Thursday, 15 June 2023
Austroads has published a high level summary of the environment and sustainability initiatives of its eleven member agencies.
Transport sustainability builds the capacity of the transport network to support the community’s current mobility needs in ways that minimises damage to people and the environment while not impairing the mobility needs of future generations.
The initiatives are grouped around five themes:
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: activities that reduce transport related GHG and initiatives including net zero transport, zero emission targets and transport mode shifts.
- Climate change resilience: activities that manage climate-related risks to transport assets and operations and initiatives including improving infrastructure resilience, assessing and managing both physical and transition climate-related risks.
- Circular economy: activities that reduce or minimise waste and initiatives including using sustainable material and incentivising circular economy innovations.
- Human health: activities that reduce the negative impacts on human health and address cultural connections and initiatives including encouraging active transport.
- Biodiversity: activities that reduce the negative impacts on flora and fauna and initiatives including fauna and flora protection design, ecological connectivity and land disruption minimisation.
Across the five key themes, member agencies have developed a range of strategies, frameworks, standards, tools and templates to mitigate carbon emissions and support environmental management activities.
Several agencies have overarching sustainability initiatives that are embedding sustainable thinking into their organisations. These initiatives do not readily fit into a single key theme. They include guidelines and strategies to monitor and report on the progress of agencies transitioning to sustainable transport.
Transport is Australia’s third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with the highest rate of growth. Most agencies are working towards a carbon emission reduction target and have an emissions reduction strategy in place. Agencies have also consistently invested in mode shift planning with the release of plans and strategies that encourage cycling and walking and research initiatives that focus on active transport such as 20-minute neighbourhoods and developing improved cycling routes.
The information will be used by Austroads members to identify opportunities to introduce new initiatives and by Austroads to identify where nationally consistent guidance and support will be of benefit.
Download the Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake
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Austroads is the association of Australian and New Zealand transport agencies. We provide authoritative, practical and impartial advice, information, tools and services to our members and a range of other key stakeholders across government, industry and communities. We aim to support the safe, efficient, reliable and sustainable movement of people and products.
Austroads Member agencies are:
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC)
- Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi)
- Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW)
- Department of Transport and Planning Victoria (DTP)
- Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)
- Main Roads Western Australia (MRWA)
- Department for Infrastructure and Transport South Australia (DIT SA)
- Department of State Growth Tasmania (DSG)
- Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics Northern Territory (DIPL)
- Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate, Australian Capital Territory (TCCS)
- Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).