Jennie George (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Environment and Heritage) Share this | Hansard source

I take the opportunity today to make some further comments on the report Review of green office procurement audit, a report undertaken by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Heritage as part of its inquiry into establishing a national sustainability charter. The report covers the findings and recommendations made by the Australian National Audit Office in its cross-portfolio audit on the implementation, or at times lack thereof, of sustainable practices across 71 government agencies. That report was tabled in the House in February this year.

As the chair of the committee has indicated, the audit report identified a number of significant shortcomings. Half of the agencies, for example, did not have any environmental performance targets. Critical to this failure, in the view of the ANAO, was the slow implementation of environmental management systems. The report notes that performance in managing motor vehicle emissions, reducing or recycling general office waste and conserving water has been variable across the 71 agencies, and in the majority of cases in the findings the outcomes were poor. The audit identified an absence of specific requirements in waste management and water conservation and identified shortcomings in agencies meeting the government’s stated objective that these agencies should be at the forefront of environmental purchasing practices.

In all, the ANAO made 16 recommendations to improve performance in sustainable office practices. Its final recommendation to the department sought to strengthen the sustainability framework for Australian government operations. It recommends the department pursue a number of strategies to achieve best practice green office procurement in energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management and general practices by a suggested range of strategies such as updating or introducing targets and policies to reflect commitments in each area; developing a comprehensive website and communication strategy to achieve the targets; and, very importantly, better monitoring and reporting against performance targets and progress being made towards sustainability goals.

It was clear from the ANAO report that the current piecemeal approach of this government to green procurement is hindering the development of a practical and coordinated approach to sustainable procurement practices across the breadth of government agencies. The department, in response to these recommendations, does propose to develop a strategic framework for public sector environmental performance. No such framework currently exists.

The House of Representatives committee recognises that procurement activities of all levels of government can have a significant impact on environmental outcomes. It is crucial that governments at all levels encourage and require of their agencies procurement policies that take into account and minimise negative environmental impacts. The significant shortcomings identified by the Audit Office in its review of green office procurement highlight the need for comprehensive policy, targets and practical guidelines if government agencies themselves are to improve their environmental performance. The House of Representatives committee was chaired by my colleague Mal Washer, the member for Moore. The committee indicated quite clearly that many of the shortcomings that are identified in this report can and should be addressed within the context of our mission to develop a sustainability charter for Australia.

We are indeed indebted to the ANAO for its comprehensive audit. The committee was concerned by the findings of significant shortcomings in the green procurement performance of this government and its agencies and the lack of a clear policy framework to drive better outcomes in the future. We trust the Minister for the Environment and Heritage and his department will very speedily rectify these obvious shortcomings.

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