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Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance

Customs is required to report annually on its performance with regard to ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and environmental matters under section 516A of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Administration of legislation

Customs does not have direct responsibility for any legislation with environmental implications. However, it does administer certain aspects of such legislation on behalf of a number of other government departments and agencies. Further details on this are provided below.

Contribution of outcome/outputs to ESD

The Customs outcome does not directly relate to ecologically sustainable development. However, output 3 is civil maritime surveillance and response, which provides air and marine-based civil surveillance and response services to a number of government agencies. As part of this output, regular surveillance of marine conservation areas, as well as Australia’s ecologically important Coral Sea and Indian Ocean territories, is undertaken.

Immediate reports of significant wild life or sea life concentration or mortality, oil pollution or other environmental damage are provided to relevant agencies. The total price of output 3 during 2000-01 was $174.3 million, which covered aerial surveillance of over 120 million square nautical miles and over 18 000 flying hours. It also covered marine surveillance coverage of over 1300 sea days. The portion of output 3 attributable to environmental benefit cannot be separately identified.

Environmental impact of operations and actions

Customs developed and proposes to manage an energy management plan for 2001-03. This plan is based on a Customs Background Energy Planning and Issues paper, which will be a working reference document for more specific operational information for the energy management plan’s implementation.

This energy management plan was developed taking account the following key issues:

• Commonwealth energy efficiency policy
• Commonwealth energy intensity targets for 2002-03
• The Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO’s) Energy Efficiency Best Practice Guide
• Commonwealth Electricity Procurement Audit No 25
• National Greenhouse Strategy
• Environment Management System.

Tenant light and power usage

One of the Commonwealth’s energy-use performance targets to be met by 2002-03 is for tenant light and power usage for office buildings to be no more than 10 000 mega joules of energy per person per annum. To meet this target, the energy management plan includes a strategy to reduce tenant light and power energy usage by two million kilowatt hours, or 20 per cent, over the next two years. This will result in Customs achieving an average of 9679 mega joules per person by 2002-03.

Light and power consumption at all Customs properties (excluding specific tenancies covered under section 19 of the Customs Act 1901) will be considered under the energy management plan. However, Customs will focus particularly on the properties that use the most energy. An electricity consumption audit has shown that 25 properties account for approximately 80 per cent of tenant light and power consumption. These 25 properties will be targeted over the next two years to determine what energy reductions can be achieved.

Implementing the energy management plan

In the short term, implementation of the energy management plan will focus on gaining maximum electricity consumption reductions and savings through applying housekeeping measures. The ANAO’s Energy Efficiency Best Practice Guide suggests that about 10-15 per cent savings in energy can be achieved through housekeeping measures such as conducting electricity tariff reviews and identifying energy consumption anomalies.

Customs will also consider a number of other energy reduction initiatives, such as:

• installing automatic lighting controls
• looking at office lighting levels
• detection systems, changes to plant, fixtures and equipment
• including efficiency considerations in new lease and refurbishment negotiations
• power factor correction
• computer and office equipment purchase
• motor vehicle fuel options/vehicle fleet mix
• staff education and support regarding energy efficient practices.

All energy efficiency initiatives undertaken by Customs are subject to a cost/benefit analysis to determine value for money considerations and energy savings.

Once sound housekeeping initiatives are implemented, the energy management plan then further focuses on staff awareness programs to promote further energy reduction initiatives. Customs has already implemented the Australian Greenhouse Office’s working energy program, giving staff access to training and energy management tools.

Discretionary Grants

Customs did not provide any discretionary grants during 2000-01.

Correction of errors

In the 1999-2000 Customs Annual Report, incorrect figures for the Quarantine Entry Fee and Ballast Water Levy were published in figure 23. The correct figures are available in this report in figure 21 on page 70.

Events that will significantly effect operations or financial results

There are no events before or after 30 June 2001 that will significantly effect the operations or financial results of Customs during 2001-02.

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