Publications

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• Environmental Performance Review: Australia - Conclusions and recommendations (PDF - 109 KB)

About the review

On 19 March 2008, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts launched the OECD Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Australia.

The EPR of Australia assesses environmental management efforts at national, state and territory and local government levels. It is the second OECD review of Australia - the first was finalised in 1998.

Overall, the EPR provides an encouraging assessment of Australia's efforts. It makes 45 recommendations for future progress. The conclusions and recommendations are presented against three broad themes:

1. Environmental management (strengthening implementation; water; air; biodiversity);
2. Towards sustainable development (environment, economic and social integration; agriculture);
3. International commitments and cooperation.

Preparations for the EPR commenced in 2005. An OECD review team, comprising experts from Austria, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, came to Australia in 2006. They conducted site visits and sought the views of a wide range of stakeholders, including Commonwealth, State, Territory and Local Governments, industry, the non-government sector, the Indigenous community and research organisations. They also collected and analysed a large number of policy and other documents relating to Australia's environmental management.