23 June
2006 - Australian and New Zealand environment
ministers and the Australian Local Government
Association today agreed that air quality, waste
management and water recycling are key issues
for the coming year.
The Council also announced a
review of the National Environment Protection
Council Act 1994 to ensure its relevancy to emerging
environment issues.
Ministers did not support the
Australian Government’s proposal for a national
code on windfarms.
State and Territory Ministers called on the Australian
Government not to pass laws to overturn State
or Territory laws that prohibit nuclear activities
or to amend the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act to allow the approval of nuclear
power plants.
Council agreed that there should
be mandatory reporting and public disclosure of
greenhouse gas emissions and agreed to release
a draft Variation to the National Pollutant Inventory
National Environment Protection Measure for public
consultation which includes reporting on greenhouse
gas emissions.
Ministers noted progress made in plastic bag reduction
and reaffirmed the Council’s resolution to phase
out lightweight, single-use plastic bags by the
end of 2008. The Council agreed to progress work
on nationally-consistent regulatory options. The
Council called for retailers to continue to work
to meet bag reduction targets and to sign up to
the National Packaging Covenant.
In recognition of significant
environmental impacts and a $50 million per year
cost to the community, Council committed to national
action to encourage community involvement in reducing
the billions of cigarette butts littered in Australia
every year.
As part of its continued commitment
to water issues, the Council agreed to bring forward
the release of phase one of the National Water
Recycling Guidelines and agreed to accelerate
the development of phase two of the guidelines
and to explore with industry and other stakeholders
whether the absence of national product standards
for water recycling equipment is inhibiting investment
in recycling schemes.
Ministers addressed chemical
and air quality issues, focusing on diesel vehicle
emissions, managing risks from chemicals and from
air pollution, to ensure a more sustainable and
breathable future.
Ministers said that they looked
forward to working with ministerial colleagues
from other Ministerial Councils to progress their
forward looking agenda.
EPHC Strategic Plan 2006–08:
A vision for the future
The Council announced its new
strategic plan which will focus sharply on improving
the quality of our urban environment. The plan
builds on the substantial progress the Council
has made over the last four years in tackling
key environmental issues, such as air and water
pollution, heritage tourism, water recycling,
the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme
and Australia’s concerted approach to managing
waste. The Council will work with other Ministerial
Councils including with the Council of Australian
Government on its environment reform agenda.
National Environment Protection
Council Act 1994 review
Ten years on from its implementation,
Ministers have initiated a second review of the
National Environment Protection Council Act 1994
to ensure that the Act remains relevant to fast-changing
and constantly evolving environmental issues and
meets the future strategic requirements of the
Council.
Plastic bags
Council noted progress made
in plastic bag reduction and reaffirmed the Councils
resolution to phase out lightweight, single-use
plastic bags by the end of 2008. The Council agreed
to progress work on nationally-consistent regulatory
options, including a ban, a government levy, advanced
disposal fee and retailer¡¯s charge
on bags. It was noted that the Australian Government
reiterated its opposition to any government levy.
The Council called for retailers to continue to
work to meet bag reduction targets and to sign
up to the National Packaging Covenant. The Council
will continue to work with the Australian National
Retailers Association and other industry groups
in the lead-up to the phase-out.
Product Stwardship - managing products from cradle
to grave
National Packaging Covenant
Ministers urged industry to help minimise the
environmental impacts of consumer packaging. Ministers
also finalised the application trigger for the
Used Packaging Materials National Environment
Protection Measure (NEPM *). Brand owners with
annual revenue of less than $5 million will be
exempt from enforcement activity.
National Co-Regulatory Framework
Ministers welcomed the good progress on the development
of a generic product stewardship NEPM , with work
being done to establish product stewardship arrangements
for the tyre and television industries. A regulatory
impact statement for the new NEPM will be made
available for public consultation in late 2006.
Ministers directed their officials to report on
regulatory options for product stewardship for
computers at the November 2006 EPHC meeting, noting
that this area presents significant challenges,
given the structure of the industry.
Cigarette butt litter - time
to butt out
The Council has committed to
national action to encourage the community to
reduce the growing environmental problem of cigarette
butt litter. Butt litter has the potential to
impact significantly on the environment through
tobacco remnants, papers and chemical residues
including cadmium, lead and zinc. Every year Australians
discard billions of cigarette butts and spend
$50 million cleaning them up.
National guidelines for water recycling - phase
one release
Water was confirmed as a Council
priority with Ministers agreeing to release phase
one of the National Guidelines for Water Recycling
through an out-of-session endorsement with the
Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council
and the Australian Health Ministers Conference.
Phase one of the guidelines covers reuse of treated
sewage effluent and grey water, and is being developed
as part of the National Water Initiative.
Ministers agreed to accelerate
the development of phase two of the guidelines
and to explore with industry and other stakeholders
whether the absence of national product standards
for water recycling equipment is inhibiting investment
in recycling schemes. Phase 2 will cover stormwater
reuse, managed aquifer recharge and recycled water
for drinking.
The Council agreed to recommend
to the Council of Australian Governments the adoption
of mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions
and energy data by companies. The recommended
approach included:
• thresholds applied at the company level in the
order of 25 000 tonnes of CO2 or 100 terajoules
of energy
• collation of data at the facility level and
public disclosure at a company level, and
• streamlined reporting of greenhouse and energy
data including a rationalised national entry point
for business and a standardised reporting data
set.
Council noted that the Australian Government will
continue to consult with the States and industry
stakeholders, and will establish its position
on this issue in the context of COAG.
Environment risk management framework - managing
chemicals better
More than 40 000 chemicals are
currently in use in Australia, and managing the
environmental impacts of these chemicals is a
significant challenge. In recognition of this
challenge, the Council has announced the public
release of a discussion paper on how to manage
the impact of chemicals on the environment more
effectively. This paper is a step towards a more
comprehensive and streamlined approach to regulating
the environmental impacts of chemicals.
National Pollutant Inventory
NEPM Draft Variation for public comment
Council approved the release for public consultation
of a draft Variation to the National Pollutant
Inventory National Environment Protection Measure,
an impact statement and associated reports. This
variation is designed to improve the effectiveness
and breadth of the inventory to include the reporting
of transfers of NPI substances in waste and of
greenhouse gas emissions and other matters identified
in the 2005 NPI Review Report. The proposed changes
will also align the Australian NPI with similar
overseas registers. The views of stakeholders,
particularly on the inclusion of greenhouse gases,
will be sought through public forums in all capital
cities. Written submissions are encouraged.
Greenhouse gas reporting and
disclosure pilot programme Ministers received
with interest a report on the outcomes of the
Greenhouse Gas Reporting and Disclosure Pilot,
undertaken by Victoria in conjunction with all
states and territories. Council noted the valuable
contribution the project has made to decision-making
on reporting and making this information available
at the national level.
Air quality — time to breathe easier
Strategic issues in air quality
New Zealand and Australia welcomed the opportunity
to share experiences in managing priority air
quality issues.
Diesel Vehicle Emission NEPM Review
While recognising recent improvements made in
fuel quality and new vehicle emissions standards,
the Council continues to be concerned at the disproportionately
high contribution that diesel vehicles make to
air pollution. To address this concern, Council
announced a review of the National Environment
Protection (Diesel Vehicle Emissions)
Measure to ensure it adequately reflects changes
to the proportion of Australia’s diesel vehicles
compared with other vehicles, the availability
of new technologies and experience gained in implementing
this measure.
Ambient Air Quality NEPM Review
Ministers agreed to initiate a review of the Ambient
Air Quality NEPM , which includes air quality
standards based on the protection of human health.
The review will consider the latest national and
international trends in air quality policy and
monitoring as well as the most recent information
on the health risks posed by air pollution. The
review is due to be completed in 2008, and resulting
changes to the NEPM will ensure that Australia
has the most current and effective policy framework
to protect human health from exposure to air pollution.
Air Toxics Tier 2
The Council endorsed a methodology to prioritise
air toxics for possible inclusion in the Air Toxics
NEPM when it is reviewed in 2008. The methodology
ranks pollutants according to the impact of exposure
on health and the amount of the pollutant in the
air. This ranking will also help states and territories
to prioritise actions to address the pollutants
of most concern.
Heritage - a cooperative National
Heritage agenda
Ministers agreed to pursue a
Cooperative National Heritage Agenda, a package
of initiatives that will include data gathering
and new internet-based heritage information to
help ensure that Australia’s national, state and
local heritage systems work together seamlessly.
National code for windfarms
Ministers agreed that a national
code for windfarms is not required, with the Australian
Government recording an alternative view. Ministers
also noted the Australian Wind Energy Association
(AusWIND) Best Practice Guidelines for Implementation
of Wind Energy Projects in Australia and its expectation
that developers will comply with the guidelines.
Nuclear power in Australia
Ministers called upon the Australian
Government not to pass a law that overturns a
State or Territory law(s) making prescribed nuclear
activities illegal and not allow the construction
of a nuclear facility on Commonwealth land in
a State or Territory where that prescribed nuclear
activity would be illegal under State or Territory
legislation. Ministers also called on the Australian
Government not to amend the Environment Protection
Biodiversity Conservation Act to allow the approval
of nuclear power plants.
Ministers noted the Australian
Government’s view that the debate was welcomed,
but that these resolutions are premature given
the Prime Minister’s taskforce headed by Dr Ziggy
Switkowski is currently reviewing issues surrounding
uranium mining, processing and nuclear energy.
About the EPHC
The Environment Protection and
Heritage Council is made up of ministers from
all states and territories, as well as the Australian,
New Zealand and Papua New Guinea governments and
the Australian Local Government Association. It
aims to ensure that governments work together
with communities to achieve and enhance a healthy
natural and cultural environment in harmony with
social and economic goals.
*NEPM s are broad framework-setting
statutory instruments defined in the National
Environment Protection Council Act 1994. They
outline national objectives for protecting or
managing particular aspects of the environment
and are agreed to by the National Environment
Protection Council which comprises Australian,
state and territory governments.
