THE AUSTRALIAN

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

environment
YEARBOOK 2011
®

ISBN 9781 921345 15 9

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 contents
| contents |

3 minister’s introduction
5 green collar
14 best practice
32 recycling
34 climate change
36 community
Editor-in-Chief: Ric Navarro
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44 infrastructure

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The Australian Local Government Environment
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2 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011


Minister’s introduction
As Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government,
I am acutely aware of the vital role local councils and shires play in maintaining the
environmental health and sustainability of our local communities.
Anthony Albanese
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional
Development and Local Government
cross the country, local
A governments are faced with
short and long-term
environmental challenges
such as natural resource
management, waste and recycling,
water use, coastal erosion,
greenhouse gas emissions and urban
congestion.
Over the past 12 months, these
challenges have been played out
against the pressing backdrops of
climate change and a global economic
downturn through the global financial
crisis.
Through the $1 billion Regional
and Local Community Infrastructure
Program, the $40 million National Bike
Paths Projects and the $176 million
Better Regions Program, the
Australian Government has partnered
with councils, shires and community
groups to deliver more than 5,000
community infrastructure projects to
enhance the long-term liveability –
social and environmental –
of communities large and small, and
to support local jobs during the
economic downturn.
2009 also saw the Australian spirit
come to the fore as communities and
emergency services battled Australia’s
worst ever bushfire in Victoria, whilst
towns in northern New South Wales
and Queensland were flood-stricken.
These natural disasters are stark
reminders of the fragility of our
environment and the critical need for
collaborative action at all levels of
government; federal, state and local.
The need for collaborative action is
set to dramatically increase with the
needs of a growing nation.
This presents obvious challenges
for governments to service
communities while protecting the
environment and our quality of life.
However, with forethought and
strategic planning these challenges
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 3
| minister’s introduction |
can be turned into opportunities.
The Rudd Labor Government
came to office with a vision for the
future and we have been putting in
place the building blocks to achieve
this vision.
We have established Regional
Development Australia – the first truly
tripartite partnership between the
Australian, state and territory, and
local governments to support the
growth and development of Australia’s
regions – including the protection of
our environmental wealth.
In the tradition of federal Labor
governments, we have also renewed
engagement with our nation’s cities
and have established the Major Cities
Unit to advise government on issues
of urban policy, planning and
infrastructure.
The Australian Government will
work with all levels of government –
through the COAG Cities Taskforce,
the Major Cities Unit, and the
Australian Council of Local
Government, to secure the future of
our cities. 
How we plan and shape our cities,
right down to the neighbourhood level,
is critical for our quality of life and our
economic and environmental
sustainability.
I have been impressed by the
innovation and thoughtfulness on
environmental issues shown by
entrants in the 2010 National Awards
for Local Government, yet again
evidence of what local government is
achieving in this vital field. I look
forward to building on the new
partnership we have forged with local
government to achieve the very best
for our communities.
Anthony Albanese
Minister for Infrastructure,
Transport, Regional Development
and Local Government
Hj 1429

Skills for Green Jobs in Australia
This is a summary of the report ‘Skills for Green Jobs in Australia’ by the Workplace
Research Centre at the University of Sydney.
he Green Jobs Initiative, and the attached ‘Skills for
T Green Jobs’ project by the International Labour
Organisation (ILO), is a new multi-country project
researching the key challenges and priorities for
climate change mitigation and adaptation including skills
development.
Jointly sponsored by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), the International Employers
Organization (IOE) and the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC), the Green Jobs Initiative is intended
to support efforts by governments, employers and trade
unions to promote environmentally sustainable jobs and
developments in a climate challenged world (ILO Skills for
Green Jobs terms of reference 2009,1).
Amidst global recognition of the need to transition
quickly to a carbon-constrained future, Australia’s unique
combination of natural endowments, historical development
of industry and trade, and social trends, point to imminent
and critical policy questions. The scope of those questions
extends beyond the basic issues of ecological sustainability,
to economic and social sustainability.
Green Shoots?
In the absence of a coherent and nationally co-ordinated
climate change policy agenda in Australia, there has been a
| green collar |
proliferation of responses at the state levels. This has
produced a fragmented system of different state
government and industry-led initiatives targeting emissions-
reductions, improved energy efficiency, and promotion of
renewable energy alternatives.
The lack of coordination at the federal level has
underpinned years of often innovative but poorly integrated
State and private sector initiatives, a system that has
resulted in overlapping programs, fragmented objectives,
and unclear signals for students, consumers, businesses
and industries considering the ‘green skills’ imperative.
The current environmental sustainability agenda is
undergoing a period of transition, which might be thought of
as ‘green shoots’ rather than a fully fledged policy
transformation.
In addition, state renewable energy target schemes have
been replaced by an expanded national Renewable Energy
Target Scheme that requires 20 per cent of electricity be
sourced from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Green Jobs
The dynamic nature of the green jobs concept makes
classification/measurement extremely difficult. The United
Nations Environment Programme’s current definition of
‘green jobs’ is:
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 5
 “…work in agriculture, industry, services and
| green collar |
administration that contributes to preserving or restoring the
quality of the environment while also meeting requirements
of decent work – adequate wages, safe conditions, workers
rights, social dialogue and social protection.” (UNEP, ILO,
IOE, ITUC 2008).
Given the pace of technological change, is today’s
standard of efficiency for changes in business practices,
occupations and production methods likely to be adequate
for tomorrow? How do we disaggregate the ‘green’ from
the traditional components of manufacturing, plumbing or
the electrical trades? How do we capture the nature of
green jobs which focus increasingly on whole-of-process
environmental protection, rather than an historical focus on
the end-of-process clean-up of waste and pollutants, or the
recent focus on the renewable energy sector?
Green skill response to the economic crisis
On 30 July, 2009, the Prime Minister announced the ‘Clean
Sustainable Skills Package’ which provides opportunities for
50,000 young or disadvantaged Australians to acquire the
skills and training they will need for emerging green. The
Clean Sustainable Skills Package includes the following
elements:
• 30,000 apprentices will graduate over the next two
years with qualifications that include clean and green
skills;
• 10,000 unemployed 17 to 24 year olds will be able to
access a 26-week environmental work experience and
training program through the National Green Jobs Corps
initiative;
• 4,000 training opportunities will be made available for
6 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
insulation installers upon completion of their
employment in this field;
• 6,000 new local green jobs are allowing unemployed
Australians to contribute to environmental sustainability
in priority local communities.
Climate change policy – skills development strategy
The policy context for skills and green workforce
development has, until recently, lacked coherence and been
characterised by fragmented state and national initiatives.
As a result, both the demand for, and supply of, ‘green
skills’ in the Australian economy has been inadequately
analysed and coordinated. For example, government
initiatives that pay rebates on solar panel installations in
order to stimulate consumer demand have not been
coordinated with investment in the development of new
technologies.
Uncertainty around feed-in tariffs particularly for
commercial scale solar systems, and a lack of education
programs to assist the supply of skills are also limiting
capacity to meet solar installation demand. Some of the
issues with growing this supply of green skills include the
lack of availability of relevant training courses, the lack of
teaching resources to disseminate green skills knowledge,
and lack of policy coordination which would support uptake
of green skills training and greater certainty around the
demand for green skills and technologies.
Significant initiatives are also underway in the state of
New South Wales, where the ‘Green Skills NSW Strategy’
(NSW Department of Education and Training, 2008) has
prioritised ‘green’ workforce development and business
opportunities, amongst numerous other sustainability
programs. Key among these NSW environmental programs The key result from a study by the Washington State

| green collar |
is the $340m Climate Change Fund, which includes $20m Employment Security Department (2009) was that ‘green
earmarked for energy efficiency training for trades and jobs’ are concentrated in a small number of industry
professionals to ensure the NSW workforce has the skills classifications and occupational titles. The study obtained
required to implement environmental measures. The Fund responses from 9,500 employers in relation to directly
also encompasses broader initiatives such as the NSW employed ‘green’ employees, their job titles and associated
Energy Efficiency Strategy and Renewable Energy qualifications, and identified four core areas of direct green
Development Fund. employment – energy efficiency, renewable energy, pollution
Skills coordination at a national level is being greatly reduction and pollution clean-up and mitigation.
assisted by the work of 11 Industry Skills Councils (ISC), The study classified ‘green jobs’ by the North American
which are mandated with identifying and responding to the Industry Classification Standards (NAICS) and these four
skills needs of their respective industries. core areas, and found that 86 per cent of all green jobs
ISCs have identified three guiding principles that existed in just six industry classifications:
underpin all VET activity in skills for sustainability1: • Specialty trades – namely trades associated with
1. Industry specific – Environmental sustainability must be residential, commercial and industrial construction;
approached in a manner that is specific to the needs of • Professional, technical and scientific services –
the job and the industry within which the employee dominated by law, engineering, accounting, advertising
works. 
2. Appropriately timed – Environmental
sustainability skill needs will emerge in an
incremental way and at different rates from
industry to industry. Those sectors affected
by compliance requirements will be primary
instigators for new developments in
technology and work practices.
3. Value adding – Workforce skill requirements
to support environmental sustainability
objectives must be carefully assessed to
determine the need for new skills and the
appropriateness of existing skills.
Environmental sustainability is clearly an
evolving field of expertise, with serious capacity
considerations in many areas requiring significant
investment in research and teaching resources.
The experience of international counterparts and
other best practice models will be important to
the growth of Australian green industries.
New Green Collar Occupations
New green collar occupations are at the frontier
of technological, regulatory, and of course,
environmental change. With technologies and
regulatory regimes in their infancy, many
occupations and their underlying skills and
training are likewise in a developmental stage.
In Australia, the regulatory environment will be and architectural firms;
underpinned by both a Renewable Energy Target, and the • Crop production;
impending Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. • Building construction;
Over 1,200 people are currently permanently employed • Waste management and remediation services, and
in the operation and maintenance of clean energy facilities, • Agricultural and forestry support activities – refers to
in addition to supporting over 7,300 indirect jobs. Their crop-harvesting services.
analysis further indicates that, in relation to existing, Within these results, 53 per cent of ‘green jobs’ were
committed and planned clean energy projects, over 2,400 identified as being within the energy efficiency sector, with
direct permanent jobs are likely to be created, with a further almost half of these jobs falling in the specialty trades
25,000 construction and indirect jobs being generated. classification. Over 30 per cent of ‘green jobs’ related to the
The pace of both private and public global investment in reduction of pollution, with strong representation in the crop
renewable energy businesses, and the changing Australian production occupational category.
regulatory environment, indicate substantial growth in these Moreover, the top 25 occupations within these ‘green’
new green collar industries and occupations. industries comprise over 74 per cent of green jobs,
dominated by a strong presence of the trades, including
Greening Existing Occupations electricians, construction labourers, carpenters,
As mentioned previously, the ‘greening’ of existing heating/airconditioning mechanics/installers, and plumbers.
occupations, such as plumbers installing solar hot water Together these accounted for around 30 per cent of total
systems or energy and water efficient systems and green employment.
appliances, or lawyers assessing the energy efficiency As an indicative measure of current skills requirements,
ratings of buildings, creates significant ambiguity when the study also recorded the educational qualifications of
seeking to define and measure ‘green jobs’. While a stock- current ‘green employees’. It found that 27 per cent of
take of Australia’s green skills and workforce capabilities is green employees required one to four years of vocational
still forthcoming, a number of international studies may help
provide indicative results.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 7

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| green collar |
training, with a further 13 per cent requiring degree or
higher qualifications.
While this study is a snapshot of ‘green jobs’ in
Washington State, it is likely that the findings relating to the
industry and occupational coverage of ‘green employment’
will be relevant to the Australian experience. In particular,
most developed economies have identified buildings as a
dominant consumer of emissions-intensive electricity
generation, and accordingly have focused initiatives
pertaining to the energy-efficient design, construction, and
performance measurement of commercial and residential
buildings.
Education and training
We have seen that where significant progress has been
made in green skilling (such as the green plumbing initiative,
or the coal mining union’s lead in tackling climate change)
leadership has been shared between employers and
unions. Greater industry collaboration will be required,
especially in new green industries as technologies are
continually changing.
We have also seen that much of the initial training
demand was met by on-the-job training. Formal training
systems are now picking up the demand and evolving
course design and curricula needs to be mapped to
qualification frameworks, accreditation schemes and
industry quality standards.
FOCUS: Green Skills Queensland
Queensland is the state most at risk in terms of mitigation
and adaptation to climate change. It is Australia’s most
carbon intensive state both in per capita and absolute
IT infrastructure professionals can make significant improvements in energy consumption and data storage footprints.
10 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
terms. This is due largely to its mineral deposits and
processing plants being central to its economic base. It also
has Australia’s most decentralised population with regional
employment relying heavily on the agricultural, mining and
tourism sectors.
The Queensland Skills Plan of 2006 introduced several
new forms of industry engagement to enable greater
industry and community ownership of skills formation.
An example of this is the Sustainable Energy Skills
Formation Strategy (SESFS). The SESFS commenced in
2008, designed to encourage more collaboration between
industry, government and the education sector in
implementing workforce strategies in the sustainable energy
industry, specifically, the energy efficient built environment.
The SESFS aims to head off labour and skill shortages by
articulating overall industry skill needs, integrated education
and training pathways, accreditation schemes and
standards, licensing and safety issues. The strategy is
comprehensive, taking into account job design and career
paths, utilisation and retention of staff and new training
approaches, and is directed by the Queensland Energy
Efficiency Industry Leaders Group (QEEILG), a group of key
industry and government stakeholders.
The Queensland Skills Plan of 2006 also introduced
‘Skill Ecosystems’ as a concept for industry engagement,
seeking to foster workplace changes in skills attraction,
development, effective utilisation and retention of skilled
workers, and promoting (with varying degrees of success)
the alignment of skills to business and community needs. It
aims to create a skilled and adaptable labour force,
promote demand-side utilisation of skills and job design,
provide opportunities for the progression of low skilled
workers, and to develop ‘high skill equilibriums’ in regions
over time.
Moving Forward
In 2009, this Industry Development Model was further
explored in a pilot process between three of the recently
created mega departments, namely Justice and Attorney
General (JAG), Department of Employment, Economic
Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and the Department
of Education and Training (DET). The training system
incorporated green skills, knowledge and technical
competencies. Supporting this holistic policy framework are
numerous initiatives, including those recently announced
such as the Queensland CleanTech Industry Development
Strategy, the Carbon Outlook Project.
One learning outcome that is emerging from the process
of dealing with ‘green’ skills is that government agencies
themselves need to acknowledge that networked
governance as occurs in service integration requires a new
set of skills within government as well as other
stakeholders. Monitoring process and relationships is
equally important in networks as monitoring numerical and
efficiency outcomes.
The relevance for green skills and green jobs is that they
are developed within an industry or regional development
process and not solely through an Education Services Skills
Model which is based on supplying pools of skills;
consequently, they are tailored to specific needs and
developed and owned by industry and/or regions.
FOCUS: NSW State Government Green Skills Strategy
The NSW State Government Green Skills Strategy is a
coordinated policy effort by the NSW government to foster
skills development and business opportunities for more
environmentally sustainable outcomes in the State. Its key
strategic elements involve allocating resources to:
• Prioritise availability and uptake of training related to
environmental sustainability, through the provision of
subsidies for accredited training;
• Build training capacity of trainers and training
organisations;
• Establish industry partnerships to identify training and
business opportunities, including the development of
new training courses and resources;
• Support business take-up of ‘green skills’ training
through an online Green Skills Business Guide and
Course Finder;
• Support additional research and data collection on
green jobs, green skills and green training; and
• Implement skills strategies for NSW government
environmental programs.
The implementation plan identifies nine priority
industries, based on their contribution to carbon emissions
and potential for the vocational education and training (VET)
sector to meet anticipated skill requirements. For each of
these industries, the NSW government has identified the
key environmental challenges and opportunities, VET-
related occupations, and specific environmental targets.
Moreover, the Green Skills Strategy outlines an action plan
for each industry. Finally, the Strategy details the underlying
‘units of competency’ to be delivered via training packages
by registered training organisations (RTO).
The Green Skills NSW Taskforce was commissioned to
advise Government on future priorities and policies that will
build on current initiatives of the Green Skills NSW Strategy.
Together with other state and national programs, a coherent
framework is being developed such that the policy
environment for businesses and industry, households and
consumers, workers, educators and students, is becoming
clearer.
1. Industry Skills Councils (2009), Environmental Sustainability – An Industry Response
Case Study: Business Analyst, Victorian Advanced Resource
| green collar |
Recovery Initiative (VARRI)
The Victorian Advanced Resource Recovery Initiative (VARRI)
is a $10 million Victorian State Government initiative aimed
at improving organic (food and garden) waste recovery in
metropolitan Melbourne. The VARRI project will facilitate the
introduction of new ‘Advanced Resource Recovery
Technologies’ (ARRTs) for processing metropolitan
Melbourne’s municipal solid waste.
The establishment of ARRT facilities will enable more waste
to be diverted from landfill, with a focus on organic waste.
Some technology solutions may offer the option of additional
sorting and separation of glass, metal and plastics from a
mixed waste stream, recovering more recyclables. Different
facilities can produce useful end products ranging from clean
renewable energy to enriched compost and fertilisers.
The important first step of the process is the development of
a business case to explore a range of ARRT options. The
business case will consider the costs and benefits of
different ARRT options from a financial, environmental and
community perspective. It is expected following the
completion of the business case, the State government will
work with local government to seek tenders, incorporating
the first two resource recovery facilities.
The establishment and operation of up to eight facilities, as
recommended in the Metropolitan Waste and Resource
Recovery Strategic Plan is expected to lead to around 250
permanent jobs over the next five to ten years, in addition to
indirect jobs in areas such as construction, supply chain,
and marketing. Each facility is expected to have a lifetime of
25 years. It is envisaged that, once operational, the facilities
will require a workforce ranging from low skill workers,
through to specialised engineers and business operations
managers. In this instance, however, we focus on the pre-
operational stages of developing business cases for such
facilities, and the capabilities required to do this.
For the solid waste sector, the relative attractiveness of
disposal to landfill is affected by the availability of suitably
managed landfill space and the availability of a viable
alternative. The regulation of landfill disposal, including
tighter regulation of landfill cells and scheduling of available
landfill space over time provides a supply constraint. Other
regulatory tools such as landfill levies and/or bans
surrounding certain material going to landfill also affect the
price of disposal and in turn the attractiveness of investment
waste avoidance and minimisation strategies and/or
alternative waste processing options.
The confluence of skills required to construct a business
case at VARRI requires knowledge of engineering and waste
processing systems, business valuation and forecasting,
advanced and new technologies, as well as government
service provision. The arena to deliver these skills is largely
through the university sector, although the dynamism and
diversity of knowledge required makes it difficult to provide
targeted training, and skills are therefore largely learnt on the
job with existing experts and mentors.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 11
 Australian Master Environment Guide
| green collar |

The pressure is on local government to implement environmental solutions, as federal and

state governments devolve more responsibilities, such as development consent
procedures, among other areas.
ndeed, industry is also looking to local government for

I guidance, leadership, policies and processes as

professionals, organisations and the community
become increasingly concerned about the adoption of
sustainable practices by companies.
For example, some remediation practitioners want local
governments to include energy used in the remediation
operation as a development assessment criterion or a
consent condition, so that clean up of the land doesn’t
increase global warming.
CCH’s forthcoming online title the Australian Master
Environment Guide will assist local governments with the
environmental challenges they face. The guide provides a
succinct overview of areas of concern to local governments,
including planning law and development, heritage
protection, contaminated land, pollution control, energy
management and compliance, waste management, • Environment Tracker, a news service via RSS feed,
recycling, water resource efficiency, environmental law, email or in IntelliConnect™
stakeholder communications—and more. • an archive of environmental case law
Written by industry experts, lawyers and academics, the • templates for forms, policies and checklists.
guide is updated regularly to keep you informed of the latest The Australian Master Environment Guide is also
best practice developments and changes to the law. The available in book format.
online guide also features: For more information please contact CCH on 1300 300 224.

!
Your essential NEW

Environment Guide
Australian Master Environment Guide
The Australian Master Environment Guide is a practical
handbook designed for environmental managers,
business managers and anyone who needs an overview of
environmental best practice and law. It contains information
on key aspects of environmental management in industry,
such as techniques, systems, land development, pollution,
chemicals, energy, waste, water and biodiversity.
CCH Code: 34319A
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 Get the best information for your organisation - contains best Publish: July 2010
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Order at www.cch.com.au/books2010

12 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Interested in preserving your
local wartime heritage?
The Saluting Their Service commemorations
program offers modest grants to assist local
communities to honour the service and sacrifice
of Australia’s veterans.
The program is designed to help preserve our
heritage from wars and conflicts and encourage
community participation in commemorative
events.
A wide range of community projects may be
supported including:
• establishing or refurbishing community
war memorials;
• restoring vandalised memorials;
• restoring and publicly displaying wartime
memorabilia; and
• commemoration of significant anniversaries
of battles and other military operations.
Local councils, schools and community groups such
as historical societies and ex-service organisations
can apply for grants through the Department of
Veterans’ Affairs.

Application forms
and funding guidelines
available from the
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS on:
133 254 – metropolitan callers
1800 555 254 – non-metropolitan callers
Website: www.dva.gov.au/grants
 Eco-Buy 2010 Awards showcase
| best practice |

local government best practice

and innovation
The 8th annual ECO-Buy Awards for Excellence in Green Purchasing were held in
Melbourne, on Thursday 6 May 2010.

ward sponsors presented the winners with their ECO-Buy CEO Hugh Wareham says the ripples of this

A awards at a ceremony hosted by Ms Bernie

Hobbs, regular judge on ABC TV’s The New
Inventors. Business and government are starting to
make green a priority in their quest to be better corporate
citizens and make every dollar count on the triple-bottom
line level.
With some Victorian councils spending upwards of $4.5
million annually on environmentally-sound products and
businesses investing heavily in green innovation, a
considerable green wedge is opening up in the accounts.
increase in green purchasing are far-reaching.
“The flow-on effect of encouraging more and better
green products to enter the widening market is the resultant
green collar jobs and strengthening the so-called ‘green
economy’.
“From IT data centres and event management systems,
to compostable cutlery and recycling car tyres for use in
roadworks, green products and services are expanding to
meet the needs and demands of organisations – and of the
environment.”

The Awards recognise innovative green purchasing

initiatives undertaken by state government, local
government, businesses and green product suppliers.
Naturally, the ECO-Buy Awards for excellence were
planned with a strong focus on minimising their impact
on the environment.
The winners are:

MUSEUM VICTORIA - Victorian State Government

(page 16)

BORAL - Business
(page 18)

GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL - Metropolitan Council

(page 19)

CITY OF GREATER BENDIGO - Regional Council

(page 21)

GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL - Local Government Water Saving Champion

(page 24)

ALPINE SHIRE COUNCIL - Small Rural Council

(page 25)

GOING GREEN SOLUTIONS - Green Supplier of the Year

(page 26)

BAYSIDE CITY COUNCIL - Local Government Recycled Champion

(page 28)

DAREBIN CITY COUNCIL - Local Government Energy Saving Champion

(page 30)

DAREBIN CITY COUNCIL - Local Government Green Powered Champion

(page 30)

14 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Excellence in Green Purchasing –
| best practice |
Victorian State Government
MUSEUM VICTORIA
Proudly presented by Australian Paper
Award for Excellence in Green Purchasing — Victorian State Government
his award recognises a state government
T department or agency that has demonstrated
outstanding commitment to green purchasing.
Environmental responsibility is listed as one of
Museum Victoria’s six strategic directions and as a result
they have created an environmental sustainability policy. The
need to embed environmental practices and products into
the procurement procedures of goods, services and works
is listed as a key priority in the policy.
Museum Victoria has introduced a number of green
purchasing initiatives, including: installing infrastructure in
the Melbourne Museum car park to reduce lighting
demand; introducing 100 desktop and 50 notebook Energy
Star-compliant computers; and creating the Museum
Victoria Cost of Life (MVCOL) tool which enables users to
calculate the environmental and operating impact of
technology across the life of a Museum exhibition.
Highly visible on the environmental agenda is the
organisation’s commitment to procuring sustainable
exhibition design for all new exhibitions following successful
trials with exhibitions such as Dinosaur Walk, Waters of
Tuvalu and A Day in Pompeii.
Museum Victoria’s environmentally sustainable design
approach:
• Purchase low impact materials
• Re-use what exists
• Integrate sustainable thinking into design thinking
• Undertake fabrication practices that minimise waste
• Work to reduce other environmental impacts
• Communicate this approach to contractors, suppliers
and staff.
Museum Victoria aims to use best sustainable practice
in new exhibition creation by applying life cycle thinking –
addressing all the life stages of a product’s impact from
manufacturing, use and disposal including re-use and
renewal.
Using locally manufactured products, giving preference
to recycled rather than ‘new’ materials and seeking
suppliers with environmental certification are all high on the
list of priorities for Museum Victoria. Project staff dismantling
previous exhibitions are compiling, sorting, storing or
donating materials and re-using wherever possible.
Exhibition design and fabrication practices now consider
using less material, even down to using 15mm glass
instead of 18mm and changing fixings so that materials can
be separated and reused more easily. Materials are laid out
to most efficiently use sheet sizes, minimising waste.
Lighting and floor coverings are considered for durability,
longevity and sustainability.
Head of MV Studios Tim Rolfe found the most difficult
aspect of getting the sustainable exhibition design initiative
up and running was to actually take the first step.
“It can be very overwhelming when you look into all the
things you really should be doing to produce and build
sustainably – and that can have something of a paralysing
effect, almost ‘it’s too hard, let’s not do it’.
16 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
A Day in Pompeii exhibition with sets made from recycled Xanita Board,
Melbourne Museum. Photo: Heath Warwick © Museum Victoria 2009
“However, we decided we would not attempt to change
the world in a day but simply make a start by adhering to
the life cycle thinking aims for the project. It was amazing
how quickly we were able to implement more sustainable
practices and how they have a tendency to flow from one to
another.
“I look back now and the amount we have achieved in a
relatively short space of time is incredible and the team
working on it are very proud.”
The sustainability initiative is not a one-off but something
Museum Victoria is making a part of its everyday exhibition
design practice.
The exhibition project team continues to research new
materials, products and processes with sustainable
emphasis; this need is being communicated to suppliers.
Even the daily resource consumption of the team – printing,
paper and so on – is being considered.
Rolfe is pleased with the results so far and sees the
future of sustainable exhibitions as bright.
“Museum Victoria takes this issue seriously and the
principles are consistently reviewed.
“If we were to do something differently I think we may
have embraced re-use a little more strongly earlier on.
“As the manufacturing and recycling processes all have
some cost no matter how green, if you can re-use a piece
of glass or joinery or equipment or whatever in a new
exhibition, it is a very sustainable way to go.”
Museum Victoria is the largest public museums
organisation in Australia. It provides public access to its
collections through three museums and oversees a wide
range of research programs, the continued development of
the state’s collections, and runs major education and
research-based websites. Currently Museum Victoria
employs 700 staff and has numerous volunteers across all
areas of the organisation.
Midway through the completion of the Science and Life
Project, Museum Victoria is currently developing two new
major exhibitions for Melbourne Museum, continuing to
apply sustainable exhibition practices as they go.
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 Excellence in Green Purchasing – Business
| best practice |
BORAL
Proudly presented by Corporate Express
his award recognises a commercial business that
T has demonstrated outstanding commitment to
green purchasing.
What’s in a sustainable paper sack? The answer is
green. Boral is Australia’s largest building and construction
materials supplier, with significant operations in the USA
and Asia and directly employs around 15,000 people.
As a large organisation, Boral is used to making big
decisions. But when a small question was asked – how can
we improve our packaging (paper sacks) for cement and
concrete products? – it set off a quest that improved not
only Boral’s packaging, but the sustainability standard for
the cement industry.
The result: a seemingly small change from a 3 ply to a 2
ply paper sack reduced annual paper consumption by 860
tonnes, and has set a global benchmark with regard to
paper grammage, strength, customer satisfaction and
lowest environmental impacts.
Key Results of the quest for a better paper sack:
• 39 per cent reduction in paper use per sack, which
equates to 860 tonnes paper per annum (with all the
associated environmental benefits – carbon emissions
and water use reductions, less waste, reduced pressure
on biodiversity)
• 20 per cent reduction in sack price
• New 2 ply sacks stronger and higher quality than the old
3 ply sacks
• Elimination of perforations which created dust leakages
and consequential OH&S issues
• 15 per cent faster filling time and increased throughput
on the filling line
• Decreased plastic film weight per sack on average by 50
per cent
• Reduction in leakage during transport by over 90 per
cent.
Boral consumes more than 15 million paper sacks
annually. These sacks represent the customer interface for
Boral’s Blue Circle Southern Cement (BCSC) brand and in
doing so make a strong statement about the organisation.
Sack performance in the marketplace was not achieving
the highest levels of strength, presentation, or cost.
Customer satisfaction in relation to package quality was low
due to the number of sacks bursting during handling and
filling.
These issues flowed through to the operational site,
having a negative impact on the work environment due to
dust and cement leakage.
Machinery was failing, the workplace was unpleasant
and staff morale was impacted.
A packaged products manager first raised the question
with existing paper sack suppliers: What can we do to
improve the sustainability, price and performance of this
product?
Local manufacturers at first did not appear keen to
experiment with their production lines; they were locked in
to existing plant and contracts. New technology, stocks or
18 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
schedules were not on the cards.
The project became about the technical and supply
chain challenges, including challenging the purchasing
status quo, which needed to be overcome to develop a
more sustainable, higher quality and cost-efficient paper
sack.
When it became clear that not enough was known
locally about the type of papers being used and their
relevant structural and environmental performance, a
project team lead by the National Procurement Manager
and the Packaged Products Manager of BCSC, was
established to investigate further.
The team has worked closely with BCSC personnel and
the supply market to achieve a step change improvement in
the sustainability, performance and cost-efficiency of paper
sacks whilst delivering improved operational performance.
Boral used a collaborative and continuous improvement
approach to the project. Paper stocks and overseas
manufacturing processes were investigated by the Boral
team.
A broader view of the paper market and the various
strengths and drawbacks was achieved.
When it came time to draw up new contracts,
continuous improvement KPIs were incorporated into the
agreement – suppliers must demonstrate that they are also
keeping abreast of the paper market.
The actual process and getting a result was not difficult,
but a new challenge emerged when explaining the need to
change to internal businesses and their customer base.
In hindsight, the team would have started talking with its
customers earlier in the process. As it was, they were able
to prove why the sacks were necessary – and how good
they could be on multiple levels.
Changing the paper sacks was a business risk.
Reducing the amount of paper a sack uses seems like a
simple thing to do to, but if the new sacks went technically
wrong it would have been disastrous in the marketplace.
Fortunately, the results speak for themselves:
• Improved environmental performance to support Boral’s
sustainability objectives
• Reduction in grammage of paper per sack whilst
increasing strength
• Removal of perforations in sacks which creates dust
during filling
• Improve valve sealing
• Increased customer and employee satisfaction
• Improved throughput on current filling machines by
quicker de-aeration through the paper rather than by
perforations
• Improved equipment performance and throughput to
achieve a world benchmark of 85 per cent Overall
Equipment Effectiveness
• Lower cost per sack for a higher performance sack.
Leadership, collaboration and innovation can combine
to drive better environmental, social and financial outcomes
– and a more sustainable paper sack.
Excellence in Green Purchasing –
Metropolitan Council
GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL
Proudly presented by the Department of Planning and Community Development
Glen Eira City Council
Embedding green into corporate culture
Award for Excellence in Green Purchasing — Metropolitan Council
his award recognises the metropolitan council with
T the largest investment in green products as a
percentage of available expenditure.
Local Government Water Saving Champion
This award recognises the local government with the largest
investment in water efficient and water saving products as a
percentage of available expenditure.
Green purchasing is now embedded in Glen Eira City
Council’s corporate culture. But it has been a gradual
process over seven years – requiring the support and
leadership of staff at all levels of the organisation.
Since joining the ECO-Buy program in 2002-03, the
Council has increased its green expenditure from $112,000
to more than $4.5 million in 2008-09.
Green purchases for Glen Eira included drought resistant grass for sporting grounds.
| best practice |
Glen Eira Green Purchasing Compared to Local Government
Average Expenditure
While the increase alone is impressive, it’s the range of
environmentally preferable products purchased that makes
Glen Eira City Council’s investment unique.
From simple inclusions such as recycled paper for in-
house printing and publications to using recycled rock in
road base construction, Council staff have investigated and
adopted products from suppliers across the ECO-Find
supplier database.
The decision to integrate green purchasing started
slowly. Council was willing to take green products on board,
but needed to be convinced that ratepayers’ dollars were
being spent wisely, efficiently, and with longevity in mind.
Scepticism about green products and their perceived value
for money is a necessary consideration for Council, given
public funds are used.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 19
 GLEN EIRA GREEN PURCHASING COMPARED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AVERAGE EXPENDITURE
| best practice |
$5,000,000
$4,500,000
$4,000,000
$3,500,000
$3,000,000
$2,500,000
$2,000,000
$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
$0
Glen Eira total expenditure
Championed by the Manager of Purchasing and Fleet,
Aubrey Jansen, an in-house ECO-Buy Committee was
established, with an invitation to key staff from those areas
with the most potential for green purchasing to participate.
A green purchasing policy was developed which didn’t
over commit Council but had a distinctively green leaning —
recognising that it can be difficult to go from nothing to a
full-commitment green spend in a short time.
Easy pickings, such as copy paper, printer cartridges
and mobile garbage bins, were the starting point for Glen
Eira. Energy audits were conducted to identify other areas
and change over lighting, and upgrades to aerated taps and
high-efficiency/low-flow toilets and showers were
implemented.
Jansen then scaled up the options, using the ECO-Buy
reporting template as a tool to alert purchasers to the items
they could potentially buy green. As procurement in Council
is decentralised, he looked at each business area for green
potential and, using the ECO-Buy reporting template,
identified and researched products and suppliers that could
be of use to each area. It was a business efficiency model
that was being introduced, not just a green procurement
concept.
Products such as recycled rock and concrete for road
base materials were researched and trialled to overcome
any scepticism of their practicality and usability. Trials
proved conclusively that the products were better and
they’re now used almost exclusively in Council works.
The pattern was similar when additional water saving
measures were presented. Trials of drought-resistant
grasses for ovals achieved fantastic, and award-winning,
results. Since then Council has invested significant funds
and resources into water saving products including
drought-resistant plants, trees and turf for the city’s parks
and gardens, and water tanks and soil wetting agents to
maximise moisture retention in sportsgrounds.
Green purchases for Glen Eira included drought-resistant
grass for sporting grounds
Electronic central control, moisture sensors and drip line
irrigation upgrades on sports ovals were also added to the
mix. The program overall has resulted in Council managing
to irrigate a greater number of ovals – an increase in area of
20 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Average expenditure of Average expenditure of
reporting LG members metropolitan councils’
approximately 15 per cent – with the same allocation of
water.
Attitudes towards green products, and the need to
purchase products that are less damaging to the
environment, have changed over time. More than ever, the
community expects the Council to take the lead in
environmental sustainability.
It is a change now avidly supported by councillors and
senior management - and this support has accelerated
green purchasing within the organisation (a 46.1 per cent
increase in green spending was achieved from 2007-08 to
2008-09 alone).
Glen Eira’s green purchasing program has proven to be
so successful that Jansen is regularly asked to provide
advice and present on panels.
Purchases made through the Eco-Buy program have
included:
• Energy efficient (four star or better) heating and cooling
system upgrades in key buildings
• Recycled concrete and rock for road-making, backfilling
and road trenches
• Emissions controlled Euro 4 tractors to replace ageing
plant and equipment
• Recycled rubber for speed cushions
• Recycled content mobile garbage bins
• Energy efficient computer monitors
• Organic fertilisers, drought-resistant plants and recycled
tree pruning mulch
• Green energy allocations
• Fuel-efficient vehicles.
Making the program easy for people to be involved in,
and to make greener purchasing decisions, has been the
key. Regular communication and input from inside the
organisation, as well as externally to residents to help them
understand the need and benefits of purchasing green
products, have been integral to the program’s acceptance.
Council receives community feedback and pressure to
increase its green spending and commitment to reducing its
environmental footprint. Glen Eira City Council is now about
to launch its Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2009-12
which will further obligate the Council to purchase efficiently,
effectively and greenly.
Excellence in Green Purchasing – Regional Council
CITY OF GREATER BENDIGO
Proudly presented by Australian Paper
City of Greater Bendigo
A place in the sunlight
Award for Excellence in Green Purchasing — Regional Council
his award recognises the regional council with the
T largest investment in green products as a
percentage of available expenditure. The purchase
of a wide range of ecologically sustainable
products—from the standard (recycled copy paper) to the
more unusual (hybrid composting toilets) —saw City of
Greater Bendigo achieve a green spend equivalent to 5 per
cent of its total budget to take out the ECO-Buy Award for
Excellence in Green Purchasing-Regional Council for 2010.
Greater Bendigo is a major regional centre servicing the
towns and rural areas of the Loddon region, about 150
kilometres north-west of Melbourne.
The region experiences comparatively good solar
exposure, making investment in products powered by solar
energy a logical choice.
What has been impressive is the range of products
purchased, and the willingness of Council to test new
technologies as part of their regular maintenance and
replacement programs.
The noticeable breadth of green product purchasing by
Greater Bendigo is testament in part to the success of its
The solar panels on the solar powered ticket machines Photo: City of Greater Bendigo
| best practice |
Natural Environment Strategy, which places efficient use of
resources and reduction of everyday environmental impacts
squarely in the consciousness of policy makers and
operational managers.
The big tick on Council’s action plan last year was the
purchase and installation of 22 solar powered ticket
machines to replace the city’s 100 conventional mains
power operated machines.
In addition to making the most of an abundant natural
resource in sunlight, these highly visible pieces of necessary
infrastructure have allowed Council to reduce non-
renewable energy consumption, save emissions and
achieve financial and environmental savings during
installation of the machines.
According to Neville Zimmer, Manager, Parking & Animal
Control, solar powered ticket machines are simpler to install
than conventional machines. “There is no need to disturb
pavements or footpaths install pits and plug into the grid.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 21
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| best practice |

That alone reduces the installation costs and environmental

disturbance.”
Solar powered ticketing machines also have the benefit
of lasting longer than conventional machines, reducing
maintenance and disposal costs and maximising the
embodied resources used to manufacture the machines.
The machines will be ideal for use in remote locations
where there is no mains electricity available. Bendigo’s first
fleet of 22 solar powered ticket machines have been so
successful that the City of Greater Bendigo plans to replace
its remaining four mains connected ticket machines with the
new solar machines.
In addition to other solar energy purchases, which
included installation of solar lighting and solar hot water
systems, Council purchased energy saving LED lights and
Sun Lizard solar heaters.
Council’s green purchasing focus also extended to
water saving initiatives which included converting of turf to
warm season varieties on 6.4 hectares of playing fields and

Green purchasing by City of Greater Bendigo:

• Solar power systems, lights, ticket machines and hot

water systems
• Purchase of LED lighting
• Purchase of drought-resistant grasses and conversion of
6.4 ha of playing fields to warm season turf
• 290 litres of recycled water and more than 860,000 litres
of biodiesel
• Downsize of seven fleet vehicles, purchase of LPG
vehicles and EURO 4 compliant trucks to replace ageing
equipment
• 12,000 recycled content mobile garbage bins
• Recycled mulch and soft fall mulch for playgrounds
• Sustainable irrigation of five parks and one sporting field.
Solar powered ticket machines are easier to install. Photo: City of Greater
Bendigo
the use of drought-resistant plants and grasses in parks
and gardens.
Bendigo City Council’s green purchasing streak doesn’t
end with the visible green purchases. There’s the 20 per
cent biodiesel used to fuel the Council’s utes, machinery
and other equipment, and the five parks and the sports field
which feature underground irrigation systems to reduce the
amount of water required to keep them green, plus the
recycled water.
So the climate keeps the ticket machines running and
the water hot – and Council reduces its impact on climate
change by better using available resources.

Local Government Water Saving Champion

GLEN EIRA CITY COUNCIL
Proudly presented by Sustainability Victoria
reen purchasing is now embedded in Glen Eira From simple inclusions such as recycled paper for in-

G City Council’s corporate culture. But it has been a

gradual process over seven years – requiring the
support and leadership of staff at all levels of the
organisation. Since joining the ECO-Buy program in 2002-
03, the Council has increased its green expenditure from
$112,000 to more than $4.5 million in 2008-09.
While the increase alone is impressive, it’s the range of
environmentally preferable products purchased that makes
Glen Eira City Council’s investment unique.
house printing and publications to using recycled rock in
road base construction, Council staff have investigated and
adopted products from suppliers across the ECO-Find
supplier database.
In the past financial year they have invested significantly
in water saving products such as drought-resistant plants,
trees and turf for the Council’s parks and gardens, water
tanks and soil wetting agents to maximise moisture
retention in sportsgrounds.

24 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Excellence in Green Purchasing –
Small Rural Council
ALPINE SHIRE COUNCIL
Proudly presented by the Department of Planning and Community Development
Alpine Shire Council
Champion effort delivers rewards
Award for Excellence in Green Purchasing — Small Rural Council
his award recognises the small rural council with the
T largest investment in green products as a
percentage of available expenditure. Alpine Shire is
situated around 300 kilometres north of Melbourne
in the Ovens and Kiewa Valleys and takes in some of
Victoria’s most spectacular features. Bright, Myrtleford and
Mount Beauty are the main townships in a shire that
consists of 92 per cent public land.
Investment in green products has delivered some
outstanding results for the Shire – including the award for
Excellence in Green Purchasing by a small rural council.
A total of 7 per cent of the Shire’s available funds in
2008-09 were spent on green products, with the Shire
reporting green purchases in almost every category.
39 per cent of the spend was on recycled products,
from organic mulch, recycled content papers for outsourced
printing, biodiesel, cleaning products, banner stands and
bollards right down to pencils. The recycled copy paper
purchases alone over the twelve months saved 400
kilograms of CO2-e, or just over one acre of forest habitat.
Water saving devices, drought-tolerant grasses,
computer controlled irrigation systems, re-usable bags,
water tanks, dual flush toilets and sensor lights were also
purchased. Replacement of office air conditioning with a
more efficient system brought energy savings along with a
more comfortable environment for staff.
Alpine Shire’s most significant green purchase for the year was a new Mack Trident tip truck.
| best practice |
The largest green purchase for the year was a new tip
truck for the Shire’s works department. The Mack Trident is
bigger and lighter than the Hino Ranger it replaces, and
brings with it some significant environmental savings.
An aluminium tipper body means it is lighter, faster and
able to tow extra capacity.
And the change from mechanical fuel pump to
electronic motor fuel injection with Euro 4 emission control
makes it more fuel efficient.
“The new truck cost about $60,000 more than buying a
new Hino. It was more expensive, but the benefits with fuel
efficiency and time saving far outweigh the monetary
expense,” says Sandra Light, Waste Management Officer
and the Shire’s ECO-Buy Coordinator.
One other noteworthy purchase was a thermal blanket for
the refurbished Mount Beauty swimming pool. Designed to
complement the solar water heating system, help maintain
water temperature and quality and reduce evaporation, the
blanket delivers savings in water and energy and improves
the Shire’s ability to sustainably manage the pool.
Like other councils, Alpine Shire has faced challenges in
getting staff to take on green purchasing as part of day to
day operations.
It has taken time – and some ‘outside the square’
actions – but supported by the efforts of Sandra Light, the
Shire’s passionate green purchasing champion, Alpine Shire
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 25

Green Purchasing By Alpine Shire:
| best practice |
• Fuel efficient vehicles for replacement of ageing fleet and
equipment
• Thermal pool blanket for refurbished Mount Beauty Pool
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs and solar lighting
• Showerheads, dual flush toilets and sensor lighting in
toilets
• Recycled paper for copying and printing
• Solar heat reflective paint
• Non-toxic cleaning products and disinfectant,
phosphate-free dishwashing liquid, cornstarch bags
• One tonne of steel and a cubic metre of timber from
Ovens River Weir reused along paths in Tawonga.
Green Supplier of the Year (NEW CATEGORY)
GOING GREEN SOLUTIONS
Proudly presented by The Sustainability Card
Going Green Solutions
Passionate about business relationships and the environment
Green Supplier of the Year
his award recognises the supplier that has
T
members.
demonstrated excellence in overall quality, cost-
effectiveness, environmental performance and
customer service as voted by ECO-Buy program
When your supplier has as good a relationship with their
couriers and manufacturers as they do with their
customers, then you know they’re serious about providing
good service.
For Going Green Solutions, those relationships mean
good business and a better environmental outcome.
And the team is certainly passionate about both.
Going Green Solutions is a supplier of environmentally
preferable product alternatives for home, events and
workplaces.
A family run business, Going Green Solutions evolved
from a desire to integrate a more sustainable and healthy
way of living into home, work and lifestyle.
Products often purchased through contacts from the
ECO-Find database include 100 per cent post-consumer
recycled paper and envelopes, 100 per cent biodegradable
and compostable PLA/sugarcane catering ware and 100
per cent biodegradable compost, shopping and rubbish
bags that meet the European compostability standard EN
13434.
Going Green Solutions’ listing in the ECO-Find database
provides a really simple and practical way of being seen
26 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
has taken green purchasing beyond a policy decision into
action.
By talking with suppliers, Sandra has been able to
emphasise the Shire’s green purchasing needs and make
expectations clear. This process has even helped some
suppliers introduce new products to build their green
product lines.
Internal action means ongoing communications with
staff and management at all levels. Checking with all
departments to make sure they’re aware of the green
alternatives is imperative, as is rewarding those who buy
green.
A pat on the back for making the effort to go green can
go a long way according to Sandra. “We always try to
recognise staff who take the lead and source green
products for their projects.”
It’s been a big achievement for a small Shire. And
they’re beginning to see the rewards – the cost savings,
environmental benefits and long term value for money – and
awards.
And there’s more to come – “We can always improve,”
says Sandra.
specifically by organisations or individuals who are actively
seeking to purchase green products.
Director Lucinda Flynn appreciates the simple and
practical way the ECO-Find database helps her company
be seen by a very specific target audience.
“The site is aimed specifically at organisations actively
seeking environmentally preferable products, rather than the
‘hit-and-miss’ of general advertising.
“And because ECO-Buy incorporates its own checking
procedure before a supplier may become listed, the ECO-
Find supplier database has a high level of credibility with
those utilising its listings – which allows both us and the
customer to focus on which product will best match their
needs, rather than on whether or not our products are
reputable.”
However, the company has put a lot of effort into
sourcing appropriate and reputable products for clients, and
into building effective working partnerships with suppliers
and clients.
Communication is the key and the Going Green
Solutions team keeps all their partners abreast of product,
delivery and environmental standard changes as they occur.
Purchasing activity through the ECO-Buy ECO-Find
suppliers database has largely been in compostable
catering ware. Going Green Solutions is considered to have
the largest range in Victoria – and to be the most
knowledgeable about the options available.
 With so many catering ware products available in the
open market, weighing up the benefits and costs and
making sense of the sustainability claims can be
overwhelming. But Going Green Solutions ensures that all
items have been reviewed, tested and evaluated – even if
that includes taking the entire range of bowls home and
putting soup in them overnight to see which works best.
This practical approach helps differentiate products and
ensures the team knows what they’re talking about on all
levels.
Essentially, the team weighs up the options and makes
the call on which items are of most benefit – financially,
environmentally and practically – for clients across the range
of home, work and lifestyle products.
Flynn believes this is part of the service that makes the
company so valuable to customers.
“Not only do we want to offer the convenience to our
customers of not having to hunt around, but we want to
make it easier for businesses, households and
organisations all over the place to take up these changes
quickly and hassle-free so that we can collectively create a
strong influence on reversing global warming and protecting
our planet.”
The catering ware is a case in point. As an obvious item
that is commonly disposed, Going Green Solutions has
sourced an extensive range of compostable products to
offer their customers a point of difference – and a tangible
green change to their end users.
“Changing from purely disposable to biodegradable
makes a big difference on many levels. And as it’s an area
that people can see quite clearly as waste, it lends itself as
an education tool when in use. It’s a tangible change.
“We look for products in areas that people haven’t even
thought of. A recent addition to our range has been
RAIL INDUSTRY SAFETY AND
STANDARDS BOARD
Harmonising the rail industry
systematically
progressively
efficiently
www.rissb.com.au
Going Green Solutions product range includes:
| best practice |
• Home and lifestyle – from cloth nappy options and plant-
based cleaning and personal care to solar hot water
systems, energy efficient lighting, solar powered
technology, and water saving products, Going Green
Solutions has made a name catering to the needs of
householders wanting to make their own lives more
sustainable.
• Catering ware – a full range of 100 per cent
biodegradable and compostable catering ware that
works for both individuals (for weddings, parties etc) and
for wholesale business customers, who account for just
over half of the company’s total turnover.
• Office ware – a range of 100 per cent post-consumer
recycled office paper, envelopes & cardboard, stationery
(recycled paper, biodegradable/recycled content pens
etc), and consumables (toilet tissue, napkins etc) that
complement green purchasing
biodegradable cling wrap. Previously it was only available
for catering, in big rolls which required self-supplied cutters
and containers. Now it comes in a box with a cutter – and
it’s all compostable.”
Harmonisation is undertaken by:
developing Standards, Codes
of Practice, Rules and Guidance
material;
pursuing Interoperability
initiatives;
promoting and implementing
Railway Level Crossing
initiatives;
facilitating the implementation
of common Safety Practices.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 27
 Local Government Recycled Champion
| best practice |

Bayside City Council

Proudly presented by SITA Environmental Solutions
Bayside City Council
Saving big by buying recycled
Local Government Recycled Champion

his award recognises the local government with the

T largest investment in recycled content products as a

percentage of available expenditure. Bayside City
Council is an inner suburban Council covering an
area of 37 square kilometres, and is made up of peaceful,
leafy residential suburbs.
Council adopted environmental considerations as part of
its purchasing guidelines and has since seen a steady
increase in green purchasing.
During 2008-09 Council spent an impressive 4.1 per
cent of its total available expenditure1 on recycled products
and was awarded the Recycled Champion award in the
2010 ECO-Buy Awards for Excellence in Green Purchasing.
By far the largest investment for Bayside was in recycled
crushed rock and asphalt as part of Council’s ongoing
maintenance of roads, drains and footpaths, carried out by
Citywide Services.
While Bayside City Council is committed to extending

Images on this page and opposite display Bayside’s commitment to green purchasing which has resulted in significant use of recycled concrete in roadworks.

28 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011


green purchasing into all possible categories, it has made
inroads through the tendering process – offering
advantages to tenderers who specify the use of green
products. In the contract tender evaluation stage, points are
awarded for the use of green products. This can affect the
overall score of a tender and be the difference between
winning or losing a contract.
Recycled concrete products not only cost less than
virgin quarry products, but are a greener alternative to virgin
crushed rock. They also have a significant density
advantage compared to virgin materials which means more
cubic metres per tonne can be transported. And because
works use less, the products cost less in initial raw materials
| best practice |
as well as transport costs. Crushed concrete also has a low
permeability and plasticity index, ensuring it performs well in
most weather and ground conditions.
Hundreds of compost bins and worm farms along with
several thousand wheelie bins – all made from recycled milk
bottles – also made up Council’s investment in recycled
products. And more than 6,000 reams of 100 per cent
recycled copy paper were purchased, preserving 2.3
hectares of forest habitat.
Combined, Council’s green purchases saved almost 100
tonnes of CO2-e compared to purchasing the same
quantities of products made from virgin materials.
1 Excluding staff costs and depreciation
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 29
 Local Government Energy Saving Champion and
| best practice |

Local Government Green Powered Champion

DAREBIN CITY COUNCIL
Local Government Energy Saving Champion, Proudly presented by Greenfleet
This award recognises the local government area with the largest investment in energy
efficient and energy saving products as a percentage of available expenditure.

Local Government Green Powered Champion, Proudly presented by Pacific Hydro

This award recognises the local government with the largest investment in accredited
Green Power as a percentage of available expenditure.
he nuts and bolts of carbon neutrality – it starts with In 2008-09 Council spent more than 8 per cent, or more

T a plan. Achieving carbon neutrality is no mean feat.

It requires a significant commitment to sustainability
and a methodical approach to detail.
In fact, it requires an all-encompassing no holds barred
plan. And that’s exactly what Darebin City Council has with
its award-winning Climate Change Action Plan 2007-09.
Adopted in June 2007, the plan committed Council to
carbon neutral building for all new municipal buildings and
to purchasing 100 per cent Green Power, in line with its
goal to cut corporate emissions to 20 per cent of 1995
levels by 2010. Situated in the northern suburbs of
Melbourne, the City of Darebin is home to more than
135,000 residents.
than $4.4 million, of its total budget on a wide range of
green products – the equivalent of nearly $70 per rateable
property in the municipality.
This included significant expenditure on energy efficient
features incorporated in the $1.4 million East Reservoir
Neighbourhood House project, energy efficient lighting
installed at Edwardes Lake and the conversion of 91
streetlights to T5 lamps, which use a third less energy than
the previous streetlights. Council spent $803,403 on Green
Power alone, saving 5,633 tonnes of greenhouse emissions
– the equivalent of removing over 1,000 cars from the road.
In order to achieve carbon neutrality at the East
Reservoir Neighbourhood House, careful planning was

Images on this page and opposite, showcasing the carbon neutral East Reservoir Neighbourhood House

30 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 | best practice |
required from the outset.
Council used the Green Building Council’s green star
rating tool as a starting point or checklist for the project and
in most cases went well beyond the Section J Building
Code energy specifications in the building.
A project management team was created, including a
Project Manager, Climate Change Action Officer and
Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) Officer, to keep
track of every nut and bolt, each decision made, and their
resultant sustainability and efficiency.
Every stage of the process needed to be checked and
rechecked, from the architect and designers to builders,
suppliers and contractors, to make sure everyone was on
board and understanding the end vision for the project’s
carbon neutrality.
While sourcing suppliers for green materials and
systems was challenging in some areas, the biggest
challenge to the team was assisting all contractors to
adhere to green building principles. Sustainable features of the East Reservoir Neighbourhood
For example, the highest energy efficient air cooling and house:
heating system was specified and ready to be installed, but
on inspection the control panels connecting the system to • BMS controlled louvres for cross ventilation
the building management system (BMS) were not installed • High efficiency heat pumps operate only when rooms are
as per specification. Every item, right down to the control occupied
panels, wiring, plumbing, insulation etc needed to be
confirmed as meeting specifications – that is, green, or • Energy efficient hand driers and five star tapware
greener than the usual. • Water sensitive urban design uses stormwater run-off,
The Neighbourhood House opened in late 2009. The with indigenous and native vegetation
concept of a Neighbourhood House is that it approximates
• Waterless urinal and rainwater used to flush toilets
a person’s home, and is designed to be a welcoming space
and to be used as such. In East Reservoir Neighbourhood • Ceiling fans linked to heat pump operation
House’s case, it’s also been designed to be a • 20,000 litre rainwater tank
demonstration centre of carbon neutral design.
While the Neighbourhood House is Council owned, it is • Instantaneous gas booster for flat panel split system
a community-operated building. The supportive building solar hot water
manager receives ongoing training from the Darebin Climate • Energy efficient (low e) windows throughout the building
Change Action Officer to help monitor and ensure all groups
using the building understand its use and requirements – • Dimmable T5 lights and other high efficiency lamps
right down to using the automated lights, the waterless throughout, all occupancy sensitive
urinal and computer systems that turn themselves off out of • Concrete floor for thermal mass
regular-use hours.
• Passive solar design – north facing windows provide light
As part of Council’s neighbourhood renewal program,
the residents have responded very well to the project and all year round and heat in winter
community groups have really embraced the building as a • Wide eaves and verandas for shade in summer and heat
great community resource. Now it is up to users of the in winter.
House to maintain its energy efficiency by using the
building’s energy efficient features appropriately.
The project’s success has fed into Darebin’s Accelerated
Sustainable Building Program, including developing a
sustainable public building design tool that will help with
green building design in future.

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 31

| recycling |

Create a cleaner future with

Century Batteries
CenturyYuasa Batteries, Australia’s oldest and most recognised battery manufacturer has
launched a National Battery Recycling Program designed to educate motorists and help
reduce the impact of used lead acid batteries on the environment.
he scheme provides motorists, homeowners and

T businesses with convenient locations and

resources to ensure the correct recycling of their
used batteries. Through a national network of
CenturyYuasa approved Battery Recycling Centres, people
are encouraged to return their used automotive batteries for
recycling and responsible disposal.
Used lead acid batteries contain hazardous materials
which if not handled correctly may prove harmful to
humans, wildlife and the local environment. It is estimated
that 1 in 5 Australian households have a used automotive
battery on their property, which poses a serious
environmental and health risk, particularly when 98% of a
used lead acid battery is recyclable.
According to Allan Woodford, Marketing Manager for
CenturyYuasa’s Automotive division
“As a responsible business it is important that we
manage the ‘cradle to grave’ process of manufacture,
distribution and responsible disposal of used batteries.
In many cases we have found that people are simply
unaware of how or where to dispose of their used batteries
correctly and as a result we often see batteries discarded
with household waste, at local refuse sites or dumped on
road sides.
Our program provides motorists, homeowners and
business with the outlets and resources to dispose of the
batteries correctly and is also focused on educating people
on the importance of recycling used lead acid batteries to CenturyYuasa Battery Recycling Centre. The site features
reduce their environmental impact.” over 800 approved recycling sites nationally, ensuring
Century’s recycling program provides a total scrap coverage throughout metro and regional Australia and also
battery management solution, which includes a regular contains useful information and advice on all aspects of
scrap battery collection service, marketing support and battery recycling.
assistance with the environmental issues and legislation Century’s scheme has become extremely popular with
associated with the handling and storage of used lead acid its reseller network and has attracted the support of leading
batteries. environmental groups including Planet Ark, Inside Waste
To support the program Century has created a and Greengages.
dedicated recycling website www.recyclemybattery.com.au For more information on the CenturyYuasa Battery Recycling program
and a national contact number 1300 650 702 where speak to a Century Recycling specialist on 1300 362 287 or visit
motorists and homeowners can find their nearest www.recyclemybattery.com.au

32 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011


The Mitchell EcoEnterprise Centre is designed to promote sustainability, the environment and climate change solutions.
Innovative new centre reinforces
environmental best practice
Located in the heart of the Mitchell EcoEnterprise Park in Stapylton on the Gold Coast, the
Mitchell EcoEnterprise Centre is an information networking and educational hub designed
to promote sustainability, the environment and climate change solutions.
ere, the general public, eco-conscious
H organisations, government bodies and educational
institutions can access ‘green’ products and
services, while learning about sustainability and
the environment.
According to Mitchell EcoEnterprise Park’s Director of
Sales and Marketing, Darrenn Medhurst, the Mitchell
EcoEnterprise Centre is unique in its pioneering qualities,
and leads the way in its commitment to the environment.
“By partnering with environmental innovators like Stiebel
Eltron, we have been able to establish a comprehensive
multi-discipline resource to help educate industry and the
community about sustainability, renewable energies, and
climate change solutions,” he said. “Visitors will be able to
identify and explore the latest sustainable technologies and
innovations, while obtaining advice from on-site industry
experts.”
Sustainability leader and water heating specialist Stiebel
| best practice |
Eltron Australia is one company that will showcase its
expertise at the Mitchell EcoEnterprise Centre. Stiebel
Eltron’s suite of energy-efficient water heating solutions will
be on permanent display at the EcoEnterprise Centre,
providing visitors with insight into the critical role played by
such technologies in sustainable development.
According to Stiebel Eltron Australia General Manager -
Renewables, Glenn Day, the EcoEnterprise Centre
reinforces environmental best practice. “As Australia
embarks on the phase-out of greenhouse-intensive hot
water systems, it’s important that both industry and
homeowners are educated about the environmentally
friendly water-heating technologies available to them,” he
said. “We’re proud to be involved with such forward-
thinking developments like the Mitchell EcoEnterprise
Centre. By improving awareness and access to green
technologies we can all minimise our impact on the
environment.”
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 33
 Adapting Local Government’s Business to
| climate change |
Climate Change: Kogarah City Council, in
partnership with ICLEI
lmost all sectors of society and
A the economy are likely to be
either directly impacted by
climate change or impacted by
how we respond to climate change.
Being the tier of government closest to
the community, local governments will be
at the forefront of identifying climate
change risks and opportunities within
their municipality. Local government’s
general duty of care obligations towards
its community (residents, property
owners and business), will involve
adjusting its policies and operations to
help prepare ecosystems, infrastructure
and people to be able to cope with the
impacts of climate change.
Given its topography, large extents of
developments close to the foreshore and
limited capacity of its aging assets
(stormwater systems, buildings,
seawalls), the City of Kogarah has been
identified as an area vulnerable to the
risks associated with climate change. In
2009, the Council resolved to participate
in the ICLEI (Local Governments for
Sustainability) Adaptive and Resilient
Communities (ARC) program with the
aim of building Council’s capacity to
respond to climate change and reduce
the organisation’s and the community’s
vulnerability to its impacts. From the
work to date, through this program
Council has achieved a number of
initiatives. These include the
establishment of a Climate Change
Adaptation Working Group across
departments and hierarchy, formalisation
of the climate change risk management
groundwork, structured identification of
key climate change risks to the City and
a systematic approach to managing and
addressing the identified issues.
The integration of climate change
considerations into Council’s day-to-day
activities is evident through its highest
level strategic planning documents (the
34 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
10 year Community Visioning Plan
‘Bright Future, Better Lifestyle – Kogarah
2020’), its long term financial planning
commitments, its communication
strategy and relevant project documents.
Council also incorporates climate change
considerations within its supply chain
through our procurement policy and
procedures. This has had a flow on effect
to our tendering, contractor selection
and even design considerations,
particularly for our stormwater assets
and foreshore infrastructure.
Despite the tangible outcomes of the
work, the main accomplishment for
Kogarah City Council has been the
recognition of the extent of work Council
was already doing in this area. Some of
the responses to date which addresses
climate change considerations include
Council’s Total Water Cycle Management
(the Beverley Park Sewer Mining plant),
Foreshore and Marine Infrastructure
Management Plan, Council’s Street Tree
Master Plan, foreshore assets design
considerations and the progressive
replacement of Council’s stormwater
assets.
The consideration of climate change
impacts within Council’s operations has
also resulted in a number of innovative
approaches to the issue. These include
the concept of adaptive management
when dealing with uncertainty
(advocated by ICLEI through the ARC
program), the development of an internal
‘Climate Science Inventory’ to inform
decisions and assumptions, extensive
work on mapping climate change
impacts using new technology and new
staff engagement techniques to relate
climate change impacts to their work at
Kogarah City Council.
The work undertaken by Kogarah
City Council to date has been recognised
as International Best Practice in other
countries such as Indonesia and
Germany through ICLEI. Acceptance by
the international community places
Kogarah’s work as a highly valuable
resource and puts the organisation in a
leading role within this field. Nationally,
the work will be utilised as a case study
for future program participants and
presented at national conferences.
For more information on Kogarah’s climate
change adaptation work, please visit
www.kogarah.nsw.gov.au or contact Elisa
Idris, Sustainability Co-ordinator on 02 9330
9445.
Acknowledgements
Kogarah City Council wishes to acknowledge and
recognise the work of the following organisations,
without which this project and its achievements
would not have been possible.
ICLEI Adaptive and Resilient Communities Program,
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability,
Melbourne, Australia.
The work on Climate Change Vulnerability by the
Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG)
Climate report confirms Australia

| climate change |
getting warmer
BY MICHAEL PERRY WITH DAVID FOGARTY

Australia’s top scientists recently released a “State of the Climate” report at a time of
growing scepticism over climate change as a result of revelations of errors in some global
scientific reports.

he scientists said their

T monitoring and research of the

world’s driest inhabited
continent for 100 years “clearly
demonstrate that climate change is
real.”
“We are seeing significant evidence
of a changing climate. We are warming
in every part of the country during
every season and as each decade
goes by, the records are being
broken,” said Megan Clark, head of
Australia’s state-backed
Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial
Research Organisation (CSIRO).
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change acknowledged in
January that its 2007 report had
exaggerated the pace of Himalayan
glaciers melting, and last month said
the report also had overstated how
much of the Netherlands is below sea
level.
The 2007 report is based on the
work of thousands of scientists and is
the main policy guide for governments
looking to act on climate change.
Skeptics have leapt on the errors,
saying they undermine the science of
climate change but the IPCC, which
has announced a review, has
defended its work.
The CSIRO and the Bureau of
Meteorology report said international
research showed it is extremely
unlikely that global warming could be
explained by natural causes alone.
“There is greater than 90 per cent
certainty that increases in greenhouse
gas emissions have caused most of
the global warming since the mid-20th
century,” said the report.
“Evidence of human influence has
been detected in ocean warming, sea-
level rise, continental-average
temperatures, temperature extremes
and wind patterns,” said the report.
Australia, a major grains and meat
producer, battled the worst drought in
100 years for most of the past decade,
damaging its farm output, but in recent
years the commodities sector has
been recovering due to good rainfall.
The government estimated farm
output for 2008/09 at A$42 billion
($38.4 billion) out of total Australian
gross domestic product of A$1.2
trillion.
Studies show that rising seas,
shifting rainfall patterns and greater
extremes of droughts and floods could
cost Australia’s economy dearly. A
government report last November said
residential buildings worth up to A$63
billion could be inundated if seas rise
by 1.1 metres (3.5 feet) this century.
HEATING UP
Since 1960, the mean temperature in
Australia has increased by about 0.7
degrees Celsius, but some areas of the
country had warmed by 1.5 to 2
degrees Celsius in the past 50 years,
the report said.
Australia’s warmest decade on
record is 2000 to 2009.
While total rainfall in Australia had
been relatively stable, the geographic
distribution changed significantly over
the past 50 years, with rainfall
decreasing in south-west and south-
east Australia, the major population
areas.
Sea levels around the island
continent since 1993 have risen 7-
10mm per year in the north and west
and 1.5 to 3mm in the south and east,
said the report.
From 1870 to 2007, the global
average sea level rose by close to
200mm (8 inches), sea levels rose at
an average of 1.7mm a year in the
20th century and about 3mm per year
from 1993-2009, it said.
Sea surface temperatures around
Australia have increased by about 0.4
degrees Celsius in the past 50 years.
The scientists said global carbon
dioxide concentration in 2009 of 386
parts per million (ppm) was much
higher than the natural range of 170 to
300 ppm that existed in the
atmosphere for the past 800,000 years
and possibly 20 million years.
The scientists said that based on
their monitoring of the nation’s climate
for 100 years, Australian average
temperatures are projected to rise by
0.6 to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030.
(Source: Thomson Reuters)

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 35

 Communities that sow together
| community |
grow together
BY LISA KINAHAN
The growth of community gardens and verge gardens is changing the way we are
acquiring our food as well as the face of our urban landscape.
any would say that there is a quiet revolution
M taking place in our city streets. Across the state
pockets of land from street verges to unused
wastelands are being turned into micro food
bowls. For most people who live in an urban environment
supermarkets and local shops are rarely more than a few
minutes away, so what is driving this burgeoning interest in
growing our own food?
According to Russ Grayson of the Australia Community
Gardens Network, “it’s really for a number of reasons. For
some people it satisfies an urge to connect with nature and
do some physical work, for others it may be economic and
for the health conscious who want to know where their food
comes from, growing their own is the best option.”
There is nothing new about growing your own
vegetables. Backyard vegetable gardens have been
commonplace throughout the nation’s history but our
modern desire for indoor/outdoor living is creating gardens
that don’t necessarily blend with the requirements or
aesthetics of a seasonal vegetable garden. However, there
still remains a yearning amongst many to grow their own
food, which in turn is creating a raft of innovative solutions,
particularly in inner city settings.
Verge gardening, also known as guerrilla gardening, is
one such example where street verges are planted with
vegetables rather than grass or more typical verge flora –
but it does require the support of council or at the very least
a tacit blind eye. In Marrickville, locals Eva Johnstone, a
landscape architect, and her husband Bill have been
36 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
growing vegetables on their Marrickville street verge for the
past two years. The verges are owned by council who are
happy to turn a blind eye as long as they are managed
neatly and well. And in Chippendale, a group of residents
have been growing raspberries, native mint and passionfruit
vines on local telephone poles as well as a range of fruit and
vegetables on their nature strips and footpaths.
North Sydney Council is already one of the leaders in
community garden space but, says Mayor Genia McCaffery,
“we would certainly be very supportive if communities
wanted to grow veggies in their street, as long as it’s a
community initiative.”
However, verge gardening is not for everyone – the
precarious nature of the site and the availability of food to
passers by is less attractive to those who want to keep all
the fruit of their labours. Fortunately there is a growing
network of community gardens with more and more
councils getting behind them. It is difficult, however, to put
an exact figure on how many community gardens there are
across the state. “To get an accurate picture of the state’s
community gardens,” says Russ Grayson, “it would require
a state level initiative to put in place an evaluation of this
scale.”
The organic nature of community gardens in terms of
their growth and structure has also meant that they evolve
in different ways from council to council. There is no set
template, with some being council-led or supported and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
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| community |
The ‘Streets Alive’ program encourages local residents to take responsibility for creating and caring for gardens on public land.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36
others receiving little or no Local Government support. In
these cases the impetus and ongoing management is
provided by local residents.
Often telling is where responsibility for community
gardening sits within council. At City of Sydney Council, it is
easy to see their commitment to the concept with the
recent appointment of Annie Walker as Community Garden
Liaison and Support officer but in other councils it can be
more difficult to track down the right person. Responsibility
might fall within the environment education team or the
landscape section and at Woollahra the role sits within one
of the community centres.
However, what is important is how the garden is set up.
Much depends on what level of involvement councils want
with their community gardens. Do they want a council-
managed community garden, one that operates
independently and liaises with council, or one in which
decisions are made by gardeners with council having a
vote?
According to Russ Grayson, the independent model is
probably best where council wants to limit the amount of
time staff spend managing it, but at the same time wants to
build social capital in the community. Generally, this model
works well, with good examples found in Woollahra, North
Sydney, Ku-ring-gai, City of Sydney and Randwick.
Willoughby Council operates its community garden on
the council volunteer: bushcare model, and, says Russ,
“this works well for people able to garden when there is a
Council officer present, but does not work so well for
people who would like to garden, for example, at times
when Council staff are not present. So there are some
limitations with this as a replicable model in that respect.”
38 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Community gardens are not income generating
enterprises for councils so costs are usually born by the
community garden organisation or the council or a
combination of the two. Major costs are generally around
the establishment and construction phase, and councils
often suggest gardeners apply for the small grants they
have for community groups.
Ongoing costs are usually covered through membership
fees and by applying for grants. Some councils, such as
Randwick City Council, make a financial allocation at times
to assist the garden, and many other councils, including
Randwick, also make in-kind donations such as mulch and
materials.
As well as a range of community gardens, North Sydney
Council also supports a Streets Alive program, which
encourages local residents to take responsibility for creating
and caring for gardens on public land. Each Streets Alive
site has an appointed Council officer who is responsible for
supporting the volunteers. Council provides the materials
needed to maintain the site such as plants, soil and mulch
and Streets Alive volunteers provide the labour. When an
area of public space becomes a Streets Alive site, Council
works with the site supervisor and other volunteers to
develop goals for the site.
As with anything that involves diverse communities,
there is the usual balancing act. Many have argued that
arable space should be used for native planting to provide
more habitat space for our decreasing native fauna. But
whatever your viewpoint, one thing is clear: there is a raft of
willing volunteers who are happy to provide their time and
skills to make their local areas more aesthetic, sustainable,
and in many cases, functional.
(source: Local Agenda)
World’s best home composter
tackles CPRS levy
or the first time Australians can
F take advantage of the Earth
Machine, a proven home
composter used in over 3
million homes world wide.
The imminent arrival of the Carbon
Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)
has many local government authorities
reviewing their organic waste
management options. Internationally,
one of the proven success stories has
been the introduction of home
composting programs. Such schemes
achieve significant diversion rates in
organic waste, and eliminate the need
for collection, transportation,
processing and disposal into landfill.
Subsequently costs are significantly
reduced, quickly offsetting the initial
investment.
By nature, such programs have
also sparked keen community interest
and involvement in both home
composting, and consequently in
recycling, and more broadly, in
sustainable living.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 39
| community |
The Earth Machine is the world’s
most popular home composter of its
type, and is used across 3 million
homes world wide. Source
Separations Systems is excited to be
introducing this system to Australia.
In Australia, the average
household’s waste is made up of 47%
organic food and garden waste. This
represents over 400 kilos of waste per
household per year which can be
potentially diverted from landfill with
the Earth Machine.
Source Separations Systems is
currently partnering with a number of
local government authorities to
introduce home composting programs,
through comprehensive education
activities and the Earth Machine kits.
If you would like to learn more about
these local programs, or to get details
on international case studies, log
onto www.earthmachine.com.au or
contact Source Separation Systems
on (02) 4940 4648.
 A journey of sustainability
| community |
Baiada Poultry is a family owned Australian business with its portfolio
encompassing two well-recognised poultry brands – Steggles and Lilydale.
or the past 10 years Baiada
F has been committed to
becoming an industry leader in
environmental management.
This momentum has continued, with
major business developments, like the
recent acquisition of Bartter Steggles
in July 2009, only encouraging this
direction.
Baiada is Australia’s first poultry
company to take environmental
management to a fully certified EMS
(Environmental Management System).
With all original Baiada sites fully
certified, the focus, in more recent
times, has been on certifying all newly
acquired business sites.
Some of the initiatives that have
come from the implementation of an
environmental management system
include:
• Recycling—There has been a
significant reduction in waste sent
to landfill through the Baiada state-
of-the-art Protein Recovery Plants.
There is also a recycling program in
place for paper, cardboard, plastic,
light globes, cans and scrap
metals.
• Tree planting—Over 20,000 trees
have been planted on Baiada sites
since 2001. The goal is to plant in
excess of 50,000 trees by 2020.
Bowlers Lane Tamworth, where approximately 2,500 trees have been planted.
40 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Baiada also has associations with
Featherdale Wildlife Park, allowing
the Park to plant eucalyptus trees
on one of the Sydney hatchery
properties from which they harvest
leaves to feed the Park’s koala
population.
• Reducing water usage—Baiada is
a member of the ‘Every Drop
Counts’ conservation program
funded by Sydney Water and in the
last 5 years has reduced water
usage of potable water by
approximately 15-20%. Rainwater
tanks are being used throughout
the business—where bio-security is
not compromised.
• Odour and noise reduction
programs—Baiada has embarked
on a number of odour and noise
reduction programs, which have
included the construction and
commissioning of biological filters
and acoustic attenuation. This
investment of several million dollars
has benefited in providing effective
control of odour and noise
emissions from these sites.
What the future brings
Baiada is working to have all business
sites operating under the
environmental management system by
June 2010. The number of rainwater
tanks and trees being planted will
increase. Packaging will continue to
come under the microscope with
recycling materials being further
explored. The poultry industry is
currently investigating how to best
measure its carbon footprint within
Australia. Once this has been
determined, Baiada will plan and
implement a rectification program to
offset or reduce the carbon footprint
where feasible.
Baiada is also mindful of its social
responsibilities, particularly within local
communities near its operating
centres. Baiada actively supports a
number of charities but especially
those focussed on the needs of
children. The Baiada Group’s
Children’s Charity Nest was introduced
in 2002. Funds are raised through
employee and company contributions
along with a number of specific
initiatives that the business becomes
involved with. An example is the
recent Steggles sponsorship of the
NRL Sydney Roosters—where the
sponsorship is conditional on a
portion of the sponsorship funds
and winning games resulting in
charitable contributions. As of 26 May
2010, this sponsorship alone has
generated over $110,000.
 &KLFNHQIHHGLVQ·W
FKLFNHQIHHG

Steggles chickens are truly tender chickens. Not sorghum. Their diet is uncompromisingly healthy.
surprising, when you consider we have our very own And for the most part, locally grown.
nutritionist to ensure they are fed a balanced diet of Because we’re convinced that the better our
mixed grains including all natural wheat, barley and chickens eat, the better your family eat.

:H·UH6WHJJOHUVIRUTXDOLW\
 EPA ruling ‘a win for
| remote + rural |

responsible mining’
Residents for Responsible Mining (R4RM), the residents’ group with 100 household
members in the Shire of Chittering, is delighted that the Environmental Protection
Authority (EPA) has set the highest assessment level of Public Environmental Review
(PER) for Bauxite Resources Limited’s (BRL, ASX: BAU) Stage 2 mining proposal in
Bindoon, in accordance with environmental legislation.

lair Medhurst, a spokesperson for the group, said agricultural/horticultural and tourism investment.

C the EPA ruling is a win for responsible mining in

the Darling Scarp. “For the first time, affected
residents will have the opportunity to make
submissions about the environmental and social impacts
which they have actually experienced during BRL’s Stage 1
operations, and which they are likely to experience from any
future mining stages,” Ms Medhurst said.
“We are, however, disappointed that the PER will only
address BRL’s proposed Stage 2 operations, which we
believe encompasses only 1.2 million tonnes of BRL’s
stated plans to mine up to 30 million tonnes in the area.
“37 Shires in the Darling Ranges are affected by BRL’s
blanket tenement pegging over agricultural and lifestyle
areas.
“To protect Chittering and the other affected
communities from the anxiety, uncertainty and huge
expenditure that goes with dealing with piecemeal mining
proposals on private land, we urge Government to
implement a regional environmental assessment of large-
scale, low margin strip mining in the Darling Ranges,
together with a comprehensive land use and social impact
assessment of target areas to identify where and to what
extent bauxite mining is compatible with existing
“Residents deserve to know the big picture of what
BRL’s future plans are in the region so that the full and
cumulative impacts can be assessed and clearly
understood.
“It is critical that ongoing issues such as sourcing of
industrial water, transport infrastructure, salinity risks and
noise and dust emissions are properly analysed and that
our environment, agricultural and tourism investment and
amenity are protected.  
“This said, considering that only 6 months ago residents
were faced with a 9 million tonne bauxite mining proposal
before the Shire Council, without an EPA assessment, we
feel we have come a long way and that common sense has
prevailed.
“R4RM will work as required with the environmental
consultants presently being appointed by the Shire of
Chittering to assist the assessment process.”
For further information, please contact:
Residents for Responsible MiningJoint Convenors:
Clair Medhurst
Tel: 0411 492 769 
Derek Gascoine
Tel: 0408 921 22

42 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Railway Level Crossings –
Every Incident is Avoidable
Approximately 100 incidents occur at railway level crossings causing an average of 37
fatalities in Australia annually. Compared to the Australian road toll, this number may
seem minor but it is important to remember that there is potential for catastrophic
incidents resulting in multiple fatalities and significant damage bills.
ith more than 23,500 railway level crossings
W around Australia, the potential for large scale
tragedy is present at many locations. It is for
this reason that railway level crossing safety is
one of the rail industry’s highest safety priorities as it strives
for zero deaths at railway level crossings.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau study of 87 fatal
railway level crossing incidents revealed the following facts
about these fatal collisions.
• More than 50% occur at ‘active’ sites (those with boom
gates, flashing lights and bells or a combination of these
warning devices in place).
• 80% occur in daylight during fine weather on straight,
dry roads.
• Over 60% happen on weekdays at rural or urban level
crossings (67%).
• In 33% of fatal incidents, the point of impact is the side
of the train.
• 46% are a result of unintended driver error.
These findings highlight the challenges surrounding
railway level crossing safety and the need for a multi-
pronged approach.
In March 2009, a new national body, the Rail Level
Crossing Group (RLCG), was established to nationally
address railway level crossing matters. Comprised of Senior
Government, Industry, Road, Rail and Trucking
| occupational health + safety |
representatives, the RLCG released its National Railway
Level Crossing Strategy (2010 - 2020) in November 2009.
Approved by the Australian Transport Council, the national
Strategy identifies six key focus areas that must be
addressed to reduce incidents at railway level crossings.
These are a safe system approach, national governance,
risk management, exploring technology, continued
education and enforcement and improvements in data and
knowledge management.
In recognition of the national strategy, and to ensure a
nationally coordinated approach to railway level crossing
safety, the Rail Industry updated its railway level crossing
strategy so that it aligns with the national strategy.
The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB)
has been tasked with implementing the Industry railway
level crossing strategy. The Industry and RLCG strategies
are both available in the railway level crossing section of the
RISSB website www.rissb.com.au.
Rail is the safest form of land transport yet risks are
present at every road / rail interface. The Rail Industry is
committed to working with all levels of Government, the
road and trucking industry’s and other stakeholders to
improve railway level crossing safety.
Every railway level crossing incident is avoidable and
zero deaths at railway level crossings is achievable.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 43
| infrastructure |

The first BASYC installation

The DTEI in South Australia is the first road authority in Australia to install the new
BASYC MPS (motorcycle protection system).
anufactured in Spain by

M Cegasa and distributed

exclusively throughout
Australia by LB
International Pty Ltd, BASYC has been
specifically developed to provide a
system of continuous, non-rigid
protection for both motorcyclists and
cyclists that can be retro-fitted to any
type of beam barrier system. The
system has been successfully installed
at numerous locations throughout
Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy,
Greece and Brazil, and now looks set
to change the face of road safety for
motorcyclists throughout Australia.
Speaking about the new BASYC
MPS, Paul Hansen, Managing Director
with LB International Pty Ltd,
commented:
“We believe that the BASYC
system sets a new benchmark in
impact protection for motorcyclists on
Australia’s roads.”
“Whereas in the past, there have
been difficulties in balancing the needs
of motorcyclists with those of other
road users—especially in terms of
motorcyclists impacting with guardrail
and posts—we believe that the
BASYC system delivers the ideal
balance of strength and flexibility to
meet everyone’s needs,” he said.
“What’s more, the fact that BASYC
is effectively a ‘combination system’
that can be retro-fitted quickly and
The combined DTEI and BASYC crew standing in front of the completed BASYC installation.
easily to any guardrail design. The
system has been fully crash tested
with motorbikes and with cars to the
European standards. This bike barrier
does not cause any instability to cars
in the impact.”
The BASYC MPS incorporates a
non-rigid barrier designed with
controlled elasticity to absorb the
impact of a motorcyclist. The system
consists of a tensioned geotextile
mesh composed of different thread
densities that deliver excellent
mechanical properties of resistance,
stretching and traction. This controlled
elasticity gradually absorbs the energy
from the impact, redirecting the rider
along the barrier, whilst at the same
time, avoiding the ‘bounce’ effect.
Importantly, the system has also been
designed to cope with a ‘second’
impact from a pillion passenger.
The textile mesh is a fireproof
recyclable product that has UV
protection, and is resistant to extreme
temperatures. A specifically-developed
paraffin and Teflon surface treatment
minimises the effect of high
temperatures generated by friction
during impact and ensures the
progressive slip of the rider on the
mesh. The mesh has also been treated
to minimise the accumulation of dust,
water, snow and/or other
contaminants in the surface.
For further information contact:
Dane Hansen – Tel: (02) 9631 8833.

44 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Measuring the energy efficiency of
| green buildings |
older homes
SUMMARY
Given that 96 per cent of houses in Victoria were built
before the introduction of five-star energy efficiency
standards, improving the environmental performance of
older homes is essential to reducing the state’s energy use.
A new study conducted by MEFL for Sustainability
Victoria has given us a better understanding of just how
inefficient Melbourne’s older houses are, what needs to be
done to improve them, and how much it might cost.
Fifteen houses built between 1900 and 1980, located
mainly in Melbourne’s inner north, were chosen for the pilot
project funded by Sustainability Victoria. The houses
chosen were mainly freestanding weatherboard or brick-
veneer homes, and ranged in size from 75m2 up to 175m2,
much smaller than the average new home built today.
Each house was measured and assessed in great detail
to record the floor plan, building materials, insulation levels,
construction characteristics and orientation. Then, a large
fan was used to blow air through the house, equivalent to a
35 kilometre per hour wind (called a ‘fan pressurisation
test’), while specialised equipment monitored how quickly
air leaked through all the gaps and cracks.
Then, all the construction and design details were
entered into the ‘First Rate5’ thermal modelling software
program to determine each home’s star rating according to
the National House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS).
The average energy rating of the fifteen houses was just
1.3 stars, and four of the houses rated less than 1 star. Only
46 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
two houses had a star rating of above 2. This indicates that
we’ve got a long way to go to bring the majority of older
homes up to today’s energy efficiency standards. It also
means that people living in older houses are likely to be
paying more to heat and cool their homes.
Energy hungry appliances
During the survey of the house, the researchers also noted
the type and number of major appliances being used. This
included checking the energy consumption of water
heaters, fridges, heating systems, air conditioners,
dishwashers, clothes washers, lights and televisions. The
study examined the cost of upgrading major appliances,
and calculated how long it would take for the householder
to get their money back through savings on energy bills.
Upgrading to a gas-boosted solar hot water system,
installing a high-efficiency central heating system, and
replacing low-voltage halogen downlights proved to be the
most beneficial actions. In most cases the energy savings
achieved through upgrading fridges, air conditioners,
dishwashers, clothes washers and televisions were not
significant enough for the upgrade to be economically
viable.
The findings highlight the importance of ensuring that
high-efficiency appliances are chosen when appliances
reach the end of their operating life, since at this point the
cost difference is much less.
What’s the best solution for older buildings? Results of the study

| green buildings |
The research also evaluated the potential benefit that could The results of the modelling show that wall insulation had a
be gained from a range of common home improvements. significant impact, increasing the house energy rating by
Rather than actually installing the upgrades, FirstRate5 over 1.5 stars. Simple draught sealing also performed
software was used to model hypothetical changes to each strongly, increasing the rating on average by almost half a
house and estimate what impact they would have on the star.
home’s energy efficiency and star rating. Two sets of The basic upgrade package resulted in an average
actions were investigated. improvement of 1 star for a cost of just $1,837.
The full upgrade package was
much more expensive, coming in at
an average of $22,591, but resulted
in an average 3 star improvement.
Applying the advanced package
of upgrades increased the average
energy rating of the fifteen homes
from 1.3 to 4.3 stars, close to
today’s legal minimum of 5 stars.
Double-glazing was by far the
most expensive measure modelled
(accounting for 59% of the cost) but
delivered less than 10% of the
improvement in energy
performance. The reverse was true
for insulation and draught sealing
which delivered 84% of the benefit
for only 20% of the cost. It should
be pointed out that the upgrades
were modelled in a particular order
(i.e. insulation was applied to the
houses before double-glazing) and
the star rating improvements would
vary depending on the order in
which they were applied.
As a pilot study, the results need
Basic upgrade: to be treated with some caution, but so far the indications
• Ceiling insulation – either top-ups or installation of new are that basic and affordable actions such as insulation and
insulation; draught sealing may be the best option for making older
• Comprehensive draught sealing consisting of sealing homes more climate-friendly.
wall vents, skirting boards, recessed downlights,
exhaust fans, doors and windows; Next steps
• Underfloor insulation in the case of houses with MEFL has already commenced a second follow up study
suspended timber floors. which will assess a further 30 homes to expand the sample
Advanced upgrade, all of the above plus: size. Stage two of the research is due to be completed by
• Drapes and pelmet on windows to reduce heat loss; the end of 2010.
• External awnings or blinds on unshaded windows facing OR to download a copy of the full report, published by Sustainability
north, east and west; Victoria visit: http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/2904-
• Wall insulation pumped into the external wall cavity; energy-efficiency-of-victorian-homes.asp
• Double-glazed windows to replace existing single glazed
windows. For other enquiries contact the report’s author Govind Maksay,
Residential Buildings project specialist with the Moreland Energy
The cost of each retrofit measure was calculated to
Foundation on 03 9385 8508 or Govind@mefl.com.au
compare which actions were most cost-effective.

Lucid Consulting Engineers were engaged by the LGA of South

Australia to coordinate with local and regional councils to define
world’s best practice for energy efficient park and roadway
lighting, and ensure South Australia is at the forefront of public lighting sustainability.

Lucid staff are accredited under the “NABERS” and “Green Star” schemes and are
dedicated to providing the best possible ESD solutions across all disciplines for our clients
and for the wider community.
Innovative approaches
to complex challenges.
• ELECTRICAL SERVICES • MECHANICAL SERVICES • SUSTAINABILITY • FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES
• HYDRAULIC SERVICES • VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES • PROJECT MANAGEMENT
• URBAN DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE

Level 1/89 King William Street, Kent Town, South Australia 5067 Tel (08) 8364 6155 Fax (08) 8364 6199
lucid@lucidconsulting.com.au www.lucidconsulting.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 47

| community housing |

Port Phillip Housing Association

ort Phillip Housing Association

P (PPHA) is a not for profit

PPHA’s Ormond Road, Elwood development included the demolition
of a 4 bedroom house to make way for 11 units for older persons.
community housing
organisation that owns,
develops and manages affordable
rental housing for people on low to
moderate incomes. We are a
registered Housing Association under
the Housing Act 1983 and as one of a
small group of registered agencies
have access to capital growth funds
from the State and Federal
Governments for the development of
affordable housing projects in Victoria.
In partnership with the State
Government and the City of Port Phillip
our Housing Program has grown to be
the largest local government initiated
community housing program in
Australia. It is recognised nationally as
one of the most innovative and
progressive demonstrations of the
involvement of local government in the
provision and management of
affordable housing for low-income
residents.
PPHA, previously St Kilda Housing
Association (pre local government
amalgamation), had its beginnings in
1985 when the former St Kilda Council
established the city’s community
housing program. The purpose was to
provide secure and affordable rental
housing for local residents with long-
term links with the area and who were
eligible for public housing. We have
now grown to own and manage over
540 units, with an additional 500 either
planned or currently under
development to be available in the next
3 years.
The City of Port Phillip has assisted
PPHA’s growth with a fully integrated
housing strategy in its policy
framework, annual corporate plans
and annual budgets. The need for
community housing is integrated into
the Port Phillip Planning Scheme and
its Municipal Strategic Statement. This
has enabled continuity and progressive
development of community housing
over a 25 year period.
In 2004 the City of Port Phillip
established the Port Phillip Housing
Trust as the ownership vehicle for their
community housing assets valued at
over $90m to ensure ongoing financial
and political sustainability in a

48 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

RIGHT: The rear of Enfield House in St Kilda, a

| community housing |
previous backpackers residence, purchased by
PPHA and developed to provide 35 apartments
for local older persons.

BELOW: Some of PPHA’s 82 units at Parkville

Gardens, the previous athletes village from the
2006 Commonwealth Games.

gentrifying community. PPHA was

appointed as Trustee and continues to
own and manage the assets. At that
time Council also committed to
contribute $400,000 per year for 10
years as well as an ongoing
contribution of surplus land to the Trust
for housing projects in the City of Port
Phillip.
PPHA was recently appointed by
the Victorian Government as the
organisation responsible for delivering
the Ashwood Chadstone Gateway
Project (ACGP) in the Inner East of
Melbourne. This project will create over
200 much needed affordable and
secure homes for the local community.
In partnership with the City of Monash,
the ACGP will also rejuvenate the local
area and bring added benefits to the
community including creating public
open spaces for people to socialise,
advocating for training and
employment opportunities, and
improve access to local service
providers and transport facilities.
Another recent successful joint
venture was the construction of
Woodstock Rooming House – a 31
unit development largely in the air
space above a Council car park at the
rear of the Carlisle Street Shopping
Centre in Balaclava. Other successful
models have included partnerships
with private developers where Council
has provided land in return for a
portion of units in the new future
development.
PPHA has had successful
partnerships with other Local
Government Authorities, including
purchase of social housing units
owned by Glen Eira Council that will be
redeveloped by PPHA to improve

CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 49

| community housing |

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

amenity for residents and increase the

number of units. PPHA has also
established a relationship with
Melbourne City Council who provides
rate exemptions to assist with the
ongoing management and viability of
our community housing in Parkville
Gardens.
In the current policy environment at
both State and Federal levels, Local
Government Authorities have the
opportunity to play an integral role in
the development and sustainability of
inclusive communities through the
provision of affordable housing.

TOP LEFT: Pyrmont Rooming Housing in St Kilda

provides mostly fully self-contained singles
accommodation for 35 residents.

TOP RIGHT: The Premier John Brumby with

PPHA and City of Monash representatives
announces PPHA as the successful tenderer for
the Ashwood Chadstone Gateway Project.

RIGHT: The redevelopment of the historic

Excelsior Hall in Port Melbourne on land owned
by the City of Port Phillip now provides 18 one
bedroom units for singles.

50 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 | green buildings |
Clean green business machine
BY EDEN COX

The Green Square North Tower building has become the first building in Queensland to be
awarded both a 6 Star Green Star - Office As Built v2 and a 6 Star Green Star - Office
Design v2 rating. The tower is part of the Green Square Development area, one of the
largest mixed-use corporate office parks in Brisbane, and was certified as a ‘World
Leader’ in environmentally sustainable design in 2009.
eighton Contractors was engaged to design, cost benefits by meeting 70 per cent of the building’s

L construct and fit-out the $94 million Green Square

North Tower, which comprises 12 levels of office
space, 600 square meters of retail, and two levels of
parking, with four major tenants including the Queensland
State Government.
A significant contributor to the building’s 6 Star Green
Star rating is a large scale gas-powered cogeneration plant
located on the roof of the tower, which generates power
whilst expended waste heat is captured and reused in an
absorption chiller to run the air conditioning system.
The plant simultaneously produces electricity and
thermal energy using a low CO2 emission fuel source –
natural gas.
Along with reducing the building’s reliance on the public
electrical infrastructure network, the cogeneration plant will
deliver significant reductions in the building’s greenhouse
gas emissions; it is estimated to reduce nitrous oxide output
by 85%, carbon monoxide output by 90%, and overall
emissions by 55%, playing a major role in Brisbane City
Council’s target to halve carbon emissions by 2026.
The cogeneration plant also delivers operational and
electrical peak load needs and 30 per cent of its peak
cooling needs, providing power savings and security
against rising energy prices.
The Green Square North Tower is only the second
project in Australia to achieve a 6 Star Green Star - Office
As Built v2 rating, and it is estimated that the project will
achieve reductions of 26kg of CO2, per m2, per annum.
Darren Weir, Leighton Contractors General Manager
Northern Region, said the project invested heavily in
sustainability education and relationship management to
create a design and construction project culture where
sustainability was at the forefront.
“With the achievement of 5 and 6 Star Green Star
ratings from the Green Building Council of Australia and a
host of industry awards, the Green Square Corporate Park
set new benchmarks for sustainable development in
Queensland,” Mr Weir said.
Implementing innovative engineering solutions and smart
technology have set a new environmental benchmark for
industry.
The Green Square North Tower is also at the forefront of

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 51

| green buildings |
water-smart practice, with annual savings of 6 million litres,
and a 160,000 litre water storage facility onsite for
landscape irrigation and other building uses.
The basement water tank receives the rainwater
harvested from the entire roof area, which is then filtered
and pumped back up the building to be used for toilet
flushing and irrigating the building’s vegetation. A sensor
indicates when the tank is low on harvested water and
mains water is only used when storage capacity is
exhausted.
Water efficient fittings and fixtures combine with the
rainwater harvesting system to save 1.2 million litres of
potable water each year.
Along with high efficiency luminaries and intelligent
energy meters to record the performance of the building,
innovative management practices play an important part in
optimising the Green Square North Tower’s environmental
performance.
According to Lisa Welsh, Office Manager at Cardno,
which occupies the North Tower, the automated lighting
system reduces electricity waste.
“Everything is automated. No-one needs to be
conscious of turning lights off when they go home. All our
staff have to do is turn their computers off.”
A direct digital control system monitors and controls all
building systems for performance maintenance, and water
meters immediately identify water leaks enabling swift
response.
Smart energy meters installed in the building exceed the
development requirements to maximise the accuracy of
energy reporting, assisting end users with tracking NABERS
energy ratings.
“We get printouts on our usage about every 6 months,”
said Ms Welsh, adding that staff can also access these
reports.
Ms Welsh said it is useful to be able to determine how
much energy is being consumed on each floor, and in
particular, how much energy is being used by the
company’s server room in comparison to the costs in
Cardno’s previous building.
“When we first moved into the North Tower we were
saving $1500 to $2000 a month on our electricity bills,” she
added.
52 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Building occupants have not been forgotten, with fresh
air delivery and high air change effectiveness through the air
conditioning system, and excellent thermal comfort within
the office space.
A 160 bike rack facility with showers and change rooms,
plus 35 public visitor bike racks make an even broader
impact on the environmental targets set by the Brisbane
City Council by enabling a voluntary reduction in car use.
“There is also a Wellness Centre in the South Tower of
Green Square and staff can now exercise during their lunch
breaks,” she said, and added that the number of bicycles
has doubled if not tripled since the company moved to the
green building.
The development’s master plan also includes a 2,500m2
high tech utility building, a community centre and proposed
childcare facility, a vacant site for future affordable housing
development, and a green ‘pocket park’ and retail plaza.
The Green Square North Tower’s adjoining building,
Green Square South Tower, received the first 5 Star Green
Star - Office Design v2 and Office As Built v2 ratings in
Queensland in 2006, and a 4 Star Green Star - Office
Interiors v1.1 rating in 2009.
South Tower achieved maximum points for the transport
category, with similar provision of cyclist facilities and public
transport amenity. It’s water efficient fixtures and fittings also
received a high score, along with water metering, and
rainwater harvesting and reuse for landscape irrigation.
The use of environmentally friendly construction
materials was a high priority for the South Tower, and 100
per cent of timber was either reused, recycled of FSC-
certified. 60 per cent of the steel had recycled content of 50
per cent or beyond, and low-emission formaldehyde
products and low-VOC finishes were chosen for the
interiors.
Testament to the appeal of the green design in Brisbane,
all of the North Tower’s commercial space was leased well
before practical completion. Let’s hope that the Green
Square Development is just the start of a booming trend
towards sustainable design in Australian, encouraged and
inspired by councils keen to reduce their environmental
footprint.
Supporting a growing sector
s the peak industry body for

A housing associations in NSW,

the NSW Federation of
Housing Associations is the
gateway to the state’s rapidly growing
community housing sector. With more
than 30 full-member organisations and
70 affiliates, we can provide a wealth
of information and contacts with non-
government housing providers in NSW.
The enormous growth of the sector
over recent years has also lifted the
activity of the Federation. We’ve been
working flat out to build a wide range
of relationships to support these rapid
changes. While these include political,
industrial and commercial relationships
for this new growth area, one of our
important activities is hosting a
network of local government officers
involved in affordable housing. The Federation’s web site
We’ve also been working with our (www.communityhousing.org.au) is a
members to deliver a wide range of fantastic resource, providing a
professional support and qualifications directory of community housing
for growing the capacity, providers across NSW. News,
professionalism and skills of those in information on training and events,
the sector. The range is huge, from links to publications and submissions,
short courses for CEOs to accredited and other material of relevance to the
vocational training sessions and sector can all be easily accessed from NSW Federation of Housing Associations Inc.
64-76 Kippax Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
hands-on workshops, allowing us to the Federation’s home page. Don’t Tel: (02) 9281 7144
provide the skills that the sector needs. delay – look it up today! www.communityhousing.org.au

L2 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Community housing becomes a
| community housing |

significant local service

The community housing sector in NSW has experienced an extraordinary
level of growth over the last couple of years, making it a significant new
partner for local government. Across the state, the sector is providing
more affordable housing, while focusing on local communities and their
needs and working with local government to achieve these aims.

here are more than 30 specialist community

T housing providers (CHPs) that provide homes for

low- or moderate-income households across NSW.
The sector has grown steadily over the past five
years, with the number of homes managed increasing from
12,000 to more than 21,000. But in the next year and a
half, this is expected to rise to around 30,000 homes, as
the sector’s growth continues to accelerate.
A large part of this expansion is due to the Nation
Building Economic Stimulus Plan, which is providing around
6,000 new affordable homes to be managed by local CHPs.
CHPs maintain strong local attachments and involvement,
utilising diverse partnerships with local support providers to
ensure that tenancies are sustained and community
participation strengthened.
However, they are no longer the small services with
which many councils have been familiar: the largest provider
will soon manage more than 4,000 homes. Many others
manage more than 1,000 properties, allowing them to make
significant responses to local housing needs.
The diversity of CHPs is echoed by the strength and
number of connections they have with local governments
and providers. As Greg Budworth, CEO of Compass
Housing in Newcastle, explains, these collaborations are
very valuable to his organisation.
‘Generally speaking, Compass has valued and mature
partnerships with several local councils. We’ve been
particularly benefited by the provision of two blocks of land
donated by Cessnock Council for our affordable housing
program, and also the provision of $660 000 from the
Newcastle City Council, via their Building Better Cities
Committee, which we’ve put towards affordable housing in
Newcastle.’
‘Those two partnerships are quite mature, while with the
other councils we’ve begun a process of partnership and
collaboration. We’re looking forward to the further
development of those relationships.’
Another example of the extensive networks between
CHPs, local government and the community is given by
Brian Murnane, the Executive Manager of Argyle
Community Housing. ‘In 2005 Wingecarribee Shire Council
established an Affordable Housing Strategy Group,
comprising councillors, planners, community
representatives and Argyle Community Housing staff. This
group assessed the need for affordable housing in the Shire
and made recommendations to the Council, one of which
was that the Council donate a parcel of land to Argyle. This
was approved, and Argyle built two cottages on the land.’
‘The Council also brokered a deal between Argyle and a
local developer that resulted in the construction of an
additional six cottages for affordable housing in the Shire.
As the Mayor, Gordon Lewis, said, “This collaboration has
produced a great result for the Shire”.’
St George Community Housing is the largest in the

54 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011


country. ‘Local government relationships certainly are
important because the scope of our portfolio is so broad’
said CEO, Nazha Saad. ‘ For us it is about working with
councils to be able to deliver products and programs that
are most suitable for residents of the particular area.  In this
way housing, be it fully or partially subsidised, is integrated
into the community rather than being a stand alone
response’
‘We run affordable housing programs with Randwick
City Council and City of Canada Bay Council. The City of
Canada Bay project is important as it demonstrates how
three levels of government can deliver key worker housing
using both NRAS and local planning incentives.   The
partnership encompasses a relationship between Canada
Bay and the Concord Repatriation Generalist Hospital to
provide affordable housing to employees of the hospital.’
Clive Bradshaw from Hume Community Housing
Association points out that CHPs make other important
| community housing |
contributions to local communities. ‘In common with other
housing associations, Hume Community Housing
Association places a high priority on working within
communities and supporting tenants to be active
community members. An example of this approach is the
engagement with residents of a sheltered housing property,
all of whom are aged pensioners. During Seniors Week,
Hume took nine residents to Darling Harbour for a Seniors
Week event of dancing and street shows.’
The growth of CHPs is leading to new kinds of
relationships with local government. As Nick Sabel from
Wentworth Community Housing explains: ‘Wentworth
Community Housing is experiencing rapid growth under the
PTP (transfer of public housing to NGOs), and by December
2010 will be the largest provider of social housing in the
Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains local government areas,
with a strong and growing presence in Penrith and
Blacktown.’
‘With this growth comes enormous responsibility.
Wentworth sees local governments as key stakeholders in
the delivery and realignment of affordable and social
housing, facilitating community strengthening and ending
homelessness in the region.’
CHPs reflect the diversity of communities in the state.
The largest provider operates across the Sydney
metropolitan region, while the smallest is a strong local
presence in a country town. And their services reflect local
need. Many provide targeted services to support the most
vulnerable households, but increasingly the affordable rental
sector is growing to meet the housing needs of key workers
in local communities.
Whatever the character of each community, CHPs will
continue to make a growing contribution, a key part of
which is thanks to their partnerships with local government.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 55
 The next generation in urban lighting
| sustainable street lighting |

Lighting is a fundamental part of life. It gives us the natural rhythm of day and night,
determines how we see things and brings the world to life. Research shows that well lit
streets make roads safer for motorists and pedestrians. In addition, it enhances the
general feeling of security, encouraging people to walk, run, cycle and socialise in the
evenings, complementing the city’s nightlife.
n Australia, there are 1.36 million

I public lights on minor roads,

costing taxpayers $100 million
annually. A significant number of
these use old and antiquated
technology, providing sub-optimal
lighting. More importantly, they
consume large amounts of energy,
contributing to air, water and light
pollution. Public lighting of roads is a
major source of greenhouse gas
emissions for local governments,
typically accounting for between 30 -
50% of their total greenhouse gas
emissions.1 To compound this crisis,
electricity prices are predicted to
increase an average of 50% in
2010/11.2
Fortunately, new lighting
technologies exist in the marketplace
today that are able to deliver
outstanding energy and cost savings.
Philips Lighting is leading the urban
lighting revolution by implementing
innovative lighting systems.
The Philips ClearLine lighting
system provides urban planners with a
complete solution for road lighting.
Using the latest LED technology,
ClearLine can achieve significant
energy savings compared with typical
conventional SON solutions. One
unique feature is its dimming capacity,
which allows individual light points to
be switched on or off or dimmed
during off peak hours saving additional
energy costs. It has an incredible long
life of over 50,000 hours reducing
maintenance costs while also providing
the benefits of a contemporary
designed, higher quality, bright, natural
white light, creating a secure, safe and
more inviting night-time urban
environment.3
Another solution is the Philips costs. Due to its superior optics, the 1 “Lighting the Way. A local Government Guide to energy

CosmosPolis street lighting system,
which is an ideal alternative to the
conventional mercury vapour and high-
pressure sodium lamps. This
extremely energy efficient lighting
solution delivers a higher quality white
light and enables greater spacing
between luminaires thereby reducing
initial investment and on-going
maintenance costs. Even higher
efficiencies can be achieved if
integrated with the Philips Iridium
luminaire range, which also has a
dimming capacity to save on energy
Iridium also ensures low cost of
ownership. These two lighting systems
are versatile enough to be applied in
residential areas, major and minor
roads and motorways.
These are just a few examples of current
energy efficient and sustainable lighting
technologies that are available today. For
more information and helpful hints on how to
implement cost and energy efficient lighting
systems, please contact Philips Customer
Service: 1300 304 404 or email
lightingsalesdesk@philips.com or log onto
www.philips.com.au/lighting.
efficient Public Lighting on Minor Roads”. Prepared by
Deni Greene Consulting Services, Kevin Poulton and
Associates and Genesis Automation for the Australian
Greenhouse Office in the Department of the
Environment and Water Resources. February 2007.
2 “Street lighting price hike”, Blue Mountains Gazette.
Michael Gleggett, 26 May 2010.
3 Testing for product performance (including lifetime) and
applications has been carried out in Philips laboratories
using Philips’ electronic control gear. Actual results may
vary based on individual applications. Please contact
Philips for more information.

56 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

0MKLXMRKJSVXLIJYXYVI

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 Wyndham Civic Centre lights up with
| sustainable street lighting |

solar powered LED lighting

Wyndham City Council recently completed the upgrading of the lighting in the car parks
and roadways of its Civic Centre.
fter careful consideration of the available energy

A efficient lighting options, including T5 and CFL

options, Council chose a Pecan Lighting Grid Tied
Solar Public Lighting (GTSPL) system using LED
luminaires.
This system provides an energy neutral lighting solution
that translates into a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions of over seven tonnes annually from the 44 x
GTSPL poles in the project.
As the CREE LED’s in the luminaire produce no UV they
do not attract bugs and other flying insects and containing
zero Mercury makes them environmentally friendly.
As the lighting requirements vary throughout the Civic
Centre a number of different optical systems were used.
Type IV forward throw optics were utilised in one car
park section due to the size and shape of the area. The
main car park uses Type III street light optics to achieve
lighting uniformities compliant with the code requirements
with Type II street light optics used throughout the roadways many years to come.
of the civic centre. With the emergence of FIT (Feed in Tariff’s) there now
The long lamp life of the Pecan LED luminaire is a bonus exists a situation whereby even under a Nett FIT, Pecan
for Council with a healthy effect on Council’s maintenance GTSPL systems can have the capability to generate
budget with a truly maintenance free lighting system for revenue for the owner.

58 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

The Department of Primary Industry, Victoria,
Pilot, Electricity Monitoring Project
The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is one of 11
Victorian Government Departments and reports to the
Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Energy and
Resources. DPI employs 2,500 staff in 70 locations around
the State to develop sustainable agriculture, fisheries, energy
resources and forest industries in Victoria. Like all other
Victorian departments, DPI aim to continuously improve
environmental performance whilst achieving service delivery
requirements.
A large proportion of DPI energy consumption is related to
research activities. However current DPI environmental
performance monitoring is restricted in its ability to
separately report office and non-office usage due to existing
infrastructure at major DPI research based sites.
In 2009 DPI issued a select RFQ for a pilot electricity sub-
metering solution covering 5 major research sites spread
around Victoria. The project aim was to collect the remote
energy data from the five sites and to integrate this data into
the DPI database via their Environmental Management Tool
(EMT), which requests the sub-meter data from the energy
database and reconciles the data to each site’s total
consumption for environmental performance analysis.
Fastron Technologies Pty Ltd was awarded the contract and
offered DPI various options including:
• Energy data collected remotely via a local computer or by
central computer at DPI’s head office
• Communications to Spring Street via Internet, GPRS or
LAN
• Interface into the DPI computer by “.csv” file or directly
via an SQL database enquiry.
DPI chose to have a Central Computer at head office running
on their existing Local Area Network (LAN) and to input data
into their server by an SQL database enquiry. This reduced
complexity and cost as well as providing a more efficient
software interface.
The software utilised on this project is the Fastron
Technologies “ERGO” Commander software which currently
resides on a computer located at the Spring Street office and
which polls all energy meters in the field on an hourly basis
via their LAN.
The “ERGO” Commander is also designed to be fully
scaleable and to allow any new process data such as water
and gas to be seamlessly added through fully addressable IP
nodes and field RS485 multi-drop links.
The data from each site can also be used in the future to
provide profiling data, alarms and reporting to each Site
Manager. This will enable each Site Manager to analyse their
own local operation to reduce wasted energy, monitor and
target their consumption in order to maintain the savings and
to further benchmark specific actions taken to reduce energy.
Mike Trubridge
Managing Director
Fastron Technologies Pty Ltd
25 Kingsley Close, Rowville, Victoria, 3178
Tel 03 9763 5155
| technology + innovation |

Technology Case Study

Randwick Labor Club saves
$200,000 with innovative power
management system
Randwick Labor Club is situated in the heart of Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and provides
entertainment facilities including a restaurant, bar, function room, TAB and lounge area for
the local community. The Club was opened in December 1972 and has since then played a
valuable role in supporting the needs of charitable and sporting organisations from the
local area.

n 2007, Randwick Labor Club management undertook members, including lighting, air conditioning and

I a renovation of the entire building, including the

rebuilding of the second level gaming area, a fire safety
upgrade, including sprinklers throughout the renovated
area, a new electricity switchboard with a single supply and
a new foyer. The renovation represented a complete
reinvention of the Club, to ensure it remained attractive and
offered the best levels of service for its members.
Some time after the redevelopment it became evident
that the Club was under-supplied with power.
As a result of this lower supply, Randwick Labor Club
was suffering from regularly overloaded fuses, leading to the
power dropping out. This was affecting systems that are
integral to the Club’s business and providing a service to its
refrigeration, meaning the Club had to close until the fuses
were replaced and therefore was losing trade.
Bill Clegg, Randwick Labor Club manager says: “It was
just unacceptable to us to keep losing power as we were.
Even once we’d bought replacement fuses to keep spare
we needed to have a tradesman come to fit them so we still
had to keep closing intermittently. Understandably, this was
a huge frustration to our members too so we needed to
rectify the situation.”
While replacing the fuses was a short-term fix, Clegg
started looking into long-term solutions for this problem. It
transpired that the transformer in the street did not have the
capacity for the Club’s power supply if it ran over 400 amps

60 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 | technology + innovation |
and therefore the transformer would need replacing. The
cost of replacement was $250,000 plus cabling, a new
switchboard and other electrical support items.
Deterred by this significant cost, Clegg approached
David Anderson, Randwick Labor Club Load Shedding and
Monitoring Project at Energy Management Solutions
Australia (EMS), to develop an alternative solution to the
problem. The best solution was to install live metering
equipment to monitor the electricity consumption of the
Club. mySmart then supplied the logic control to the
interface with the Club’s existing electrical systems.
EMS is a consultancy service offering cost-effective
energy management solutions and designs to reduce long-
term energy consumption and carbon emissions. mySmart
is an Australian company that uses the latest technology,
consultants and technicians to optimise buildings and
outdoor environments so that they use less energy and
resources while simultaneously driving down ongoing
operational costs.
Using mySmart technologies, Anderson devised a
system of live load monitoring whereby the Club can
monitor electricity consumption in real-time. When levels
reach a critical point (i.e. 370-390 amps) the Club will
automatically ‘shed’ some of the load by turning down the
aircon or some of the lights in order to keep the power
below the 400 amp threshold and keep everything up and
running.
The $33,000 project involved four components which
were enabled by mySmart technology:
1. mySmart provided live metering of the switchboard onto
a server which enables the Club to see from anywhere
how much power they are using at any one time. As well
as these real-time updates, the metering also provides a
historical log of energy used.
2. In addition, mySmart technology reads the energy being
metered and sends signals when thresholds are met.
For example, at 370 amps it sends a signal to the air
conditioning to start switching off and at 390amps
further products such as lighting start to turn off.

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 61

 Figure 1
| technology + innovation |

Since the introduction of EMS’ program at the

end of 2009, the Club has had many occasions
where load shedding has been required. However,
stage two has rarely been utilised and there has
been no disruption to trade and only minor
discomfort to patrons for about an hour while
stage two load shedding is in place. The reduction
in air conditioning has on these days made the
Club hotter than normal, however there has been
no loss of power and the Club has been able to
continue trading and providing top quality service
to its members.
Clegg says, “The program EMS and mySmart
provided for us has not only saved us a significant
amount of initial financial outlay but has also been
able to provide us with a better understanding of
how we’re using our power.   This has also helped
us save money on energy bills. 
3. The last piece of technology provided by mySmart is “Most important, however,” continues Clegg,
attached to the infrastructure such as the air “is the fact that our members know they can rely on us
conditioning control system and is programmed to again to provide a quality service and always have our
receive those doors open when they should be.” 
signals and
therefore know
when to start
shedding loads.
4. Text messages are
sent every time load
shedding occurs to
keep the
management
immediately
informed and up to
date.
Figure 1 shows that
between 6.00pm and
6.30pm, stage one of
load shedding occurs
three times, and at both
6.45pm and 7.18pm,
stage two commences.
The aim of the load
shedding is to keep the
power usage below
400amps, which is
demonstrated here.

62 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

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 Powerful Panasonic technologies
| information technology |

for business communications

Panasonic technologies are designed to enhance
communication in your office—from interactive whiteboards,
to high-impact Plasma displays, and PBX systems that
streamline internal and external communications.

Panasonic Business Whiteboards

A Panaboard is a powerful and
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replaces paper flip charts or
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groups to collaborate and share ideas
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The information is simply scanned
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be emailed and printed as a
convenient record of important,
content-rich discussions. The
Panaboard not only saves time and
frees groups to focus and contribute to
the discussion, but it also ensures the
ideas are accurately recorded for
future review.
Boards with colour scanning
features revolutionise meetings,
conferences or creative brainstorms,
by bringing a new dimension to
capturing, sharing and archiving
important discussions. Users can
accurately capture information and
illustrations—ideal for recording the
outcomes of brainstorms, complex
diagrams or ideas in full colour.
Panasonic’s latest Panaboards
bring together the company’s 30-year
heritage in innovative imaging
communication tools; combining
intuitive, universal design with reliability
and trusted quality to create a superior
business tool that will help
organizations collaborate and
communicate with greater ease.
The data on the board can be
scanned in as little as 20 seconds to a A scan can also be saved straight to a computer desktop, simply by
PDF, TIFF or JPEG file and can be connecting the Panaboard directly to a PC via a USB cable. Information can also
easily transferred to an SD card or be shared to a network directory or emailed should the attached PC be network
USB flash memory device for paper- connected. The latest Panaboards offer direct connectivity to a host of printers,
less convenience. The information is without having to connect a PC, allowing for printed hard copy handouts on the
then highly portable and easy to spot.
distribute by email.

64 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 | information technology |
Panasonic Plasma
Display Panels
Panasonic’s Commercial Plasma
Display panels can be used as digital
signage, with images and text updated
automatically to communicate
information in public locations such as
foyers or reception areas.
Their Full High Definition displays
ensure outstanding image quality, and
big screens from 42 to 103-inch
models make it easy for everyone to
see information.
The screens are easily configured
vertically or horizontally. Because they
are true commercial panels, they are
durable and long-lasting, with a panel
of tempered glass on the front that
protects them against knocks and
bumps. All Panasonic Plasma displays
are manufactured with lead-free glass components. As a result, the 85-inch display also features Panasonic’s own
to minimise environmental impact. panel is equal in size to four 42-inch multi-function slots, allowing users to
Panasonic’s new 85-inch Full HD panels, yet has a relatively slim depth add up to three different terminal
Plasma display takes advantage of its of 99mm. boards such as DVI and Dual Link HD-
latest energy-efficient, double As a versatile digital solution, the SDI, according to their needs.
luminance technology, NeoPDP, to new Plasma display panel not only The new Plasma can be installed
deliver industry-leading picture quality delivers dynamic images but has vertically or horizontally to display
with amazingly crisp, blur-free dynamic convenient features designed for content in different orientations. It has
image reproduction. commercial use. It has a LAN PJLink optional accessories such as a
NeoPDPs improvements in terminal. PJLink is a standard protocol pedestal, floor stand, wall hanging
luminance efficiency have also allowed which allows remote control of multiple bracket and ceiling bracket for greater
downsizing and integration of displays via a PC over a LAN. The installation flexibility.

Panasonic Phone Systems

Investment in a telecommunications
system requires business
communication foresight.
Organisations need to be able to
effectively communicate today, yet
want to make sure that they are
properly equipped to handle the
growing demands of their future
communication needs.
The Panasonic KX-NCP and KX-
TDE Pure IP-PBX series is a complete,
unified solution that is highly modular,
flexible and empowered with the latest Features such as hot-desking 3 Enhanced user productivity with
SIP technology—ready to take your mean that staff can move desks or mobility solutions
business communication needs into offices and still be reached on the 3 Reduced total cost of ownership
the future at your own pace. same number, simply by logging into 3 Desktop, network and application
The new KX-NCP and KX-TDE any unused desk phone with a pre- integration
Pure IP-PBX supports any type of programmed ID number. The system 3 Centralised management and
telephone terminal—digital, analogue, also allows for seamless integration of upgrades
DECT wireless, IP Softphone or the the office PBX network and mobile 3 IP extension scalability and
new system IP telephones. The system telephones, increasing staff flexibility—supports IP phone, SIP
gives you an extensive choice of productivity and customer satisfaction. phone, digital or analogue phone
telephone terminals to suit your Just some of the benefits of a extensions
specific business telephony needs. Panasonic IP-PBX system include:

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 65

| technology |

D-Link pioneers enterprise mobility

O
rganisations are looking to
enterprise mobility for improved
productivity. That means
wireless technology has moved
from a convenience overlaid on wired
infrastructure and managed in an ad
hoc fashion to a mission-critical service
that needs to be seamless and
flawless in coverage and managed
proactively.
• D-Link is a pioneer in 802.11n,
which even the most conservative
of organisations needs to consider
• D-Link unifies wireless
management and security into the
overall security and management of
an end-to-end network
infrastructure
• D-Link not only supports
demanding wireless applications
without increasing IT management
effort, in many cases we greatly
reduce the effort to manage
wireless infrastructure while
simultaneously raising wireless
quality to enterprise application
levels
• D-Link will make the ROI promised
by enterprise mobility achievable
via higher reliability, greater
scalability, seamless roaming and
end-to-end security

Why D-Link
For government agencies seeking the
productivity gains of enterprise
mobility, D-Link provides greater value
across a comprehensive range of
wireless solutions. Unlike low-cost
competitors who lack a full unified
solution or more expensive
competitors each with their own
issues, D-Link provides low TCO with
scalability, ease of management,
seamless roaming and robust end-to-
end security in a self-healing solution
with automatic optimisation of
coverage that does not bottleneck at a
centralised point of control.
D-Link Key Advantages
D-Link’s complete end-to-end wireless
solutions offer:
Manageability
D-Link’s unified management pulls
wireless into the automated end-to-
end security, configuration, monitoring,
reporting and group firmware
upgrades that distinguish our overall
network solutions.
Scalability
As many as 256 Access Points
supporting as many as 2000 WLAN
clients connected by 8 logically
stacked switches seamlessly support
roaming throughout the largest of
campuses. Unlike other WLAN
systems that can bottleneck in a
centralised WLAN controller, D-Link
wireless switch edge deployment and
flexible distributed traffic forwarding at
the AP optimises traffic flows for
latency sensitive applications such as
voice.
Unmatched coverage, self healing
D-Link is a leader in 802.11n, which
roughly quadruples the maximum
reach of an individual AP. D-Link’s
solutions adjust each AP’s wireless
signal and channel to mitigate
interference. If an AP drops, the
wireless “hole” is closed by raising the
signals of adjacent APs.
Ease of deployment
Wireless and PoE compatibility can
eliminate the need to run Ethernet
cable or electrical power. And they’re
plenum-rated business-class APs can
be placed in air ducts without violating
stringent fire regulations. Finally, a
variety of Access Point modes help fill
the gaps including Wireless
Distribution System (WDS) with Access
Point, WDS/Bridge (No AP
Broadcasting), and Wireless Client.
Green design
D-Link WLAN installations can turn off
Wi-Fi radios after buildings and areas
close according to a flexible schedule,
cutting power use 80 per cent during
link-off mode.

66 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Solar Cities light the way
| solar cities |
BY EDEN COX
Seven Australian cities are involved in the $94 million Australian Government Solar Cities
program as part of a green energy initiative. Whilst the program has been in the pipeline
since 2005, many components are only now nearing completion. The initiative aims to
develop innovative energy solutions to help change the public perception about green
power.
he $42 million Central Victorian Solar City project
T was announced in July 2007, and will implement
the last of its residential initiatives - energy savings
packages - by the end of 2010.
These packages offer incentives to local residents and
businesses to trial energy efficiency, energy generation and
demand management products and services. 2,500
households in fourteen Central Victorian municipalities will
be invited to participate in one of seven product packages
and to take part in research on energy use. In return,
participants are eligible for financial incentives, including
energy cost savings, performance bonuses, government
rebates, and sign-on bonuses.
The range of programs begins with the Energy Audit
Package, which enables households to understand their
energy use behaviour and pinpoint potential energy saving
opportunities through a comprehensive home audit.
The next step up is the Retrofit Package, which also
provides an in-home assessment, with a recommendation
of which fixtures and fittings would most improve the
household’s energy use.
The Smart Rates Package allows users to choose the
type of energy provision that best suits their household.
Options are Smart Time of Use, for lower rates during off-
peak times, or the Dynamic Saver, for cheaper prices all
year round except between 2-8pm on 10 days of the year.
68 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
The Solar Hot Water Package allows users to purchase
their own solar hot water systems at a special price, and
the Household Solar Electric Package, so households can
generate their own electricity with a 2kW photovoltaic (PV)
system.
But perhaps the most innovative and rewarding of all the
packages is the Solar Park Participation Plan. This plan
provides residents with a share, equivalent to a 2kW
photovoltaic system, from either Ballarat or Bendigo Solar
Park. These two 300kW photovoltaic solar parks will
ultimately determine whether residents will invest in a local
energy power station as a community company.
The overarching aim of the solar park plan is to improve
the public perception of renewable energy as a retail option
by involving communities locally in its operation.
“Interest in the project has shown us that Central
Victorians want practical and creative energy solutions,”
said Solar Cities spokesperson Neriman Kemal, who added
that all 14 municipalities have been keen to get involved.
The combined parks total almost 29,300 square metres
in size – approximately the size of one-and-a-half Australian
Rules Football ovals.
With provision for 150 participants, each will pay $220 a
year until 2013 to cover establishing and operating the
parks. In return, users will receive solar power equivalent to
installing a 2kW rooftop solar panel, and the Central Victoria
Solar City Feed-in-Tariff of 60c/kWh, which is a credit based

We’re right

| solar cities |
on the electricity generated by each participant’s share of
the park. The Central Victoria Solar City Investment
Allowance is also available for those who sign up.
The solar parks are Australia’s largest, ground mounted,
flat-plate grid-connected solar installations, and each park
displays a digital reading of the amount of energy generated
and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved for the
there with you
year.
Each park is expected to generate approximately 420 Macquarie focuses on particular business
megawatt hours (MWh) of solar energy, and to prevent
around 567 tonnes of carbon emissions from being areas in which our expertise delivers
released into the atmosphere each year. special value to our clients. Across
At the end of the trial in June 2013, it is proposed that banking, financial, advisory and funds
the Solar Parks will be offered for community ownership
and the participants of the trial will be given first opportunity management services, we provide a wide
to invest. range of specialist skills that help our
The Central Victorian Solar Cities project is one of many clients address challenges and explore
around the country, with Adelaide, Alice Springs,
Blacktown, Moreland, Perth and Townsville each operating new ways to take their business forward.
solar city initiatives to help locals rethink the way they
produce, use and save energy.
The $73.5 million Perth Solar City will be delivered to
over 106,000 households in Perth’s Eastern region over the
next four years, and offers residents discounted solar
energy products and free home eco-consultations.
The Alice Springs Solar City is a $37 million project
designed to involve every community member in solar
power initiatives, energy efficient technologies and new
approaches to electricity supply and pricing. The project macquarie.com.au
has also involved a large photovoltaic installation at Alice
Springs Airport, a large solar water heating project for the
new Alice Springs Aquatic Centre and a proposed solar
farm at Ilparpa.
As part of the Townsville Solar City project, residents
and businesses of ‘The Magnetic Island Solar Suburb’ will
receive free energy assessments; installation of Ergon
Energy solar PV systems and smart meters; free ‘ecoMeter’
in-house displays, which work with smart meters to show
electricity consumption at a glance; and advice on saving
electricity.
Initiatives broadly aim to make energy use more
transparent for consumers.
“We’d like to think that, along with the good work being
done by the Central Victorian municipalities and local
Climate Action Groups, our project is helping to inform the
debate on renewable energy across the region,” said Ms
Kemal.
“We’re looking forward to obtaining the results of our
project’s energy use behaviour research at the end of the
trial in mid-2013.  This research will go on to inform future Introducing the New Improved
energy policies.” DrugWipe® 5+ Device
According to Ms Kemal, the blueprint used for the
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councils and local governments are eagerly awaiting the For the detection of: their Primary screening device for
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said Ms Kemal. “We are investigating options on how to ✔ Methamphetamines
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best support other municipalities who wish to construct (Ecstasy, Speed
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solar parks in their own backyards.”
✔ Cocaine • Detects current and recent drug use
Solar Cities might be the new shining light in the
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e-mail drugwipe@pathtech.com.au • www.pathtech.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 69

 AGL leading the way
| energy production, consumption + efficiency |
AGL is Australia’s leading integrated renewable energy company, and is taking action
toward creating a sustainable energy future. The company is committed to leading
Australia in minimising the effects of climate change by investing in sustainable energy
businesses such as wind farms and solar and innovative environmentally friendly projects
such as the hydroelectric Bogong Power Station.
GL has invested more than $2
A billion in renewable energy
and has another $2 billion
worth of renewable energy
projects in its portfolio of development
opportunities (with approximately
2,500MW under development
consideration).
Decisions being made today by
AGL to invest in renewable energy are
contributing to Australia’s response to
climate change, by shaping the energy
profile of our company and the
community for years to come.
Whether it is wind farms in South
Australia or gas exploration in New
South Wales, AGL is minimising its
impact on the environment by
developing a suite of renewable assets
around Australia. The company
continues to build on its renewable
generation capacity, which is already
substantial.
AGL prides itself on ‘doing’ and
encourages local government to do so
too. For over 170 years, AGL has been
providing and evolving end-to-end
service to meet customer needs cost-
effectively and sustainably.
Customers who choose to
purchase energy from AGL will not
only benefit from the company’s long-
standing expertise, but also from its
wide range of products and services
that aim to deliver the best value.
Whether it’s helping the environment or
helping customers save energy, AGL is
finding more ways to ‘do’ for its
customers.
With a substantial customer base
within local government, AGL
understands local governments’
needs. AGL has a rich history, steeped
in innovation and leadership and,
70 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
through AGL’s Energy Management
team, local government can benefit
from this experience.
AGL’s expertise in Energy
Management is delivered in
conjunction with:
• Conservation Measures
• Energy audits and reporting
• Design reviews
• Project management
• Turn-key delivery
• Energy performance contracts
• Submissions for Government
Grants (eg., Green Building Fund
etc)
• Energy efficiency and lighting
• Mechanical and building service
engineers
The key to energy management is
in AGL’s ability to understand and help
local governments control their energy
needs and use through a dedicated
AGL Account Management team and
Client Relationship Manager with
ongoing day to day management of
their account – be it billing and general
enquiries, or more complex situations
like transition of move in and move out
of sites or new connections.
At AGL, sustainability is about
recognising that if it wants its business
to be successful and respected in the
next 10, 20 or 50 years, AGL needs to
do the right thing by its shareholders,
employees, customers, the community
and the environment. By engaging in
sustainable activities, AGL is uniquely
positioned to help its own and other
businesses transition to a carbon-
constrained future.
For more information please visit agl.com.au
 Why choose Australia’s
leading renewable
energy company?

For superior service, competitive pricing and expert assistance

We’ve been the energy experts for over 170 years. And that experience has set the
standard for excellence in the delivery of energy to local government. For you that means
priority service with a dedicated service team, competitive rates, expert advice on energy
efficiency, Carbon Management Solutions and more. And as Australia’s leading renewable
energy company, we are perfectly placed to help you meet your green energy requirements.
Call AGL and we’ll help your organisation do better.

For expert advice and service, call 1300 793 477 (8.30am-5.30pm, Monday to Friday AEST.)
AGL2088
| energy production, consumption + efficiency |

Green Generation Lighting ®

For your budget, for the environment.

Musco Lighting has provided indoor and outdoor

lighting solutions through innovative technology
and service for over 30 years. Our extensive
research and development has led to numerous
sports-lighting innovations.

Musco’s Green Generation Lighting

provides significant advantages: or 35 years, Musco has revolutionized sports

· reduces energy consumption by up to 50%

· cuts spill-light by 50%
F lighting, specializing in the design and manufacture
of lighting systems for sports facilities — offering
major enhancements in energy efficiency,
environmental light control and cost effectiveness. Musco
has been a leader in developing sports-lighting technology
· provides constant light levels — to make it safer, more efficient, and easier to install and
maintain. Musco offers a comprehensive package of
· includes industry-leading warranty services for projects large and small, and special fabrication
abilities matched with project management for custom
applications.
Musco’s energy-efficient Green Generation Lighting®
systems are the result of 30 years of technology innovation.
Operating costs are cut by up to half when compared to
conventional lighting systems. Maintenance costs are
eliminated for 10 years, including lamp replacements. Off-
site spill lighting and glare are reduced by 50%, and
Constant light levels are guaranteed for 10 years/5,000
Unequalled performance . . . hours.
for your budget, for the environment. Improved photometrics mean light is controlled more
efficiently when directed onto the pitch. Less energy is
consumed per square meter of surface area to achieve
Musco Lighting Australia, PTY Ltd.
desired results, providing substantial life-cycle savings over
Unit 45, 28 Barcoo Street
the life of the system.
Chatswood, NSW 2067 Green Generation Lighting® provides unequalled
Phone: 61 2 9417 0100 performance supported with Musco’s Constant 10™
www.musco.com product assurance and warranty program, assuring 10
lighting@musco.com years of carefree lighting equipment operation.
‹0XVFR/LJKWLQJÃ$8$'
For more information, contact Musco Lighting at www.musco.com or
by phone at 61 2 9417 0100.

72 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Aussie technology powers solar

| energy production, consumption + efficiency |

farms for local communities
BY EDEN COX

Innovative solar energy farms are being trialled in remote communities around the country using
the new Australian ‘Big Dish’ technology. With the goals of reducing fossil fuel consumption and
bringing down energy costs, solar projects have been boosted by the government’s 2010-11
budget allocation of $652.5 million for the Renewable Energy Future Fund.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 73

| energy production, consumption + efficiency |

indorah in Queensland and Whyalla in South energy among our locals,” he said. “It has put Windorah on

W Australia are two of the remote communities

that have seen trials of solar dish technology,
and are already reaping the benefits of their
new solar farms.
The Windorah solar farm, west of Brisbane in the
the map and drawn local and national interest.
“It is quite spectacular to see. It’s great to see people
pull up to have a look at the project and read the panel
explaining how it all works,” he added.
Mayor Scott said that Ergon Energy had been helpful in
Barcoo Shire, has been in the pipeline since 2007 when gaining local acceptance of the solar farm by involving the
Ergon Energy began construction. As the project’s operator, community in each stage of the project.
developer and owner, Ergon’s aim is to use solar energy to “We’ve had total support from concept through to
power the entire town during sunshine hours – a first for completion and now into operation. There’s always interest
Australia. This is projected to reduce the town’s reliance on in what’s going on at the solar farm,” he said, and added
diesel fuel, shrinking consumption by up to 100,000 litres that the presence of the farm has tied in well with the
per year. region’s clean and green ethos.
Because it receives approximately 200 days of sunshine
per year and supports only around 100 residents, Windorah
was the perfect candidate for the trial solar farm.
The town has also long been powered by its own Ergon
Energy diesel-fired power station, which provided an
opportunity to integrate new solar technology with existing
infrastructure.
The solar technology incorporates several innovative
design features that vastly improve solar energy use
compared with conventional flat-plate photovoltaic (PV)
cells.
There are five solar dishes at Windorah. Each one is
13.7m across and supported by a concrete base and steel
mast structure at a total height of 14.5m. Each dish
contains 112 mirrors, which reflect and concentrate sunlight
500 times onto high-capacity solar cells in a central point at
the front of the mirror. This ‘solar concentrator technology’
has 35 per cent operational efficiency, a vast improvement
on the conventional flat-plate PV cells, which only operate
at 10-12 per cent efficiency. Windorah has also invested in solar technology to
In another design first, the dishes face the exact location generate power for many of its public buildings including the
of sunrise to start producing energy at first light. They then sports complex and administration buildings.
move with the sun to maximise solar capture throughout the “We use quite a lot of solar energy to promote the use of
day, and are separated to prevent shading during the late renewable sources, but also for economic reasons,” said
afternoon. Mayor Scott.
The solar dishes are able to generate around 35kW of The project is one of several similar ventures around the
electricity depending on weather factors, and the solar farm country that are gaining momentum with government
is expected to produce about 360,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) funding under the Renewable Energy Development
of energy each year. Program.
The diesel generator will remain in operation to meet the Whyalla in South Australia is set to become home to the
town’s electricity needs at night and on cloudy days when largest solar energy farm in the southern hemisphere with
the solar dishes cannot harness sufficient sunlight. The the ‘Whyalla Solar Oasis’, the first large-scale solar thermal
system is also able to store solar heat in chemical batteries project in the country.
for use during cloud cover so that generators only need be The Whyalla project received A$60 million in funding
used in extended periods of low light. under the Renewable Energy Demonstration Program with
Windorah Mayor Bruce Scott said the solar farm has the latest budget, and $170 million from a private sector
already brought many benefits to the town. consortium. It will put the state’s regional areas at the
“It has created a lot of construction employment in forefront of sustainable and emission-free energy
town, and it’s really raising the awareness of renewable production.

74 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011


The plan is for 300 dishes to be built with a combined
capacity of 40mW that will use the sun’s energy to produce
steam and drive a turbine to produce enough energy to
sustain around 10,000 homes, which is most of the town’s
population.
Councillor Eddie Hughes of the Whyalla City Council and
Chair of the University of South Australia’s Regional
Sustainability Centre, said the project has had a very
positive reception in the town.
“Most people that I speak to about the project think it is
a very exciting addition to Whyalla’s economic base and are
proud that Whyalla is playing a part in addressing the need
to develop clean technology,” he said.
As such, the Whyalla Council has passed a motion of in-
principle support for moving to 100 per cent green energy
for electricity.
“Whyalla has plugged away for nearly fourteen years to
secure a large scale solar thermal project,” said Cr Hughes.
“This has been about vision and dogged persistence
despite the many setbacks along the way.”
The Whyalla project, run by a consortium led by US
National Power in conjunction with Wizard Power, is
expected to be complete in 2012.
Along with the energy and carbon emissions savings,
the project will create 200 construction jobs, with potential
to expand the solution to support regional water supply for
communities as well. This is particularly valuable in
anticipation of increased water demand by mining
operations in the region.
“Desalination is considered as one of the options for
meeting this demand,” said National Power’s Greg Brown.
“The Whyalla Solar Oasis can provide a means for powering
large-scale desalination using emission-free renewable
| energy production, consumption + efficiency |
energy. The residual thermal energy from the plant,
remaining after electricity generation, could also be used to
make desalination more efficient.”
With the ongoing growth in the Whyalla mining industry,
energy needs will also continue to increase. National Power
has said that the consortium plans to implement grid
upgrades to enable growth in electricity generation capacity
in the future.  
“This project ticks all the boxes, clean green technology,
Australian innovation and economic benefits with the
potential for significant export opportunities and it puts
Whyalla and South Australia on the cutting edge of the solar
revolution,” said Cr Hughes.
But the benefits don’t stop in Whyalla. According to Mr
Brown there are many opportunities for large-scale solar
power developments in Australia, and various members of
the Whyalla Solar Oasis Consortium are developing plans
for almost 2,000MW of renewable energy projects around
the country.
“The Whyalla Solar Oasis Project will provide a major
impetus to establishing export markets for the technology,”
said Mr Brown. Indeed, Wizard Power is already
undertaking pre-feasibility studies on international project
opportunities in India and the United States.
The home-grown solar technology has already come a
long way in the global battle against carbon emissions,
allowing Australia to make use of its access to sunshine
hours. There will be a large number of councils and other
organisations watching this space over the next few years
to find out just how powerful solar farm technologies can be
in tackling carbon emissions here and overseas.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 75
 Solar Inverters Pty Ltd
| energy production, consumption + efficiency |

Peter Bulanyi, Managing Director of Solar Inverters Pty Ltd says, “renewable energy is
strictly a science and engineering business. Companies that are serious about renewable
energy primarily employ electronics engineers, technicians and electricians.”

Solar Inverters – Coffs Harbour Council 137kW Solar Panel

installation

very system, whether large or small requires that

E the installers understand the limitations and

component compatibility so as to maximise the life
and output of the systems. This is the only way that
mistakes can be avoided and long term success can be
assured.
Solar Inverters has been actively working in the industry
since 1989. It is a company with science and engineering at
its core. It employs qualified electronics engineers,
technicians and electricians. It trains apprentices in both the
electronics and electrical trades. It operates a component
level service department that is known in the industry Solar Inverters solar and wind sea container power station, deployed at 350
Australia wide for its high tech inverter repair capabilities. Climate Action Day, October 2009.
This allows us to provide fast and reliable back up
service and repairs for our products, customers and their
installations. solar system for Coffs Harbour City Council.”
Solar Inverters is a vertically integrated company. It is We submitted a unique design using Power-One Aurora
engaged in every aspect of the renewable energy industry Inverters and Kyocera Solar panels. We clearly
including import and export of hardware, design and demonstrated that the use of such premium components
consultancy, manufacture, tender specification services, for a long term result far outweighed the short term gain
inverter repair and calibration services, solar instrumentation with low cost equipment. We overcame many unusual
and R & D. technical design challenges in regards to site shading,
Understanding the components that go into putting mechanical fixing of the solar panels to the roof and general
together a reliable and high performing system has enabled integration of the system.”
us to select the best quality equipment available, for all of Our aim is to raise awareness and promote a greater
our customers in Australia and overseas. understanding of solar power and why the quality will
Mr Bulanyi says that “to us, system performance and always outshine the shady alternatives.
Feel free to call us with your technical questions and we
reliability is paramount. This was the key factor in our
will happily assist so that you can make the best purchasing
company Solar Inverters recently being awarded one of
decision.
Australia’s largest solar projects, the design supply,
installation and long term maintenance of a 137kW rooftop www.solarinverters.com.au / sales@solarinverters.com.au / 1300 767 761

76 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Delivering positive social and environmental
| energy production, consumption + efficiency |

outcomes for local communities

As an Australian owned renewable energy company, Pacific Hydro values the opportunity
to work with regional communities to ensure its projects deliver positive social and
sustainable outcomes throughout their operating life.

lobally, Pacific Hydro is one

G of the world’s largest

renewable energy
companies with 1,934MW of
projects at varying stages of
development, construction and
operation in Australia, the Philippines,
Chile and Brazil.
Our innovative clean energy
projects not only benefit the
environment and our communities, but
also deliver significant value to our
partners and investors.
Australia has abundant renewable
energy resources including wind, solar,
wave and geothermal energy
opportunities. And with energy
generation in Australia accounting for
35% of our total carbon emissions and
utilising significant fresh water during
coal fired power generation, an energy
mix that includes more renewable
energy makes sense for our
environment and communities.
Wind energy has one of the lowest
environmental impacts of any energy
source and provides hundreds of jobs
to regional communities. 
Pacific Hydro’s focus on the
environment and sustainability is not
just limited to clean energy production
and carbon abatement.  We also aim
to minimise our impact on the
environment wherever possible during
the development, construction and
operation of our projects, and work to
protect the biodiversity of our project
sites. In addition, through our
Sustainable Communities Fund we
work with local community groups at
our operating sites to deliver positive
local sustainability and social
programs.
In Australia, Pacific Hydro’s six
operating wind farms are delivering
significant positive impacts for local were minimised. local community organisations working
communities while producing clean The Challicum Hills Wind Farm near to make a positive and lasting
energy and abating carbon emissions. Ararat, at the gateway to the contribution to the communities
At the recently opened Clements Grampians in Victoria, has been around the project.
Gap Wind Farm in South Australia’s operating since 2003. The 35 Pacific Hydro has always
mid north, construction provided work generator project continues to have understood that we can’t stand
for 425 South Australians. All major strong support locally and attracts outside the communities in which we
contractors were South Australian tourists from around the state. And operate. Social responsibility is at the
based and as many local people as locally, Pacific Hydro’s Sustainable core of our business and we are
possible were employed on the Communities Fund, which returns a committed to working closely,
project. Local consultation and portion of revenue from Pacific Hydro’s consulting widely and communicating
ongoing work with the community operating projects, has provided clearly with our communities to deliver
ensured impacts during construction grants totalling around $250,000 to sustainable outcomes locally.

78 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Pacific Hydro:
delivering investment,
jobs and regional
development.
Pacific Hydro is one of the world’s leading
renewable energy companies. Our significant
investments in Australia and around the
world have ensured our operating clean
energy projects have already saved the atmosphere
from around 7 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

In Australia we are working with communities to deliver

clean energy projects, creating local job opportunities and
investment, and supporting long-term sustainability outcomes.

Our Sustainable Communities Fund has delivered around

$1 million in community grants to local organisations who
are working around our operating projects, delivering a
positive and lasting contribution to their community.

Pacific Hydro is a proud Australian company and we look

forward to continuing to work with Australian communities.

www.pacifichydro.com.au
| energy production, consumption + efficiency |

Families will have more control over their energy use with the new web-based energy management system. Photo: Roger Lovell.

Remote-access meters to
cut energy costs
A new web-based smart metering he aim is to help small-scale energy users cut
system has been developed by CSIRO
to enable householders, small
businesses and electricity retailers to
T energy use, costs and carbon emissions. CSIRO
project leader, Dr Martin de Groot, said the system
will give householders the flexibility to cut back their
electricity use at times when it’s needed elsewhere on the
grid.
remotely control energy use over a
CSIRO has worked with energy service company,
broadband Internet connection. Energy Response, and hardware designer, Saturn South, to
develop a system able to aggregate a large number of

80 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 | energy production, consumption + efficiency |
Tim Warren from Saturn South, who designed and built the smart meter hardware. Photo: Roger Lovell.

CSIRO Project Leader, Dr Martin de Groot, developed the smart metering technology in conjunction with
Tasmanian company, Saturn South. Photo: Roger Lovell.

smaller users. Until now this has been logistically impossible
and cost prohibitive.
“By taking advantage of common broadband Internet
connections we are now able to build and deploy a very
cheap, real-time platform to deliver energy services to
individual dwellings,” Dr de Groot said.
The system involves installing a mini smart meter in a
household or business electrical switchboard, which can
then be managed remotely from a centralised control
platform.
“Once regulatory approval has been given, energy
service companies will be able offer householders more
favourable electricity supply agreements and enable them to
be more adaptable in their consumption patterns.
“The householders can even receive alerts on their
mobile phones notifying of any significant changes in energy
use in the home.”
CSIRO has estimated projected cost savings for
Tasmania, where the new demand side technology was
developed. It found the State’s annual electricity
expenditure could be cut by $10.9 million, even if less than
10 per cent of Tasmanian customers used the system.
If just 10 per cent of Tasmanian households or small
businesses take up the technology, the annual savings for
those who do is estimated at up to $200 for householders
and $1,300 for small businesses.
The infrastructure is cheap, can be retrofitted to existing
buildings and complements other technologies such as
local generators and intelligent home automation systems.
CSIRO developed the remote control system software
and Saturn South designed and built the mini smart meters
to CSIRO specifications.
For further information:
Dr Martin De Groot – Research Scientist
ICT Centre
Tasmanian ICT Centre
Tel: (03) 6232 5540
Email: Martin.DeGroot@csiro.au

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 81

| energy |
Standard practice
How management systems standards can provide a roadmap to sustainable development
o be sustainable, organisations must be able to
T operate in perpetuity and to continuously support
their employees, clients, suppliers, communities
and other stakeholders that rely on their products
and services. Sustainability is therefore underpinned by the
need to not only understand the impacts of our activities on
the environment, the economy and society as a whole, but
also to understand, manage and minimise the impact of
events which interrupt the continuity of business delivery.
Effective and efficient ways
How though can organisations best engage with
sustainable development? One approach is through the use
of management systems standards. In essence,
management system standards are documents which
outline the most effective and efficient way for an
organisation to achieve its planned outcomes. They are
written through a rigorous, formal process, involving
consultation with relevant national and international bodies.
Standards therefore outline ‘best practice’ and also require
compliance with regulatory obligations.
In the context of sustainability, management systems
standards have an extremely useful role to play because
they provide a roadmap for implementing sustainable
development in an increasing number of areas.
Demonstrating good business practice
Organisations are under growing pressure to keep the
confidence of stakeholders. By establishing a meaningful
framework and embedding responsible decision making
into all of its business activities, an organisation has the
opportunity to demonstrate good business practice and
ethical trading. This is where the role of management
82 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
systems standards comes in. An example of one such
management system standard helping organisations to
address sustainable development is ISO 14001. ISO 14001
focuses the organisation on being proactive in identifying
key environmental aspects and impacts associated with
their activities and minimising risks. In doing so, an
organisation can benefit from improved operational
effectiveness leading to reduced costs and improved
profits.
Measuring and managing energy use
In July 2009, the new energy management standard EN
16001 was published. Whereas ISO 14001 covers all
environmental impacts, BS EN 16001 focuses on the
specific issue of energy management and provides
guidance on how organisations should manage and
measure energy use across their facilities. The overall aim of
EN 16001 is to help organisations establish the systems
and processes necessary to improve energy efficiency. This
will then lead to reductions in cost and greenhouse-gas
emissions through systematic management of energy. By
implementing standards such as ISO 14001 and EN 16001,
an organisation will be well placed to respond to sustainable
development.
About BSI
BSI Group is a global leader in innovative standards-based
solutions. BSI provides standards, publications, training,
assessment and certification services for a variety of
standards, including EN 16001 and ISO 14001.
For further information, visit www.bsigroup.com.au
 PROFIT FROM
EFFECTIVE ENERGY
MANAGEMENT

Improve your company’s energy efficiency

and reduce your costs with EN 16001
EN 16001 Energy Management Standard will help
you establish the systems and processes necessary to
improve energy efficiency - bringing significant
benefits to you, your customers and your community.
EN 16001 Certification will:
• Increase your energy efficiency
• Reduce your energy bills
• Reduce your green house gas emissions
• Help you comply with legislation
• Formalise your energy policy and objectives
• Secure your energy supply
• Engage top management
• Improve your business performance
• Drive innovation.
About BSI
• BSI Group is a global leader in innovative
standards-based solutions.
• BSI provides standards, publications, training,
assessment and certification services for a variety
of standards, including EN 16001.
For further information on EN 16001 and
BSI Group visit: www.bsigroup.com.au
raising standards worldwide™
 Transpacific’s Rapid Emergency Spills
| waste management |

Response team to the rescue

Transpacific has a rapid response team with the capabilities to handle emergency
situations, 24 hours a day.
he national Rapid Emergency Since the team was formed in

T Spills Response team is fully

equipped to provide a swift,
environmentally safe, cost-
effective and complete emergency
spills response solution.
“We’re not the fire brigade, we’re
not the emergency services but we
have the resources of Transpacific
and we are here to help,”
Transpacific’s Manager National
Emergency Response Gary Davoren
said.
“Every state has its own dedicated
Emergency Spills Response team on
hand, and within these teams we
have expertise including industrial
chemists, lab technicians,
occupational health and safety
experts and environmental scientists.”
From the initial containment all the
way through to safe treatment and
disposal, Transpacific can quickly
respond to situations including; minor
leaks and large industrial spills;
accidents which occur on land or in
contained waterways; and emergency
situations across Australia, including
metropolitan, regional and remote
locations.
2008, they have helped in many
situations.
In March 2009, the team were on
hand and offered decontamination
services and leading-edge equipment
to support the Queensland
Government clean up oil from
container ship the Pacific Adventurer.
The team was also involved in the
clean up after the bulk coal carrier
Shen Neng 1 ran aground on the
Great Barrier Reef.
The team also provided support
when over 15,000 litres of diesel
which had been leaking from a fuel
line was discovered in a storm water
drain that was flowing into a nearby
dam and wetlands.
The Transpacific National Emergency
Response team is supported by a dedicated
24 hours a day, seven days per week,
1800 SPILLS (1800 774 557) hotline.

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84 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Australia: less waste,

| waste management |
more resources
Government moves to tackle
growing waste mounds
BY CLAIRE SMITH AND JANICE LIM – CLAYTON UTZ

Key Points: A national product stewardship scheme will require liable businesses to
consider options for end-of-life treatment of their products such as return or recycling
schemes.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 87

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 85

 OVERVIEW
| recycling |

yre Crumb Australia (TCA) is a leader in the tyre

T industry. Australian owned TCA operates the only

state-of-the-art facility in Australia recycling whole
scrap passenger and truck tyres. Recycled rubber
is used in Australian made products and export markets.
TCA is committed to recycling and waste minimization. We
take discarded tyres out of the waste stream and turn them

Latest technology will

into reusable products, thereby eliminating scrap tyres from
landfill. TCA complies with all EPA and other government
result in a net overall guidelines.

zero waste process. CORE BUSINESS

Tyre Crumb Australia (TCA) works with the tyre industry to
collect scrap tyres from wholesalers, retailers, councils,
casing dealers, retreaders and local residents. We also
clean up illegal tyre dump sites.
Our state-of-the-art process enables us to produce
both rubber crumb and granules which are then processed
through a sophisticated separation and cleaning system
that removes all contaminants such as steel belting,
reinforcement fibre, glass, stones and metals. The result is
a clean, high quality raw material that can be made to
customer’s specifications for a wide range of uses including
fillers in rubber compounds, asphalt modification, sports
grounds and industrial adhesives.

✔ Beneficially utilizes
waste Tyres
✔ Accoustic Insulation
✔ Antifatigue Mats
✔ Horse Arenas
✔ Synthetic Lawns
✔ Sporting Surfaces COMPETATIVE ADVANTAGE
Tyre Crumb Australia’s latest technology will result in a net
✔ Playground Surfaces overall zero waste process and will not lead to the

✔ Tile Adhesives generation of toxins.

We can provide opportunities for development of new
✔ Road Surfaces businesses and products in secondary markets using

✔ Athletics Tracks composite materials

CONTACT DETAILS
CONTACT DETAILS Contact Person: Steven Matousi
Contact Person: Steven Matousi
Postal Address: P.O. BOX 73 Campbellfield VIC 3061 Postal Address: P.O. BOX 73 Campbellfield VIC 3061
Phone: (61 3) 9357 3433 Phone: (61 3) 9357 3433
Fax: (61 3) 9357 3778 Fax: (61 3) 9357 3778
Email: steven@tyrecrumbaustralia.com
Email: steven@tyrecrumbaustralia.com
Website: www.tyrecrumbaustralia.com
Website: www.tyrecrumbaustralia.com

86 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 85
he first national waste policy released by the
T Australian Government for almost 18 years is
optimistically called Less Waste, More Resources.
This policy aims to combat the criticism that has
developed from the lack of overarching legislative or policy
framework to encourage reuse, recycling and diversion of
waste away from landfill.
Key priorities
Unlike the former waste strategy, this policy sets out
focused strategies, responsibilities and dates for
implementing actions (in some cases) to achieve specific
policy outcomes.
Key priority strategies include:
• the enactment of commonwealth legislation to establish
a national product stewardship and extended producer
responsibility framework by the end of 2012;
• the establishment of a new national waste classification
system which will be supported by national data
collection and tracking systems; and
• national principles and specifications to remove
impediments to the development of effective markets for
reuse and recycling of waste.
Background to the National Waste Policy
The National Waste Policy builds on the 1992 National
Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, which
was agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments.
The National Strategy for ESD provided a broad strategic
direction for Australian governments to improve resource
use efficiency, minimise the environmental impact of waste
and manage hazardous waste. In contrast, the new policy
sets out specific national policy initiatives for the next 10
years with the objective of producing less waste for disposal
and encouraging the use of waste as a resource through
reuse and recycling.
What does the National Waste Policy cover?
The policy encompasses wastes, including hazardous
wastes and substances, in the municipal, commercial and
industrial, construction and demolition waste streams, and
covers gaseous, liquid and solid wastes (excluding
radioactive waste). It will be implemented by individual and
collective actions of the commonwealth, state, territory and
local governments, and will form a long-term agenda for
resource recovery and waste management by the
Environment Protection and Heritage Council of Australia
and New Zealand (EPHC).
“ the new policy sets out specific national policy
initiatives for the next 10 years with the
objective of producing less waste for disposal
and encouraging the use of waste as a resource
through reuse and recycling
The policy has two aims:
| waste management |
1. to avoid the generation of waste, reduce the amount of
waste for disposal, manage waste as a resource and
ensure that waste treatment, disposal, recovery and re-
use are undertaken in a safe, scientific and
environmentally sound manner; and
2. to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions, energy conservation and production, water
efficiency and the productivity of the land.
Key priority strategies
To achieve these aims, the policy sets out 16 priority
strategies, which would benefit from a national or co-
ordinated approach, to achieve eight key outcomes that the
Australian Government hopes will be attained by 2020.
Some of the key priority strategies are summarised in the
table on page 89.
Implications
A national product stewardship scheme will require liable
businesses to consider options for end-of-life treatment of
their products such as return or recycling schemes. The
extent of corporate responsibility for product stewardship
will vary depending on whether the schemes are voluntary,
co-regulatory or mandatory and the products that are
covered by such schemes.
A new national classification system for wastes that
aligns with international standards and provides clarity on
when a product or material ceases to be wastes is crucial
to address market barriers and encourage investment in
waste recycling and reuse projects going forward.
The strategies, if successful, should improve the
regulation of hazardous substance movement, treatment
and disposal. The generation of hazardous waste will also
be reduced if restrictions similar to those already imposed in
the EU and US are introduced in respect of hazardous
substances contained in products sold in Australia.
The waste industry will have a lot of new regulation to
grapple with over the next decade but also a lot of
opportunities to diversify and make use of waste as a
resource.
All industry is likely to be affected to some extent by one
or more of the key priority strategies. If you would like
assistance in understanding the implications of the National
Waste Strategy or in developing consultation responses to
various policy or legislative initiatives as they are released,
please contact us. Our Group has extensive international
experience in dealing with legal risk issues arising out of the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 89
”
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 87

| waste management |
WASTE
NOT, F
WANT NOT.
Waste Initiatives can help your business manage
its impact on the environment with a range
of complete waste management solutions.
We offer an impressive range of customised
shredding systems, specifically designed to
reduce and recycle office and industry waste.
To give your business a sustainable
future, call Waste Initiatives today.
FOR SALES & SERVICE AUSTRALIA WIDE CALL:
1800 44 11 00
or visit www.wasteinitiatives.com
88 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Zero Waste
or more than three decades, Waste Initiatives has
helped businesses to communicate their
environmentally-friendly, green practices through the
incorporation of proper recycling and waste
reduction measures. Australian-owned, we specialise in
high-quality shredding systems and complete waste
management solutions that service the unique requirements
of the office and industrial waste sectors.
Whether you need to destroy or recycle general waste,
or industrial waste including tyres, wood, plastics, glass or
metals, you need a specialised shredder that means
business. Our range of innovative shredding systems
represent the latest in waste technology from around the
world and caters for all types of waste, as well as all
recycling, sorting and processing needs.
Waste Initiatives extensive range covers:
3 Security shredding
3 Reprocessing equipment
3 Crushing
3 Dust and emission control
3 Waste to energy equipment
3 Balers
We have partnered with the leaders in waste destruction
equipment, so our systems are backed by key brands,
research and development, practical experience and reliable
parts, service and maintenance. With access to these
resources, our clients understand that we will always
provide a total waste management solution to meet the
exact needs of the business.
To enhance your business’ image as an environmental saviour,
while maximising returns and minimising costs – visit
www.wasteinitiatives.com
ASTRO SYSTEM 501—Binlifter, Conveyor and Shredder
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 87

| waste management |
EU regulation of e-waste, producer
responsibility schemes and restriction of
hazardous substances.
The content of this article is intended
to provide a general guide to the subject
matter. Specialist advice should be
sought about your specific
circumstances.

About the Author

Claire Smith is a Special Counsel at
Clayton Utz with over 10 years
experience in environment and climate
change law in private practice, at the
bar and as a global environment counsel
for a large multinational company. Claire
has particular expertise
in environment regulatory compliance,
waste, contaminated land, risk transfer
mechanisms and climate change issues.

Table 1: Summary of key priority strategies

Objective Strategy Results Responsibility

1. Management of end- A national product
of-life products, stewardship framework,
material and including voluntary, co-
packaging. regulatory, and regulatory
schemes.
2. Avoidance, reduction, A national definition and
recovery and re-use of classification system for
waste by addressing wastes (including
market barriers and hazardous and clinical
red tape. wastes) that aligns with
international agreements
and provides for when a
product or material ceases
to become a waste.
3. Avoidance, reduction, Develop national
recovery and re-use of principles, specifications,
waste by addressing best practice guidelines
market barriers and and standards that
red tape. address barriers to
effective markets for
potential waste.
4. Improvement of Reduce the amount of
biodegradable biodegradable materials
resource recovery and sent to landfills.
reduction in
greenhouse gas
emissions from
landfills.
5 Improvement of Develop a strategy to
biodegradable address emissions from
resource recovery and landfills and other waste
reduce greenhouse activities that support the
gas emissions from operation of a future
landfills. Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme
(CPRS).
6 A nationally integrated Meet international
system that regulates obligations, reduce
hazardous substances hazardous materials,
and wastes that ensure efficiency of
accords with transboundary waste
international movement, implement
obligations. product stewardship
schemes and ensure
adequacy of hazardous
waste facilities.
7 A national system to A system that aligns with
reduce the availability international approaches
of hazardous to reduce hazardous
substances in substances in products
Australia. and articles sold in
Australia.
Implementation of product stewardship schemes Australian Government to develop federal legislation.
and enactment of commonwealth legislation within EPHC to co-ordinate consultation regarding future
three years. regulation of additional products.
Accreditation of voluntary product stewardship Industry sectors to fund co-regulatory schemes and
schemes and commencement of reporting under regulatory schemes.
a national scheme within four years. Accreditation of voluntary schemes to be funded by a
cost-recovery basis through a fee for service.
Options for a national waste classification system Phase 1 - EPHC to identify barriers to defining when a
to be developed within four years. product ceases to become a waste.
National classifications and definitions of when Phase 2 - EPHC to agree on an approach within four
materials cease being waste are referenced as key years.
instruments are reviewed or new instruments are
established.
Government policies and legislation use consistent
classifications and are supported by a nationally
consistent data collection and tracking system.
National specifications for recycled construction EPHC to implement.
and demolition wastes, fit-for-purpose use of
recycled organics and biosolids to be developed
within three years.
Re-use of compost, soil conditioners, biochar State and territory governments to achieve as part of
through alternative waste treatment technologies, their existing waste management program.
waste-to-energy plants and bio-digesters.
Encourage increased markets for beneficial use.
Strategies to address or offset emissions from Strategies to be developed through the EPHC.
landfills to be released by EPHC by 2011.
A national waste classification system, labelling EPHC to conduct an analysis of Australia’s hazardous
system and product stewardship schemes that waste treatment and disposal.
address hazardous waste.
Streamlined policies and legislation to regulate
transboundary movement of hazardous waste for
treatment or disposal.
EPHC to assess and determine a suitable Phase 1 - Australian Government to consult with states
approach within three years. and territories.
Phase 2 - EPHC to determine the most suitable
approach.

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 89

 Transpacific Cleanaway – bringing waste
| waste management |
education to Local Government areas
Transpacific Cleanaway is working hard to educate students about waste minimisation,
recycling and increased resource recovery through a series of programs being
implemented across Australia’s local council areas.
ranspacific Cleanaway runs
T preschool, primary and
secondary education programs
on behalf of local councils.
Transpacific Cleanaway Regional
Manager, Sydney Municipal Ken Donley
said:
“Education programs help local
communities reap a number of social
and environmental benefits.”
“Children learn about their Council-
provided waste services from an early
age, resulting in greater environmental
awareness and long term behavioural
changes when it comes to thinking
about their waste.
“The Transpacific Cleanaway
programs also assist Councils to
increase their levels of positive
engagement with the community.
“As a waste contractor and industry
leader, Transpacific Cleanaway
appreciates the importance of bringing
waste education to communities as it
assists in contamination reduction and
increased resource recovery,” he said.
Transpacific Cleanaway offers its
school education programs nation-wide
and has presented these programs to
thousands of school children in Local
90 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Transpacific Cleanaway Education Officer, Theresa Troup holding a school education session.
Government Areas since 2007.
While specific regionally based
teams run the programs across the
nation, the National Education Team
works closely together.
This ensures the content included in
each regional program deals not only
with the trends and issues facing that
specific area, but also the issues we all
face in the wider community. It really is
a case of “Think Global, Act Local”.
The education programs across
Australia include a number of waste-
related modules, providing a holistic
approach to climate change and waste
education.
Lessons are also taught by a team
of qualified Environmental Educators
with teaching and waste industry
expertise, and are offered to preschool,
primary, and secondary aged students.
The Transpacific Cleanaway
program which was developed in
Sydney, called the kNOw Waste School
Education Program, incorporates
modules including Bin Wise, in which
students learn about the waste services
provided to them by Council and how
to use their bins correctly.
They learn about the importance of
recycling in order to recover resources,
divert waste from landfill and mitigate
climate change.
In another module called Smart
Shopping, the students learn how their
everyday choices as consumers allows
them to avoid and reduce the amount
of waste they create.
Students can also learn about worm
farming and composting (a great way to
recycle our organic waste) and about
the impacts of litter in the playground.
Transpacific Cleanaway’s Sydney
education program is just one example
of the many comprehensive education
programs run across Australia.
All Transpacific Cleanaway’s
education programs encourage
students to take home what they learnt
at school and to share the message of
environmental sustainability with their
families.
For more information or to discuss
how Transpacific Cleanaway can help
with your waste education requirements
around Australia contact
email: Education.NSW@Transpac.com.au
or Tel: (02) 9671 9612.
 Your local government
waste management specialist

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Recover Recycle Reuse

www.transpacific.com.au
 From waste to value
| waste management |

GCM Enviro is a leading distributor for the latest in waste management equipment, from
landfill compactors, shredders and crushers through to state of the art screeners and
compost turners.
hey offer top quality equipment GCM Enviro is a privately owned

T from world renowned

manufacturers including TANA,
TERRA SELECT, BACKHUS and
ALLU. Their philosophy is to maintain
constant dialogue between manufacturers
and clients to ensure that design is
governed by market requirements,
particularly in the harsh climatic
conditions we experience. Combining this
with efficient service back-up and
approachable personnel, a continued
growth of the market share is envisaged,
together with ongoing industry support.
GCM Enviro’s mission is to provide
customers with cutting edge technology
in solid waste management combined
with state-of-the-art control and
monitoring systems. The objective of this
mission is to improve their customers’
business and enable them to increase
revenue—from waste to value.
company, where long term goals are set,
and they always operate with their
customers in mind. Key principles in GCM
Enviro’s operation are reliability, customer
orientation, responsiveness and
continuous improvement. Having
competed for market share with large
multinational corporations, GCM Enviro
has been able to differentiate itself and to
win its customers’ trust by relying on
these core values. The fact that they are
now leaders for landfill compactors in
many markets is strong evidence of their
success. They are aiming at the same
objective with shredders, screening
equipment, and windrow turners, namely
keeping growth steady and profitable.
With current management, GCM Enviro
has increased sales year on year and
tripled turnover within the last decade.

92 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Orange project puts the squeeze

| waste management |
on waste
After 15 years of planning, a new waste disposal project has been approved for the city of
Orange in New South Wales. The planned facility will provide a timely alternative waste
solution for the area, and is also predicted to boost the regional economy and number of
local jobs.
he green light for this project has not been

T illuminated too soon. Waste disposal in the area has

until now been serviced by an ageing landfill facility
off Orphir Road in Orange, but as a result of the
new plan an additional facility will be built 40km from
Orange, near the town of Molong.
The existing site, according to director of enterprise
services Stephen Sykes, has a remaining capacity of only
three years; this is about the time that it will take to build the
new project. “We’re on a tight timeframe here; June 2013
will be the end date for the current facility and it’s going to
take three years to get everything built and ready,” said
Sykes.
A 2007 approval for the original ‘HUB’ waste
management facility was overturned as a result of strong
opposition from the local community and an appeal by the
HUB Action Group, which denounced the proposed facility
as a poorly thought-out project with a lack of consideration
for the environmental impacts of its operations.
After a review of the project, the Planning and
Assessment Commission (PAC), headed by Minister for
Planning Tony Kelly, recommended approval subject to a
number of amendments and conditions. Said Kelly of the
revised plan, “the Orange City Council addressed all the
issues that were raised by the Land and Environment
Court”. Kelly also outlined the intention of the new plan,
stating that, “the approval covers waste operations on two
different sites, with increased resource recovery, from
around 20 per cent to 58 per cent.”
Under the operation of the new project, and according
to the PAC’s recommendations, residual waste will be
shredded, baled and plastic-wrapped at the existing Orphir
Road site, then transported to a new disposal facility on
Euchareena Road, near Molong. This process, as well as
extending the availability of waste management facilities in
the area to 40 years, will reduce the risk of detrimental
environmental effects, not least the exposure of wildlife to
the waste.
Of significant concern to the lobbyists was the local
beekeeping industry, which is responsible for a significant
percentage of Australia’s honey production. The proposed
new facility addresses these apicultural concerns through
the PAC’s condition of implementations of an Apiculture
Risk Management Plan. Baling of the waste prior to its
disposal will mean that bees and other wildlife will not have
access to the waste that some were concerned would
harm wildlife and contaminate honey supplies.
Additionally, a new food and garden organic waste
collection service will be implemented alongside the existing
general waste and recyclables collections.
A food and garden organics waste shredder, initially
proposed to be located at the new Euchareena Road
facility, will be relocated to the Orphir Road site and will
process the organic waste, producing valuable high-grade
compost that can be used throughout the community as an
alternative to chemical fertilisers.
A significant part of the land cleared at Euchareena
Road will also be designated for ongoing agricultural use,
and a dedicated biodiversity site will be designated as a
rehabilitation corridor.
Further conditions imposed by the PAC include the
implementation of a public knowledge campaign to help
residents of Orange understand waste management and
resource recovery in an effort to reduce the reliance of the
community on landfill.
The effect of waste transport on the environment and
local traffic conditions are also a focus of the PAC’s
guidelines. A Transport Code of Conduct is required of the
Orange City Council, as well as a number of roadworks to
ensure traffic safety and efficiency in the area. The number
of heavy vehicle movements will be restricted to 30 per day,
the visibility, line marking and edging of roads will be
upgraded to improve safety, and a new access road to the
site will reduce congestion.
Mayor of Orange, John Davis, notes that the conditions
imposed upon the project have increased its overall cost
but helped its viability. “It has been made a little bit more
expensive because of the 80 quite stringent conditions …
but I believe it’s a better project than what it was.”
Despite the extra costs, the new waste project is
designed to extract value from the waste stream through
resource recovery and sustainable waste management. It is
estimated that the new project will inject $6.5 million into
the local economy, with Minister Kelly saying that 20
construction jobs and six ongoing positions will be created
through the implementation of the regional project.
The project is expected to enhance the community from
a planning perspective. According to Tony Kelly, “I am
confident with the amendments and imposed conditions,
this project will deliver valuable benefits to residents, and
improve waste avoidance and resource recovery”.

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 93

| waste management |

Alex Fraser Group implements the

enwis) waste management system
enwis) is the integrated business
software solution developed for
recycling and waste management
using Microsoft Dynamics NAV. It
is now used by over 180
organisations world-wide and, in
Australia, it has been successfully
implemented by the Alex Fraser
Group.
Alex Fraser is Australia’s
leading construction and
demolition materials recycler with
capacity to produce in excess of 3
million tonnes of recycled product
every year. Their requirement was
for an integrated ERP solution,
which could be expanded as the
business grows.
The challenge was to integrate
all the business functions within
one easy to use system to
manage weighbridge operations,
tracking of trucks and equipment,
administration of six recycling
plants, right through to costing.
By implementing enwis)
through Fenwick Software, huge
improvements in efficiency and
cost-effectiveness are being
achieved. Manual processes at
the weighbridge have been
reduced by more than 55%, the
duplication of tasks is being
substantially lowered and the
sales cycle has been improved.
In addition, the work
environment is being simplified
with full, real-time information now
available to the management
team. Operating costs are also
being reduced – allowing the
company to increase their
business capacity and improve
levels of customer service.

HQWVRUJXQJVZLUWVKDIW

When it comes to efficiency, nobody does it better than the Germans.

So it may not come as a surprise to you that they lead the
world in software solutions for maximizing effectiveness and
cost-efficiency in recycling and waste management.
Their term entsorgungswirtshaft can be translated as the
economic treatment of waste, but luckily you don’t need to
pronounce this. All you need to remember is a much shorter
version – . product, which integrates with familiar Microsoft Office
is the integrated business software solution
specifically developed for recycling and waste management.
Used by over 180 organisations world-wide, it has an
outstanding track record for quality, reliability and the
highest levels of customer satisfaction.
is extremely flexible, so it can be customised to
meet your precise requirements, integrating all functions
and processes involved in waste management and recycling
– including contracts, weighbridge, financial management,
analysis and reporting.
Perhaps best of all, is a Microsoft Dynamics NAV
software, ensuring all aspects are easy and intuitive to use.
To discover what a difference could make
to your organisation, contact us on (03) 9695 3333
or email enwis@fenwicksoftware.com.au for a full
information pack, including industry case studies.

1 Southbank Boulevard MELBOURNE VIC 3006

P/ (03) 9695 3333 W/ www.fenwicksoftware.com.au

94 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Big step forward for

| waste management |
waste industry
When Whitehorse City Council needed to update their fleet of walking floor
trailers they took a modern approach, fitting the latest in safety and
productivity devices, including a Knorr Bremse Trailer Electronic Braking
System (TEBS). This is one council that is setting a benchmark for the way
they operate on road and at landfill, and it’s paying dividends.
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 95

 Transporting waste is not
“
| waste management |
glamorous, that’s for sure,” says
Kris Briggs, Waste and Recycling
Coordinator at Whitehorse City
Council, “but our responsibility to have
an appropriate, fit-for-purpose vehicle
operating in the waste and greater
transport industry, rests heavily on our
shoulders.”
Kris runs the Recycling and Waste
Transfer Centre for Whitehorse City
Council, which is located 15km from
the Melbourne CBD. Running an
operation seven days a week, 10-
hours a day, the centre’s goal is to
make sure the public can drop off their
waste when they need to and Kris’s
team can get that waste to landfill,
located in Hallam, within the same day.
The centre must separate as much
of its waste as possible, from green
waste to tyres, hard metals, concrete
and timber. The idea is for both
council, private companies and
individuals to come to the centre and
re-use as much as possible before the
remainder is sent to landfill.
“We get about 500 vehicles onto
the site per day. On average that is
several hundred tonnes of waste each
day. To successfully manage waste,
we need to have reliable trucks and
trailers. Our first truck leaves here just
after 6:30am, and we run all day – up
to 16 loads to landfill.
“It’s hard work on our units, which
is why it’s critical we keep at the top of
our game with technology,” said Kris.
Whitehorse City Council manages
this massive load by running four
trucks in the fleet, two Iveco 505s, an
ECO 4 Volvo and a Kenworth.
The latest addition to the fleet has
been two trailers from specialist
manufacturer Bulk Transport
Equipment, delivered in early
November 2009. The design checklist
included a secure load covering
system, achieved through a unique top
loading door system, all remote
controlled and totally secure.
Next was the Hallco 4000 series
centre mount drive moving floor
system, again fully remote controlled
from the cabin to improve driver safety.
The slant on the floor was also
modified to make sure the waste came
off the floors better. Kris describes
Hallco as an appropriate system,
saying the floor tolerates everything
they put into it.
And in a first for the fleet, Knorr
Bremse TEBS was fitted to help the
fleet really set a benchmark for safety
and efficiency. “Finally we have a trailer
that is a match to our new Volvo truck.
The braking power is noticeably better,
it really tows well. A lot of people say
“well it’s just a trailer, who cares,” but
the performance of the unit as a whole
96 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
is just so much better with these new
trailers,” added Kris.
“We put our trailers through the
roughest conditions at landfill. They are
often on mud and uneven unsealed
roads. So far, TEBS has met operator
expectations.”
Kris added that “for the drivers,
who use the gear every day, it’s all
these little bits of technology that make
the difference to their safety,
productivity and overall enjoyment of
the job. Even the addition of the
remote control has made such a
difference.”
Andrew Nicholls, part-owner of
Bulk Transport Equipment, said these
latest units for Whitehorse are a big
step forward, not only for their fleet but
also as a benchmark for the industry.
“The equipment we fitted this time
around is far more advanced and more
user-friendly, particularly from a braking
perspective,” said Andrew.
“Being heavy, high centre of gravity
units that operate on uneven ground,
TEBS was crucial from an OH&S and
performance perspective.”
Likewise, safety was a driver in the
choice of the Hallco floor system. “The
trend is definitely moving away from
tipping trailers to moving floors,”
added Andrew. “It’s purely from a
safety perspective, but from a
productivity point of view, the floor
takes eight to ten minutes to unload,
which is not too much slower than a
tip trailer.”
Andrew added, the feedback he
receives from customers is that brake
performance is significantly better with
TEBS, but overall it is the stability of
the whole unit that impresses them.
“I think it makes them realise how
much they had to rely on driver skill
and experience to avoid accidents, but
at the end of the day, we’re all human
and particularly after a long journey,
skill level drops off due to fatigue.
When you also factor in that
increasingly we are at a point where
skilled drivers are harder to come
across and newer drivers still have a
long way to go you end up being in a
position where drivers and general
road users can be at risk.”
Andrew said that although the
enquiry level for TEBS is increasing, it
is still not as commonplace as it
should be. He said that as a
manufacturer of trailing equipment he
“
The equipment we fitted this time around
is far more advanced and more user-friendly,
particularly from a braking perspective…
ultimately relies on brake experts, like
Wayne Clarke at Knorr Bremse, to fill in
the technical gaps and help customers
realise the return on investment.
“Although TEBS is a clear OH&S
and performance winner, it may soon
become a direct financial benefit too,”
said Wayne Clarke, Knorr Bremse
Trailer Specialist. “For the first time
insurance companies are now talking
of decreasing their premiums for fleets
that operate TEBS due to some
lobbying we have been doing through
the NTC, ARTSA, ATA and road bodies
like the RTA and VicRoads.
“We are hopeful that this work will
have a favourable result and that
ultimately the banks may even start to
look more favourably on fleets that
have these added insurance elements
on their vehicle,” he said.
Wayne adds that TEBS can also be
used as a great training tool, allowing
managers to monitor how a driver is
braking and offer feedback on areas of
improvement. You can even monitor
service intervals.
“Ultimately we need to ask
ourselves, would we buy a car and opt
out of the stability system? Of course
not, and yet we place our professional
drivers under enormous danger by
asking them to operate high centre of
gravity heavy vehicles with archaic
braking systems. It is mind-boggling,”
said Wayne.
As a niche trailer builder, Bulk
Transport Equipment believe it is
important that they offer TEBS as a
value-add. “That’s where key
relationships with our suppliers, like
Knorr Bremse, is so critical. Dealing
with Knorr Bremse is dealing with a
firm that is focussing purely on brakes
– it’s not just one of their many
products,” said Andrew.
Likewise, TEBS as a total package
is far more than just advanced braking.
Many optional extras, such as hoist
sensors to help prevent roll-over during
tipping, as well as axle lift—again
controlled through TEBS for a very
small extra cost—can all be part of the
package. Fitting raise lower valves is
also a possibility. With this easy
system, all the driver has to do is take
his foot off the brake and the
suspension is automatically set to the
correct ride height without the driver
having to get out of the truck and
adjust anything manually.
”

L to R: Wayne Clarke, Knorr Bremse Trailer Specialist, Gian Panozzo and Andrew Nichols, owners of BTE.
Another option is to fit a TIM
Module, where a touch of a button on
the side of the trailer lets you know
how much weight is on that axle
group. TIM simply bolts onto the
diagnostics box on the chassis and
offers a very accurate weight measure
that can be used for mass
management.
TEBS can also note how much air
ALWAYS CHECK
FOR A SECOND TRAIN!
pressure a fleet has been using and
how hard the brakes have been
worked. Just plug in your laptop and
get a full download of absolutely
everything that has happened.
“These are all features of TEBS,”
said Wayne. “There are people that are
using bits and pieces of its capacity,
but there are very few using it all
together.”
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 97
“Learning new technology can be
| waste management |
challenging,” said Kris Briggs, “but our
guys who have been driving for 20
years and are accustomed to a certain
way of doing things have been able to
get the hand of TEBS quite easily.”
“At the end of the day, everything
we do to make our driving better and
safer benefits the workers and our rate
payers,” Kris said.
Weigh out there
Whitehorse City Council is so serious
about its responsibility to set a good
example to the transport industry, it
has taken mass management to all
new levels. There are three
weighbridges on site, weighing trucks
as they enter, as they are being loaded
and again as they leave. Also, each
unit is fitted with axle weighers. As
rubbish is top loaded into the trailers,
which are positioned below ground
level to allow waste to be easily
pushed into the roof of the trailer, the
exact weight of the load is again
measured via a giant LCD weight
gauge screen. Once it reaches its limit,
loading stops. The accuracy is very
precise to a maximum weight of 4.5
tonnes per axle, meaning this is one
fleet that won’t be caught overweight
on the road.
RAIL INDUSTRY SAFETY AND STANDARDS BOARD
 Waste Glass Provides an
Environmental Solution for
Landscape and Construction Supplies

Unprocessed Waste Glass Raw Feed Finished Product – Coarse GlassSand

In 2005 VISY Recycling and Benedict Industries combined forces to solve a long running environmental
issue. This will prevent the land filling of thousands of tonnes of waste glass fines every year.
Glass Granulates Pty Ltd has made steady progress with the development of a range of products that have
been cleverly engineered to meet & exceed various industry standards and technical criteria. Uptake of
the product has been steady with regulatory authorities requiring ticking and re-ticking of stringent OH&S
boxes.
In 2010 Glass Granulates through Benedict Industries, redirected approximately 25,000 tonne of
GlassSand™ to a wide range of markets, through the sales and marketing of these cleverly designed
products, Benedict Industries intend to almost double these tonnes in the coming year. The core markets
for GlassSand™ include but are definitely not limited to Asphalt production, Pipe Embedment, Planter Box
Drainage & Bedding Sands.

EXCITING NEW EMERGING MARKETS

Benedict are at it again, innovatively designing new product blends that have actually demonstrated technical
benefits over the rival natural products for Horticultural Markets.

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Installation Note:
The materials in this profile have been selected
with consideration to their "bridging" properties.
Alternative materials may not be compatible. Filter
fabrics are not to be used. Install so that there is a
clear distinction between layers, do not mix layers.
Profile designed on principles as outlined in the Facility for
Advancing W ater Biofiltration (F
Water FAWB) Guidelines for Soil Filter
(FAWB)
Media in Bioretention Systems (version 2.01) March 2008.

Bioretention Filtration Profile

For over 4 years Benedict has been the market leader in the supply of product used for Bioretention Basins.
Our products are proven through 3rd party testing to the FAWB guidelines to have the required
horticultural and hydraulic conductivity attributes essential for the success of Bioretention Basins. As per
the attached profile, Benedict has been utilising Coarse Washed GlassSand™ as the transition layer with
great success. The GlassSand™ has the advantage of superior drainage over competing river sands due to
its lack of clay/silt particle, as well as the obvious sustainability benefits. Recently we have also developed
the Filtration Layer (M165G) based on Coarse Washed GlassSand™ – again offering a free draining and
sustainable alternative to the quarried blend.

Sportsfield Drainage and Construction

Coarse Washed GlassSand™ is currently being utilised as the drainage sand for Sand Slit Drainage
implementation, which increases the rate of water removal from the oval profile. Once again its superior
drainage characteristics make it a sound choice for such an application. Coarse Washed GlassSand™ has
also been specified into Council tenders as the approved Amelioration Sand to be used to add to the
existing site soil to increase the drainage characteristics of the final mix.

The increasing acceptance of Benedict GlassSand™ will continue to create exciting opportunities for
this innovative product.

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 Profit forecast to fire up landfill gas
| landfill |
Accurately predicting how much gas a landfill site is likely to deliver over its life span is a
challenge one civil engineer is working to address.
BY KARIN DERKLEY
ristling from the ‘cap’ of the now-closed Narre
B Warren landfill on the outskirts of Melbourne are
clusters of black pipes, each leading down to a
gas-wells network, drawing gas from the depths of
15 years worth of urban waste. In the past the gas, a
mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, would have
escaped into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse
gas burden or, just as destructively, leached into the
surrounding soil, killing vegetation and creating potentially
explosive gas reservoirs.
Today, in line with EPA Victoria requirements, almost all
landfill gas is captured in some way. Much of it is flared –
burned off to convert the methane into carbon dioxide –
because methane is 21 times more toxic than carbon
dioxide as a greenhouse gas. But increasingly, landfill gas is
being harnessed as a valuable fuel. Around Australia there
are now 54 landfill-gas-driven power stations, operated by a
number of companies including Energy Developments,
Veolia and Sita. At Narre Warren the gas is harvested by
Energy Developments for electricity, some of which is used
to heat a commercial rose nursery and the remainder is fed
into the grid, helping to power the equivalent of
10,000 homes.
However, as appealing as it sounds, running a power
station from landfill gas is not as straightforward as running
it from a coal-fired or hydro-energy plant. Dr Julia Lamborn,
a senior lecturer in civil engineering at Swinburne University
of Technology’s Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure,
explains that the emission of landfill gas not only varies from
landfill to landfill, but also varies over the life of the landfill.
Being able to accurately predict how much gas a landfill site
is likely to deliver over its life span is essential if an
associated power station is to be profitable. She says an
100 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
operator needs to be able to match landfill gas generation
with the number of electricity units needed. Too many units
means the operation is not cost-efficient, too few means
not enough gas is used.
To date, this has been an inexact science – at least
when it comes to actual large-scale landfills. Dr Lamborn
says that current planning models have ranged from 90 per
cent to as much as 4,000 per cent off the mark, making
them next to useless as predictors.
A range of factors determines the amount of gas
available and how quickly it is emitted. These include the
actual composition of the waste, its moisture content, plus
a host of other factors. There are several sophisticated
predictive models that work within highly controlled
laboratory conditions, but experience has shown they do
not adapt readily to an actual landfill. “You can have very
high accuracy in a laboratory-based model of one cubic
metre or so, but that’s useless unless you can scale that
model up to landfill size models of, say, three million cubic
metres,” Dr Lamborn says.
This was the challenge that drove her PhD project,
‘Modelling Landfill Degradation Behaviour’, which she
completed and was awarded in late 2009. The objective
was to find a model that can strike a balance between the
lab-based accuracy and the simplicity required by a landfill
operator.
The work is important because among the energy
options currently available, landfill gas can be quite cost-
competitive. A report by the Australian Bureau of
Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) estimates
the long-run average cost of landfill gas at $35.59 per
megawatt hour. By comparison brown coal costs about
$38/MWh, wind power varies from $55 to $80, natural gas
is $35 to $45 and hydro averages about $62/MWh. The
average urban landfill site, such as at Narre Warren (a filled-
in bluestone quarry, 45 metres deep in the centre) is
expected to be able to supply commercial volumes of gas
for 40 to 50 years. The Narre Warren site has been
generating electricity since 1993.
Working as part of the International Waste Working
Group, a group of about 50 scientists and engineers looking
at issues dealing with landfill modelling, Dr Lamborn has
had access to a number of working models and landfill
sites, including the Narre Warren landfill, which, being one
of the first landfill power stations in Australia, has been
closely monitored over its life span, as well as others in the
US and the UK. By comparing these real-life models with
complex laboratory models, Dr Lamborn’s research aims to
determine the most useful input parameters to predict how
much gas is likely to be generated from landfill sites. “What
I’ve tried to do is to find a balance between the accurate
but complex modelling of the lab-based models, and the
simple but inaccurate real-life models.”
Finding the bridge between these models has been an
important step in making landfill gas extraction more viable,
says Associate Professor Ian Harding, who was Dr
Lamborn’s PhD supervisor in Swinburne’s Life and Social
Sciences faculty. “There’s all too often a huge gap between
what theoretical scientists are doing and what happens on
Opposite and below: Julia Lamborn at the Narre Warren landfill site, which
she is investigating as part of an international study on predicting the
commercial potential of landfill gas reserves. PHOTO: BRAD COLLIS
the ground. What Julia is doing is helping translate the
| landfill |
complex mathematical models into something that is going
to be useful to the person running the tip – who is generally
not a scientist and doesn’t have the time or inclination to
look at complex mathematical models.”
Energy Developments’ operations manager for Victoria
and South Australia Maurie Morrone says the company
welcomes any research that helps improve power station
efficiency. “There’s always a balance between simplicity and
accuracy,” he says. “The more reliable and accurate the
model, the better you can tailor your infrastructure (to the
gas emissions predicted).”
Dr Lamborn admits it is just a small piece in a big
puzzle, but it is a significant one. If landfill-gas power
stations can be made profitable it will be a huge step
forward in the twin objectives of reducing greenhouse gases
and harnessing a valuable resource for producing
renewable energy. “It’s great to be involved in something so
valuable,” she says. “Any way we can reduce our
dependence on brown coal – one of our biggest emitters of
greenhouse gases – has to be good.”
Contact:
Swinburne University of Technology
1300 275 788
magazine@swinburne.edu.au
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 101
 Century Batteries – Your complete
| equipment + machinery |

power solution provider

Australia’s climate and extreme working conditions create havoc for batteries, attacking
critical internal components which can lead to early battery failure. Unfortunately, some
imported batteries, made for softer climates, focus on higher starting power at the
expense of more critical design features.

Australian Made for

Australian Conditions
Century Batteries, Australia’s
oldest and most recognised
battery manufacturer, has been
designing, manufacturing and
supplying batteries in Australia
since 1928. In this time they have
developed the engineering
expertise and state-of-the-art
manufacturing processes to
produce a range of superior quality
batteries better suited to Australia’s
hotter climate and harsh working
conditions.
Century batteries are designed
and built in Australia. They feature
substantial design improvements
and specialist hardwearing
components to deliver what fleet
managers and plant operators accurate results to help identify suspect batteries before
really want – longer life and ultra reliability with less down they fail and when used as part of a total battery
time. management program, they can help keep vehicles on the
road for longer and avoid the true cost of battery failure.

Largest Battery Distribution Network

Wherever you are located in Australia, Century has the
distribution coverage and capability to promptly service your
battery needs. A network of regional agents and distribution
centres ensures you have access to locally held products,
services and battery specialists, on hand to service your
complete battery requirements.

National Battery Recycling Network

Century’s product portfolio includes one of the widest
selections of batteries available in the marketplace and
features some of the most technically advanced products
available in the battery industry.
From their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located
in Queensland, Century produces and supplies a diverse
range of batteries suitable for use in an extensive range of
applications including:
Automotive, 4WD, Deep Cycle, Truck & Light
Commercial, Heavy Equipment, Motorcycle, Marine and
UPS systems.
Battery Testing and Management Solutions
Century’s extensive range of battery testing and engine
diagnostic equipment is perfect for use out in the field or
workshop. Quick and easy to use, they provide fast
Century provides a complete ‘cradle to grave’ solution
regarding the manufacture, distribution and responsible
disposal of used batteries. The company has launched a
dedicated national battery recycling program designed to
educate motorists, businesses and fleet managers on the
importance of battery recycling and ultimately reduce the
impact of used lead acid batteries on the environment.
The scheme provides a national network of battery
recycling centres to which people are encouraged to return
their used automotive batteries for recycling, for free.
Supported by a dedicated recycling website and a national
contact number 1300 650 702 motorists and businesses
can find their nearest recycling centre and useful information
and advice on all aspects of battery recycling.
To find out more about Century’s range of products and services
contact a Century Batteries representative on 1300 362 287 visit
www.centurybatteries.com.au or email info@cyb.com.au.

102 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

How to drive better
transport decisions
for your council
Emissions from transport account for approximately 15 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse
gas emissions. Reducing your council’s transport footprint is a visible and often immediate
way of showing commitment to sustainability to your ratepayers and staff. It will help you
demonstrate a point of difference by enhancing your reputation.
he sustainable transport strategies
T outlined in this article are a summary of
Your Sustainable Transport Guide,
produced by Greenfleet and the
netbalance foundation, and act as a starting
point for organisations. This article is intended
to help you reduce carbon emissions from
transport, and you can save money at the same
time.
The Guide defines sustainable transport as
the movement of people and goods in a
manner that most effectively uses existing
infrastructure and that doesn’t exacerbate
environmental and social impacts. Whilst
‘sustainable transport’ remains a contested
concept, the Guide’s authors view it as broadly
achieving positive environmental, social and
economic benefits by making better transport
choices, while still allowing for full access to
services and mobility.
The big issues of today and the future, such
as climate change, peak oil, financial instability,
social inequity and declining community health,
indicate that our current transport systems and
practices are not viable in the longer term.
Transport plays a key role in promoting
sustainable behaviours, and therefore
sustainable transport offers the chance for your
council to make a real difference both in terms
of impact reduction and efficiency savings.
This article aims to touch on the broad
spectrum of transport-related issues for your
council, regardless of its size. Transport is only
one of the many key sustainability issues that
organisations should be addressing. However,
by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from
transport, you will see many other benefits. We
recommend that any actions developed to
improve sustainable transport practices are
integrated as part of a broader sustainability
strategy, but if you haven’t done anything to
date, transport is a good and easy place to
start.
| equipment + machinery |
Generic principles and approach
Why?
The business benefits of sustainable transport
Adopting innovative sustainable transport
practices makes a strong public statement
about an organisation’s corporate social
responsibility philosophy. An integrated
approach to sustainable transport allows your
business to benefit from operational and capital
cost savings, increase employee productivity,
improve staff retention rates, exhibit
environmental responsibility and retain a ‘social
license to operate’.
Understanding your organisation’s key
motives will dictate how widely and deeply you
will implement your sustainable transport
actions. Identify where your organisation is
currently positioned on its ‘sustainability
journey’, and remember that your organisation
may be driven by several motivating factors.
Benefits to your bottom line
The conventional economic costs of transport
for business are relatively straightforward,
including car parking costs, fuel costs, carbon
pass through costs, business travel and
company fleet costs. When calculated, these
costs can be a significant expense for
businesses. We strongly urge your organisation
to determine its direct transport costs to set a
baseline of the cost benefits that sustainable
transport outcomes can bring to your
organisation.
Benefits to your people
The social impacts of your organisation’s
transportation practices and its economic effect
is not always evident. WorkHealth, the Victorian
government’s initiative to improve the health of
the Victorian community, reports a direct link
between workplace productivity and employee
health1.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 104
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 103
 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 103
| equipment + machinery |
Compliance
We only act to the bare
minimum so we
comply with the law
Altruism
We do everything we
possibly can to reduce
What are
?
our environmental and
social imapct because
it’s the right the drivers
thing to do
for your
organisation?
Risk
Market
Management
Positioning We implement to
We implement to avoid potential threats
enhance our (e.g. avoid further
reputation
Diagram 1: Sustainability motivators
Encouraging active forms of commuting to work such as
walking, running and cycling can therefore directly improve
employee health, thereby yielding business productivity
benefits. Regular physical exercise can increase health
significantly by reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease,
diabetes, stress, anxiety and depression.
Time savings gained from reducing business travel can
improve productivity in the workplace (i.e. less time in
airport lounges, more in the workplace) and also give staff
more time with their loved ones.
As a general rule, the ability to commute easily to work
and a reduction in business travel can increase staff
retention rates.
HINT
Transport is responsible for 14.6 per cent of Australia’s total
greenhouse gas emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions
from transport have grown by approximately 27 per cent
between 1990 and 2007. Emissions from the domestic
aviation sector are projected to increase by 122 per cent
from 1990 levels by 2012.2
Why not?
What gets in the way?
Despite the best intentions, significant barriers may exist
within your organisation that can hinder sustainable
transport outcomes.
Common barriers to keep in mind, and address where
possible, are outlined below.
There are potentially more barriers, unique to your
organisation, so why not survey staff to find out?
What?
What will your approach to sustainable transport be?
A sustainable transport strategy, like any corporate
management review and culture change process, will be
highly dependent on the level of commitment and
motivation of management. It will require a number of tools,
systems and guidelines to implement and embed it.
Many organisations still struggle with ‘patchwork
approaches’, which can culminate in having different
systems that address different needs, communicating
inconsistent figures in parallel reports, and using inefficient
104 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
information flows and workflows.
A strategy that is underpinned by a clearly articulated
business objective will maximise impact, in comparison to
any single initiative.
A structured and integrated approach, involving relevant
departments and engaging employees, is much more likely
to lead to a successfully implemented and embedded
sustainable transport strategy.
That said, any single thing that you do to improve your
Cost Savings organisation’s approach to sustainable transport is a step in
We implement the right direction. In fact, it may be more appropriate for
anything that will
save us money your organisation to start with individual and smaller actions
but we won’t initially, and work towards an integrated approach over time
invest
as you gain confidence and experience. Either way, it’s all
good.
Consider the range of transport activities your
organisation undertakes and focus on those that make the
biggest contribution and those that are very visible. They
may include:
• company fleets
regulation)
• business-related travel (including air travel, taxis, hire
cars, etc.)
• employee commuting
There are many other transport related issues that may
be applicable to your business.
These may include supply chain logistics such as
warehousing, inventory management, freight modes, etc.
These are not the focus of the Guide, but should be
considered as part of your complete transport strategy.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria
has entered into a Sustainability Covenant with the Victorian
Transport Association to promote sustainability in the
transport and logistics sector. Find out more at
https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/bus/sustainability_covenants/Vi
c-Transport-Association-Covenant.asp.
How?
How can a sustainable transport plan be implemented?
A sustainable transport plan should focus on action. Many
well-developed plans sit idle as corporate objectives
change. To avoid this, your team should be supported to
implement the plan for achieving its objectives within clear
timeframes. It is understood and accepted that the plan will
evolve and be refined over time.
We strongly suggest that you frame the strategy to
avoid, reduce and offset transport impacts.
Who?
Who is responsible and who do they report to?
Transport issues will touch all aspects of your business, so
an effective sustainable transport strategy is more likely to
succeed when you involve people across and up and down
the organisation.
Large organisations
For maximum impact, responsibility for delivering on the
business objective and achieving the stated sustainable
transport goals should be assigned to a multidisciplinary
team, as suggested below.
The Approach in Detail
Detailed strategies and examples for sustainable transport
Organisations should aim to avoid, reduce and offset their
transport impacts. This section provides some broad
suggestions and practical examples as to how this can be
achieved.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 106

Volvo’s Euro 5 trucks
wins major contract
elbourne’s Whittlesea Council was
M one of the first Australian
organisations to go beyond
compliance standards and back the
use of best practice Euro 5 compliant trucks.
Infrastructure manager Peter Ali said the council
wanted to demonstrate regulatory standards
“should be considered the minimum standard we
aim for, not the highest”.
As one of Melbourne’s designated growth
corridors, Whittlesea’s population is projected to
double during the next 20 years to reach
300,000. In preparing to meet this challenge, the
council undertook a Community Plan
consultation process, allowing residents to have
their say on where priorities should lie.
Environmental sustainability was voted the
top concern, giving the council a clear driver for
action when its waste and recycling collection
contract came up for grabs. Peter said “we
simply included a paragraph within the tender
document that said, ‘the implementation of
environmentally sustainable practices would be
viewed positively within the tender assessment
process’”.
“While we could have taken a prescriptive
approach – specifying specific plant or processes
– previous experience had shown us that it’s
better to let the experts come up with the ideas.”
Winning tenderer, Visy, come back with two
options – the first using Euro 4 standard trucks
(meeting current standards) and the second
using Volvo’s new Euro 5 standard trucks, which
achieve standards that will not be mandatory in
this country until 2011. These trucks, also feature
a unique noise compression braking system and
| equipment + machinery |
Volvo trucks go beyond the regulatory requirements
safety features including an electronic braking
system and all wheel disc brakes.
Peter said there was about 2% difference
between the cost of the two options, but there
were tangible and intangible benefits to weigh
against the price premium. Tangibles included a
43% reduction in nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions
compared to Euro 4, reduced fuel use through
better engine efficiency, and less vehicle noise –
a major advantage in keeping the local
community on side.
Harder to quantify, but still considered
important, was the value of the council taking a
leadership position in its community. In the end,
councillors found it an easy decision: the council
had already been investigating the path to
‘carbon neutral’ operations, and was aware its
14 garbage trucks, six sweepers and 20 or so
heavy vehicles consumed more than 90% of the
diesel used in its infrastructure maintenance
operations.
“Initiatives targeting our plant fleet provides us
with a great opportunity to provide large scale
environmental benefits,” said Peter.
The decision to use best practice collection
vehicles also complemented wider waste
initiatives. The council worked hard to increase
recycling rates from 31% to 45% during the
previous five years, with residuals disposed in
Hanson’s Wollert landfill, a best practice facility
(winner of WMAA’s 2009 Landfill Excellence
Award).
“The inclusion of ‘above best practice
collection vehicles’ was the final piece in
providing a total best practice solution for the
management of our municipal waste,” said Peter.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 105
 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 104 Provide the team with a video and/or teleconferencing
| equipment + machinery |

technology induction to explain its capability and the reason

for the policy to replace business travel whenever possible.
Executives Then, require employees to provide a strong justification as
> strategic management to why business travel is required for a business meeting
(i.e. why teleconferencing is not adequate). Further, some
Logistics Managers people use business travel as a way of visiting friends or
family while away. So consider allowing employees to use
> supply chain operational efficiency opportunities video and teleconferencing resources for personal use
during specified times.3
Technical/Engineering
REDUCE
> technical efficiency opportunities
Business location
Communications + Marketing Where your business is located will impact staff commuting
> enhancing reputation and brand building options, impacts of congestion and ease of delivery. Uptake
of ‘active transport’ modes (i.e. walking and cycling) and
Facility Management public transport by your employees may be limited by your
existing location. Consider recruiting locally – advertise in
> building location and facilities > utilities management local media and engage local recruitment agencies to
attract skilled workers from surrounding areas.
Contract Management
> service and supplier agreements
Encourage walking, cycling and public transport
Your employees can be encouraged to shift from highly
Fleet Managers carbon intensive to lower intensity forms of transport. There
are numerous ways that your organisation can provide
> company fleet costs > operating and capital costs specific support to ‘active’ and public transport modes.

Systems Supporting car pooling

Car pooling programs for staff commuting and business
> access to information > teleconferencing facilities travel can help you unlock greenhouse, time, fuel and
parking cost benefits.
Finance + Administration
> business travel costs > company car costs
Vehicle needs analysis
> procurement > data management
Assess the vehicle to best suit your needs.
Quite a number of people simply buy vehicles similar to their
Human Resources
previous purchase without analysing the appropriateness
> salary sacrifice arrangements > employee retention for purpose. For example, a 2.5 tonne truck may be all that
> telecommuting agreements > employee remuneration is needed, not a 3.5 tonne truck, or a sales rep who drives
> employee well-being and productivity mainly in the city may only need a small car rather than a
Diagram 2: Potential employee/department representatives large one.
Other smart, innovative and progressive ideas will Consider the fuel you use.
hopefully evolve as your organisation starts on the journey This can be a vexed question because of the overall
to reduce its footprint. Our strategic approach to environmental impact of the fuel.
sustainable transport is: Things to consider include:
• the fuel type (e.g. unleaded vs diesel vs biodiesel).
Avoid …the need to travel Biofuels have a wide variety of grades of quality
depending on how it was produced and from where and
what it is sourced. Examine each fuel on its merits,
particularly with regard to greenhouse savings.
Reduce …total distance travelled and/or the emission
• standard of fuel (e.g. Euro IV vs Euro V).
intensity of transport modes
• technology fitted to the vehicle (some European
manufacturers do not bring European built vehicles to
Offset …any emissions thart cannot be eliminated or reduced Australia as Australia’s fuel quality is lower than in
Europe).
• the relative efficiency of the engine using one fuel type vs
Advocate …support, encourage and inspire others to follow suit another.
For these reasons the Guide does not recommend use
of one fuel over another at this stage, but as fuel standards
improve and technology is more uniformly installed, future
AVOID
editions of the Guide may make a more definitive
Avoiding the need for business travel entirely is the most
recommendation.
preferred sustainable transport outcome.
Use communications technology to avoid the need for HINT
travel by: Different fuels produce different amounts of emissions so
1. Installing appropriate technology and teaching people compare ratings for g/km travelled, not just fuel
how to use it, and consumption.
2. Developing a workplace culture that supports and
encourages its use, and that discourages unnecessary
travel. CONTINUED ON PAGE 114

106 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Kicking Goals at the

| equipment + supplies |
2010 World Cup
With over 25 years of Turf experience,
EVERGREEN TURF is recognised as one of
Australia’s leading turf producers.
EVERGREEN TURF specialises in sports fields/ open
space conversions, reconstructions, Major stadium turfing
and turf consultancy.
EVERGREEN TURF provides turf solutions and ground
maintenance services to a large Number of councils.
EVERGREEN TURF’S services include:
• Ovals & golf course conversion to drought tolerant turf
• Synthetic turf ovals, pitches & passive areas
• Turf consultancy
• Surface construction
• Prep, supply & laying of turf
• Spraying
• Top dressing
• Fertilising
• Vertidraining
• Scarifying
• Vacuuming
Evergreen Turf also has a Landscaping Division
providing landscaping services to Residential Land
Developers, Residential Home Lots and Commercial &
Industrial developments.

AAMI PARK (Melbourne’s new rectangle stadium)

EVERGREEN TURF (VIC) Ph 03 5945 2100

EVERGREEN TURF (NSW) Ph 0488 958 108
MORE THAN JUST TURF

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 107

| equipment + machinery |
Mitsubishi’s 2010 Triton – More Power,
More Safety, and Enhanced Driveability
The Mitsubishi Triton utility line-up for 2010 offers a new, high powered turbo-diesel
engine with class leading power, industry-leading safety standards including stability
control and side and curtain airbags, greater towing capacity, and improved driveability.
asahiko Takahashi,
M President and CEO of
MMAL, is certain that this
year’s strong sales for the
versatile and tough utility will continue
to grow as the year progresses.
“The Triton has shown that it is
more than a rugged work vehicle that
can take all the hard knocks thrown at
it,” Takahashi said. “It is now also
being recognised for its outstanding
four-wheel drive capabilities, improved
safety standards and car-like
comforts.”
The big news for the 2010 Triton
range is the availability of a new, high-
powered (HP) turbo diesel engine on
four-wheel drive variants, which
delivers the highest output and
performance in this segment. Engine
performance has been improved
through changes to the combustion
chamber shape, optimised injector
specifications, adding a variable
geometry turbo charger and increasing
turbo charging pressure. The two-
wheel drive 2010 Triton range retains
the popular 2.4-litre petrol engine and
2.5-litre diesel engine from the current
line-up.
The 2010 Triton boasts upgraded
exterior features with new front
bumpers, grille and side-turning lamps
and central locking with remote
keyless entry while inside, new seat
fabric and seat pads, available sports
seats and new instrument cluster, floor
console treatments, power windows,
CD tuner with MP3 compatibility with
USB, iPod and bluetooth controls
108 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
available on the GLX and GL-R
variants providing intrinsic comfort for
both driver and passenger.
Two automatic transmissions are
available on HP diesel variants – the
four-speed transmission carried over
from the previous model sees smooth
shifting as an option on all but the top-
of-the-range Triton. The well appointed
GLX-R model receives an electronically
controlled five-speed automatic with
sports-mode which provides
operational improvement, performance
improvement, and CO2 emission
reduction.
Mitsubishi’s All Terrain Technology
(MATT) is standard on all GLX-R
models, and features the acclaimed
Super Select four-wheel drive system,
which includes Active Stability &
Traction Control, Multi Mode ABS,
Electronic Brake Force Distribution and
an optional Diff Lock.
Given many Mitsubishi Tritons
spend their weekdays toiling as an
indispensable tool for their hard-
working owners—then convert to
family transport on weekends—safety
was a key priority when designing the
new vehicle. All 2010 Tritons have
standard driver and front passenger
SRS airbags, front and rear door
impact bars, ABS brakes with
electronic brakeforce distribution, front
seatbelt pretensioners and child
restraint points.
Additional safety features available
with the 2010 Mitsubishi Triton line-up
confirm its position as the class-leader
in this segment. Active stability and
traction control is available on all HP
diesel models and passenger side and
curtain airbags are available on all HP
diesel dual-cab models—and standard
on GLX-R variants—and cement the
Triton’s four star ANCAP rating.
Load carrying and towing are
critical factors when choosing a work-
and-play utility, and, in response to
consumer feedback, Mitsubishi has
gone all-out to improve both these
important features on the 2010 Triton.
Towing capacities have also been
increased, with the maximum towing
capacity of the 2010 Triton four-wheel
drive range up from 2,500kg to
2,700kg on our dual-cab four-by-fours
with long bed and 3,000kg on all other
four-wheel drives.
Central purchasing decision criteria
in the commercial vehicle market are
maintenance and running costs, and
the 2010 Triton line-up leads the pack
with its comprehensive five
year/130,000km whole vehicle
warranty, backed up by its 10
year/160,000km powertrain warranty
and a five year/130,000km roadside
assistance package.
“Mitsubishi is today giving
Australians a utility vehicle that really
does have the lot.”
“Powerful and tough enough to get
anyone through a work day—stylish,
efficient and comfortable enough to
get you around town—yet still
extremely versatile and packed with
plenty of functional extras to suit any
weekend outing or holiday,” Takahashi
said.
 Discover the
DAF difference.
Meets or exceeds strictest
Australian emission standards

Five star driver World-class

comfort & safety modern design

Supported by A bodybuilder’s dream Fuel efficient

Australia’s best powerful PACCAR
parts & service engines
network

Test drive a DAF and discover for yourself what sets it apart from other trucks in its class. Its sleek European
FAITH PAC0025

design, enhanced safety features, SCR technology, PACCAR engine and intuitive interior combine to deliver
a vehicle that finds the perfect balance between power, efficiency, advanced technology and the environment.
Contact your nearest DAF dealer to organise a test drive today. www.daf.com.au
 Environmental Solutions –
| equipment + machinery |

Distinctly DAF
DAF trucks have distinct features that set the standard for the municipal sector, now and
well into the future. Cab space and comfort, manoeuvrability, responsiveness and real
driving flexibility, outstanding fuel economy, optimum payload potential and low
maintenance design for maximum uptime – the municipal range has been well thought out
so you can make a rational and successful business decision.

rom mobile libraries, street

F sweepers and refuse trucks to

tippers, bitumen sprayers and
water tankers, DAF can
provide a specification to meet your
requirements. And the entire 2010 DAF
range offers emissions standards for
Euro 5 (ADR80/03) with even stricter
EEV (Environmentally Enhanced
Vehicle) standards available upon
request.
DAF is widely acclaimed for driver
comfort, as well as safety, with class
leading active and passive safety
systems, wrapped in arguably the
most modern of truck designs. The
latest optional safety innovations
include adaptive cruise control,

“The fuel economy is better, which reduces running costs. The drivers all
report back that the comfort and ride in the cab is the best they have
experienced with excellent, easy to operate controls.” - Jeff Saker,
General Manager of City Services, City of Darebin (VIC)

110 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011


“We examined several brands and found the FAT CF85 to be the best vehicle, not only in performance and
productivity but also comfort. Our drivers don’t cover a lot of kilometres, but they do handle a lot of jobs each
day – and that can take its toll on both the truck and the operator. But not when you’re using a DAF.” - Adrian
Schutz, Works Manager, District of Grant (S.A.)
forward collision warning, vehicle
stability control, lane departure
warning signal, front and side view
mirrors, driver-side air bag and Xenon
headlights.
DAF safety features provide drivers
with a comfortable, safe and practical
working environment, no matter what
Council they work for. Standard
features include acceleration slip
control, electronically controlled air
suspension, electronic braking system
(EBS), hands-free mobile phone kit,
and enhanced windscreen and side
window demisting.
Fuel efficient engines range from
the LF with the 6.7 litre 220 to 280hp,
the CF75 with the PACCAR 9.2 litre
offering up to 360 hp, to the state of
the art PACCAR 12.9 MX engine
providing power up to 460hp and
delivering as much as 2300Nm of
torque.
DAF is committed to conducting its
business in a responsible way and has
had an environmental policy in place
for over 12 years. In 1998, DAF was
one of the first truck manufacturers
with an ISO 14001 certified
environmental protection system.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 111
| equipment + machinery |
Since then EcoDesign has been the
company’s unique approach to
environmentally responsible product
design, and ensures all DAF products
comply with the strictest environmental
guidelines, from initial concept to end-
of-life recycling. The EcoDesign team
is responsible for reducing the
environmental impact during all three
product life cycle phases; production,
use and disposal. The team looks for
solutions that are good for the
environment as well as solutions to
improve vehicle efficiency.
More than 85 percent of a DAF
truck can be re-used once the truck
has reached the end of its working life.
90 percent of metal parts are re-usable
and 80 percent of plastic parts. All
plastic parts used to produce DAF
trucks are issued with a separate
material code to identify the exact
plastic type, and DAF provides
recycling guides for each model in
which all components are colour
coded by material type.
It takes engineering excellence and
80 years of experience to build a truck
as good as a DAF. The constant drive
to engineer and manufacture the
highest quality transport solutions has
become a trademark for the company,
and delivering the perfect working
environment to all drivers is the
cornerstone of DAF’s success.
For more information about DAF and their
2010 range of trucks, visit www.daf.com.au
 Subaru adds diesel dimension
| equipment + machinery |
Subaru’s All-Wheel Drive appeal is expanding with the addition of ultra-efficient
turbocharged diesel variants to its multi award-winning Outback and Forester ranges.
utback 2.0D and Forester 2.0D models are
O powered by four-cylinder Boxer engines—so-
called because the sideways cylinder action
replicates that of a punching boxer.
Offering outstanding economy and low emissions, the
six-speed manual 2.0 litre turbocharged diesels meet strict
EURO 5 emission standards.
Andrew Sinclair, Subaru’s National Manager—Corporate
Sales and Financial Services, said: “Outback diesel was
launched last November and has met with a fantastic
reception from private and fleet and government buyers
alike.
“Sales of around 150 a month are more than 50 per
cent ahead of our own best predictions.
“With Forester 2.0D versions just reaching the market,
we’re quietly confident of its success too.”
112 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Forester is consistently maintaining its status as
Australia’s best-selling compact Sports Utility Vehicle and
interest in the diesel versions is high.
Forester is also increasingly seen in emergency services
roles, particularly with ambulance services as a first
response vehicle, with the ability to arrive ahead of
traditional ambulances, which are sometimes constrained
by size and ride height.
Besides efficiency, five star occupant safety, quality
engineering, retained value and reliability are key factors
quoted by Subaru buyers for their brand loyalty, which is
among the best in the automotive industry.
Subaru’s diesel engine is believed to be the world’s first
flat Boxer for a passenger car and, in the Outback,
consumes just 6.4 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres in the
combined cycle, while producing just 160 grams/kilometre

of carbondioxide.
Local testing indicates a range in excess of 1100
kilometres is achievable with steady freeway driving.
Three Outback and Forester diesel models are available:
the 2.0D, the 2.0D Premium and 2.0D Premium with
satellite navigation (SatNav).
The new engine produces 110 Kilowatts of power at
3600 rpm and 350 Newtonmetres of torque between 1800-
2400 rpm.
Even at just 1600 rpm, the engine delivers 300 Nm of
torque for incredible low-down pulling power.
As with all current four-cylinder Subarus, the first service
is now at 12,500 kilometres/six months.
Outback and Forester 2.0D share the same spacious
cabins and refined ride as their petrol counterparts.
Mr Sinclair added: “The amazing fuel efficiency of the
new turbo diesels is adding to Subaru’s appeal.
“Both Fleet and Government buyers are already largely
aware of the fact that we offer five-star occupant safety
across our entire range and the added ingredient of the new
diesel engine is making Outback and Forester irresistible to
many buyers.
“Our diesel engine reinforces our environmental and fuel
economy credentials, which have already been highlighted
by significant efficiency gains across the entire new
generation Liberty and Outback ranges.
He added: “We estimate, for example, that driving
25,000 kilometres a year in a diesel Outback at $90 per
tank of diesel would save approximately $2500 over 20
months on an equivalent petrol car.
“It’s a significant saving and one of the many positive
facts that will bring new buyers to the Subaru brand.”
Subaru’s safety commitment is underlined by Outback
and Forester achieving the highest five-star occupant safety
rating in independent crashworthiness testing conducted by
the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
They also have a three-star pedestrian rating.
Meanwhile, another variant in the Subaru range arrives
in July with the launch of the Impreza XV hatch back.
Drawing on the heritage of the earlier Impreza
Sportswagon and RV, the XV offers greater ride height than
other Imprezas and protective wheel arch extensions plus
bumpers, grille, roof rails and rear spoiler unique to the
model.
| equipment + machinery |
And the action for Subaru is not all model related. The
company is busy rolling out its All 4 the Driver philosophy,
aimed squarely at providing optimum and consistent
customer service levels across its entire network of 100-
plus retailers Australia-wide.
It will take customer experiences to even higher levels at
all key touch points, such as showrooms and service
centres.
For example, Subaru TV is being rolled out in all retail
centres and salespeople are getting iPhones with Subaru
specific applications that will detail the brand’s unique
selling points and features and benefits.
Subaru TV will include product, parts and accessory
information that will be constantly updated to ensure
customers are up to speed on everything Subaru.
Initiatives include Drive It Your Way, which gives
customers much more flexibility in test driving Subaru cars.
Subaru retailers will be offering specific, mapped drive
programs, which allow customers to get a much better idea
of what makes its cars different—the confidence of
Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive—in a variety of road
conditions.
In some cases, for added convenience, retailers will also
be offering overnight drives or the opportunity to have a car
delivered to a customer’s preferred address.
There will also be simplified, plain English billing that
customers will see when getting their car serviced.
Other subtle changes will include a new look to Subaru’s
website, with easy navigation to even better information and
images and, of course, the Subaru Fleet and Corporate
Sales Regional Management team remain poised to assist
both Fleet and Government customers with any or all of
their needs.
They can be contacted on:
Peter Clifford (VIC, TAS, SA, WA)
Regional Fleet & Corporate Sales Manager (Southern)
Phone: (03) 8698 3528
Email: peter.clifford@subaru.com.au
Robert Carney (NSW, QLD, ACT, NT)
Regional Fleet & Corporate Sales Manager (Northern)
Phone: (02) 8892 9114
Email: robert.carney@subaru.com.au
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 113
 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 106
| equipment + machinery |
‘Green’ the fleet
The HR and procurement departments of your organisation
can introduce salary sacrifice, company vehicle fleet and
business travel policies that preference the purchase,
leasing and/or hiring of vehicles with lower environmental
impact ratings.
Support and encourage fleet managers to address
sustainability issues as well as the more typical procurement
considerations such as price, availability and local
manufacture. In considering sustainability issues, fleet
managers can prioritise low emissions vehicles, set
minimum fuel efficiency performance standards and ensure
that all company vehicles are fit for purpose.
The Australian Government maintains an online Green
Vehicle Guide, which provides a ‘Star Rating’ for vehicles,
enabling motorists to identify vehicles with the lower
environmental impact. The greenhouse gas emissions, local
air pollution and fuel efficiency of each vehicle are taken into
account. Smaller, hybrid and/or diesel engine vehicles
generally have the lowest environmental impact. Vehicles
determined to have the best environmental performance
receive a 5 star rating. These vehicles are shown on the
homepage of the Green Vehicle Guide. The Green Vehicle
Guide also provides a ‘Fuel Consumption Guide Database’,
which contains fuel consumption data on vehicles sold in
Australian between 1986 and 2003.
It is important to note that hybrid vehicles do not
necessarily have a lower greenhouse gas impact than
smaller cars. It is also important to note that while diesel
vehicles tend to be more fuel-efficient and therefore have a
lower greenhouse gas impact per kilometre travelled than
petrol vehicles, they can have a higher impact on local air
pollution if they don’t have soot collectors in their engine.
So ask the question – does this diesel vehicle have soot
collection in the exhaust system?
Another useful resource when attempting to determine
which vehicle to purchase is the Greenwheels website.
For more information on either site visit:
www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au
www.greenwheels.com.au
Eco driving
Changing the way you drive will save you money. How a
vehicle is driven can have a significant and immediate
impact on both its fuel usage and greenhouse gas
emissions.
EPA Victoria reports that fuel efficiency can vary as
much as 45 per cent between different drivers using
identical cars. Eco driving does not require you to buy a
new car, you just need to get better at driving the car you
use today and you will save fuel and money at the same
time.
Make your employees aware of ‘eco/green driving
practices’ via staff inductions and/or with regular training
courses.
Vehicle maintenance
Adequate vehicle maintenance can have a significant
impact on fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Your
business’ fleet management practices should incorporate
regular fleet vehicle maintenance.
Flexible remuneration packages
The way people are paid can make a difference to your
greenhouse footprint. Provide all employees who currently
have a vehicle as part of their remuneration package with
other choices.
114 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
We recommend that you pass on all cost savings to the
employee to avoid employee cynicism and increase support
for your organisation’s sustainable transport commitments.
Alter freight delivery times
Consider shifting delivery times for freight deliveries to off-
peak times, thereby avoiding congestion periods. This can
unlock fuel savings and improve your ‘social license to
operate’. However, barriers to such changes may include
parking restrictions during offpeak periods for freight
vehicles, and night-time restrictions in residential areas.
Retailers and local government representatives may
need to be consulted closely to ensure that an alteration to
timing deliveries is supported. Similarly, local community
groups can be consulted to ensure that they are
comfortable with increased vehicle traffic during off-peak
times.
HINT
In order to reduce fuel costs, Greenfleet recommends
vehicle maintenance practices such as regular services,
proper tuning, use of correct engine oil, correct inflation of
tyre pressure, and regular air filter checks. More information
is available at:
http://www.greenfleet.com.au/Global/Individuals/Transport/
Driving_Tips/index.aspx
Adjusting freight loads
Improved logistics and supply chain management can allow
freight loads to be increased, thereby reducing the number
of trips required for deliveries. This has greenhouse gas
reduction, fuel use and ‘social licence to operate’
advantages.
However, you should also consider the impact of
alterations to supply chains, such as increased storage area
requirements.
OFFSET
‘Carbon offsets’ can be purchased in order to reduce or
recapture greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere
in proportion to any greenhouse gas emissions from
transportation. The Federal Government’s National Carbon
Offset Standard provides guidance on the purchase of
credible offsets. By measuring and paying to offset
emissions before commencing reductions, it may be easier
to justify reducing emissions later – as you will save both the
cost of the energy consumed and the cost to offset.
Some organisations offset by staff salary sacrifice or part
of salary packaging.
This reduces the cost of the offset to the organisation
and is tax-effective for the staff member. It is also a way of
engaging staff on behavioural change initiatives.
With thanks to Greenfleet and the Net Balance Foundation, 2010.
Greenfleet
Email: info@greenfleet.com.au
Web: www.greenfleet.com.au
Tel: (03) 9642 0570
PO Box 1601, Collins Street West VIC 8007
Net Balance
Email: info@netbalance.com
Web: www.netbalance.com
Tel: (03) 8641 6400
Level 4, 460 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
References:
1 http://www.workhealth.vic.gov.au
2 Australian Government (2005) “Health Impacts of Transport Emissions in Australia:
Economic Costs” Department of Transport and Regional Services: Canberra.
3 Telstra (2007) “Towards a High-Bandwidth, Low-Carbon Future: Telecommunications-
based Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions”. Pg46. Report prepared by
Climate Risk and available at:
http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/csr/docs/climate_full_report.pdf
 1833
NIS183
NIS183 3
Shift your
thinking
about your
fleet’s
potential.

Whatever your fleet requirements, Nissan can shift
your thinking in the right direction. To meet your
green needs, the zero emission Nissan LEAF* is
the electric car of the future. While around town,
you’ll find the DUALIS is an incredibly versatile and
spacious hatch. Or, for more rugged requirements
there’s the X-TRAIL, with intelligent ALL MODE 4x4-i.
And then there’s hard working utes like the Navara
ST-X Dual Cab, the most powerful turbo diesel in
its class. For more information and for all general fleet
SHIFT_ the way you move
sales enquiries please email fleet_sales@nissan.com.au,
visit nissan.com.au or call 1800 035 035.

* Anticipated Australian Launch 2012.

 SHIFT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM A
HATCH AND A WAGON.
Is it a hatch? Is it a wagon? Perhaps it’s a
compact SUV? Well it’s all of these and more.
The versatility and flexibility of the DUALIS and
DUALIS+2* across a fleet makes these models
the ideal fleet ‘crossover’ vehicles.
There’s a reason that the DUALIS is known
as the ‘hatch plus’ - it’s because it offers so
much more than a conventional hatch. It really
is a genuine fleet alternative for a small car,
medium car or a compact SUV. Available in both
2WD and AWD. Most importantly, thanks to a
sophisticated combination of safety features,
the DUALIS has obtained the highest ANCAP DUALIS+2 shown available July 2010.
occupant safety rating of 5 stars.
steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls,
As well as being surprisingly economical, the
MP3 player input and the Ti model offers even more:
engine also offers low C02 emissions. The
Intelligent Key, leather seat trim and dual zone climate
DUALIS is not only efficient, but also powerful.
control air-conditioning, to name just a few. Then there’s
Under the bonnet is a lightweight aluminum 2.0
the DUALIS+2 – the 7 seat variant. The SUV influenced
litre engine that delivers an impressive 102kW
styling, command driving position and genuine driving
of power and 198Nm of torque.
comfort are all carried over from the 5-seat DUALIS,
With a choice of transmissions – a 6 speed but the greater length adds another dimension to fleets
manual or an Xtronic Continuously Variable seeking all the carrying capacity of a traditional wagon.
Transmission, which offers an almost infinite Longer and taller, DUALIS+2 has been designed to
number of gear ratios and a beautifully smooth provide greater interior space and more practicality for
ride, the DUALIS is a very responsive car to drive. fleet wagon requirements in both 2WD and AWD.
It’s not short on creature comforts either, Both the DUALIS and DUALIS+2* are truly innovative in their
with an impressive list of advanced luxury creation plus the versatility and practicality of both models
features: Bluetooth® handsfree phone system, offer real fleet alternatives across multiple vehicle categories.
*DUALIS+2 available July 2010.

SHIFT THE CONCEPT OF THE FUTURE.

The way we drive is changing, and soon Nissan A combination of Nissan LEAF’s regenerative-braking
will have a ‘real’ car that will help lead the world system and innovative lithium-ion battery packs enable the
into the zero-emission era^. A ‘real’ car that will car to deliver a driving range of more than 160km on one
change the fleet landscape. full charge*.
The engineers and designers at Nissan have Nissan LEAF also incorporates ‘Smart Fluidity’ –
created the Nissan LEAF. A ‘real’ car for the Nissan’s concept of clean, intelligent lines to promote
real-world. optimum aerodynamics.
The LEAF is powered by laminated compact The LEAF will be available for sale in the US and Japan
lithium-ion batteries, which generate over 90kW this year, and is anticipated to be coming to Australia in
of power, whilst the vehicles electric motor 2012. The future however, is not a single model, but a
delivers 80kW of power and 280Nm of torque. portfolio of electric vehicles – the Nissan ‘Zero-Emission’
This ensures a highly responsive, fun-to-drive Line Up. If you’re ready to shift to the future, contact
experience just as good as any you get from Nissan Fleet today.
‘normal’ cars that are powered by internal-
combustion engines (ICE).
Unlike ICE-equipped vehicles, however,
the Nissan LEAF emits no CO2 or other
greenhouse gases – it doesn’t even have
an exhaust pipe.
^ The Nissan LEAF produces zero emissions during operation. Depending
on the energy source used, CO 2 and pollutant emissions may be produced
during the manufacture of the vehicle and battery, the re-charging of the
battery and disposal of the battery.
* Based on the US EPA’s Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule
(also called the “LA4” or “the city test”) emulating light-duty city
driving conditions.
 NIS1833
SHIFT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
FROM A COMPACT 4WD.
The Nissan X-TRAIL can carry just about anything, just Both 6-speed manual and auto transmissions with
about anywhere. M-Mode offer excellent diesel fuel economy – 7.5 litres
per 100km* for the manual and 8.1 litres per 100km*
Let’s start with the engines, diesel or petrol.
for the auto.
The X-TRAIL’s 2.5 litre 4 cylinder petrol engine pushes out
As for advanced features, the X-TRAIL boasts intelligent
a very impressive 125kW of power and 226Nm of torque.
ALL-MODE 4x4-i technology including Electronic Stability
This gives the petrol X-TRAIL a very useful braked towing
Program (ESP), Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) and
capacity of 2,000kg. The petrol engine is available with
Traction Control System (TCS). The ST-L, Ti and TL
a 6-speed manual transmission or the incredibly smooth
models are even more advanced and luxurious with
automatic Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission
leather seat trim.
(CVT) with 6-speed M-Mode.
The combination of X-TRAIL’s incredibly versatile
The 2.0 litre turbo diesel engine is no slouch either.
passenger and storage options, creates a compact
Compared with the petrol engine, it delivers lower
4WD that will give you all the benefits of a compact
emissions and increased power on the manual model,
SUV combined with a station wagon and so much more.
127kW of power and 360Nm of torque in fact.
*Figures have been calculated in accordance with ADR81/02. Actual fuel consumption will vary depending on driving conditions, driver behaviour, the condition of your vehicle and the accessories fitted.

SHIFT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM A 4X4 UTE.

When there’s some heavy work to be done, who better
than ‘Australia’s most powerful tradie’ to do it – the
Nissan Navara ST-X Dual Cab. The Navara ST-X Dual
Cab combines power with safety for the ultimate light
commercial fleet vehicle.
This latest member of the Navara line-up has a new common
rail turbo-diesel engine with a class-leading 140kW.
This extraordinary powerplant has increased power,
torque, improved fuel economy and lowered emissions
thanks, in part, to an all new direct injection system and
variable nozzle turbo with electronic control. This increases
power by up to 11% and provides an impressive 450Nm of
torque. Fuel economy has improved to just 8.5 litres/100km*
for the manual and 9 litres/100km* for the auto.
The power of the Navara is now combined with extra
safety features to give peace of mind for fleet managers
and their operators. Now with Vehicle Dynamic Control
(diesel model only) and curtain airbags (additional to the
driver and front passenger front and side airbags).
With improved power and safety, Navara ST-X Dual
Cab offers the best of both world’s for light commercial
fleet applications.

* Figures have been calculated in accordance with ADR81/02 (combined fuel consumption data). Actual fuel consumption will vary depending on driving conditions, driver behavior, the condition of
your vehicle and the accessories fitted.
 Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV
| equipment + machinery |

Electric Vehicle

118 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

The Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle—nicknamed the i-MiEV—has now
arrived in Australia. The world’s first volume production fully plug-in electric
vehicle with zero drive-time emissions has generated unprecedented
interest in alternative fuel vehicle technology, appearing at environmental
symposiums and launch events right around the world.
he i-MiEV is undergoing
T feasibility studies in the United
States, Europe, the United
Kingdom, New Zealand,
Iceland, Canada, and as recently
announced, now in Australia.
Utilising a large-capacity lithium-ion
battery system and a compact, high-
output electric motor in place of a
traditional gasoline power train the
i-MiEV has some impressive technical
specifications for a zero drive-time
emissions vehicle.
Producing 47kW of power and
180Nm of instant torque, the i-MiEV’s
permanent magnet synchronous
engine is supported by a revolutionary
lithium-ion battery from the newly
formed joint venture company Lithium
Energy Japan.
The i-MiEV’s electric motor is
smaller, produces more torque at low
revolutions and is quieter than a
turbocharged gasoline engine. Most
importantly, the i-MiEV’s engine is
cleaner, producing zero drive-time
CO2 emissions.
With total voltage measuring 330V,
and total energy output at 16kWh, the
compact battery and motor reside
under the seating and in the back of
the vehicle, allowing seating capacity
for four individuals and good size
luggage compartment in the rear of the
vehicle. In a small car, this
maximisation of space is made
possible by the i-MiEV’s smart design
and long wheelbase of 2550mm.
Requiring seven hours from a 50
Amp domestic household power
supply for a full battery charge, the
i-MiEV should ideally be left to
recharge overnight, making it perfect
for daily commuting over common
distances in a city landscape.
Able to reach a top speed of
130km/h, with a range of around
160 kilometres* from a single charge,
the i-MiEV is a rear-wheel drive
vehicle with three ‘speeds’: Drive,
Eco and Brake.
Drive is the full power mode where
the car drives under normal mode.
Economic or ‘Eco’ mode allows the
power to drop out automatically to
extend the i-MiEV’s cruising range and
fuel efficiency. Brake mode offers high
regenerative braking that absorbs as
much kinetic energy as possible—
restoring power to the battery—and is
perfect for downhill driving.
Compared to a similar sized petrol
car, the running costs per kilometre are
around 33% lower. If charged during
off-peak or night time hours the
operating costs will be even less.
During 2009, the i-MiEV won two
very important awards in Japan.
Claiming the “2009 Japan Automotive
Hall of Fame Car Technology of the
Year” award, the i-MiEV garnered
praise as “the realisation of the ultimate
in environmental efficiency.” In addition,
i-MiEV secured the “Most Advanced
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 119
| equipment + machinery |
Technology” category at the coveted
“2009-2010 Car of the Year Japan”
awards.
Closer to home, progress to ensure
Mitsubishi is the first company to
launch a fully electric vehicle in the
Australian market has been steady.
Following the road show which took
the i-MiEV cavalcade through
Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and
Canberra in February and March in
2009, the feedback received has been
very positive. Everyone who drove the
vehicle, including even the most critical
evaluator, agreed that the driving
characteristics of the vehicle—and in
particular its incredible acceleration—
made it more pleasurable to drive than
many conventional vehicles. Mitsubishi
has received many requests for a
return road show from hundreds of
potential i-MiEV owners, who include
government purchasers, as well as
private citizens.
While Australia has yet to sign a
memorandum of understanding to
confirm the availability of the vehicle on
our local shores, Mitsubishi is working
with local, state and federal authorities
to increase awareness of the
infrastructures and policy required to
support this new technology. The
company will continue talking with the
appropriate regulatory bodies to
stimulate better understanding of
electric vehicle and hybrid technology
to facilitate the i-MiEV’s speedy arrival
in Australia.
 Mentay has gone for the challenge
| equipment + machinery |

all over the world

The Mentay 2000 ride-on cricket pitch roller is

at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney
Cricket Ground, the Gabba in Brisbane, the
WACA ground in Perth, the Adelaide Oval and
Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

ater filled and concrete filled rollers are Hong Kong Cricket Club on new sight screens. These were

W available in both the Mentay Hydra Glide walk-

behind roller and the Mentay 2000 ride-on
roller and our brand new Mentay 1200 Custom
roller, which will give you a perfect weight of 2260kg. The
Mentay Hydra Ride ride-on roller is a big roller for special
operations and has a width coverage of 1.8 metres.
We sold 4 Mentay 2000 ride-on rollers to various parts
of Queensland in the month of January 2010 and one to
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School, so that is a
stimulus.
We have supplied all rollers to Dubai Sports City
including our quad bike roller, a new hand roller that you
push, or tow with a 50mm tow ball. A lot of people love the
light roller.
Mentay has also supplied a Mentay 2000 to the Hong
Kong Cricket Club. We have also done a lot of work at the
a fixed requirement. We also supplied a special Mentay Tow
a Tarp which gives the curator the option of allowing for
rainfall of a capacity of 600mm per shower.
We have modified this unit to suit Australian conditions,
producing the Mentay Tow a Tarp for Blacktown City
Council Olympic Park. This unit can handle 25 metre x 25
metre cover capacity with a hi torque unit with a greater
more powerful 12 volt motor.
Mentay went over to South Africa and spent some time
at Durban. We unloaded a Mentay Aqua Wizzard – a
complete hydraulic Wizzard that picks up water off the
ground.
Why don’t you email us for more information and
prices?
mentay@bigpond.com
www.mentay.com.au

120 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 Murray Darling Basin – nourishing our
| water |

food bowl
The Murray Darling Basin traverses four states and provides the necessary sustenance for
this country’s ‘food bowl’. From a local government perspective, this report outlines the
Murray–Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) responsibilities in the context of national water
resource management.

The Murray–Darling Basin incorporates Australia’s three longest rivers and is one of our most diverse regions,
stretching from Queensland to South Australia. The Murray–Darling Basin is important to Australia economically,
socially and environmentally. Often called Australia’s food bowl, the Murray–Darling Basin has a population of
approximately two million people and supports much of Australia’s agriculture and agricultural exports. The Basin also
contains more than 30,000 wetlands, including 16 internationally significant sites, many of which provide habitat for
migratory birds.
However, water use in the Basin has increased five-fold in the last century. The Basin is now under significant
stress from the combined impacts of over-allocation of water, severe drought, and the early impacts of climate
change. There has been a marked decline in river health and it has become imperative to take action to return the
system to a sustainable footing.

he Australian Government is Basin Plan for the sustainable allow for comment on the proposed

T working with all states and

territories to improve the way
it manages Australia’s water
resources. As we prepare for a future
with less water it is important that we
management of water across the
whole of the Murray–Darling Basin.

Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA)

improve water use and infrastructure,
and restore the health of our rivers.
To assist in this endeavour, the
Australian Government has passed
legislation and established the
following initiatives and programs.
Several Australian Government
agencies are working together to help
deliver this package of water reforms.
National Water Initiative (NWI)
The NWI is the blueprint for water
reform across Australia. This
agreement between all states and
territory governments and the
commonwealth, has been in place
since 2004. The NWI represents a
shared commitment by all our
governments to increase the efficiency
of Australia’s water use and includes
commitments to reform water markets
and trading, and deal with over-
allocated or stressed water systems.
Water Act 2007 (The Water Act)
The Australian Government passed the
Water Act in 2007 to help implement
the National Water Initiative. The Water
Act introduced new powers that help
the Australian Government coordinate
a national approach to water
management and meet the challenges
facing water management in the
Murray–Darling Basin. Importantly, the
Water Act established the Murray–
Darling Basin Authority to prepare a
www.mdba.gov.au
For the first time, water planning in the
Murray–Darling Basin is being
undertaken by a single, independent
expert body with a whole-of-basin
focus. The objective is to put water
use on a sustainable footing to ensure
a viable irrigation industry, to secure
water for cities and towns, and to
restore the health of the environment
of the Basin.
MDBA is responsible for preparing
a management plan (the Basin Plan)
that will include a new sustainable
diversion limit (SDL) in the Murray-
Darling Basin to ensure enough water
is allocated to the environment to
maintain important ecosystems and
river health.
The Basin Plan will:
• set legally enforceable
environmentally sustainable limits
on the quantities of surface and
ground water that may be taken
from Basin water resources
• set Basin-wide environmental,
water quality and salinity objectives
• develop efficient water trading
regimes across the Basin
• set requirements for state water
resource plans
• improve water security for all Basin
water uses.
In preparing the Basin Plan, MDBA
is using the best scientific and
socioeconomic information available. A
formal public consultation period will
Basin Plan in mid-2010. MDBA is
already engaging with the communities
and industries and governments
around the Murray–Darling Basin.
MDBA also manages the Murray
River system in close cooperation with
state authorities to ensure reliable
water supplies for all users. Further,
MDBA implements programs that
support the restoration of the
environment in the Murray–Darling
Basin, such as the Native Fish
Strategy, and The Living Murray river
restoration program.
Water for the Future Program
http://www.environment.gov.au/water/
The Department of the Environment,
Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA)
implements the Australian
Government’s Water for the Future
program. This ten-year, $12.9 billion
program aims to secure the water
supply for all Australians. Water for the
Future has four priorities:
• using water wisely
• supporting healthy rivers
• taking action on climate change
• securing water supplies.
Important elements of the Water for
the Future are buying back water from
willing sellers, using it to meet core
environmental needs, investing in
water infrastructure to make our water
use more efficient and supporting
other reforms through the following
programs:
Driving Reform in the Basin program
The Driving Reform in the Basin
program supports Australian

122 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Government contributions to the
operation and water reform functions
of MDBA, including those under the
Water Act. This program also gives the
National Water Commission (NWC)
and Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC)
specific roles and functions under the
Water Act which are outlined further
below.
Restoring the Balance in the Murray–
Darling Basin program
Under the $3.1 billion Restoring the
Balance in the Murray–Darling Basin
program, the Australian Government is
buying water entitlements from willing
sellers to help restore the Murray–
Darling Basin’s environment.
Sustainable Rural Water Use and
Infrastructure program
The Australian Government is also
investing $5.8 billion in modernising
irrigation infrastructure and improving
water use efficiency.
The Restoring the Balance in the
Murray–Darling Basin program and the
Sustainable Rural Water Use and
Infrastructure program are helping by
returning water to the environment and
in the transition to the implementation
of the Basin Plan. Both programs are
administered by DEWHA.
Commonwealth Environmental Water
Holder
The Commonwealth Environmental
Water Holder sits within DEWHA. The
Commonwealth Environmental Water
Holder manages water purchased by
the Australian Government for
environmental purposes across
Map showing the location of rivers within the Murray–Darling Basin.
Australia. This water will be used to
protect and restore key environmental
sites, including the health of rivers and
wetlands in the Murray–Darling Basin.
National Water Commission (NWC)
http://www.nwc.gov.au/
NWC was established to oversee
implementation of the National Water
Initiative and report on progress to the
Australian Government. All state and
territory governments have lodged
plans for how they will implement the
National Water Initiative’s requirements.
The National Water Commission will
also be responsible for auditing the
effectiveness of the implementation of
the Basin Plan and Water Resource
Plans.
Australian Competition and Consumer
Competition (ACCC)
www.accc.gov.au
Under the Water Act, ACCC advises
the Commonwealth Water Minister on
water charge and water market rules.
ACCC will also advise MDBA on
trading rules for inclusion in the Basin
Plan.
Bureau of Meterology (the Bureau)
www.bom.gov.au/water
The Bureau has the responsibility,
through the Water Act, for compiling
and delivering consistent water
information across all of Australia. The
Bureau’s functions include:
• conducting regular national water
resources assessments
• publishing an annual National
Water Account
• providing regular water availability
forecasts.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 123
Other Commonwealth initiatives
| water |
A number of other Commonwealth
agencies have programs that support
these water reforms:
• The Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)
provides drought assistance and
supports research through the
Bureau of Rural Sciences
(http://www.brs.gov.au/) and the
Australian Bureau of Agricultural
and Resource Economics
(http://www.abare.gov.au/).
• The Caring for Our Country
program (http://
www.nrm.gov.au/about/
caring/index.html) is administered
jointly through DEWHA and DAFF
to support communities, farmers
and other land managers to protect
Australia’s natural environment and
sustainably produce food and fibre.
• Centrelink
(http://www.centrelink.gov.au/)
provides income support,
information and referral to eligible
irrigators and other rural customers
to help them in times of drought
and hardship.
• The Australian Bureau of Statistics
(http://www.abs.gov.au/) provides
regular updates on a range of
statistics about Australia’s water
resources including water use and
water supply.
Further information
Copies of this and other reports are
available on the Murray–Darling Basin
Authority website at
www.mdba.gov.au.
For copies or enquiries phone 1800
230 067 or email
engagement@mdba.gov.au.
Copies of a more detailed booklet
on the Commonwealth’s water reforms
and agencies’ roles, Securing Our
Water Future, are available on the
National Water Commission’s Web site
at www.nwc.gov.au.
This report provides a general
summary which has been prepared
using best efforts to ensure that the
material it presents is current and
accurate. Users should note that
developments in Commonwealth
Government policy, input from
consultation and other circumstances,
may result in changes to the
approaches set out in the fact sheet.
The information herein does not
represent any decision of the six-
member Authority.
Source: Managing Australia’s water resources
(MDBC)
 Floating wetlands help Shoalhaven
| water |
Council to treat stormwater
Harnessing the natural ability of wetlands to treat stormwater, Shoalhaven City Council
recently installed a floating treatment wetland into a pond within Harry Sawkins Park,
Nowra.
The concept of using floating islands as a method to
“ reduce pollutants and sediments in the water is an
environmentally safe and inventive way to help
cleanse these important ponds in one of the major
parks in Nowra,” said Director of Strategic Planning and
Infrastructure Ernie Royston.
“Harry Sawkins Park is a delicate park with ponds that
capture water runoff from the 37 hectares of catchment,”
Mr Royston said. “We are using this technique as the
floating islands have been successful in cleansing
stormwater ponds, ponds on golf courses, zoo ponds,
sewage treatment ponds and natural waterways in many
areas of Europe, Japan and USA.”
These floating wetlands are one of the newest
adaptations of constructed wetland technology. All these
wetland technologies use the innate capabilities of wetland
plants to act as a filtration system. Wetland plants, such as
Cyperus exaltus (Giant sedge), Baumea articulata (Jointed
twigrush), Shoenoplectus validus (River Clubrush) and
Carex appressa are effective because they not only trap
sediment with their foliage and roots but are able to absorb
124 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
nutrients quickly and in quantities greater than they need.
These nutrients are then stored in the plant matter until they
die and are then returned to the natural bed of the pond or
the waterway.
However the floating wetlands also maximise another
more under-utilised aspect of wetland physiology. By
supporting the wetland plants in the water, the floating
wetlands allow a large mass of roots to hang like a curtain
into the water column. The massive network of stems, roots
and rootlets are oxygenated because wetland plants pump
large volumes of oxygen into their roots. This oxygenated
mass provides a perfect home for biofim, ephipytes and
algae to scavenge nutrients from the water. It’s these
beneficial microbes that perform the treatment that
accounts for the high success of floating wetlands being
reported overseas. These microbes are significantly more
effective (reported to be 10-20 times) at nutrient uptake
than the plant itself.
The value of these microbes is the main area where
water treatment data is available from a number of studies.
International studies have found that there is a range of

results per square metre per day. But based on an average
of these results, and scaled up for the 100 square metres of
floating wetland installed at Harry Sawkins Pond, the total
nitrogen is reduced by 0.36kg/day and total phosphorous
by 0.15kg/day.
As a large part of the pollutants are associated with fine
particulate matter, there is a further opportunity for the
floating treatment wetland to remove nutrients and other
pollutants as it calms the flow of water through the roots,
increasing the rate of sedimentation.
If the overseas data proves to be true, the floating
treatment wetland is expected to effectively manage the
stormwater pollutants on this site.
Council is undertaking a monitoring program to compare
the performance of this floating treatment wetland in relation
to the data found overseas.
For optimum treatment, the floating treatment wetland
was positioned strategically to act as a floating boom. The
water is only 500mm deep below the floating treatment
wetland, which is the same depth that the roots are
expected to grow. Therefore, most of the water that passes
through the pond is in contact with the roots.
Apart from the capacity to provide treatment, other
factors influenced Council’s decision to use the floating
treatment wetland.
“The floating treatment wetland technology was chosen
because it’s an efficient way to treat storm water,” said
Isabelle Ghetti, Manager Natural Resources/Floodplains.
“Within two years, the island will be a self-sustaining water
treatment system resembling a natural wetland. It was also
practical because we could retrofit the existing pond, rather
than sacrifice land in the park to construct a storm water
treatment device.”
To undertake this project, Council received a $36,000
grant from the Australian Government through the Southern
Rivers Catchment Authority to install the urban stormwater
| water |
devices (floating treatment wetland). These floating
wetlands were installed by Sean Harris from Harris
Environmental Consulting.
“The challenge is to ensure the system is robust enough
to withstand adverse conditions such as strong winds, flood
flows and water currents but also look good and have a low
maintenance requirement,” explained Sean Harris. He has
been developing floating treatment wetlands since 2003
and has successfully installed a number in NSW to solve
blue green algae outbreaks in storage reservoirs using
recycled treated effluent, sewage treatment ponds and for
stream bank erosion control.
In general terms, the Floating Treatment Wetland
installed at Harry Sawkins Park should not require a high
level of maintenance apart from basic weeding, rubbish
removal and adjustments to anchor cables. Due to the high
bird population living on the Pond, it was also decided to
fence out the floating treatment wetland with camouflaged
steel cages. Sean said “other installations have been
plagued with bird attack. In this case we thought it best to
make permanent cages over the islands. Although in other
installations we have also successfully used mature wetland
plants grown in our nursery.”
Facts relating to Harry Sawkins Park pond
Harry Sawkins Pond is a constructed storm water pond. It
is a passive recreational water body, and therefore the
public does not come into contact with the water. The pond
is located within a catchment area of approximately 37.28
ha, of which the 30 per cent impervious land use is mostly
urban. The pond is approximately 7000m2 in area and
250m long from inlet to outlet, 60m at its widest and 14m at
the narrow bottleneck where the floating island was
installed. If depth is an average of 500mm, storage is in the
order of 3500m3.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 125
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A clearer picture of Australia’s water
resources
CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology have developed a new data transfer format which
enables the Bureau to produce a clearer picture of Australia’s water resources.
eveloped jointly by CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy
D Country Flagship and the Bureau’s Water Division,
the Water Data Transfer Format (WDTF) provides
the Bureau with the means to more efficiently
collect and process the 6 million data files of water resource
information supplied by more than 200 organisations over
the past 12 months.
The Bureau is mandated to collect, process, compile
and deliver water data from around Australia. Data providers
currently use a variety of methods ranging from mature data
management systems to ad hoc spreadsheets to manage
this information.
“Thanks to the WDTF, water data from across the nation
can now flow freely to the Bureau,” CSIRO researcher, Dr
David Lemon, said.
“To streamline the collection and use of this data, the
Bureau required a standards-based information model and
transfer format to accept water information submitted
electronically.
“The web-based WDTF has been developed to allow
data providers to efficiently deliver water observations data
to the Bureau in a format that is more easily loaded into the
Bureau’s Australian Water Resources Information System.”
The format specifies a standard encoding for information
about groundwater observations, transfers of water
between storages, observation sites and samples, water
quality, channel profiles and time-series streamflow
observations, as well as conversion tables.
More importantly, it includes an information model that
| water |
can capture business rules associated with the data. This
provides a powerful mechanism to support validation of
data provided to the Bureau.
The Bureau’s Assistant Director Water Data Services,
Tony Boston, said the WDTF is now the Bureau’s preferred
format for water data delivery and is being promoted as the
standard format for data transfer.
“A number of commercial companies have already
embraced WDTF by including data input and export
functions in their water information software,” Mr Boston
said.  “This is allowing organisations that use the software
to more easily export data in WDTF to the Bureau.
“These tools will help streamline water data delivery by
organisations, while providing the assurance and
confidence that their data delivery solution is commercially
available and supported by the water IT industry.”
This project is part of the water information research and
development alliance between the Bureau of Meteorology
and the CSIRO’s Water for a Healthy Country Flagship and
is an excellent example of where research innovation has
helped solve a real world challenge and been rapidly
embraced by industry. 
Science Contact
Dr David Lemon
Research Stream Leader - Spatial Analysis
Land and Water
Phone: 61 2 6246 5724 
Fax: 61 2 6246 5800
Email: David.Lemon@csiro.au
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 127
 Cairns Council use Innovative Power
| wastewater |

Outage Solution for Pump Station

airns Regional Council have installed a

C permanently installed Gorman-Rupp “Silent”

pump unit to pump sewage at their “WR1” pump
station during power outages instead of the
“usual” method of using a generator. They made this
decision after an extensive review of their options to
“protect” a group of pump stations from the possibility of
sewage overflows if power was cut from them.
Mr Ron Watts of Hydro Innovations explained that “an
engine driven pump is usually a cheaper option than a
standby generator because a generator needs to be sized
to suit the starting current of the pumps at the pump
station, which can be anywhere from three to six times
more than the run current. An emergency standby pump
engine only needs to be sized for “run current” and
therefore will always be smaller, sometimes much smaller.”
Mr Watts went on to say “...a generator will only provide
back-up when the problem is with the power supply, but
the emergency pump does not care what the problem is. level”. It then starts automatically and pumps to the “off”
The problem could be related to a motor control panel level, and stops. It only runs when there is sewage to pump
failure, a liquid level control failure, pump cables cut, – not during the entire time of a power outage.”
submersible pump motor failure or anything else. The pump More information on emergency standby pumps can be obtained from
only “knows” that the submersibles have failed to start and Hydro Innovations on 02 9647 2700 or email on
the liquid level has reached the “emergency pump – on sales@hydroinnovations.com.au

Prevent Overflows at
Sewage Pump stations
One of the important environmental roles of engineers of
sewage pumping stations is to prevent sewage overflows
from happening. A generator will assist if the problem is
with the availability of power, but a permanently
installed engine driven pump will not only operate
during a “power outage”, but will “protect” the pump
station should any other failure at the station occur
(control panel failure, level control failure or even electric
motor failure).
Less Expensive

HYDR
A pump is generally a less expensive option than a
generator because it requires a much smaller engine than
a generator does. It also does not require automatic
switching gear, and does not need “load banks” to
INNOVATIONS
prevent diesel cylinders glazing during “non-pump”
running time.

If you would like information on the best solution for preventing sewage overflows,
drop us an email on sales@hydroinnovations.com.au or give us a call on 02 9647 2700

128 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Performance of the Australian

| water |
urban water industry and
projections for the future

WSAA Report Card (PAGES 130-144)

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 129

 Abbreviations
GL represents gigalitres. One GL equals one billion litres
| water |
ML represents megalitres. One ML equals one million litres
kL represents kilolitres. One kL equals one thousand litres.
Summary
Climate change
The fingerprints of climate change are all over the
information contained in the WSAA Report Card 2008-09.
Adapting to climate change continues to be the major driver
of activity in the urban water industry.
Capital investment
The industry is in the midst of a massive capital investment
program and will be overseeing projects with a value greater
than $14 billion during the 2009-10 year. This is on top of
record capital expenditure of $2.75 billion in 2007-08. (As a
comparison net capital expenditure by the mining industry
in 2006-07 was $27.6 billion – ABS 8415.0).
The expenditure of $14 billion excludes:
• the significant capital investment that is also underway in
large regional centres such as Geelong and
Toowoomba,
• investment being undertaken to efficiently maintain and
enhance existing assets, meet the needs of population
increases, growing cities and responding to new
standards in water, wastewater and stormwater.
The majority of the capital expenditure being undertaken
is related to developing new water sources to mitigate the
risks associated with climate change. It is essential that the
industry diversifies its portfolio of water sources so that it
reduces its reliance on surface runoff from rainfall.
Projects being constructed include desalination plants,
recycled water schemes, aquifer storage and recharge and
establishment of water grids. It is estimated that by 2012 30
per cent of capital city water needs, based on 2007-08
consumption, will be supplied by desalination.
Significant capital investment is also underway in the
wastewater system and this is a timely reminder of the
importance of sanitation systems for public health in cities
and towns and the need to ensure that these systems do
not have a deleterious impact on the environment.
Residential water savings
Capital city residential water consumption continues its
onward decline. The extent to which water efficiency has
been embraced by urban communities is one of the great
social changes that has occurred in Australia over the last
decade. If water consumption had remained at the levels it
was in 2002-03 an additional 210 GL would have been
consumed in the 2007-08 year compared to what was
actually consumed. To put this volume in perspective, 210
GL is equivalent to the water consumed by all households
in Melbourne in 2007-08.
Business sector water savings
Australian businesses are also responding to the challenges
of water security. Water consumed by the business sector
in capital cities and major regional centres has declined by
4.6 per cent over the last five years to 2007-08 despite
significant economic growth occurring during this period.
Water reform
The industry has embraced reform since the 1994 COAG
Reforms and this tradition of embracing change has
continued this year with significant ongoing institutional
reforms being implemented in South East Queensland and
Tasmania.
130 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
Energy efficiencies
The industry is also well advanced in preparation to operate
in a carbon constrained world. The industry has been an
early adopter in purchasing renewable energy, maximising
the production of green energy from sources such as
biogas and implementing measures to improve energy
efficiency.
Understanding the water/energy nexus going forward is
critical so that investment is directed to where the biggest
greenhouse gas reductions are likely. A WSAA/CSIRO study
found that by reducing by 20 per cent the amount of energy
consumed by households to heat water, the greenhouse
gas footprint of the urban water industry could be
completely eliminated.
Water recycling
Investment in recycled water schemes continues and 172
GL was recycled in 2007-08.This volume of water is
equivalent to the water supplied to all households in Perth
during 2007-08.
The volume of water recycled by industry has increased
by 118 per cent since 2002. A major challenge for the
urban water industry going forward is the management of
more complex water systems which involve multiple
sources of water.
Management of wastes discharged into wastewater
systems in an era of recycled water is important and the
National Wastewater Source Management Guidelines
prepared by WSAA assists in managing this risk.
Asset management benchmarking
A benchmarking project involving 42 utilities from around
the world revealed that the Australian and New Zealand
water industries are leaders in asset management.
International partnerships
During the year, the urban water industry entered into
collaborative partnerships with a number of leading
international drinking water and wastewater research
bodies.
Relationships with the US Water Environment Research
Foundation, the Water Research Foundation, the
WateReuse Association and the Global Water Research
Coalition means that Australia is well placed to have access
to a vast pool of research and knowledge that will assist the
urban water industry to meet the significant challenges of
the future. The willingness of international research entities
to form partnerships with Australia is a testimony to the
respect in which the Australian urban water industry is held
particularly in areas such as adaptation to climate change.
Going forward
Overall, despite significant capital expenditure programs,
adapting to a carbon constrained economy and continuing
to manage the risks associated with climate change.
The industry is in good shape and well-placed to meet
these challenges of the future whilst maintaining efficient
and effective services to customers.
Introduction
Over the last year rainfall was extremely variable across
water supply catchments that serve urban Australia.
Although some cities have received welcome rain that has
assisted in replenishing depleted storages, other cities have
experienced severe dryness which has broken all previous
records.
The significant disparity in rainfall across Australia
exemplifies the variability and volatility of rainfall patterns
that have always been present across the country. However
this variability is predicted to become more pronounced as
a result of climate change.
During the year the industry continued to deal with the
issues of water security by continuing to develop a portfolio
of water supply sources whilst maintaining effective and
efficient services to customers.
Although Sydney, South East Queensland, and the
Hunter Region welcomed good rainfall, one does not have
to travel far south from Sydney before the situation
deteriorates significantly. Canberra, only a three-hour drive
south and inland of Sydney, has received little run-off during
the year and good spring rains (which have been absent for
a number of years) are very much needed. Canberra
storages are currently at 43 per cent.
The drying climate continues to impact dramatically on
Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Melbourne has had its driest first six months of a
calendar year, receiving just over 120mm between 1
January and 30 June 2009. Recently, Melbourne storages
have stopped declining and are around the 26 per cent
level. The storages that supply water to major regional
centres such as Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat (to mention
just a few) are seriously depleted. Above average rain in late
winter and spring is urgently needed right across south
eastern Australia.
Adelaide also experienced another dry year and given
the lack of run-off into the storages in the nearby hills, the
city was almost totally reliant (85 per cent) on the Murray
River for its water requirements.
Perth is now in the third decade of a drying climate and
although steady rainfall experienced in July resulted in
storages increasing, follow-up spring rains are still urgently
required. Perth experienced an unusually dry and warm
autumn, which resulted in consumption levels being
unseasonably high.
The map below shows cities in southern Australia are
located in areas with below average rainfall.
Perth was the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for the Australian
urban water industry as it was the first capital city to be
impacted by climate change, which resulted a major
change in rainfall patterns.
| water |
Melbourne and Adelaide are now approaching 15 years
since ‘the clouds disappeared’, resulting in changing rainfall
patterns and severe declines in inflows to storages.
In relation to the impact of climate change on urban
water resources, all of the surprises have been on the
negative side.
It is also worth noting that climate change impacts on
every aspect of urban water management.
For example, the extreme hot and windy days
experienced in Victoria during the last summer resulted in
bushfires destroying 30 per cent of Melbourne’s water
supply catchments.
This year’s report card focuses on how the industry is
continuing to respond to the challenges of climate change.
Even though Sydney, the Hunter region and South East
Queensland are currently relatively well off in relation to
storage levels, there is no complacency in these cities. The
planning and construction of infrastructure to enable these
cities to have greater drought resilience continues unabated
as the community still has vivid memories of the last decade
of dryness and understands that the rainfall cycles are at
the mercy of Mother Nature.
The $30 billion capital investment program to develop a
portfolio of diverse sources of water commenced in earnest
in 2006 and continues to progressively roll out. This
investment is in addition to the significant investment being
undertaken to efficiently maintain and enhance existing
assets, meet the needs of population increases, growing
cities and responding to new standards in water,
wastewater and stormwater.
The magnitude of this investment is significant by any
measure, particularly when compared to other major
investments in the Australian economy by sectors such as
mining and transport. For example, the ABS report 8415.0
states that net capital expenditure by the mining industry in
2006-07 was $27.6 billion.
The program to develop new sources of water is likely to
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 131
 be largely completed by 2013 when the Adelaide and cities would be from desalination based on consumption.
Melbourne desalination plants are expected to be fully Adelaide will, in theory, have the most reliable water
| water |

operational. supply given that approximately 70 per cent of its water

A common myth is that the industry has adopted
desalination as the panacea for challenges presented by a
drying climate and that other viable options, such as more
aggressive water conservation targets and recycled water
schemes, have been ignored.
Although by 2013 all mainland coastal capital cities (with
the exception of Darwin) will have a desalination plant,
desalination is just one of the new sources of water being
developed to mitigate climate change risks.
Australian cities must develop a diverse portfolio of
water supply sources in order to secure reliable water
supplies for the community. Other sources of water in which
significant capital investment is occurring include recycled
water schemes, accessing ground water, aquifer storage
and recharge, constructing water grids, new dams (Tillegra
Dam Hunter Valley) and improvements to existing dams
(Warragamba, Sydney), stormwater recycling and rainwater
tanks.
The particular portfolio of options chosen will vary from
city to city taking into account a range of factors such as a
climate and topography.
Based on water consumption in 2007-08, it is expected
that if the desalination plants were expanded to maximum
capacity, 47 per cent of water supplied to Australia’s capital
Table 1: Major city population growth 2007-08
Population Annual Growth
City
Increase Rate
Adelaide 12,974 1.1%
Brisbane 43,404 2.3%
requirements will come from desalination (based on 2008-
09 consumption levels). Table 1 shows how the population
of Australia’s major cities is growing rapidly. Urban
populations increased by 1.8 per cent or 254,076 people
during 2008-09.
Table 2 shows the capacity of the existing and proposed
desalination plants in Australia and the capacity of the inlet
and outlet infrastructure should the plants ever need
expanding.
Although desalination has many detractors, the great
virtue of desalination is that it is a reliable source of water,
has a small site footprint and can be constructed in a
relatively short period of time.
Provided renewable energy is produced to offset the
additional generation of greenhouse gases, the
environmental inputs can be managed. It is worth noting
that, to date, all of the desalination plants have involved
either the construction of renewable energy sources such
as wind farms or the purchase of renewable energy from
the grid to counter the additional emissions resulting from
the energy consumed to drive the desalination process.
Recycled water is also becoming an increasingly
important source of water for urban Australia. Investment in
recycled water schemes continues and 172 GL was
recycled in 2007-08.This volume of water is equivalent to
the water supplied to all households in Perth during 2007-
Population June 08.
2008 (millions) Graph 1 shows that the volume of recycled water
consumed in cities has increased by 118 per cent since
1.17
2002.
1.95

Canberra 4,491 1.3% 0.35 Overview of major projects

Darwin 3,319 2.8% 0.12 underway or to be commenced
Gold Coast 13,200 2.7% 0.50 during 2009-10
Hobart 1,957 0.9% 0.21

Melbourne 74,613 2.0% 3.89

Over this last decade, the growth in
Newcastle 1,690 1.1% 0.15
capital investment by water
Perth 43,381 2.8% 1.60 utilities has been extraordinary.
Graph 2 shows how capital investment in Australia’s capital
Sydney 55,047 1.3% 4.4
cities has grown by 220 per cent since 2002. Capital
TOTAL 254,076 1.8% 14.34 expenditure is predicted to increase for the next two to
three years, peaking somewhere around 2011/12 before
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 3218.0 - Regional population growth,
Australia 2007-08 declining to more normal levels.

Table 2: Desalination in Australia

Ability to increase % of annual total
City Location Capacity (ML/annum) Completion date
capacity (ML/annum) consumption 2007-08
15%
Sydney Kurnell 90,000 180,000 2009/10
(potential 30%)
Up to 200,000 41%
Melbourne Wonthaggi 150,000 2011
(potential 54%)

South East Qld Tugan 45,000 24% 2008/09

Perth Kwinana 45,000 19% Completed

50,000 21%
Binninyup 100,000 2011
100,000 (potential 42%)

Adelaide Port Stanvac 100,000 71% Dec 2012

Total 480,000 670,000

(This represents 30% of (This represents 47% of

capital city water capital city water
consumption in 2007-08) consumption in 2007-08)

132 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

Graph 1: Growth in the use of recycled water in major urban water
utilities
180
160
140
120
GIGALITRES
100
80
60
40
20
0 0
1999-00 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
Over the next 12 months, work will continue or begin on
a diverse range of projects in Australian capital cities and
major regional areas. The different types of projects being
undertaken reflects the need for a diversity of water sources
to mitigate the risks of climate change. Many of the projects
are also associated with wastewater systems, providing a
timely reminder that despite the focus over the last decade
on water scarcity issues, the wastewater system also
requires significant ongoing capital investment. This
investment will ensure that environmental protection
discharge licences are complied with and that the
wastewater system continues to operate at an optimal level,
providing sanitation services that are fundamental to
protecting public health.
Below is an outline of the capital investment being
undertaken in major cities by the water industry. The
projects currently under construction or to be commenced
shortly have a total value in excess of $14 billion. Note that
project costs were not available for all the projects.
Adelaide
Adelaide’s capital expenditure is dominated by investment
in new sources of water.
Adelaide Desalination Plant
Construction of a 100 GL per annum plant has commenced
to diversify and secure South Australia’s water supply and
reduce reliance on the River Murray and Mt Lofty Ranges.
Approximate estimated total cost: $1.83B.
Christies Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant Capacity
Upgrade
Project to increase capacity to meet the demand of
population growth and to improve environmental outcomes.
Approximate estimated total cost: $272M.
Glenelg to Adelaide Park Lands Recycled Water Project
Project to supply recycled water to irrigate Adelaide park
lands and reduce the discharge of treated effluent into the
gulf. Approximate estimated total cost: $75M.
Southern Urban Reuse Project
Project to increase the capability to supply reuse water to
the southern suburbs (south of Onkaparinga). Approximate
estimated total cost: $63M.
Bird in Hand Wastewater Treatment Plant Nutrient Reduction
Project to reduce nutrient levels and increase reuse of
wastewater by improving effluent quality. Approximate
estimated total cost: $39M All five projects: approximate
estimated total cost: $2.5B.
Graph 2: Capital expenditure on water and sewerage in Australian
capital cities
| water |
3.0
2.5
2.0
$ BILLIONS
1.5
1.0
0.5
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
South East Queensland
South East Queensland’s capital expenditure is dominated
by investment in new sources of water.
Western Corridor Recycled Water Project
This is the largest advanced water recycling project in the
Southern Hemisphere and the third largest in the world.
Purified recycled water from the project is currently supplied
to the region’s three major power stations (significantly
reducing demand on dams) with the potential to supply
industrial and agricultural customers in the future as well as
supplement drinking water supplies for south east
Queensland if required. Approximate estimated total cost:
$2.6B.
Northern Pipeline Interconnector
Stage 1 involved a 47km pipeline from the Morayfield
Reservoir at Caboolture to the Landers Shute Water
Treatment Plant at Eudlo. Stage 2 is a further 48km pipeline
connecting Stage 1 to the Noosa Water Treatment plant
and is in its final planning stage with an estimated
completion date of the end of 2011. In addition to the
pipeline, the project includes the construction of five
pumping stations, one balance tank, two water quality
facilities and augmentation of an existing water quality
management facility. The entire Northern Pipeline
Interconnector will be reverse flow on completion.
Approximate estimated total cost: $800M.
Toowoomba Pipeline
The 38km pipeline is a raw water transfer main designed to
deliver up to 39 ML of water a day directly from the
Wivenhoe Dam to Cressbrook Dam when required. In
addition to the pipeline, the project includes the
construction of two pumping stations: a large 1850 kilowatt
high-lift pump on the bank of Wivenhoe Dam and a smaller
low-lift pump suspended on a jetty over the dam. With
Toowoomba’s three dams averaging 10 per cent full over
the course of this year, the completion of this project is
critical for Toowoomba’s future water supply. Approximate
estimated total cost: $187M. All three projects: approximate
estimated total cost: $3.5B.
Brisbane City Council
Brisbane’s capital expenditure is dominated by investment
in the wastewater system.
Fairfield Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) – Upgrade
This new plant will replace the existing Fairfield WRP and
will include new inlet works, a new two basin membrane
bioreactor, a new centrifuge and new biosolids handling
facilities. Approximate estimated total cost: $20M
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 133
 Gibson Island WRP – Optimisation and capacity upgrade
The capacity of the Gibson Island water reclamation plant is
| water |
currently restricted due to the capacity of the existing
clarifiers. Two new final settling tanks and ancillary
structures will be constructed to increase the plant’s
hydraulic capacity to 50 ML per day. Approximate
estimated total cost: $16M.
Toowong transfer main replacement
Construction of new transfer and reticulation water mains to
allow a transfer main built in 1892 and some of Brisbane’s
oldest reticulation mains to be removed from service. The
scope includes 3,580 metres of new water mains.
Approximate estimated total cost: $12M.
Woolloongabba sewerage catchment augmentation
This augmentation project will improve the capacity of the
inner city sewerage system to cater for a population that is
forecast to increase by 118 per cent by 2031. The scope
includes construction of 6,898 metres of new sewers.
Approximate estimated total cost: $52M.
Bulimba Creek trunk sewer upgrade – Padstow Road to Coora
Street
This upgrade will improve the existing trunk sewer to ensure
it has the capacity to cater for current and future flows.
Approximate estimated total cost: $52M. All five projects:
Approximate estimated total cost: $152M.
Sydney
Sydney’s capital expenditure is spread over projects for
water supply, urban growth and wastewater works in
currently unserviced areas.
Kurnell Desalination project
The project is to build a desalination plant that can supply
up to 250 ML of water a day (i.e. up to 15 per cent of
Sydney’s water needs) and a pipeline to link the plant to
Erskinville along a route that minimises its impact on
residential areas. Anticipated completion date is early–mid
2010.
Replacement Flows project
This project to construct a new recycled water plant at St
Marys and distribution pipeline will replace 18 GL of dam
water each year for environmental flows from Warragamba
Dam to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River with highly treated
water flow for river health. Construction is underway and is
anticipated to be complete by early 2010.
North West Growth Centre First Release Precinct
This project includes construction of approximately 23km of
drinking water, new drinking water reservoir, recycled water
pipelines and sewers for the first release precincts in
Riverstone, Alex Avenue and North Kellyville. Design and
preconstruction work is underway. Construction is planned
to start in July 2009 and is anticipated to be completed by
the end of 2010.
Freemans Reach, Glossodia and Wilberforce Sewerage
Scheme
The scheme will provide around 1,660 properties with
sewerage connections, while aiming to protect the
environment and reduce risks to public health. Construction
has commenced and is anticipated to be completed by
mid-2011.
Hawkesbury Heights and Yellow Rock Sewerage Scheme
This scheme will provide around 340 properties with
134 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
sewerage connections. The scheme aims to protect the
environment and reduce risks to public health. Construction
has commenced and is anticipated to be completed by
mid-2010. All five projects: approximate estimated total
cost: $2.4B.
Melbourne
Melbourne’s capital expenditure is dominated by investment
in new sources of water and wastewater projects.
Wonthaggi Desalination Plant
The 150 GL per annum plant will provide a secure water
source for Melbourne, Geelong and, via other connections,
South Gippsland and Western Port towns. The plant will be
capable of providing around a third of Melbourne’s annual
water supply from a source that is independent of rainfall.
Approximate estimated total cost: $3.5B.
Northern Sewerage
The construction of approximately 12.5km of new sewers
will increase the capacity of the sewerage system for the
growing northern suburbs. It will also improve the health of
the waterways flowing into the Yarra River by protecting
against the damaging impact of sewage overflows.
Approximate estimated total cost: $650M.
Sugarloaf Pipeline
The project involves constructing a 70km transfer pipeline
linking the Goulburn River near Yea to the Sugarloaf
Reservoir in Melbourne’s north-east and will deliver 75 GL
per annum of water for Melbourne. Approximate estimated
total cost: $618M.
Melbourne Main Sewer Replacement
Melbourne Water is replacing a section of the existing
Melbourne Main Sewer. The new main sewer will travel
approximately 2.3km from Docklands, crossing the Yarra
River upstream of the Charles Grimes Bridge, and into Port
Melbourne. Construction of the project began in late August
2008 and is due to be completed in 2012. Approximate
estimated total cost: $184M.
Eastern Treatment Plant – Tertiary Upgrade
The upgrade of the Eastern Treatment Plant to treat
wastewater to Class A standard began in 2007 and is
expected to be completed in 2012.The upgrade is a key
initiative in the government’s plan to secure future water
supplies. Up to 135,000 ML per year of treated water is
potentially available from the plant for recycling in new
housing estates, irrigation and industry, reducing flows into
the ocean at Boags Rocks near Gunnamatta Beach. In
accordance with the Eastern Treatment Plant upgrade
works approval, Melbourne Water has completed a range of
scientific studies into the impact of treated effluent
discharges at Boags Rocks. Approximate estimated total
cost: $313M All five projects: approximate estimated total
cost: $4.8B.
Perth
Perth’s capital expenditure is dominated by investment in
new sources of water and wastewater projects.
Southern Seawater Desalination Plant
A 50 GL per annum desalination plant will be constructed at
Binningup, south of Perth. The project includes the
desalination plant and transfer assets required to integrate
the project into the Integrated Water Supply Scheme
serving Perth and surrounding regions. Approximate
estimated total cost: $955M.
Beenyup Wastewater Treatment Plant Amplification
The amplification will upgrade the treatment and disposal
capacity from 120 to 135 ML per day to meet customer
growth in the catchment. Approximate estimated total cost:
$219M.
Alkimos Wastewater Treatment Plant Stage 1 and Quinns
Main Sewer
The Alkimos Wastewater Treatment Plant is required initially
to treat wastewater from the north west corridor and the
area immediately adjacent to the Alkimos plant. A 20 ML
wastewater treatment plant will be constructed to treat initial
demand. The Quinns main sewer, site works and the ocean
outfall are being constructed for ultimate capacity.
Approximate estimated total cost: $336M.
Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge
Treatment
The current wastewater inflow at Woodman Point is 120
megalitres and the sludge treatment facilities have reached
the design capacity. The upgrade will ensure biosolids are
suitable for disposal to land applications. Approximate
estimated total cost: $92M.
Groundwater Replenishment Trial
The trial involved the construction of a reverse osmosis
treatment plant to treat wastewater from the Beenyup
Wastewater Treatment Plant, followed by injection into the
Leederville aquifer. The plant will enable research to be
undertaken which will allow regulators to consider the
endorsement of a full scale scheme and will also address
the technical knowledge needs of the Water Corporation
and the industry nationally. Approximate estimated total
cost: $55M All five projects: approximate estimated total
cost: $1.6B.
Canberra
Adelaide’s capital expenditure is dominated by investment
in water supply.
Enlarged Cotter Dam
This project involves building an enlarged dam wall
downstream of the existing one to increase the Cotter
Dam’s capacity from 4 GL to around 78 GL; a 20-fold
increase.
Murrumbidgee to Googong Transfer
The Murrumbidgee to Googong Transfer project involves
pumping 10 GL of water from the Murrumbidgee River at
Angle Crossing within the ACT and transferring it through an
underground pipeline to Burra Creek in New South Wales.
Googong Dam Spillway
This remediation will bring the structure into line with
modern design and safety standards. Approximate
estimated total cost: $56M.
Murrumbidgee River Pumping Station
The project is designed to improve both the Murrumbidgee
River pump station’s inlet and pump capacity up to 150 ML
per day. Approximate estimated total cost: $26M.
Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre Secondary
Treatment Upgrade
The treatment facility requires upgrading to cater for future
growth in population and load. The project includes three
secondary clarifiers, additional bioreactor tanks and
associated pump stations and chemical dosing facilities.
Approximate estimated total cost: $72M.
Water efficiency in our cities and
| water |
towns – the social revolution
continues
Australia leads the world in
implementing water efficiency
programs in cities and towns.
The Australian community has responded by embracing
and developing a very strong water conservation ethos.
Australians have always been obsessed with climate and
weather and this interest has only grown as the spectre of
climate change has turned into a harsh reality.
The link between climate change and declining storage
levels and the resultant imposition of often inconvenient and
harsh water restrictions is very clear to most Australians.
Residential water use
Across Australia the average annual residential water
supplied per property declined by 12 per cent to 211 kL
during 2007-08. Since 2002-03 Australia’s residential water
consumption has declined by over 20 per cent.
It is because of water scarcity that Australians view
climate change as a ‘here and now’ issue rather than a
future issue that can be left up to the next generation.
Graph 3 shows how the population in capital cities has
grown since 2002–03 and how much water would have
been consumed in these cities if consumption levels had
stayed at 2002–03 levels.
The 210 GL saving up to 2007–08 year, which was
achieved through a combination of water efficiency
measures and water restrictions, is equivalent to the annual
consumption of all households in Melbourne during 2007–
08.
Water conservation programs represent a win/win
proposition for households as a reduction in household
water use often results in a reduction in energy use. As
energy is a much higher value commodity than water, the
monetary savings are likely to be far greater compared to a
reduction in water bills.
Smart Approved WaterMark, Australia’s outdoor water
conservation label, continued to grow over the year. The
scheme’s independent Technical Expert Panel has
approved over 170 products and services which are
licensed to use the label. WSAA hosts the scheme on
behalf of the Australian Government and industry
partnership. Smart WaterMark has been embedded into a
range of government policies and state government rebate
programs often require water saving products to have the
Smart WaterMark label prior to inclusion in the program.
Consumer awareness of the label is growing, helped by
promotion within demand management programs and
water utility communication campaigns. Funding has been
secured from the Department of Environment, Water,
Heritage and the Arts to further develop Smart WaterMark
over the next two years.
Commercial and industrial water use
Australian industry has met the challenge to conserve water
by reducing water use by 4.6 per cent in the five years to
2007-08.
This is a significant achievement particularly when high
economic growth was experienced during this period. The
urban water industry has worked in partnership with this
sector to implement water saving initiatives.
Due to the diversity of the commercial and industrial
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 135
 Graph 3: Capital city residential water consumption and population (2002-03 to 2007-08)
| water |
13,500
13,000
POPULATION (000s)
12,500
12,000
11,500
11,000
10,500
2002-03 2003-04 2004-05
Population (000s)
Residential consumption at 2002-03 average consumption (GL)
Note: Excludes Hobart Residential consumption (GL)
sector, an individual approach is taken by water utilities
when assisting customers to use water more efficiently.
While residential water consumption dominates urban
water use (generally 60-70 per cent of water supplied to
cities), it is imperative that all water consumers contribute to
ensure our cities are continually improving the efficiency of
water use.
WSAA has recently produced a paper ‘Meeting
Australia’s water challenges—Case studies in commercial
and industrial water savings’ which showcases many water
saving initiatives in 34 case studies around Australia.
The clear message from the case studies is that the
Australian industry has responded to the call to become
more water efficient.
National Performance Report
The urban water industry publishes more information than
any other utility sector in the world and provides the
Australian public with a reliable and transparent source of
information.
The National Performance Report jointly published by
the National Water Commission and WSAA is a requirement
of the National Water Initiative. The document contains
information on up to 90 urban water utilities. In excess of
150 performance indicators span; water resources, asset
management, finance, pricing, customer services,
environment and health.
The 2007-08 report highlighted significant increases in
capital expenditure (up from $3.2 billion to $4.5 billion: a 41
per cent increase), a further 12 per cent reduction in
household water consumption (despite population growth),
increasing water prices (3.3 per cent for utilities between
50,000 and 100,000 properties) and a 6 per cent increase
of the volume of water recycled.
The impact of the global financial crisis on
the urban water industry
The cost of finance has increased with the onset of the
global financial crisis. However, to date the financing of
projects has not materially affected the urban water
industry. Financing for large critical capital infrastructure
projects was largely completed prior to the downturn.
For future projects the industry remains cautious about
the availability of finance. For example, the recently
136 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
1,200
} 1,000
CONSUMPTION (GL)
800
600
400
210 GL saved. Equivalent to Melbourne’s
annual household use in 2007-08 } 200
0
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
announced successful private sector tenderer for
Melbourne’s $3.5 billion desalination plant was a possible
sign that banks and financiers are preparing to increase the
capital flow for attractive infrastructure projects. Despite this
positive signal, the Victorian Government has still been
forced to provide guarantees for the private sector debt.
Urban water utilities have also placed greater emphasis on
the financial robustness of companies when entering
contractual relationships with suppliers and alliance
partners.
The increased capital expenditure over the last few
years has driven significant increases in water prices across
capital cities and major regional areas.
Consumers will pay more for water services and with the
economic downturn, this may impact many households and
businesses budgets. Water utilities have programs in place
to assist customers who are experiencing difficulties in
paying their water bills. In many cases however, higher
water prices will provide a further incentive to conserve
water which ironically will cushion the impact of higher
prices.
The urban water industry continues to place a high
priority on improving efficiencies. Projects such as WSAA’s
rolling program of process benchmarking and focused
industry workshops continually identify international best
practices from a cost and service level perspective and
provide a forum for sharing information and technological
transfer. The focus on ‘best practice’ has resulted in a
culture of continuous improvement in the industry.
With the downturn in the mining and other engineering
related sectors over the past year, there has been an
improvement in availability of engineering and other
professionals for the water industry. Urban water utilities
have become more attractive to many prospective job
seekers who see the potential in a stable growth industry
providing critical services. Nevertheless, the industry is
preparing for a recovery in the employment market where
greater competition for skilled labour will return. The utilities
are developing strategies to further attract and retain
talented personnel.
Water and energy nexus
WSAA and the CSIRO recently undertook a study
investigating the relationship between water and energy in
Australian capital cities and Auckland, New Zealand.
 The key findings from this study are contained in the
report ‘Energy Use in the Provision and Consumption of
Urban Water in Australia and New Zealand’. A major finding
from the study was that the ‘low hanging fruit’ when
searching for opportunities to reduce energy consumed in
the provision of water services actually resides in
households. On average, around 27 per cent of all
household energy consumed is dedicated to heating water.
Interestingly, residential water heating consumed 6.5 times
the energy that was consumed by utilities in the delivery of
urban water and wastewater services.
A key conclusion was that if the amount of energy
consumed by households to heat water could be reduced
by 20 per cent either by using less hot water (by installing
water efficient shower heads and changing to water efficient
washing machines) or increasing the efficiency of the means
by which the water is heated (gas instead of electricity or
turning down the temperature by just a few degrees), the
greenhouse gas footprint of the urban water industry could
be completely eliminated.
This does not mean that the urban water industry will
not continue to improve its efficiency in energy use and look
for further opportunities to generate green energy; however,
it does demonstrate where government spending could be
targeted to ensure the maximum greenhouse gas reduction
per dollar invested
Other climate impacts
Climate change touches every
aspect of urban water
management
Impacts of reduced flows in sewers
The ongoing implementation of water efficient programs,
sewer mining and reduction in storm water and
groundwater infiltration due to declining rainfall has reduced
the flows in sewers.
Through the results of an industry survey and workshop,
WSAA is trying to determine the significance of this
decrease and if there is evidence of impacts on
infrastructure and its performance. Changes in wastewater
quality could impact on water recycling and there is a need
to investigate whether changes to industry design
standards are required to address the issues associated
with lower flows.
There is a need to determine how much further flows in
sewers can decline before the management and design of
sewage infrastructure is impacted.
Bushfires – preparing for the unpredictable
The bushfires on Saturday 7 February 2009 (Black
Saturday) were a tragedy and unprecedented in Victoria’s
history. This event underlines the importance for all water
utilities to be prepared for the unpredictable. It has been
recognised for many years that climate change has not only
affected inflows into our storage reservoirs but has the
potential to influence the frequency and intensity of
bushfires.
The precise interrelationships between climate change
and bushfires are very hard to predict; therefore, all planning
needs to be in the management of uncertainty and
strategies need to remain flexible. This includes preparing
for bushfires and their potential impacts on water quality
and long-term yield. Some of the strategies that need to be
addressed by a water utility include:
• Preparation – working with catchment management
authorities and fire agencies on preparation activities
such as contingency planning and critical asset
protection.
| water |
• Incident management – maintaining an incident
management structure that is well drilled on the
implementation of contingency plans.
• Recovery – working with catchment management
authorities and fire agencies on prioritising recovery
works that will minimise water quality impacts.
Around 30 per cent of Melbourne’s water supply
catchment was affected by the February fires and given the
extreme fire conditions the impact could have been more
severe. Although Melbourne metropolitan water quality and
supply have not been impacted, Melbourne Water remains
vigilant in the ongoing monitoring, assessment and
management of the bushfire affected catchments and is
doing what it can to support the natural recovery process.
Works have included increased catchment maintenance
to minimise sediment entering the water supply in the event
of rain through:
• repairing and installing more than 400 silt traps and silt
fences
• supporting rural landowners to manage their waterways
affected by the fires
• increasing weed control in forested areas.
Other recovery works have included increased water
quality testing and animal monitoring programs,
constructing and repairing infrastructure damaged by the
fires, and research into the long-term water flow and yield
implications. Melbourne Water will continue recovery works
for some time and will continue to work with the fire
authorities in preparation for the next fire season. WSAA is
planning a workshop to share learnings from this and other
bushfire events in our water supply catchments.
WSAA Board Committees – the
engine room of WSAA
During the year, the WSAA committees that report to the
WSAA Board were restructured. Previously there were two
committees —the Asset Management Committee and the
Water, Health, Environment and Sustainability Committee
(WHES).
Reflecting the overriding importance of sustainability and
the need to put the industry on the front foot in adapting to
a carbon constrained economy, the WHES committee was
split into two new committees, namely the
• Water Quality and Health Committee, and
• Environment and Sustainability Committee.
The Water Quality and Health Committee was
established in recognition that the provision of high quality
drinking water is the raison d’être of the industry and is
something that can never be taken for granted. This
committee has a very strong relationship with Water Quality
Research Australia which is funded by the urban water
industry to undertake research into drinking water and
recycled water quality issues.
The Environment and Sustainability Committee is closely
involved in ensuring that policy associated with the
proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme
(NGERS) does not unduly impact on the industry. This
Committee will also be overseeing the development and
incorporation of improved sustainability policies relating to
planning. An overview of the work undertaken by the three
committees is outlined below.
Water Quality and Health Committee
The Australian water industry remains at the international
forefront of the planning, delivery and operations of drinking
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 137
 water, recycled water and wastewater services. In particular,
the Framework for Water Quality Management, which
| water |
underpins both the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
and the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling, is viewed
as world-leading.
The Australian water industry, including utilities,
regulators and private sector participants, is continuing to
refine and improve water quality management. For its part,
WSAA has developed tools such as Aquality and Requalify
to assist utilities in developing comprehensive risk
management plans. The key challenges facing water utilities
in this priority area include:
• managing blended waters, particularly desalinated
seawater, groundwater and surface water supplies for
drinking,
• continuing to implement the Australian Guidelines for
Water Recycling, particularly the validation of treatment
processes, and
• rolling out the next revision of the Australian Drinking
Water Guidelines.
Australian Drinking Water Guidelines
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines were last updated
in 2004. Since early 2008, the National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC) Water Quality Advisory
Committee has been working towards a major revision of
the guidelines and they are expected to be available for
public comment in late 2009. Some of the key initiatives
and challenges taken up by the revision process include:
• more extensive guidance on types of monitoring,
including operational, validation and verification
• revisions to many factsheets, including pesticides,
inorganics, metals, disinfection byproducts and
microbial parameters
• discussion of emerging issues, such as endocrine
disruptors and pharmaceuticals in drinking water.
In relation to emerging issues, WSAA has been working
with international research agencies, including the Water
Research Foundation, to determine the likely risks to
drinking water from trace contaminants such as
pharmaceuticals. The current state of the science indicates
that the risk of adverse health effects from drinking water
that ‘may’ contain pharmaceuticals is very low (there is no
‘zero risk’). The difference for Australian consumers is that
drinking water catchments are far better protected than in
more heavily populated Europe and North America and,
therefore, the risk is likely to be extremely low. Nevertheless,
utilities take any risk to human health very seriously and
they will continue to monitor developments in this area.
Blending of desalinated seawater
Over the next three years all the major coastal capital cities
(with the exception of Darwin) will have desalinated
seawater as part of the drinking water supply.
While each utility will supply the new source of water
slightly differently, the challenges will remain the same:
• ensuring customers have no taste and odour issues;
• ensuring disinfection remains up to current high
standards; and
• maintaining the integrity of the pipes carrying the
desalinated seawater.
The WSAA utilities have been sharing expertise on this
issue to ensure an easy transition – it remains another area
in which the Australian water industry leads the world with
such a major and rapid roll out of a new climate
independent source of water.
Recycled water
The use of recycled water for many types of end uses
continues to increase every year. There is no doubt that well
138 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
developed and managed schemes deliver multiple benefits
to the community, particularly in drinking water savings.
However, the primary goal for water utilities in planning and
operating recycled water schemes is the protection of
public health.
The Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling Phases 1
and 2 have been in operation since 2006 and most recycled
water scheme operators and regulators have spent
considerable resources developing individual scheme risk
management plans. There are challenges in implementing
the guidelines, and one example is the validation of
treatment processes. WSAA will continue working with
utilities and regulators to develop pragmatic and usable
validation protocols for recycled water treatment processes.
WSAA, with funding from the National Water
Commission, has now developed Requality, a
comprehensive water quality management tool to assist
recycled water scheme managers to implement
systematically the Framework for Recycled Water Quality
Management. Requality has been developed specially for
the non-drinking recycled water projects, or Phase 1 of the
guidelines, and has been built on the very successful
Aquality tool for drinking water quality management. Already
the Aquality and Requality tools are receiving attention from
international organisations including the World Health
Organisation.
In an era of recycled water, WSAA recognises the need
to develop a similar tool to assist utilities to manage inputs
to the wastewater system to improve water quality
characteristics and lessen the variability that recycled water
treatment operations commonly face.
Source water management
Over the past decade, nearly all utilities in Australia have
devoted considerable resources to managing wastes
discharged to wastewater systems.
The success of these programs has been demonstrated
in very low levels of ecological impacts from treated effluent
discharges to the environment. More recently, new factors
have come into play, providing even more focus on
wastewater quality. Bearing in mind that typical wastewater
is 99 per cent water, new powerful laboratory techniques
can detect tiny levels of chemicals in all types of water.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, pharmaceutical and some
industrial chemicals have been detected at very low levels in
wastewater. While there is no evidence to suggest these
contaminants are adversely affecting human health, utilities
want to ensure any risks are appropriately managed.
In July last year WSAA released a ‘National Wastewater
Source Management Guideline’. This document is the third
pillar of guidelines complementing the ‘Australian Drinking
Water Guideline’ and the ‘Australian Guidelines for Water
Recycling’. This is the leading document worldwide in
managing wastes discharged to wastewater systems. Over
the next 12 months WSAA will be developing a guideline
management tool to compliment Aquality and Requality.
Environment and Sustainability Committee
The industry have been early leaders in implementing
innovative energy efficiency and generation projects and
initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Driven by
the significant impact that climate change and population
growth have had on water supplies, the industry has
managed to reduce its carbon footprint while securing more
reliable water supplies. As rainfall-independent supplies
require more energy than traditional dams, many urban
water utilities have been proactive in making public
commitments to reduce or eliminate the greenhouse gas
footprint of their operations.
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System
Over the past 12 months, an unprecedented change has
occurred to the Australian energy and greenhouse policy
and reporting framework.
Under the new policy framework, as outlined in the
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System
(NGERS) administered by the Department of Climate
Change, all energy sourced from the grid is now assigned
one grid emissions factor, so renewable energy purchased
is given the same emissions intensity as standard coal-fired
electricity.
Clearly the urban water industry would like to report the
situation as it really is: ‘green’ electrons powering
desalination plants have and will come from investment in
wind farms and other renewable options, not from ongoing
investment in coal fired electricity.
Significant policy issues such as this are still being
resolved and WSAA is regularly advocating on behalf of the
industry with the Department of Climate Change. This policy
position now means that the industry is not able to claim it
is offsetting its emission from, for instance, a desalination
plant, unless the source of green power is connected
directly to the desalination plant. Unfortunately, the ideal
location for a desalination plant is seldom the ideal location
for a wind farm, which makes connection via the grid
inevitable and efficient.
In many respects the urban water industry has been
disadvantaged because it moved early to combat climate
change through a focus on the use of renewable energy,
which is one of the industry’s (and the community’s)
preferred options for reducing emissions from energy use.
Fugitive emissions
Another key policy issue is the inclusion of fugitive
emissions from wastewater collection, treatment and
disposal to receiving waters under the Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme (CPRS). Fugitive emissions are
greenhouse gases that ‘escape’ from wastewater systems
and processes. Wastewater fugitive emissions are typically
the gases of methane and nitrous oxide and are generated
from the natural breakdown of organic matter in the
wastewater. These gases are more potent as a greenhouse
gas than carbon dioxide by a factor of 21 (for methane) and
310 (nitrous oxide).
While the urban water industry supports the CPRS, it is
recognised internationally that fugitive emissions are
extremely difficult to measure, particularly from the
discharge of treated effluent to receiving waters. The current
methodologies are inaccurate and could potentially lead to
utilities tripping the CPRS threshold for purchasing pollution
permits. Other international carbon trading schemes have
excluded fugitive emissions for this very reason. WSAA will
continue work with the Department of Climate Change to
ensure there are robust methodologies in place to
accurately determine the extent of fugitive emissions. WSAA
has already initiated research in Australia for measuring
fugitive emissions from wastewater treatment plants and
mains, and will also collaborate internationally on measuring
fugitive emissions from effluent to receiving waters.
While renewable energy and fugitive emissions are the
pressing issues, WSAA is actively in discussion with the
Australian Government on a host of other issues to ensure
energy/greenhouse abatement efforts in the industry can
continue to be legitimate and easily understood by the
community.
WSAA projects underway
WSAA is also sponsoring projects to improve
energy/greenhouse management, including:
• Contributing to a global energy efficiency study
managed by the Global Water Research Coalition on
water industry assets, which is a collation of fact sheets
| water |
and best practice case studies from the UK, USA, South
Africa, Europe and Australasia. The study aims to assist
utilities to implement incremental improvements through
optimisation of assets and more substantial
improvements from the adoption of novel (but proven at
full scale) technologies.
• Development of an Eco-Footprint tool, which will assist
utilities understand their ecological impacts through the
supply chain. This is a powerful tool which will enable
utilities to develop and analyse their energy/greenhouse
inventories; produce reports that comply with NGERS;
identify supply chain efficiencies; and conduct options
assessment for potential projects.
• Development of a policy guidance manual to assist
utilities navigate and keep abreast of the rapid changes
in energy and carbon policy. The manual will be a ‘live’
web document on the WSAA website, assisting utilities
to track developments in policy and providing ‘stepby-
step’ guidance in meeting their obligations and
highlighting greenhouse gas reduction opportunities.
• A marginal cost of greenhouse gas abatement project to
map the most costeffective abatement solutions. This
project will identify the various opportunities for reducing
greenhouse emissions and, for each opportunity,
address the questions of ‘how much, when and at what
cost?’.
• A dedicated network for energy managers to collaborate
on key energy/greenhouse issues for the benefit of the
urban water industry.
Asset Management Committee
Urban water services are an asset-intensive industry.
Managing this enormous asset base, valued at $86 billion in
a prudent, risk-based, cost-effective manner is a major
strategic issue for the industry. At the same time, the
industry needs to build awareness, understanding and
confidence with the community opinion leaders and
regulators in the way assets are managed, based on risk
and that, although incidents happen, they are competently
managed. In other words, prudent asset management does
not mean zero incidents.
The Australian and New Zealand urban water industries
have progressed well along the asset management journey,
which commenced with the ‘development’ era, where risk
was managed via excess capacity, and planning and
maintenance were not optimised over the life of an asset.
The current generation of asset managers has emerged
from the ‘reform’ era, where the industry embraced
integrated life cycle optimisation and alignment of corporate
objectives, along with a holistic approach to asset planning,
acquisition, operation, maintenance, replacement and
rehabilitation. The current challenge is to integrate
sustainability principles and ensure our communities and
stakeholders have confidence in this approach.
Australia and New Zealand are recognised internationally
as leaders in asset management within the urban water
industry, as WSAA’s most recent international benchmarking
study has shown.
Notwithstanding, the industry recognises that
maintaining the momentum of our asset management
priority program remains a key focus.
Asset management priority program
A significant initiative in addressing the asset management
challenge has been the establishment of an asset
management coordination program that aims to reduce the
duplication of research and to facilitate technology transfer
and knowledge sharing.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 139
 The program, which has been developed by WSAA
members and is supported by two full-time program
| water |
coordinators, is focusing, in the first instance, on
pressurised pipelines and gravity sewers.
The program focuses on pipeline condition assessment,
management of data, approaches to risk management and
sewer blockage management – all areas where WSAA
members have identified knowledge gaps or need for
improvement.
The 2008–09 program includes nine projects and has a
total value of $2 million contributed by WSAA members and
collaborative partners such as CSIRO, Water Research
Foundation (USA) and Water Environment Research
Foundation (USA).
Asset management process benchmarking
The latest process benchmarking study, arguably the
world’s largest intensive process comparison project,
involved 42 water utilities from Australia, Canada, Hong
Kong, New Zealand, Sultanate of Oman, United Arab
Emirates and the United States of America. The study used
WSAA’s Aquamark Framework to examine key asset
management processes that are required to ensure the
supply of reliable water and wastewater services.
Australia and New Zealand scored at a ‘mature’ level of
asset management practice, with Middle East, Hong Kong
and North America characterised by ‘developing’ and
‘established’ levels of practice. This study provided an
unprecedented opportunity to identify leading asset
management practices, to share information for the benefit
of all participants, and develop a culture of continuous
improvement in utilities.
Leading practices were identified across the participant
group and were showcased at a three-day Best Practices
Conference in Sydney in October 2008, attended by around
150 representatives of the participating utilities. The median
aggregate scores for each region are shown comparatively
in Graph 4 below.
This project demonstrated the Australian and New
Zealand urban water industry’s commitment to continuous
improvement and to identifying and implementing world’s
best practice.
Data management and collection
WSAA members and the benchmarking initiatives have
highlighted the requirement for quality data. One of the
projects commenced in 2008–09 is the development of a
National Water Mains database, based on that used in the
United Kingdom but tailored to address the Australian
Graph 4: Aquamark Function - Regional Comparison (Median aggregate scores)
80%
70%
60%
AQUAMARK SCORE
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Corporate Asset Asset
Policy and Capability Acquisition
Business Forward
Planning Planning
Australia New Zealand
140 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
context.
This database allows the upload, collation and
anonymous comparison of water pipe data between water
utilities. The benefit is that it identifies issues in the quality of
data collection and provides guidance on what data is
important and should be collected. It will also provide a
large dataset of pipe failure events. This database is the
crucial first step in creating pipe deterioration curves and
improving estimations of failure events, remaining life and
the optimum time for replacement or rehabilitation.
Decision frameworks, guidelines and decision
support tools
The aim of this program was to identify and document best
practice and decision support tools across the industry. The
program has so far delivered:
• a best practice guideline report for the management of
sewer blockages
• a review of the decision frameworks used for
assessment and replacement of gravity sewers
• a reference database containing details of sewer
rehabilitation projects across the country.
Also under development is a new software tool to
accurately measure real losses and calculate leakage
performance indicators, condition assessment guidelines
and a framework for risk management, supported by case
studies for pressurised pipes.
Urban water resource planning
All major population centres in Australia must have an up-
to-date water resource plan to ensure the supply of
adequate and safe drinking water for the community.
In recent years, water resource planning has become
more complex and problematic, as the impacts of climate
change mean it is no longer possible to rely on historical
rainfall and inflow data as a basis for planning. In other
words, history is no guide to the future. Given the
uncertainty of the climate, water resource planning needs to
include significant risk management measures. During the
year, major water resource planning exercises were
undertaken in Perth and Adelaide.
Water Forever – A 50 year plan for Perth
and Surrounds
Water Forever is Water Corporation’s 50-year plan to deliver
sustainable water and wastewater services to Perth and
surrounding areas. A draft plan was released for comment
in February 2009 with a final plan to be launched in October
Asset Asset Asset Business
Operation Maintenance Replacement Support
and Systems
Rehabilitation
Middle East & Asia North America
2009. The following proposed actions in the draft plan were
put to the community and stakeholders.
Reducing water use
• influencing urban planning for increased density, water
sensitive urban design and climate resilient gardens,
• working one-on-one with households to reduce water
use,
• reviewing metering, pricing and billing practices to
ensure they send appropriate signals to support water
conservation,
• working with leisure, recreation, garden and local
government interests to reduce water use,
• promoting appropriate building codes, minimum water
efficiency standards and increased adoption of water
efficient appliances,
• expanding the Waterwise schools program.
Increasing water recycling
Increasing the amount of water that is recycled from 6 per
cent to 30 per cent by 2030 by:
• trialling and possibly developing groundwater
replenishment as a water source,
• recycling more water to industry and to irrigate public
parks, gardens and for horticulture, and
• supporting the use of recycled water at a household
level.
Developing new sources
In addition to the above targets, the plan proposes
developing 70 to 100 GL of additional, new water sources
by 2030 through:
• groundwater replenishment,
• accessing some groundwater from the Collie Coal
Basin,
• building new desalination plants north and south of
Perth to serve these growth corridors,
• investigating opportunities for trading groundwater on
the Gnangara Mound,
• expanding the Southern Seawater Desalination Plant by
a further 50 GL, and
• developing new groundwater sources.
Water for Good – A plan to ensure our
water future to 2050 for South Australia
Water for Good aims to provide South Australia with the
most secure water supply system in southern Australia,
through key measures which include:
• construction of a 100 GL desalination plant to be
powered by renewable energy,
• increasing storm water recycling to reach a target of 60
GL per annum for Adelaide,
• reaching a minimum target of 75 GL per annum for
wastewater recycling for non-drinking purposes,
• a target to reduce annual water use in greater Adelaide
by 2050 to 50 GL less than would have been the case
without the implementation of water conservation
measures,
• a single, new Water Industry and Planning Act to replace
existing legislation, and
• establishment of the Essential Services Commission of
South Australia (ESCOSA) to provide comprehensive
and independent economic regulation of urban water
and wastewater services.
Other major city long term water resource
strategies
Over the last five years, in response to the uncertainties
created by climate change and rapid population growth all
major cities in Australia now have strategies which outline
the measures to be undertaken to ensure security of water
| water |
supply and the adequate provision of wastewater services.
A consistent theme in all the strategies is to meet the
challenges of climate change by adopting sustainable
solutions.
Because Australian communities have great interest in
water, community consultation during the preparation of
water resource strategies is imperative to ensure all
interested individuals have the opportunity to input into the
decision-making process.
The strategies guiding water resource planning in major
cities across Australia are outlined below.
Sydney
2006 Metropolitan Water Plan - Water for Life
Water Education Plan for Greater Sydney 2008-2012.
Hobart
Water and Sewerage Reform.
South East Queensland
South East Queensland Water Strategy - Water for Today,
Water for Tomorrow, March 2008.
Victoria
Our Water Our Future Sustainable Water Strategy - Central
Region, Action to 2055.
Sustainable Water Strategy - Northern Region, Managing
Water Scarcity to 2055.
The Next Stage of the Government’s Water Plan - June
2007.
Canberra
Water Security for the ACT and Region – Progress and
Recommendations to ACT Government, December 2008.
Hunter Region
H250 Plan - Securing our Water Future.
A long-term strategy to meet water supply needs for the
Lower Hunter.
Darwin
Darwin Water Story
International partnerships
WateReuse Association
In early 2009, agreement was reached with the WateReuse
Association to create an Australian division of the
Association. A Heads of Agreement was signed in mid 2008
by Dr Kerry Schott WSAA Chair and Managing Director of
Sydney Water and Rich Atwater, President WateReuse
Association at the Rouse Hill recycled water plant in
Western Sydney.
The Australian division currently has six members but
this is expected to grow quickly once other water utilities
understand the benefits of being able to tap into the wealth
of knowledge being generated in the US on water recycling
and desalination. Gary Bickford from ACTEW Corporation is
the Chair of the Australian division and Michael Malouf from
Barwon Water is the Deputy Chair. Currently the WateReuse
Association has six sector members based on States in the
USA and the Australian Division is the first Division to be
created outside the USA.
The WateReuse Association supports water projects
that increase high-quality water supplies, improve reliability,
protect public health, and safeguard the environment. The
creation of the Australian division of the WateReuse
Association is yet another example of the Australian urban
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 141
 water industry leveraging its research dollars by actively
collaborating with prestigious international research centres.
| water |
Research collaborations
Australian utilities continue to work within national
collaborations, such as the Cooperative Research Centre
for Water Quality and Treatment and Water Quality
Research Australia, on high quality, world-leading research
to ensure safe, affordable drinking water for all Australians.
The success of these national collaborations has grown to
such an extent that WSAA and the North American
research organisations Water Research Foundation and
Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) have
developed a research and technology transfer partnership
for all research relating to the urban water cycle.
Although some individual WSAA Members were already
members of WERF and the Water Research Foundation this
landmark agreement provides an access for all WSAA
Members to the research undertaken by both of these
prestigious research organisations and the tools that they
develop to assist in technology transfer of the research
outcomes to water utilities. Combining this agreement with
the two large water research entities in the USA with the
formation of the Australian division of the WateReuse
Association and WSAA’s membership of the Global Water
Research Coalition (GWRC) means that the Australian urban
water industry has never been so well placed to collaborate
internationally on important research areas.
The collaborative approach is driven by the fact that no
one country or research organisation has sufficient
resources to undertake all of the research necessary to
meet the challenges of the future. Furthermore, many high
priority research areas such as adaptation to climate
change, energy efficiency and adapting to a carbon
constrained economy are all international in nature and it is
a waste of valuable resources having individual countries
undertaking research when it is possible to collaborate and
share research outcomes.
The GWRC is growing in importance and plays an
important role in bringing together the most respected
urban water research organisations from Europe, USA,
South Africa, Singapore, UK and Australia. The GWRC
plays a valuable role in monitoring emerging issues and
toxicants and this year issued a State of the Science paper
on pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Australia is well
placed to influence the direction of the GWRC as the
Executive Director of WSAA is currently the Chair.
Given the significant investment of $600,000 per annum
on collaborations it is essential that WSAA put in place the
right governance arrangements to ensure that the urban
water utilities are able to extract the maximum value from
this investment.
In recognition of the importance of technology transfer
and the use of software tools to enable research results to
be translated into day-to-day activities of the utilities, WSAA
has appointed a Collaborative Research Coordinator to
assist in the process of ensuring that research outcomes
are delivered to utilities in a timely and user-friendly manner.
WSAA intends to report annually on the achievements of
this collaborative relationship.
Challenges for the future
Integrating sustainability into asset
management
It is a dynamic time in the urban water industry; we are
changing substantially on a number of fronts. We are also
142 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
facing significant challenges over the short-term.
Sustainable asset management
The WSAA Asset Management Committee has identified
the importance of integrating sustainability principles into
decision-making frameworks, which would require that:
• an effective decision-making framework exists for each
major asset class
• frameworks are flexible and adapt over time
• Aquamark informs asset management processes
• safety and efficiency are key considerations in asset
management decisions
• our industry is successful in balancing economic,
environmental and social outcomes.
A key challenge will be incorporating the principles of
sustainability in asset management frameworks and
decision-making models.
Urban Water Metering Framework
The National Water Initiative (NWI) provides a strategy for
improving water resource management across Australia.
The NWI specifies requirements for national metering
standards and a nationally consistent framework for water
metering and measurement, along with open reporting
requirements relating to metered water use and associated
compliance and enforcement actions.
Requirements for urban and non-urban water meters
differ due to highly variable installation configurations and
operating conditions in non-urban environments.
Recognising this, a national framework is being developed
in collaboration with the National Measurement Institute to
enable implementation of new standards for urban water
meters and to accommodate future trade measurement
requirements.
The framework is underpinned by a nationally agreed
policy that the metering standards should seek to provide
an acceptable level of confidence that measurement
performance under in-situ conditions is within maximum
permissible error limits of ±4 per cent.
The framework will set out the scope, principles,
responsibilities and requirements for urban water metering
of cold and heated drinking and non-drinking water
supplied by utilities.
Codes of practice, guidelines and manuals will address
specific undertakings related to the elements that make up
the framework. Implementing the Urban Water Metering
Framework will be a high priority for the industry in the next
12 months.
Improving water efficiency in testing fire
sprinkler systems
It is estimated that across Australia’s five mainland capital
cities, 1700 ML of water per year is used in testing fire
sprinkler systems in large commercial and industrial
premises.
A project, undertaken by the Victorian Plumbing Industry
Commission, Fire Protection Association Australia and
WSAA, has identified a range of water saving strategies and
proposes a national initiative to be rolled out across the five
mainland states. Drawing on the experience obtained from
the pilot project conducted in Victoria, the key components
of this initiative are:
• a program of water conservation training involving major
fire services maintenance firms and industry
associations,
• provision of specialist engineering expertise as a key
component of pressure settings adjustment and other
fire sprinkler water saving projects,
• promoting the adoption of fire sprinkler water saving
 measures by organising workshops, meetings and
media channels, and
• investigation of pressure settings adjustment and other
fire sprinkler water saving opportunities in Sydney,
Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
WSAA will work with the Plumbing Industry Commission
to secure funding for this important initiative, which has the
potential to save an estimated 1,700 ML per year across
Australia. WSAA has also contributed to the development of
Handbook ‘HB 233 Fire protection systems testing water
conservation’ which was published in October 2008.
It was developed to demonstrate the amount of water
used on average when testing systems, such as sprinklers,
hydrants, pumps and hose reels, to ‘AS 1851: 2005
Maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment’,
together with action recommended to reduce the amount of
water used during systems test.
In providing an appreciation of the approximate amount
of water that is necessarily used for system testing, several
water saving measures that can be adopted are identified
for each of the tests. Several worked examples are included
to assist building owners, consultants and system
designers in analysing the systems.
Contractor management
Over the last 20 years or so, many WSAA members have
established innovative arrangements for the delivery of
operational activities and asset management services,
including in-house delivery, unit rate contracts and alliance
contract arrangements.
Asset management services have been included in
these arrangements to varying degrees and different
arrangements have provided different opportunities and
delivered varying outcomes. Many WSAA members have
been through several cycles of the selected delivery model
and continue to seek new and innovative ways to optimise
their business outcomes.
To understand some of the different business models,
with emphasis on examining how successfully they
integrate these activities for optimal business outcomes,
WSAA and its members are planning to address contractor
management, with a focus on:
• delivery arrangements for operations, maintenance and
asset management,
• managing contractors for these activities, and
• minor capital projects.
Smart water metering
The Ministerial Council on Energy has commissioned the
national Smart Metering Project to develop a national
framework for smart electricity measuring. The Victorian
Government has mandated the deployment of smart
electricity measuring to all residential and small businesses
in Victoria by the end of 2013.
WSAA and water utilities have been in discussion with
the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment
to ensure that the smart metering technology being installed
in households and businesses also has the capability of
receiving signals from water meters. Smart water metering
offers many opportunities to introduce innovative tariffs and
to provide customers with real-time information on how
much water is being used in the home and for what
purpose.
Large scale smart water metering trials are being
undertaken in Victoria, Sydney and Canberra. The findings
from these trials will determine the potential benefits of
introducing smart water meters. Smart water meters can
also be fitted with other devices to allow better
management of water distribution systems. For example,
when fitted with acoustic monitors the smart water meters
can provide a continuous leak detection monitoring system
| water |
without the need for a leak detection crew.
Water sensitive cities of the future
Due to climate change and rapid population growth in
urban areas across the world, work is being undertaken to
determine how cities of the future can be built and designed
to become more water and energy efficient. A critical
element of this is to manage water, wastewater and
stormwater in an integrated manner. While greenfields
development and major urban redevelopment offer
opportunities to reconfigure our water system, it is hoped
that through further research retrofitting of some elements
of the urban water system may be possible.
The Australian urban water industry has been at the
forefront of embracing water sensitive urban development
and the International Water Association will have this topic
as a theme at the World Water Congress in 2010. WSAA
and its members will be undertaking research and holding
workshops so that Australia can show leadership and
influence the outcomes and acceptance of this approach at
the international level.
Conclusion
It has been another challenging yet exciting year for the
Australian urban water industry. Despite cities such as
Sydney and Brisbane receiving improved rainfall over the
last year, cities in the southern part of the continent are
continuing to experience a drying climate.
The significant capital investment program underway to
develop rainfall independent sources of water is recognition
that there has been a ‘step change’ in rainfall and that the
rainfall patterns in the future are highly uncertain but are
more likely to be fickle and highly variable. Regardless of
rainfall the industry is continuing to deal with issues of water
security to develop a portfolio of water supply sources
whilst maintaining effective and efficient services to
customers.
Operating in a carbon constrained environment will be a
major challenge for urban water utilities in the coming year.
Given that the industry has been an early leader in
maximising the production of renewable energy and in
implementing energy efficiency measures it is well placed to
adapt to this new environment without any major shocks.
No one has a monopoly on wisdom and this is why the
industry has been outward-looking and has established
relationships with prestigious international research centres
so that resources can be pooled and research outcomes
shared. The new water systems being developed are more
complex than traditional systems and the use of new
technology, highly trained staff and access to an
international body of knowledge will be very important.
Many of the more critical issues confronting urban water
managers are international in nature and lend themselves
perfectly to international collaboration. Investment in
knowledge, collaborative relationships and a progressive
culture of continuous improvement will ensure that the
Australian urban water industry is well placed to meet these
challenges and will continue to enhance its international
reputation for being at the forefront of managing urban
water systems.
The extensive range of projects and initiatives that are
being undertaken by the industry, outlined in this Report
Card, should give urban communities across Australia
confidence that secure and safe water supplies are being
developed and that investment in wastewater systems is
ensuring protection of public health and the environment.
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 143
 Overview of WSAA • assess new products relating to water, sewerage and
trade waste systems on behalf of the water industry,
| water |

The Water Services Association (WSAA) is the peak body of

the Australian urban water industry. The Association’s 33
members and 29 associate members provide water and
sewerage services to approximately 16 million Australians,
New Zealanders and to many industrial and commercial
enterprises. WSAA was formed in 1995 to provide a forum
for debate on issues important to the urban water industry
and to be a focal point for communicating the industry’s
views.
WSAA encourages the exchange of information and
cooperation between its members so that the industry has
a culture of continuous improvement and is always
receptive to new ideas.
The functions of WSAA are to:
• be the voice of the urban water industry at the national
and international level and represent the industry in the
development of national water policy,
• facilitate the exchange of information and
communication within the industry,
• undertake research of national importance to the
Australian urban water industry and coordinate,
• coordinate key national research for the industry,
• develop benchmarking and improvement activities to
facilitate the development and improved productivity of
the industry,
• develop national codes of practice for water and
sewerage systems,
• jointly oversee the Smart Approved Watermark Scheme
for products and services involved in conserving water
use,
• coordinate annual metric benchmarking of the industry
and publish the National Performance Framework with
the Federal and State Governments.
Appreciation
I am grateful to the WSAA Members who have contributed to this
Report Card.
Ross Young, Executive Director, WSAA.
Disclaimer
This 2008-2009 Report Card is issued by the Water Services Association of
Australia Ltd. on the understanding that:
1. The Water Services Association of Australia Ltd. and individual contributors
are not responsible for the results of any action taken on the basis of
information in this Report Card, nor for any errors or omissions.
2. The Water Services Association of Australia Ltd. and individual contributors
disclaim all and any liability to any person in respect of anything, and the
consequences of anything, done or omitted to be done by a person in
reliance upon the whole or any part of this Report Card.
Data sources
Data sources in this paper where not specifically indicated have been obtained
from WSAA Members and the National Performance Report 2007-08, published
jointly by the National Water Commission and WSAA. This Report Card
reproduced with permission from the Water Services Association of Australia Ltd.

Appendices
Appendix 1 - Capital cities water prices at 1 July 2009
City Fixed charge Quantity Usage charge
0 to 120 kL $0.97 per kL
Adelaide $137.60 120-520kL $1.88 per kL
>520kL $2.26 per kL
0 to 255 kL pa $0.62 per kL
Brisbane $155.24 256 to 310 kL pa $0.66 per kL
>310kL pa $1.17 per kL
0 to 0.548 kL per day $1.95 per kL
Canberra $89.55
> 0.548 kL per day $3.90 per kL
0 to 160 kL pa $1.21 to $1.23 per kL
Melbourne $64.94 to $136.64 161 to 320 kL pa $1.43 to $1.46 per kL
>321 kL pa $2.12 to $2.37 per kL
0 to150 kL $0.726 per kL
151 to 350 kL $0.88 per kL
Perth $200.40 351 to 550 kL $1.02 per kL
551 to 950 kL $1.537 per kL
over 950 kL $1.779 per kL

Sydney $90.96 not available $1.80 per kL

Hobart Based on property value No usage charges

Darwin $137.06 $0.899 per kL

Source: Water utility websites

Appendix 2 - Current water restrictions and Water Wise Rules in capital cities at 1 July 2009
City Level What’s permitted
Water gardens with a bucket filled directly from a tap, on any weekday between 4pm and 8am. A hose fitted with a twist or
Brisbane Medium level
trigger nozzle can be used on the weekends.
Handheld hose and drip irrigation only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10am and after 4pm. Hosing of vehicles and
Sydney Water Wise Rules residential building structures fitted with a trigger nozzle is allowed to maximum of 10L/minute. All other watering systems are
banned.
Hoses fitted with a trigger nozzle and drip systems can be used for gardening on an odds and evens basis for a maximum of
Adelaide Stage 3
three hours per week. Buckets can be used anytime. Sprinklers and other watering systems are banned.
Handheld hoses between 6am to 8am on two days a week. Lawn watering banned. Only vehicle mirrors, windows and lights
Melbourne Stage 3a can be washed by bucket. Manual drip systems and automatic systems for limited hours two times per week on an odds and
evens basis.
Perth has permanent rules for watering gardens that include sprinkler rosters on two days a week and daytime sprinkler bans.
Perth No These measures are not restrictions but an ongoing commitment to sustainable water use, which is strongly supported by the
community.
Source: WSAA water storage and water restrictions report

144 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011

 | urban planning |
Redefining land/water
boundaries in Queensland
The new rules
BY BARRY DUNPHY

Queensland property owners will need to understand the new laws for identifying the precise
location of natural water boundaries for land introduced by the Natural Resources and Other
Legislation Amendment Act 2010, which is expected to come into effect mid-2010.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 145

 he Natural Resources and Other
T Legislation Amendment Act 2010 will
| urban planning |
amend the Land Act 1994 and Survey
and Mapping Infrastructure Act 2003
by creating new rules for locating tidal and
non-tidal water boundaries at law. The
amending Act will also change the meaning of
‘watercourse’ under the Water Act 2000.
For tidal boundaries, the new rules will,
consistent with a moratorium that has been in
place since November 2005 against the
registration of tidal boundary subdivision
plans, halt claims by landowners to rights over
beach areas and certain other coastal and
riparian lands. For non-tidal boundaries, the
rules will address some of the difficulties that
have arisen in attempting to define the lateral
extent of watercourses according to the
heights of normal water flows, something that
is particularly problematic in Queensland (and
Australia generally) given that many
watercourses suffer long, dry spells and are
inundated by seasonal and extraordinary
floods.
Tidal boundaries
From the commencement of the new rules,
where land is bounded by a tidal boundary, a
natural feature approximating the tidal
boundary as shown in the current survey plan
will be the tidal boundary at law. On
registration of the first new survey plan after
the commencement, the tidal boundary will be
located according to the natural feature that
was first identified as the tidal boundary in an
old survey plan (for example, the toe of stable
bank) or in some cases, according to specific
boundary location criteria which ensures that
the boundary is landward of any tidal
inundation. From registration of any further
survey plan, the tidal boundary will continue to
be located according to its position before the
registration of that plan.
Importantly, from registration of the first
new survey plan after the commencement of
the new rules, the natural feature cannot be
the intersection of a tidal plane with land, for
example, ‘mean high water springs’ or simply
‘high water mark’.
Generally, the state will own land that is on
the water side of a tidal boundary and any
fixed right line tidal boundary.
Non-tidal boundaries
For land boundaries formed by non-tidal
watercourses, from the commencement of
the new rules, a natural feature approximating
the non-tidal boundary as shown in the
current survey plan will be the non-tidal
boundary at law. On registration of the first
new survey plan, the boundary must be
located according to specific boundary
location criteria (such as the top of a bank, a
particular line of change in a grade of a
landform or, in some cases, a scour mark or
depositional feature on the bank of the
watercourse). From registration of any further
survey plan, the non-tidal boundary will
continue to be located according to its
position before the registration of that plan.
146 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
For a boundary formed by a non-tidal lake,
the boundary will be the outermost extent of
the bed and banks of the lake.
Generally, the state will own land that is on
the watercourse or lake side of a non-tidal
boundary.
Water Act 2000
The meaning of ‘watercourse’ under the
Water Act 2000 will also change. A
watercourse for the purpose of defining a land
boundary may not be the same as a
watercourse for the Water Act 2000. While in
both situations the focus of the definition is on
the physical features of the watercourse,
rather than the height of a flow of water, under
the Water Act 2000 the concept of the ‘outer
bank’ of a watercourse is adopted. This
ensures that the state’s jurisdiction in dealing
with watercourses under that Act is not limited
by a consideration of whether a particular
watercourse has a ‘low’ and ‘high’ bank.
Implications of new rules
It is clear, then, that in most cases the key
event that will cause a change in the location
of a tidal or non-tidal boundary of a parcel of
land will be registration of the first new plan of
survey after the commencement of the new
rules. Survey plans prepared after the
commencement must, to the greatest extent
practicable, locate water boundaries
according to the new rules.
To fully understand the application of the
new rules and their exceptions, a close
examination of the original source documents
for a parcel of land (for example, a deed of
grant) and an understanding of surveying
practices and legal principles relating to
ambulatory boundaries will be necessary.
Importantly, the new rules retain the common
law principle that allows a boundary of land to
shift if the natural feature forming that
boundary shifts by gradual and imperceptible
degrees.
The new rules will provide some certainty
in defining the boundary between a
landowner’s ‘dry land’ and the state’s ‘wet
land’ as they will, in time, remove the need to
locate boundaries by references to tidal
planes and the level of flow of watercourses.
However, locating boundaries by reference to
physical features will, particularly for non-tidal
watercourses, remain a difficult exercise that
may require the assistance of expert advice.
While many landowners who have natural
water boundaries are unlikely to notice any
significant change in the location of their
boundaries, there will obviously be instances
where persons, including the owners of
infrastructure or works on or near tidal and
non-tidal bodies of water, could be
significantly affected. However, the new
legislation expressly excludes the right of any
person to claim compensation or seek any
other relief for any loss caused by the
application of the new rules.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
 | vegetation |
Branching Out
BY GEORGIE OAKESHOTT

They used to clear them, but now farmers

are growing trees to boost agricultural
production and improve land management.

wenty years ago, Andrew Stewart’s farm in the foothills of the

T Otway Ranges in southern Victoria was struggling with problems

of erosion, salinity and water logging. Today that same farm is a
showcase of productivity and sustainability. The difference has
come about because of a carefully constructed farm management plan
which involves trees, thousands of them. Since 1992, the Stewarts have
established around 37,000 trees throughout their sheep and beef
property, providing valuable shelter for their lambing ewes as well as
noticeable environmental benefits.
“It’s complementary to the farming system,” Andrew Stewart
explains. “Our farming system wasn’t sustainable. We had serious
environmental issues and a lack of ecological balances throughout the
property, so we came up with the whole farm plan to divide the property
into its land classes to address all these environmental issues and try to
improve the productivity of the farm by providing shelter and a better
ecological balance.”
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 147

| vegetation |
Indigenous trees are used to hold the landscape together.
Otherwise known as agroforestry, this strategic
integration of multipurpose trees and shrubs into farming
systems is delivering enhanced farm productivity, improved
natural resource management and landscape sustainability.
In this part of southern Victoria more than 300 local
landholders have formed an agroforestry network, which
recently hosted a visit to the region by members of the
House of Representatives Primary Industries Committee.
“Agroforestry offers a mechanism to implement multi-
functional agriculture, which is urgently needed across the
nation,” Andrew Stewart told the committee members.
“Improved water quality in our streams, protection of
soils, crops and livestock, the conservation of our unique
flora and fauna, and the promise of alternative timber
sources and other products from revegetation make well-
managed trees on farms a good story for rural communities
and the nation as a whole.”
The Stewart’s property, ‘Yan Yan Gurt West’ is part of
the Yan Yan Gurt Creek catchment area where more than
20 families have planted 40 species of trees on cleared
farmland, taking the catchment’s forest cover from six per
cent 10 years ago to 21 per cent today.
“We’ve got a lot of under-story there which has been
grown from locally collected seed, and we’ve put some
over-story species for timber such as spotted gum, blue
gum, shining gum and blackwood,” Andrew Stewart says.
“We’re managing these trees for high quality saw logs
by high pruning, and then all the other indigenous trees are
there to hold the landscape together and provide the
biodiversity and integrated pest management program.
Collectively all these trees are providing shelter for the stock
and pastures and protecting the landscape.”
With full community support, these trees are
contributing a supply of timber through pulpwood
plantations or sawlog production as well as delivering
environmental and agricultural benefits. Stock shelter
availability, for example, has increased from 17 per cent of
the catchment area to 57 per cent.
“It’s like a web of trees,” Mr Stewart says. “By involving
148 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
farmers in the design and management of trees for
conservation and profit, landscape change occurs in a way
that reflects the interests and aspirations of the local
community.”
He says their first harvest of blue gums provided a
significant and valuable source of income when the farm’s
productivity was low. They’ve also sold Pinus radiata
thinnings as Christmas trees and they’re currently cleaning
seeds from their seed orchard, which they’re looking to
market.
“With all the landholders we have across the Otway
Agroforestry Network, there’s a huge bank of information
and long-term knowledge about the landscape and how to
select the appropriate species for your particular issues,” he
says.
“It’s all that networking which gives us the confidence to
move forward. A lot of it is experimental but there’s a fair bit
of science behind it as well. It’s the notion of networking
that develops innovation and creative solutions to land
management problems.”
Founding member of the Otway Agroforestry Network,
Rowan Reid describes himself as a forest scientist by
profession, a tree grower by passion, a farmer by
inheritance and a woodworker by ambition.
Since 1987 he’s established more than 50 commercial
tree species for timber, nuts, seed, foliage, fodder and food
over 25 per cent of his property, ‘Bambra Agroforestry
Farm’.
He regularly takes visitors through a series of ‘outdoor
classrooms’ to see his collection of mountain ash,
blackwood, shining gum and blue gum, slow-growing black
walnut and fast-growing hybrid poplars.
Farm forestry, he says, is about choice, ownership,
management and community involvement and offers a
range of short, medium and long-term benefits.
“Tree growing is often being promoted on the long-term
benefits like salinity control and timber production, but for
many farmers that’s 20 years away,” he says.
“What we try to do is work with farmers to identify how
putting up a fence and planting trees can help them almost
immediately through shelter, improved stock management,
even improving some of the natural pest control options on
the property which can come quite quick. And then we
build in the medium to long-term values as a bonus, so they
might be planting a shelter belt which might ultimately be
harvested for high quality timber production.
“The cost of growing the timber is actually covered
because the trees are offering those short-term benefits.”
He says the success of the Otway Agroforestry Network
is built on farmers talking to farmers.
“We don’t fund trees and fences, we get money from
governments and philanthropic groups to actually pay
farmers to talk to farmers, to educate farmers about their
opportunities, to bring expertise into communities to explain
how they can use trees more effectively. Then the farmers
go ahead and we help them design and implement their
own projects.”
This concept of ownership is what distinguishes farm
forestry from corporate, industrial or government forests, he
says, and not just in terms of the ownership of the land and
trees but ownership of the decision to do it and how it’s
done.
In the words of Mike Robinson-Koss, President of the
Otway Agroforestry Network, agroforestry offers a good
marriage of commercial and conservation objectives, and
works with communities.
“It’s not forestry. Forestry is taking over a whole large
area and planting a monoculture of trees, dispersing the
population. We’re trying to help the community,” he says.
“What we’re saying to farmers is this is an idea which
you might be able to utilise in your current agricultural
system. It’s not taking over, and farmers understand that.
“Where we differ from a lot of other groups is we’re
The success of the Otway Agroforestry Network is built on farmers talking to
farmers.
working on the person and the community rather than just
offering trees. We’re training, educating, giving them
| vegetation |
confidence and all that self-reliance stuff so that they’ll want
to go out and buy the trees and plant the trees themselves.”
Figures published by the Rural Industries Research and
Development Corporation show that in 2001 an estimated
13,400 small growers owned a total of more than 67,000
hectares or approximately 5 per cent of Australia’s
plantation resource. An additional 4,200 landowners were
involved in farm forestry through joint venture or leasehold
schemes with industrial, corporate or government growers,
and an increasing number of farmers were involved in the
active management of native forest of farm for commercial
forest products.
With the growing popularity of agroforestry, it is
anticipated that farmers could become one of the largest
group of participants in the forestry industry, larger than the
number of professional foresters or timber workers. This
has already happened in North America, where more than
10 million non-industrial private forest owners collectively
manage approximately half the national forest estate and
surpass the combined timber production from both
industrial and government forests.
Along with his involvement in the Otway Agroforestry
Network, Rowan Reid runs the Australian Master Tree
Grower program at Melbourne University, where the
underlying philosophy is that agroforestry and farm forestry
development should be guided by farmers and should
reflect the diversity of interests, resources and aspirations of
the farming community.
“We’ve had 1,700 landholders do our eight day course
and they’re starting to recognise from North Queensland to
Western Australia to Tasmania opportunities for this type of
forestry.”
He says the federally funded Master Tree Grower
program uses science to work with the community to see
how tree growing can help them.
“If they choose to grow commercial trees such as
sandalwood in the wheat belt of WA, or tropical rainforest
species like red cedar up in North Queensland, that’s
fantastic and we’ll help them. If they succeed, then their
neighbours will pick up the idea and they’ll have that local
experience to share amongst themselves.
“We have the opportunity of 150,000 farming families
trying different ideas in their own landscape and coming up
with solutions. That is a great opportunity for this country.
Farmers control over 70 per cent of cleared agricultural land
in this country. Are we going to work with them on
conservation and commercialisation of tree growing, or
not?”
He says trees can ameliorate some of the risks
associated with climate change, they can diversify farming
systems and make them more resilient and, importantly,
they lock up carbon.
According to Andrew Stewart, this is the future of
farming. “Good sustainable farm management sequesters
carbon,” he says.
“What the committee needs to think about is how they
can help landholders come up with good sustainable farm
management systems. Maybe it’s better extension or better
research and development, or maybe it’s paying farmers for
environmental credits to pull them through, using a carrot
rather than a stick.
“Climate change can bring quick changes and
adaptation is an issue, but if you have a well-structured
farm with good infrastructure and good natural resource
management, then that farm will be resilient and robust as it
faces the uncertainty of climate change.”
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 149
 Home-grown solutions
| vegetation |
The only way landholders will take responsibility for changes is
if they drive the direction of change, according to a Landcare
group from northern New South Wales.
Speaking at a public hearing of the Primary Industries
Committee, Sonia Williams, the Executive Officer of Southern
New England Landcare, stressed the importance of
community organisations which possess the knowledge and
networks to rapidly implement climate change projects.
“We believe that to assist farmers adapt to climate change
you should utilise and support existing local networks,” she
told the committee. “They are trusted bodies that are already
there and the community should be involved at all stages of
the process.
PO Box 104,
GEELONG, Victoria 3220
Phone: (03) 5272 5272
Fax: (03) 5272 4277
Website:
www.geelongaustralia.com.au
150 • THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011
“It is beyond the capacity of many of our farmers to fathom a
way forward with things such as carbon pollution reduction
schemes and climate change. We provide a mechanism
where they can come to us and we can link them to the
economists, researchers or programs. They see us as the
one-stop-shop.”
But Ms Williams said that under current funding
arrangements, 20 years worth of experience and goodwill in
landholder engagement stands to be lost.
“We spend a significant part of our time trying to find
resources so that we can go about doing our job. That is not
a complaint, it is a fact. It would be far more productive to
have some steady source of funding support for organisations
with track records to get in there and link these processes in.
Then we would not have to spend half our year just trying to
keep the door open.”
She told the committee she’s concerned that under ‘Caring
for our Country’ the focus of funding has shifted from regional
priorities to national priorities.
“So unless your community is in one of the areas for which a
high-priority target has been identified, the chances for
funding are minimal. Even with creativity they are minimal.
“We believe there is great scope for this inquiry to look at how
the community asset built up over the past 20 years can be
utilised to assist farmers adapt to climate change.”
Source: About the House
Proudly working with staff in the best
interests of the local community.
Civic Centre, Roberts Avenue,
Horsham VIC 3400
Phone: (03) 5382 9777
Fax: (03) 5382 1111
Email: council@hrcc.vic.gov.au
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BASIS OF OUR CULTURE
- Teamwork - Innovation - Integrity
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Knox City Council
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(03) 9298 8000
www.knox.vic.gov.au
Small biofilters for odour control

| air pollution |
t’s an all too familiar problem – the

I encroachment of residential
development on an existing
industrial area. Or maybe it works
the other way – a new industry locates
too close to an existing residential
area. It could also be a sewerage
pumping station in a residential area,
venting sulphide smells for all to
experience. The result is usually the
same area – an odour nuisance
problem for Council or the EPA to
manage.
The larger odour problems may
not involve Councils, if they fall into the
EPA’s domain. The solution to such
problems frequently involves the
capture and destruction of the
odorous emissions, more often than
not in a biofilter. Biofilters are now has now developed a technology industrial and water industry clients in
accepted as being the most effective product, in the form of a range of the past decade. The small units sit
and affordable technology for the ‘packaged’ biofilter designs suitable beside or above a pumping station,
treatment of most odours. for use in sewerage pumping stations draw foul air from the vent stack and
For the smaller problems, biofilters or other low airflow applications. drain excess leachate back to the
can also be effective. The Odour Unit, These typically handle flows from 200 station. They are visually low in profile.
a specialist odour consulting company to 1,000 m3/hr. This is in addition to There is no reason why small
in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth is well the larger, custom-designed biofilters odour problems should continue to
known for its consulting capabilities. It the company has designed for many exist.

THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENT YEARBOOK 2011 • 151

Green buildings and
your super
At Local Government Super we have a strong commitment to reducing
greenhouse emissions from the buildings in our property portfolio.
All the buildings in our portfolio source 100% of their
base-building energy from green power and this
effectively reduces emissions by approximately 10,000
tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.
This is obviously great for the environment but what
impact will it have on long-term super returns?
When looking at the link between investing in green
buildings and long-term super returns there are at least
two important factors to consider:
• Increasing tenants’ demand for green buildings,
and
• New legislation which will require the disclosure
of energy efficiency ratings.

Increasing tenants’ demand for green buildings

Starting in 2011, all government tenants will be required
to only occupy buildings which have a minimum NABERS
rating of 4.5 stars. NABERS is the National Australian
Built Environment Rating System and it measures a
building’s energy and water use, waste reduction and
greenhouse emissions.
Government departments and agencies account for
around 20% of the total commercial leasing market so
this policy should lead to an overall greater demand for
green buildings.
Large organisations such as banks, professional
organisations and IT companies are also committing to able to make a more informed decision about the energy
sustainable policies which should also drive up the long- ratings of different buildings and this should also increase
term demand for green buildings. demand for green buildings.
The greater demand should reduce vacancy rates for
What this means for your super investment
these buildings and improve returns for investors.
Over time there will be a growing distinction between
New legislation to require disclosure of energy buildings with high NABERS ratings and other less energy
efficiency ratings efficient buildings and it is expected that this distinction
will lead to a widening gap in vacancy rates and
Starting in 2010 all building owners will need to disclose investment returns for these buildings.
up-to-date energy efficiency information when they sell or
At Local Government Super we will continue to improve
lease office space which covers more than 2,000 square
the NABERS ratings of our buildings to effectively ‘future
metres.
proof’ our property portfolio and your long-term super
Building owners will need to provide a valid Building returns.
Energy Efficiency Certificate which includes a NABERS
rating for the building’s base energy use. For more information on our sustainable portfolio
This means that potential buyers and tenants will be program, just go to www.lgsuper.com.au.
Please note that the information contained in this document is of a general nature only and does not constitute personal advice as it does not take into account your per-
sonal objectives, financial situation or needs. Any advice in this document is provided by FuturePlus Financial Services Pty Limited (ABN 90 080 972 630) as an Australian
Financial Services Licensee (AFSL 238445) on behalf of the Trustee of Local Government Super, LGSS Pty Limited (ABN 68 078 003 497).
LGSS Pty Limited is an APRA Registrable Superannuation Entity Licensee (ABN Pool A - 74 925 979 278 and ABN - Pool B 28 901 371 321). A reference to Local Gov-
ernment Super refers to Local Government Superannuation Scheme Pool A and Pool B as the context requires. Local Government Super is a registered business name
of LGSS Pty Limited.
Members should not rely solely on this information and should consider their own personal objectives, financial situation and needs before acting on this information. Prior
to making any investment decision you should obtain and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) pertaining to your membership and seek professional
investment advice.
 n
'REEDISGOOD

Times have changed. Our aim is to maximise the returns on your super by
investing in the long-term interests of our community and our
Global warming has changed the way we live, from the
environment.
car we drive and the houses we build to the way we invest
0997-LGS-3/10-Enviro Yearbook

our money. To find out more just go to www.lgsuper.com.au

Climate change is one of the most important risks to our ,ONGTERMRETURNSFORYOURSUPERANDYOURENVIRONMENT
long-term prosperity and that’s why Local Government
Super is committed to a sustainable and socially responsible
investment policy.
We make sure that all of our investment decisions take into
account environmental, social and governance issues.

Please note that the information contained in this document is of a general nature only and does not constitute personal advice as it does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or
needs. Any advice in this document is provided by FuturePlus Financial Services Pty Limited (ABN 90 080 972 630) as an Australian Financial Services Licensee (AFSL 238445) on behalf of the Trustee of
Local Government Super, LGSS Pty Limited (ABN 68 078 003 497). LGSS Pty Limited is an APRA Registrable Superannuation Entity Licensee (ABN Pool A - 74 925 979 278 and ABN - Pool B 28 901 371
321). A reference to Local Government Super refers to Local Government Superannuation Scheme Pool A and Pool B as the context requires. Local Government Super is a registered business name of LGSS
Pty Limited. Members should not rely solely on this information and should consider their own personal objectives, financial situation and needs before acting on this information. Prior to making any investment
decision you should obtain and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) pertaining to your membership and seek professional investment advice.
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