Environmental performance

PM&C is responsible to the Australian Government and the wider community to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment.

In 2019–20, we continued to mitigate the effects of our impact on the environment by:

  • considering environmental sustainability in our purchasing decisions where appropriate
  • complying with all relevant Commonwealth, state and territory environment-related legislation, regulations, policies and initiatives
  • continuing to increase our use of technology, such as telepresence and desktop videoconferencing, to facilitate meetings where appropriate so we could reduce interstate travel
  • encouraging and supporting staff to use environmentally friendly modes of transport through measures such as the introduction of an e-bike charging facility at the Andrew Fisher Building, 1 National Circuit, Barton.

We minimised our impacts on the environment in the areas of energy efficiency, waste and water use by:

  • attaining a National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) rating of 4.5 stars for whole building energy and 2.5 stars for water at the Andrew Fisher Building, 1 National Circuit, Barton
  • monitoring energy usage at our properties to identify potential savings
  • operating as a ‘paper-light office’ by supporting the use of electronic document management and collaboration as well as digital and mobile technology solutions for staff
  • using a 70,000 litre rainwater tank to flush toilets and water the gardens at Andrew Fisher Building, 1 National Circuit, Barton
  • installing LED lighting in the Andrew Fisher Building, 1 National Circuit, Barton car parking area to reduce energy consumption
  • encouraging recycling by providing recycling bins as well as waste bins, and sending suitable waste for composting by a recycling provider
  • using drought-tolerant plants in gardens at Andrew Fisher Building, 1 National Circuit, Barton
  • maintaining an Environmental Management System based on the Australian Standard AS/NZS ISO 14001
  • defaulting office printers to black-and-white and two-sided printing
  • using energy saver mode for most office equipment when not in use across Canberra office locations.