summer months through a Memorandum of Understanding between the oil companies and the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, whereby the companies agreed to provide low volatility petrol. During the summer of 1998-99, hydrocarbon emissions were reduced by 35 tonnes per day and in 1999-2000 by 42 tonnes per day.

Victoria

In Victoria, campaign monitoring of air toxics conducted near hot spots, such as near industrial complexes or at road sides, have shown that Melbourne's air toxic levels are low and well within international guidelines. Measurements of air toxics in Melbourne's central business district show that by 1997 the levels of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene had been reduced to about one-third of their 1983 levels. These improvements have been attributed to the introduction of regulatory controls over a wide range of industrial emissions, backyard burning, and to cleaner motor vehicles and fuels.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria revised the State Environment Protection Policy (Air Quality Management) in December 2001. The changes made should further enhance Victoria's air quality.

Western Australia

The Government introduced regulations, effective from 1 January 2000, designed to reduce emissions of benzene and volatile organic compounds.

At the major refinery in the State, volatile organic compound emissions were reduced by 81 per cent between 1994 and 2000. This was achieved by auditing fugitive emissions and by undertaking a program to reduce tankage, process fugitive and sewer emissions.

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