Australia : OECD environmental performance reviews.

Foreword
Table of Contents
Map of Australia
1. Conclusions and Recommendations
	1. Environmental Management
		Strengthening the implementation of environmental policies
			Recommendations:
	Water resources management
		Recommendations:
	Air quality management
		Recommendations:
	Nature and biodiversity management
		Recommendations:
	2. Towards Sustainable Development
		Integration of environmental concerns into economic decisions
			Recommendations:
	Agriculture and environment
		Recommendations:
	Integration of environmental and social decisions
		Recommendations:
	3. International Commitments and Co-operation
		Recommendations:
2. Water Management
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
	1. Reforming the Water Management Framework
		1.1 Institutions and legislation
		1.2 National and Australian Government objectives
			Table 2.1 Performance against the recommendations of the 1998 OECD Environmental Performance Review
			Table 2.2 Selected national water management approaches
			Box 2.1 The National Water Initiative
		1.3 Implementing the Water Management Reform
			Table 2.3 Progress with the implementation of the National Water Initiative
	2. Restoring the Murray-Darling Basin System
		Table 2.4 Average annual water balance for Murray-Darling Basin rivers
		Box 2.2 Saving floodplain vegetation in a Murray River drought
			2.1 Murray-Darling Basin Cap
				Figure 2.1 Growth in water use in Murray-Darling Basin
			2.2 Salinity management
			2.3 Living Murray Initiative
	3. Making Better Use of Water Resources
		Box 2.3 Water in the Australian economy, 2004-05
		Figure 2.2 Freshwater use, 2004
		Box 2.4 Experience and experimentation in trading
		3.1 Water use in agriculture
		3.2 Urban water use
		3.3 Water re-use
		3.4 Droughts, floods and coastal storms
	4. Water Quality
		4.1 Freshwaters
			Table 2.5 River environment index, States and Territories
			Table 2.6 Aquatic biota index, States and Territories
			Figure 2.3 Australia’s emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus, by source, 2004-05
			Table 2.7 Point source discharges to water, 2001-04
		4.2 Estuaries and coastal waters
			Box 2.5 The Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Protection Plan
	5. Economic and Financing
		5.1 Water prices
		5.2 Pollution charges
		5.3 Government funding programmes
	Notes
	Selected Sources
3. Nature and Biodiversity Management
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
	1. Nature Management Framework
		1.1 Legislation and objectives
			Table 3.1 Selected national nature and biodiversity approaches
			Table 3.2 Implementation of the recommendations of the 1998 OECD Environmental Performance Review
		1.2 Institutional arrangements for nature management
	2. Current Status and Threats
		Table 3.3 Areas of remaining pre-1 750 vegetation types and share in reserves, early 2000s
	3. Progress in Protecting Areas
		Box 3.1 Climate change and biodiversity
			3.1 Terrestrial protected areas
				Figure 3.1 Area of Australian terrestrial protected areas,
				Box 3.2 Funding parks management
			3.2 Forests
			3.3 Wetlands
			3.4 Marine protected areas
				Table 3.4 National marine protected areas, by IUCN management category, 2004
	4. Progress in Protecting Species
		Figure 3.2 Fauna and flora
		Table 3.5 Number of species listed under the EPBC Act, 2004
		Table 3.6 Threatening processes, listed under the EPBC Act
	5. Encouraging Biodiversity on Private Land
		5.1 Ecosystem loss due to land clearance
			Figure 3.3 Net forest change in Australia, 1973-2004
		5.2 Dryland salinity
		5.3 Weeds and invasive species
	6. Economic Aspects of Biodiversity Conservation
		6.1 Economic value of biodiversity
			Box 3.3 Australia’s Christmas Island National Park
		6.2 Conservation incentives
			Box 3.4 The BushTender and BushBroker programmes in Victoria
	7. International Commitments
		Box 3.5 International Heritage Commitments
	Notes
	Selected Sources
4.  Air Quality Management
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
	1. Objectives and Institutional Framework
		Box 4.1 National ambient air quality measures
		Table 4.1 Comparison of Australian and international ambient air quality standards and guidelines
	2. Performance
		Box 4.2 Air quality management in New South Wales
		Table 4.2 Recommendations of the 1998 OECD Environmental Performance Review
		2.1 Ambient air quality in urban areas
			Box 4.3 Emissions trends
			Table 4.3 Atmospheric emissions, by source, 1998-2005
				2.2 Regional ambient air quality
					Figure 4.1 Air pollutant emissions
				2.3 Health effects of air pollution
				2.4 Energy related greenhouse gas emissions
					Table 4.4 Emissions of greenhouse gases, 1990-2005
	3. Air Management
		3.1 Enforcement and use of economic instruments
			Table 4.5 Fees for emissions to air in the load-based licensing system in New South Wales
		3.2 Air monitoring and reporting
	4. Integration of Air Management into Transport Policies
		Figure 4.2 Trends in the transport sector
		4.1 Fuels
			Table 4.6 Sulphur fuel quality standards
		4.2 Vehicles
			Table 4.7 Implementation timetable for vehicle emission standards,1997-2010
			Table 4.8 New vehicle fleet fuel efficiency standards
		4.3 Traffic management
		4.4 Perspectives
	5. Integration of Air Management in Energy Policies
		5.1 Sectoral trends
			Figure 4.3 Energy structure and intensity
			Table 4.9 Electricity prices, selected OECD countries, 2004
		5.2 Energy policies and the environment
	Notes
	Selected Sources
5.  Environment-economy InterfacE
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
		Integration of environmental concerns into economic decisions
		Strengthening the implementation of environmental policies
	1. Progress towards Sustainable Development
		1.1 Sustainable development: decoupling results
			Box 5.1 National economic context
			Table 5.1 Economic trends and environmental pressures, 1990-2005
			Figure 5.1 Municipal waste generation
			1.2 Sustainable development: objectives, institutions
			1.3 Sustainable development in practice
				Box 5.2 Redevelopment of the site of the Sydney Olympic Games
				Box 5.3 Load-based licensing
			1.4 Environmental expenditure
	2. Implementing Environmental Policies
		2.1 Australian environmental federation
			Table 5.2 Institutional arrangements for environmental protection in States and Territories
		2.2 Legislation, agreements and frameworks
			Table 5.3 Selected State/Territory environmental legislation
			Table 5.4 Selected Australian Government environmental legislation
			2.3 Regulatory instruments
				Box 5.4 Criminal enforcement actions by the Australian Government
			2.4 Economic instruments
				Table 5.5 Selected projects utilising market-based instruments
			2.5 Voluntary and partnership approaches
			2.6 Other instruments
	Notes
	Selected Sources
6. Agriculture and Environment
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
	1. Agricultural Policy Objectives Related to the Environment
		Box 6.1 Agriculture
		Table 6.1 Agricultural land use
		Figure 6.1 Agricultural subsidies
		Figure 6.2 Livestock, 1986-2005
		Box 6.2 The Landcare voluntary approach
	2. Management of Impacts on Land and Soil Quality
		2.1 Erosion
		2.2 Salinity
			Box 6.3 Persuading farmers to adopt Environmental Management Systems
		2.3 Acidity
		2.4 Agrochemicals
			Figure 6.3 Trends in fertiliser sales,1983-2005
		3. Management of Impacts on Water
		4. Management of Impacts on Biodiversity
		5. Agriculture and Climate Change
			Figure 6.4 Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, 2005
	Notes
	Selected Sources
7.  Environmental-Social Interface
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
	1. Management Framework and Policy Objectives
		1.1 Sustainable development framework
		1.2 Recommendations of the 1998 OECD Review
	2. Environmental Democracy
		2.1 Access to official information
			Table 7.1 Websites’ user sessions
		2.2 Corporate information
		2.3 Access to justice
		2.4 Public participation
			Box 7.1 Social context
			Figure 7.1 Social indicators
			Table 7.2 Population and GDP distribution, 2006
		2.5 Engagement of Indigenous peoples in environmental management
	3. Environmental Awareness and Education
		3.1 Environmental awareness
		3.2 Environmental education
			Box 7.2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and land management
	4. Environment and Health
		4.1 Estimated environmental health costs
		4.2 Sustainable environmental health
	5. Environment and Employment
		Selected Sources
8. International Commitments and Co-Operation*
	Recommendations
	Conclusions
	1. Climate Protection
		1.1 Commitments and trends
			Table 8.1 National GHG emissions by gas and by source, 1990-2005
			Figure 8.1 CO2 emission intensities, 2004
			Figure 8.2 Greenhouse gas emissions trends
			Box 8.1 National greenhouse gas emissions trends
			Table 8.2 GHG emissions by sector, 1990 and 2010
			1.2 Policy approach and effectiveness
				Box 8.2 Emissions trading
	2. Ozone-depleting Substances
		2.1 Commitments and overall approach
		2.2 Specific ODS: halons, methyl bromide
	3. International Trade and the Environment
		3.1 Context
		3.2 Endangered species
			Box 8.3 Illegal trade and biosecurity: the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
		3.3 Tropical timber
		3.4 Hazardous waste
			Box 8.4 Illegal timber
			Table 8.3 Hazardous waste imports and exports, 2000-04
			Box 8.5 E-waste, landfills and take-back schemes
	4. The Marine Environment
		4.1 International fishery management
		4.2 International commitments regarding marine pollution
			Table 8.4 Port state inspection in the Asia-Pacific region, selected OECD countries, 2005
	5. Development and the Environment
		5.1 Official development assistance
			Box 8.6 Harmful anti-fouling systems
			Figure 8.3 Official development assistance, 2006
			5.2 Co-operation for regional development
	Notes
	Selected Sources
References
	I.A: Selected Environmental Data
	I.B: Selected Environmental Data
	I.C: Selected Social Data
	II.A: Selected Multilateral Agreements (Worldwide)
	II.B: Selected Multilateral Agreements (Regional)
	Abbreviations
	Physical Context
	Selected Environmental Websites