• The Bureau of Meteorology works closely with the Australian Greenhouse Office and other groups in the Departments of the Environment and Heritage and Foreign Affairs and Trade to reach positions for Australia within international multilateral forums and organisations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• The Bureau is also involved in assisting the collection of and access to information and knowledge in support of ecologically sustainable development through involvement in the Asia Pacific Climate Network project; workshops for the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change; production and distribution of monthly South Pacific Seasonal Outlook Reference Material; and the establishment of the AusAID funded Pacific Island Climate Prediction Project, in which the Bureau's seasonal outlook service will be implemented within several countries.

• At the national level, the Bureau works closely with the Departments of the Environment and Heritage, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Transport and Regional Services and relevant State water and agricultural agencies to ensure that meteorological and related information and knowledge are provided in support of ecologically sustainable management policy decisions.
• Several climate briefings were provided to Ministerial Councils and their subsidiary bodies, on current seasonal conditions and outlooks and particularly on any likely El Niño related developments.
• The Bureau has participated in national processes for the protection and management of Australia's marine environment.
• Workshops were conducted in South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania to explore how to strengthen links between the Bureau and State government departments of Agriculture/Primary Industries. In addition, the contribution of climate and related information by the Bureau into existing consultative committees was strengthened in Victoria and New South Wales.
• The development of the Water Resources Station Catalogue (WRSC) to provide details of river, rainfall and evaporation stations operated by the State and Territory water agencies and the Bureau of Meteorology was completed and made available on the Bureau's Internet site. The WRSC combines and enhances the features previously available in separate catalogues. This development was funded by a Natural Heritage Trust grant.
• Efforts by the Bureau to progress water resources assessment issues raised by the National Land and Water Audit have contributed to the establishment of the Australian Water Data Infrastructure Project (AWDIP) under the national component of the Natural Heritage Trust funding program. The broad objectives of AWDIP are to improve the quality of and access to water resources information and data. The Bureau is actively participating in the project through the contribution of relevant climate data and cooperation in the development of data transfer and access technologies and protocols.

• Collaboration with other departments and organisations ensures resources such as marine, fresh water and land resources are sustained for the benefit of future generations.
• The expansion in the number of fields being archived within the climate databank provides the capacity for the public and specialised users to access a greater variety of meteorological data and, for some data types, information at higher temporal resolutions and thus increases the utility of data for users.
• The generation of updated or new standard climatological products, such as the rain-days dataset, meets the needs of industries such as agriculture, and of scientific groups involved in climate research and climate modelling. The rain-days dataset was produced in standard spatial formats to meet the needs of users working with GIS and related visualisation systems.

• Provision of quality information supports informed consideration of biodiversity conservation in decision making.
• The Bureau contributed to the development of the National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan coordinated by the Department of the Environment and Heritage.

• The Bureau continues to promote the benefits of improved information and knowledge on the variability and extremes of Australia's climate in relation to sound economic, social and environmental management.
• The Bureau has participated in the development of the proposal for the establishment of a Cooperative Research Centre for Climate Risk Technologies.
• The incorporation of more information about natural disasters into the climate databank will enhance knowledge and understanding of extreme events and disasters, which are essential for planning effective mitigation strategies.
• The Bureau's major climate publication Drought, Dust and Deluge catalogues the significant climate events throughout Australia's recent recorded history.

2. How the outcomes specified in a relevant Appropriations Act contribute to ecologically sustainable development (section 516A(6)(b))
The role of the Bureau of Meteorology is to achieve the major outcome of Australia benefiting from meteorological and related science and services. Whilst not explicitly contributing to ecologically sustainable development the quality information and knowledge provided in the outputs contribute to the ecologically sustainable development decision-making processes across the breadth of the organisation covering diverse areas such as marine, agriculture, climate and aviation.

3. Effect of the organisation's activities on the environment (section 516A(6)(c))
The Bureau of Meteorology contributes positively to the protection and conservation of the environment through provision of quality information to a number of decision makers considering environmental factors. The Bureau's activities in the climate, marine, severe weather, agriculture and aviation sector contribute positively to the actions of other organisations.

In the course of its normal operations the Bureau contributes a number of negative impacts on the environment through its use of nonsustainable resources such as fuel, electricity, water, paper and other materials consumed and its generation of waste products.

• reduction in tenant light and power consumption;
• reaching Commonwealth energy targets;
• active paper recycling program;
• introduction of environmentally friendly processes within the vast operational network e.g. Hydrogen generation improvements;
• diverse use of sustainable resources, in particular the use of geothermal technology for the provision of mechanical services and solar power;
• innovative designs to achieve greater energy efficiency within operational and accommodation facilities; and
• extensive consideration of ESD components in the design of its new energy efficient and environmentally friendly Head Office located at Docklands, Melbourne.

5. Mechanisms, if any, for reviewing and increasing the effectiveness of these measures (section 516A(6)(e))
Partnership agreements with industry and the energy usage database provide a framework for measuring the effectiveness of actions taken to minimise negative environmental impacts and for considering and addressing environmental impacts within the context of continual improvement.