EPA MAINTAINS STRONG ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP

The Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental leadership on behalf of Queenslanders is as strong as ever, Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr said today.

“Transferring more than 450,000ha of forests to protected area tenure, declaring the magnificent Great Sandy Marine Park, and delivering more than $1.1 million to sustainable energy research projects are just a few of the success stories in the EPA’s 2005–06 Annual Report tabled in Parliament today,” Ms Nelson-Carr said.

“The Agency’s long-standing dedication to maintaining our national park and protected area estate continues, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is closing in on the government’s target of protecting five per cent of Queensland as national park.

“Through voluntary agreements with private landholders we also have more than 460,000ha of precious Queensland landscapes under Nature Refuge protection.

“A further eight million hectares of the state’s vegetation and regional ecosystems have been mapped, bringing the total to nearly 79 per cent.

“The EPA has been effective right across its areas of responsibility including the topical and essential area of sustainability.

“Hundreds of companies have been assisted to meet new environmental standards, and the EPA has implemented Sustainable Housing Stage 1 regulatory measures, increasing water and energy conservation and efficiencies through new technologies installed in all new housing.”

Ms Nelson-Carr said the EPA was also managing its own sustainability as an organisation and had begun reporting using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines to track its own improvements in efficiency and effectiveness.

“The initiative is a measure of organisational achievements in economic, social and environmental performance – the triple bottom line.”

This includes achievements in the reduction in the consumption of office materials with a corresponding increase in the amount of office waste recycled.

Additional waste streams such as electronic waste has also been monitored and reported on.

Total Water Use has also been calculated for high water consumption sites to inform staff of their water use practices.

Ms Nelson-Carr said she was pleased a large number of Queensland businesses had been working closely with the EPA in 2005-06 after recognising sustainability had significant environmental, social and economic spin-offs.

“Already more than 200 businesses have taken the challenge under the successful Ecobiz program to develop ways of reducing unnecessary waste, water and energy use, in return seeing great rewards for their businesses.

“In this financial year we are sending out the challenge again and encouraging as many businesses as possible to get involved in the Ecobiz program and make sustainability a high priority in their forward business plans.”

Ms Nelson-Carr said the EPA strived for excellence and sustainability, and was leading government and the private sector towards a cleaner, even more productive state.

“The Beattie Government, through the EPA, is committed and determined to protect and preserve the precious natural and cultural assets that have been entrusted to it.”

Media contact: Karla Steen 3336 8004 or Andie Gatti 3336 8002