1. How the activities of, and the administration (if any) of legislation by, the agency, during the period accorded with the principles of ecologically sustainable development (Section 516A(6)(a) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).

Activities which generally recognise and promote Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD):

• 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 continuation of the AusAID funded Pacific Island Climate Prediction Project, in which the Bureau's seasonal outlook service will be implemented within several countries; and
• The Bureau has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to develop tools to improve the communication of observed climate variability and change information in support of the "Australian Greenhouse Office Tools for Impacts and Adaptation Agenda". This project will see the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre and National Climate Centre collaborate on the extension of variables monitored for climate change in real-time, and the development of a streamlined and interactive webpage for delivering analyses and data.

Activities, which integrate environmental, social, economic and equitable consideration:

• 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 provide meteorological and related information and knowledge 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 Nio related developments;
• Participation in national processes for the protection and management of Australias marine environment;
• The Bureau has reviewed and revised the spatial analysis methods used to monitor surface climate variability over Australia, as part of the Bureau's contribution to the Bureau of Rural Sciences/Bureau of Meteorology/CSIRO Australian Water Availability (AWA) Project. This activity has led to an approximate halving of the uncertainty in rainfall and temperature analyses. Analysis products from this system will contribute to the new National Monitoring System for streamlining the Exceptional Circumstance process for drought relief;
• The Bureau's National Climate Centre is working with the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) and other state agencies on a demonstration prototype for a National Monitoring System (NMS). A prototype for this system was presented at the April Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC) meeting and met with a positive reception. The NMS, when complete, will provide a consistent and continuous flow of information on climate conditions and agricultural production statistics for assessing applications and renewals for support under the Exceptional Circumstances process;
• Workshops and/or consultative meetings were conducted in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory to strengthen links between the Bureau and State Government Departments of Agriculture/Primary Industries;
• The Bureau has continued to improve client access to information and advice related to water resources and hydrometeorological design through the development of CD-based and web applications for delivering the information. This includes continuing progress with the Australian Water Data Infrastructure Project. 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; and
• The Bureau has held discussions with the National Water Commission (NWC) with the aim of determining how the Bureau can best contribute to the implementation of the National Water Initiative. As a result, the Bureau has provided and will continue to provide the NWC with a one-paragraph summary of the current climatic conditions and the seasonal outlook on a monthly basis.

Activities which aim to promote conservation of the environment for the benefit of future generations such as:

• Collaboration with other departments and organisations to ensure 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 Bureau has signed an MOU with the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO), which is providing funding for a 12 month project to "rescue" climate records from five Pacific Island countries relatively close to, and of strategic importance to, Australia (Papua-New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Kiribati). The aim of the project is to form an inventory of the meteorological records held in the five Pacific countries, make recommendations for their long-term preservation, and where necessary, take immediate action to preserve records in imminent danger of deterioration and loss;
• With support from the Department of the Environment and Heritage, the Bureau carried out an analysis of the air quality across Australias major airsheds over the period 19912001. As part of the project, a database was prepared in cooperation with all jurisdictions to hold the historical air quality data. The database is located in the national climate database of the National Climate Centre; and
• 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.

Activities which ensure that biodiversity and ecological integrity are fundamental to decision making such as:

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

Activities which aim to improve valuation, pricing and incentive mechanisms such as:

• The Bureau continues to promote the benefits of improved information and knowledge on the variability and extremes of Australias climate in relation to sound economic, social and environmental management;
• The Bureau has participated in the National Water Commission lead discussions on water accounting;
• 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; and
• The Bureau has contributed, as appropriate, to the activities of the Environment Protection and Health Council and Standing Committee.

2. How the outcomes specified in a relevant Appropriations Act contribute to ecologically sustainable development ESD

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 organisations activities on the environment

The Australian 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. Activities in climate, marine, severe weather, agriculture and aviation contribute a positive effect 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 non-sustainable resources such as fuel, electricity, water, paper and other materials consumed and its generation of waste products.

4. Any measures the agency is taking to minimise the impact of activities by the agency on the environment.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology monitors a range of its operational activities including energy management, transport (fleet management), and waste management and purchasing. The Bureau strives to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment by the process of continual improvement within these areas.

Achievements include:

• Incorporation of energy saving features within its new offices at 700 Collins Street Docklands, which will provide long term savings in tenant light and power consumption;
• Implementation of incremental improvements to premises to assist in achieving Commonwealth energy targets;
• Implementation of a full waste recycling programmme within the Docklands property;
• Introduction of environmentally friendly processes within the vast operational network, for example, hydrogen generation improvements;
• Diverse use of sustainable resources, in particular the use of geothermal technology for the provision of mechanical services and solar power; and
• Innovative designs to achieve greater energy efficiency within operational and accommodation facilities.

5. The mechanisms, if any, for reviewing and increasing the effectiveness of those measures.

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 continuous improvement.