SEPTEMBER 2000 Environmental Indicators For Metropolitan Melbourne BULLETIN3 WHAT’S INSIDE • Air Quality • Beach Quality • Open Space • Water Quality • Waste • Alternative Energy • Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets • Triple Bottom Line Reporting

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF URBAN STUDIES & CITY OF MELBOURNE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2000

Joe Hajdu Australian Institute of Urban Studies Project Convenor Gordon Edgar City of Melbourne* Project Coordinator John Bruce Municipal Association of Victoria, Department of Infrastructure, Manningham City Council

Michael Coleman Bayside City Council

Lynley Dumble Maribyrnong City Council

Warwick Hoffmann Environment Protection Authority

Michelle Bennett Darebin City Council

Jennifer Johnson Municipal Association of Victoria

Steven Kenihan Cities for Climate Protection Australia

Paula Kilpatrick Moonee Valley City Council

Nancy Krause Moreland City Council*

Robyn Leeson Melbourne City Council*

Ossie Martinz Monash City Council

Peter Mondy Yarra City Council*

Paul Murfitt Sustainable Energy Authority

Bronwyn Pegler Knox City Council

Audrey Chinn Monash City Council

Tamzin Rollason Environment Victoria

Anton Rossi-Mel Port Phillip City Council*

Belinda Thompson Boroondara City Council*

Anne Tourney Boroondara City Council*

Michael Vanderzee Department of Natural Resources and Environment

Pat Vaughan Banyule City Council

John Wisniewski Greater Dandenong City Council*

*Provided financial support in 1999/00

This bulletin was prepared by Kelly Miller.

Please contact Dr Robyn Leeson, City of Melbourne, [email protected] for additional copies of this bulletin. The bulletins are available at http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

ISBN 0 86419 409 9 September 2000 Material in this publication may be reproduced subject to acknowledgement of AIUS. Printed on recycled paper

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 CONTENTS

FOREWORD 1

AT A GLANCE A SUMMARY OF WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING 2 INTRODUCTION 3

1. AIR QUALITY 4 INDICATOR Air Quality Index for metropolitan Melbourne, 1998/99. INDICATOR Annual number of smog events in metropolitan Melbourne, 1992 – 1999. INDICATOR International air quality comparisons, 1995. CASE STUDY Monitoring City Link: The Cities of Stonnington and Yarra’s Air Monitoring Program.

2. BEACH QUALITY 8 INDICATOR Number of sampling days during which E. coli (Escherichia coli) levels at Melbourne beaches exceeded EPA’s acceptable threshold of 1000 organisms per 100ml seawater, 1996/97 - 1999/2000 CASE STUDY Beach quality monitoring in the City of Bayside.

3. OPEN SPACE 11 INDICATOR Percentage of residentially zoned land within 150m and 500m of open space in metropolitan Melbourne by municipality, 2000. CASE STUDY City of Boroondara’s Open Space Policy.

4. WATER QUALITY 15 INDICATOR Water Quality Rating in Greater Melbourne waterways according to SEPP objectives, 1998. INDICATOR Sediment Quality Rating in Greater Melbourne waterways, 1994 – 1997. INDICATOR Invertebrate Rating in Greater Melbourne waterways according to SIGNAL and SEPP objectives, 1996 – 1998. CASE STUDY Water quality management in the City of Darebin.

5. MUNICIPAL WASTE 19 INDICATOR Total tonnage of municipal solid waste from metropolitan Melbourne disposed of at landfill, 1992/93 –1996/97. INDICATOR Total tonnage of municipal waste sent to landfill by municipality, 1996/97 and 1998/99. CASE STUDY City of Manningham’s Waste Management Strategy.

6. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY 23 INDICATOR Current use of Green Power in Victoria and Australia. CASE STUDY Green Power and the City of Moreland.

7. GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS 26 INDICATOR Number of councils in metropolitan Melbourne that had active energy management programs in July 2000. CASE STUDY City of Melbourne and Cities for Climate Protection.

8. SUSTAINABILITY AND TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE REPORTING 28 INDICATOR Number of metropolitan Melbourne councils that report against triple bottom line performance indicators, or are considering doing so (July 2000). CASE STUDY Shire of Yarra Ranges.

APPENDIX A Cost of cleaning sanded areas of beaches and inland waterways in metropolitan Melbourne,1998/99 31 APPENDIX B Number of stormwater outfalls in metropolitan Melbourne with litter traps, bayside municipalities, 2000 32

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 33 REFERENCES 34 METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE PROFILE 36

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 FOREWORD

In my Foreword to the first Bulletin, Environmental Indicators for Inner Melbourne (1998), I wrote that the Institute planned to publish a regular series of bulletins with an extended range of themes and that the geographic scope could be extended to include other councils beyond inner Melbourne. I noted that this could only happen if more councils provided data and financial support for the continuation of the project. The existence of this, the third bulletin, is proof that we are achieving these goals.

Fourteen out of metropolitan Melbourne’s 31 councils are now active members of the project’s steering committee. This represents a 130% increase in three years. The Victorian Government is also increasingly represented. This year we were delighted to welcome to the steering committee the Department of Infrastructure and the Sustainable Energy Authority, augmenting the existing Victorian Government representation of the EPA and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

In preparing Bulletin 3, it has again been obvious that there are still many areas with inadequate data to enable proper monitoring of performance. We have included data even when the results are inconclusive or the resulting indicators are imperfect in the belief that it is important to highlight problem areas.

The City of Melbourne is the principle sponsor of the Bulletin, but on behalf of the Institute, I would like to acknowledge the additional financial support for this project provided by the following councils in 1999/2000:

Boroondara Greater Dandenong Moreland Port Phillip Yarra

The Bulletin is the result of work by an extremely dedicated steering committee, with whom the Institute is proud to be associated.

Lester Townsend Chairman Australian Institute of Urban Studies (Victorian Division) Tel: (03) 9387 5326

Please forward any comments on this bulletin to:

Australian Institute of Urban Studies GPO Box 2620W Melbourne 3001

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 1 AT A GLANCE - A SUMMARY OF WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING

To provide readers with a ‘snapshot’ of the key messages emerging from the data, we have included an ‘envirometer’ reading for each indicator. The reading is not a quantitative measurement and it is important that readers do not interpret the reading in isolation from the detailed data presented.

AIR QUALITY

Melbourne’s air quality was described as either ‘very good’ or ‘good’ for more than 80-90% of the time in 1998 and 1999.

Melbourne has had less than 15 smog days each year since 1992.

Melbourne’s air quality compares favourably with air quality data from other cities.

BEACH QUALITY

E. coli levels at most beaches rarely exceed the threshold established by EPA

OPEN SPACE

More than 80% of metropolitan Melbourne residents live within 500m of zoned open space.

WATER QUALITY

Water Quality Rating is ‘good’ in some waterways, but ‘poor’ in others.

Sediment Quality is rated as a ‘low risk to the ecosystem’ in some waterways, and as a ‘high risk to the ecosystem’ in others.

Invertebrate Ratings in many waterways are ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’

WASTE Data is inconclusive.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

There has been a positive increase in the number of customers purchasing Green Power since early 1999.

GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS

Several councils in metropolitan Melbourne have active energy management programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE REPORTING

Although most councils are considering implementing the triple bottom line, most do not currently report against triple bottom line performance indicators.

2 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 INTRODUCTION

A recent survey (Saulwick and Associates, 2000) of 600 Victorians aged 16-24 years revealed that 80% of Victorians in this age class think that Australia should concentrate on protecting the environment even if it means some reduction in economic growth. Ninety percent think the threat to the environment is real and must be treated seriously and 69% think that the health of the environment will deteriorate in the next five to 10 years. These findings highlight expectations among young Victorians for governments to continue developing strategies to improve environmental health. Monitoring the outcomes of such strategies is integral to their success. It is with this in mind that the Victorian division of the Australian Institute of Urban Studies has published its third Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne bulletin.

This bulletin presents key environmental indicators for metropolitan Melbourne. While some of the indicators have been included for the first time, others have been updated from earlier bulletins. In addition to indicators of environmental health, we have also included case studies to show commitments made by councils in metropolitan Melbourne to improving the health of our environment.

It is important to note that reliable data are not always available or readily accessible. There are still many gaps in environmental monitoring processes and the information that is available is not always conclusive. Preferred indicators cannot always be supported by reliable data, or in some cases, any data.

Better data, better monitoring, better public accessibility to data – all these are necessary for the community to be informed about what is happening to Melbourne’s environment and the performance of environmental management programs.

The Envirometer

To provide readers with a ‘snapshot’ of the key messages emerging from the data, we have included an ‘envirometer’ reading for each indicator. The reading is not a quantitative measurement and it is important that readers do not interpret the reading in isolation from the detailed data presented.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 3 1 AIR QUALITY

Introduction Good air quality is essential for a healthy environment. In order to maintain or work towards good air quality, accurate information about air pollutants is required. In July 1998, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) of Victoria adopted a revised Air Quality Index (AQI) in order to monitor six air quality indicators – ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, airborne particulates (PM10) and visibility. These pollutants are routinely monitored across metropolitan Melbourne’s nine fixed air monitoring stations. An index of 100 indicates that a pollutant’s concentration is equal to the National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) or State Environment Protection Policy (SEPP) standard levels (levels designed to protect human health and the environment). The maximum pollutant index at a particular air quality monitoring station is used as the AQI for that station. Data from individual stations are then amalgamated into regional indices (City, East and West) across Melbourne. Indices are published daily (as an air quality rating of very good, good, fair, poor or very poor in newspapers and updated hourly on the EPA web page). A rating of poor or very poor indicates that there has been an exceedance of an air quality policy standard. A full description of how the AQI is calculated can be found on the EPA web page (http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/aq/). The graph below summarises the AQI across metropolitan Melbourne for 1998 and 1999. Melbourne’s air quality was described as either very good or good for more than 80-90% of the time in 1998 and 1999. On average, air quality was rated as poor or very poor on less than 10 days of each year.

INDICATOR: Air Quality Index for metropolitan Melbourne, 1998/99.

Air Quality Index for metropolitan Melbourne, 1998/

100%

80%

60% Very Poor Poor Fair Good 40% Very Good percentage of year

20%

0%

East 1998 East 1999 West 1998 West 1999 City 1998 City 1999

Data provided by EPA. Poor air quality occurs most often when the standard for visibility-reducing particles is exceeded. The main sources of these particles are motor vehicles in summer, and wood heating and fuel reduction burning in autumn and winter. The second area where standards are not met relates to ozone, a pollutant formed in the atmosphere as a result of a chemical reaction between sunlight on still sunny days and emissions (mostly from motor vehicles).

EPA is taking action to improve air quality through the development of a draft Air Quality Improvement Plan and a new State Environment Protection Policy (Air Quality Management). The policy provides a statutory framework for managing air quality. The plan targets specific control actions in a number of areas, notably on wood heating and servicing initiatives for motor vehicles.

The Envirometer Some positive signs but care is still required.

4 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 1 AIR QUALITY

Smog is a problem in most large cities, and is particularly harmful to people with respiratory conditions such as asthma. It is caused by emissions from industry, motor vehicles, domestic wood combustion and other sources, accumulating under certain meteorological conditions. Smog incidents in Melbourne differ in character depending on the season. In summer the main problem is photochemical smog, whereas winter smog events are characterised by poor visibility resulting from airborne particles. A full definition of what constitutes a smog event can be found on the EPA web site (http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/aq/). Note that the definition of a smog event was modified in July 1998 with the introduction of the AQI.

EPA has developed a smog alert system to forecast smog days. To reduce the level of smog on these days, motorists are requested to avoid using cars unnecessarily and to maintain their vehicles. The public is also asked not to burn off or light incinerators. Residents are asked not to use solid fuel heaters if an alternative source of heating is available.

The graph below shows the annual number of smog events in metropolitan Melbourne between 1992 and 1999.

INDICATOR: Annual number of smog events in metropolitan Melbourne, 1992 – 1999.

1818

1616 WINTER 1414 SUMMERSUMMER

1212

1010

88 Number of Days Number of days 6

44

22

0 19921992 19931993 19941994 19951995 19961996 19971997 19981998 1999199

Data provided by EPA.

The Envirometer Some positive signs but care is still required.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 5 1 AIR QUALITY

At present, regulatory authorities have no international standards for monitoring air quality (Dr Graeme Lorimer, 2000, pers. comm.). That is, monitoring systems vary between cities. Australia should be producing scientifically credible and comparable air pollution statistics from 2002 (Dr Graeme Lorimer, 2000, pers. comm.). Until then, international air quality comparisons should be interpreted with caution.

The graph below shows concentrations of suspended particulates and nitrogen dioxide in selected benchmarking cities. Based on these data, Melbourne’s air quality compares favourably with air quality data from other cities. The most likely reasons for Melbourne’s relatively good air quality include relatively low levels of sulphur in our fossil fuels, absence of major power stations in the airshed, small industrial base (particularly heavy industry), relatively dispersed urban settlement, absence of other major cities in close proximity and favourable meteorology (Environment Protection Authority, 2000a).

INDICATOR: International air quality comparisons, 1995.

Total suspended particulates and nitrogen dioxide in selected benchmarking cities, 1995.

180

160

140

120 suspended particulates

nitrogen dioxide 100

80

60 microgrames per cubic metre (annual average)

40

20

0

Athens Copenhagen Sydney Perth Osaka toronto Melbourne Frankfurt Montreal Paris

Source: World Bank, 1998. (Nitrogen dioxide data were not available for Sydney).

The Envirometer Some positive signs but care is still required.

6 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 1 AIR QUALITY

CASE STUDY Monitoring City Link: The City of Stonnington and City of Yarra’s Air Monitoring Program. With the introduction of the City Link Tollway to metropolitan Melbourne, local communities have become concerned about the effects of increased traffic on air quality. City Link generates untreated discharges from up to 70,000 vehicles per day which are released from a 20 metres high stack located in Burnley. The Victorian EPA has stated that the effects of this additional pollution will be minimal and, through a License issued by EPA, operators of the Tollway are required to maintain environmental standards. To supplement the monitoring conducted by City Link operators, the Cities of Stonnington and Yarra have commissioned an independent air monitoring program that will be available to local communities.

Three monitoring stations have been established to monitor the effects of the City Link Tollway on air quality. Roving measurements are also planned to assess pollution hot-spots. Data to assess carbon monoxide and particles is collected and averaged for every 15 minute period. This is coupled with wind data to provide information that will allow modeling to assess where pollution is coming from. These data will be used to address whether particulate removal from the Burnley Tunnel’s exhaust is required to meet acceptable air quality standards, provide data for health studies and inform local communities about the air quality in their neighbourhood.

The very high-frequency sampling of pollution and wind direction (up to three times per minute) is necessary to detect how much pollution comes from the tunnel as opposed to other sources. This function is not served by monitoring conducted by EPA or others.

Potential Future Indicators

International air quality comparisons based on rates of change. National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) indicators.

Further Information Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1997). Urban Air Pollution in Australia. Environment Protection Authority http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/aq/ Environment Protection Authority (2000). Air Quality Improvement Plan Fact Sheet, Air Quality Trends. EPA, Melbourne. Environment Protection Authority (2000). Draft Air Quality Improvement Plan, June 2000. http://epanote2.epa.vic.gov.au/EPA/Publications.nsf/ [accessed 01/08/2000]. Stonnington City Council http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au Yarra City Council http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 7 2 BEACH QUALITY

Introduction

In 1973 EPA began monitoring the water quality at Port Phillip Bay beaches. There are eight municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne with foreshore areas abutting Port Phillip Bay: Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Melbourne, Port Phillip, Bayside, Kingston, Frankston and Mornington Peninsula.

EPA reports that bacteriological contamination levels in the Bay have reduced substantially over the last 25 years, and that we have some of the world’s cleanest beaches (Environment Protection Authority, 2000b). Water quality in the Bay is usually good, with contamination generally occurring at beaches near stormwater or stream outfalls after rain or sewer failures. Bayside councils spend a large sum of money each year on beach cleaning. During the 1998/99 summer season, bayside councils spent $1.3 million to clean sanded areas of beaches and inland waterways (see Appendix A).

To improve water quality, EPA partners local governments, water authorities, State Government agencies and other organisations and community groups. Many councils are now developing stormwater management plans, which aim to improve water quality through actions such as community education, water sensitive urban design and installation of litter traps. A table of preliminary findings on the number of stormwater outfalls in bayside municipalities that are managed for litter using litter traps is included in Appendix B.

8 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 2 BEACH QUALITY

E. coli is a naturally present organism in the gut of warm-blooded animals and is a specific indicator of faecal pollution. EPA conducts water sampling at 37 Port Phillip Bay beaches from the beginning of December until the end of March each year, of which 30 are within metropolitan Melbourne. The table below shows the number of sampling days during which E. coli levels at Melbourne beaches exceeded EPA’s acceptable threshold of 1000 organisms per 100ml seawater. E. coli levels at most beaches rarely exceed the threshold established by EPA.

INDICATOR: Number of sampling days during which E. coli levels at Melbourne beaches exceeded EPA’s acceptable threshold of 1000 organisms per 100ml seawater, 1996/97 – 1999/2000. (Years in which E. coli levels did not exceed EPA’s acceptable threshold on any sampling day are shaded).

Municipality Beach 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 Total 1996 - 2000 Wyndham Werribee South 0 1 2 1 4 Hobsons Altona 0 1 1 0 2 Bay Williamstown 0 1 0 0 1 Port Phillip Sandridge 1 0 1 0 2 Port Melbourne 1 1 1 1 4 Middle Park 0 0 0 0 0 St Kilda 0 2 0 0 2 Elwood 1 2 0 1 4 Bayside Brighton 0 0 0 0 0 Hampton n.m. 0 0 0 0 Sandringham 0 0 0 0 0 Half Moon Bay 0 1 0 1 2 Beaumaris 1 0 1 0 2 Kingston Mentone n.m. 0 0 0 0 Mordialloc 0 0 0 1 1 Aspendale North 0 1 1 2 4 Carrum 0 1 0 0 1 Frankston Seaford 0 1 0 0 1 Long Island 1 1 0 0 2 Frankston Pier 0 2 0 1 3 Mornington Canadian Bay 0 0 0 0 0 Peninsula Mornington 1 1 0 1 3 Mt Martha 1 0 1 1 3 Safety Beach 0 0 0 0 0 Dromana 0 0 0 0 0 Rosebud 1 0 1 1 3 Rye 2 3 1 0 6 Blairgowrie 2 0 0 1 3 Sorrento 0 0 0 0 0 Portsea 1 0 0 0 1

Notes: sampling period December - March. n.m. = not monitored. Data provided by EPA

The Envirometer Some positive signs but care is still required.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 9 2 BEACH QUALITY

CASE STUDY Beach quality monitoring in the City of Bayside. Bayside City Council regularly audits its beaches to provide information to beach cleaning contractors and to assess beach quality. Council rates Bayside beaches by qualitatively measuring environmental indicators (sand instability, odour, number of bird species present, water quality, dog faeces); seaweed (odour, quantity); beach cleaning (presence of sand impurities, litter, syringes); maintenance of bins (condition of bins, whether or not bins are full); maintenance of promenades and ramps (excess sand, weeds) and tallying those to generate an overall compliance rating. Since 1996, Bayside beaches have regularly recorded a compliance rating between 81% and 97%.

The graph below shows the number of syringes found on Bayside beaches per month since 1997. The number of syringes found fluctuates considerably between months which is most likely related to rainfall. It could also be related to changes in detection or collection techniques. In January 2000, bayside councils received additional funding for the collection of syringes on beaches.

Management of this problem requires a standard collection procedure so that the source of the problem can be identified. For example, syringes may be directly deposited on the beach, or may enter stormwater drains in other areas of the municipality. Identifying the source of syringes on beaches will be important in developing management programs and education strategies.

Number of syringes found on Bayside beaches per month, 1997 – 2000.

60

50

40

30 Number of syringes

20

10

0 Jul-99 Jul-00 Jul-98 Jul-97 Jan-00 Jan-99 Jan-98 Sep-99 Sep-97 Sep-98 Nov-99 Nov-98 Nov-97 Mar-99 Mar-00 Mar-98 May-00 May-99 May-98

Potential Future Indicators Number of councils with stormwater management plans. Number (and types) of education programs for keeping beaches clean. Installation of litter traps – time series. Targets outlined in litter management strategies.

Further Information Bayside City Council http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au Department of Infrastructure http://www.doi.vic.gov.au

10 Enviromental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 2 3 OPEN SPACE

Introduction Open space is defined here as an area of land or water categorised in local government planning schemes as a Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) or a Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ). The PPRZ includes major rivers (e.g. Yarra River) and 600 metres of water from high water mark in foreshore areas abutting Port Phillip Bay. For river and bayside municipalities, this open space is an important area for recreation activities (e.g. swimming, boating) and subsequent management by municipalities. Thus, it has been included in the total open space figures for metropolitan Melbourne.

The graph below shows the total area of zoned public open space per head of population. Some municipalities have considerably more open space per head of population than others. The AIUS intends to use this information as baseline data so that open space in metropolitan Melbourne can be monitored.

Total area of zoned public open space per head of population1 by municipality, metropolitan Melbourne, 2000.

4185 1316 8608 800

700

600

500

400

300

200 open space (square metres) per head of population

100

0 Knox Yarra Hume Casey Melton Darebin Bayside Monash Banyula Cardinia Kingston Glen Eira Nillumbik Brimbank Moreland Frankston Wyndham Melbourne Whittlesea Port Phillip Whitehorse Maroondah Boroondara Stonnington Hobson Bay Maribymong Manningham Yarra Ranges Yarra Moonee Valley

Central InnerGreater Dandenong Middle Outer Mornington Peninsula

Data provided by Department of Infrastructure.

1 Source for population data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1999.

Enviromental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 2 11 3 OPEN SPACE

In metropolitan Melbourne 30% of all residential zoned land is within 150m of open space; 81% is within 500m of open space.

The graph below shows the accessibility of open space to residents of municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne.

Distance between residential zoned land and open space differs considerably between municipalities. For example, 33% of residential zoned land in the City of Yarra is within 150m of open space (97% within 500m of open space) compared with 18% of residential zoned land within 150m of open space in the City of Melton (48% within 500m of open space). In the outer municipalities, distances between open space and residential zoned land are greater than in the more highly developed municipalities. A comparatively large proportion of land in the outer municipalities is currently zoned as residential but is not yet developed.

INDICATOR: Percentage of residential zoned land1 within 150m and 500m of open space in metropolitan Melbourne by municipality, 2000.

100

90

80

70

60 % within 150m % within 50 500m

40

30

20 percentage of residential zoned land within 150m and 500m open space 10

0 Knox Yarra Hume Casey Melton Darebin Bayside Banyula Monash Cardinia Kingston Nillumbik Brimbank Moreland Frankston Wyndham aGlen Eira Melbourne Whittlesea Port Phillip Whitehorse Maroondah Boroondara Stonnington Hobson Bay Maribymong Manningham Yarra Ranges Yarra Moonee Valley Greater Dandenong Mornington Peninsula Central Inner Middle Outer

Data provided by Department of Infrastructure. Distances derived from VicCode 1.

1 Residentially zoned land includes Mixed Use, Residential 1, Residential 2 and Township Zones, as defined in local government planning schemes.

12 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 3 OPEN SPACE

The map below shows a number of large areas in outer metropolitan Melbourne that are more than 500 metres from open space. This does not necessarily mean that residents are disadvantaged. These are developing areas and as such may have few, if any, residents. Open space may have already been provided for, but not yet reflected in the zoning.

Distribution of open space in metropolitan Melbourne, 2000.

Data provided by Department of Infrastructure.

NOTE: The red areas are currently zoned as residential land, but have not yet been developed. White areas are not zoned as residential land or open space under local government planning schemes.

The Envirometer Most metropolitan Melbourne residents have convenient access to open space.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 13 3 OPEN SPACE

CASE STUDY: City of Boroondara’s Open Space Policy. In 1996, the City of Boroondara launched its Open Space Policy which applies to all open spaces in the City which are managed for the purpose of open space. This includes areas that are not zoned for public open space and areas that are managed by another public authority (Boroondara City Council, 1998).

The policy is divided into two sections. The first section outlines City-wide strategies for open space and the second section outlines strategies for individual districts. As part of the strategic objective to have more open space in the system, Council has taken action to ‘review opportunities for increases in the open space system, particularly in deficiency areas and to complete the missing links’ (Boroondara City Council, 1998, p.8). In addition to providing more open space, Council continues to ‘prioritise improvements/increased facilities in open spaces which are near and accessible to areas of deficiency’ (Boroondara City Council, 1998, p.8).

Given the developed nature of the municipality, the main aim of the policy is to improve existing open spaces (so that they are used by more people), rather than to add new open space (except to complete missing links along the Yarra River). However, in districts with a low overall provision of open space per head of population, the objective is to review opportunities for more open space, especially in or near areas of deficiency (i.e. where residential zoned land is more than 500 metres from zoned open space).

Comment In the early 1980s, the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works, which was the metropolitan planning authority, created a database of all open space in the metropolitan area with the help of councils. The information included the area of each open space unit, the uses to which it was put and the infrastructure it contained. Unfortunately, this valuable database has never been updated.

This Bulletin contains data on the amount and distribution of open space, but there is no readily available information about quality or uses .

Potential Future Indicators Number of councils with open space policies. Nature and quality of open space in metropolitan Melbourne.

Further Information Department of Infrastructure http://www.doi.vic.gov.au

Boroondara City Council (1998). Open Space Policy.

14 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 4 WATER QUALITY

Introduction Human activities such as those associated with urbanisation, industry, agriculture and recreation have resulted in the decline in the health of Melbourne’s waterways (Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998). As well as affecting the health of aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity, poor water quality can affect human values associated with waterways (e.g. water supply, recreation and aesthetic values). For reporting purposes, Melbourne Water divides the waterways within metropolitan Melbourne into five major sub-regions: Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Dandenong and Western Port. In 1998, Melbourne Water published the Healthy Waterways report to provide water quality information for metropolitan Melbourne. Water quality assessments made by Melbourne Water are based on EPA State Environment Protection Policy (SEPP) objectives. The SEPP objectives separate waterways according to land use and the intended use of the waterway (e.g. drinking water supply, contact or non-contact recreation). Samples for the 1998 water quality monitoring program conducted by Melbourne Water were collected from 70 sites on a monthly basis. At all sites, water samples were tested for temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity (conductivity), pH, water clarity (suspended solids and turbidity), nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus), faecal contamination (E. coli) and metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc). In order to assess Melbourne’s water quality, Melbourne Water developed a Stream Water Quality Index. After the index is calculated, it is converted into a rating of very good, good, fair, poor or very poor to indicate whether water quality meets policy objectives. Information on how the index is calculated is included in the Melbourne Water Stream Water Quality Index Fact Sheet, which is available on the Melbourne Water web site http://www.melbwater.com.au/mainFrameset.asp?path=/environment/environment.asp The first map on the next page shows the water quality rating that was assigned to waterways within metropolitan Melbourne in 1998. While many waterways were rated as good or very good, many others need improvement. Poor conditions within many of Melbourne’s waterways have led to the development of the Waterways and Drainage Healthy Waterways Program. This program, involving an annual expenditure of approximately $11 million, aims to bring life back to degraded waterways in Greater Melbourne through works such as erosion prevention, revegetation, stream frontage management, weed control, removal of fish barriers and the construction of wetlands.

Sediments in waterways are mainly the result of erosion along stream beds, banks and/or terrestrial sources. Erosion can be accelerated when land is disturbed or cleared and bare earth is left exposed to wind and rain. Sediments in waterways can pose a threat to aquatic organisms because they often store and transport contaminants such as metals and organics within the waterway. In 1994, Melbourne Water initiated a toxicant monitoring program to assess the presence of heavy metals and arsenic in waterway sediments. The results of this program, and other data collected since 1994 in the Greater Melbourne region, are presented in the second map on the next page.

Sediments in Melbourne waterways rated mostly as a low to moderate risk to ecosystem health, however, some sites rated as a ‘high risk,’ particularly those in inner metropolitan Melbourne.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 15 4 WATER QUALITY

INDICATOR: Water Quality Rating in Greater Melbourne waterways according to SEPP objectives, 1998.

The Envirometer Some positive signs but some areas are rated as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

Source: Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998.

INDICATOR: Sediment Quality Rating in Greater Melbourne waterways, 1994 – 1997.

The Envirometer Sediments in some waterways were rated as a ‘high risk’ to the ecosystem

N.B. Some of these results are based on a small number of samples and may not accurately represent the level of contamination in the waterway (Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998). Source: Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998.

16 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 4 WATER QUALITY

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are small animals without backbones that live in waterways, e.g. worms, snails, shrimps, yabbies, beetles (Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998). The presence of macroinvertebrates in waterways is often used as an indicator of stream health. This is because of their diverse feeding and habitat preferences, and the fact that some are sensitive to pollution (Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998). Macroinvertebrate sampling is often used to complement physical and chemical water quality sampling. Water samples give a ‘snapshot’ of pollution levels in the water at a particular location, at a particular point in time. The presence of macroinvertebrates in waterways provides an indication of the history of conditions prior to water sampling (Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998).

The map below shows the results from Melbourne Water and EPA samples, collected at over 200 sites from 1996 to 1998 (Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998). The presence of macroinvertebrates in many Melbourne waterways rated as fair to poor. These ratings reflect a history of adverse human impacts on water quality in Melbourne’s waterways.

INDICATOR: Invertebrate Rating in Greater Melbourne waterways according to SIGNAL and SEPP objectives, 1996 – 1998.

Source: Melbourne Water Corporation, 1998.

The Envirometer Many areas rated as ‘poor,’ particularly in inner metropolitan Melbourne waterways.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 17 4 WATER QUALITY

CASE STUDY Water quality management in the City of Darebin. Waterways within the City of Darebin include the Merri, Central, Edgars and Darebin Creeks and metropolitan Melbourne’s second largest lake, Edwardes Lake. These waterways are within the Yarra catchment and provide an important link between reserves and habitat for native flora and fauna as well as providing open space and recreational opportunities for the community. Darebin City Council is a member of both the Merri Creek Management Committee and the Darebin Creek Coordinating Committee and provides funding and support in the management of these areas (Darebin City Council, 2000a). The City of Darebin is currently supporting the Merri Creek Management Committee’s Automotive Industry Education Project. This project seeks to protect and enhance the waters and surrounds of the Merri Creek by raising awareness and encouraging environmentally responsible practices in the automotive industry. Local schools and members of the community participate in the Waterwatch program which is delivered on a catchment basis and coordinated regionally by Melbourne Water. This program enables members of the community to monitor water quality, as well as raising awareness of stream ecology and the effects of litter and pollutants on stream health.

Darebin City Council recognises the need for a total catchment strategic drainage plan and has developed and adopted a Stormwater Management Plan (Darebin City Council, 2000b). Implementation of the Stormwater Management Plan will ensure increased amenity for the citizens of Darebin by reducing the likelihood of flood events and will enhance the water quality and overall health of creek systems. Work has commenced to target litter ‘hot spots’ throughout Darebin’s stormwater drainage system. Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs), litter baskets and grates have been installed at various locations throughout the municipality to minimise litter entering waterways. The Edwardes Lake Management Plan (Darebin City Council, 2000c) proposes major works to address current siltation and pollution problems that arise from practices upstream in the catchment. A Masterplan for Edwardes Lake is currently being prepared.

Potential Future Indicators Number of councils with stormwater management plans. Water quality – time series. Council programs designed to improve water quality.

Further Information City of Darebin (2000). Waterways. http://ww.darebin.vic.gov.au/environment/water.htm [accessed 28/07/2000]. City of Darebin (2000). Stormwater Management Plan. City of Darebin (2000). Edwardes Lake Management Plan. Melbourne Water Corporation (1998). Healthy Waterways. Melbourne Water Corporation (2000). Waterway Quality. http://www.melbwater.com.au/environment/waterways/waterway_quality.asp [accessed 06/07/2000].

18 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 5 MUNICIPAL WASTE

Introduction

In a preamble to 1992 amendments to environment protection legislation, the former Victorian Government stated that it aimed to discourage the production of waste, encourage recycling with a view to reducing landfill deposits by 50% by the year 2000 and implement education programs to advise the community of ways to recycle and minimise waste (Auditor-General, 2000). Contrary to common perception, the 50% reduction target was not a legislated target. The Chairman of the EPA has stated that such reduction targets “establish motivation to spur social change rather than (act as) a numerical performance indicator” (p 31, Auditor-General, 2000).

The total amount of landfill deposits increased between June 1992 to July 1998 (Auditor-General, 2000). However, there is evidence that recycling has resulted in the diversion of a substantial amount of additional waste from landfill. Much of this is due to the success of municipal recycling services.

The Auditor-General also raised concerns about the usefulness of data relating to the amount of waste going to landfill, including the lack of 1992 baseline data. EPA and Ecorecycle Victoria are currently working to establish data on waste to landfills based on the Australian Waste Database Categories:

municipal building and demolition commercial and industrial.

We have included data about waste in this bulletin in line with our policy of publishing inconclusive or imperfect data to highlight problem areas.

In 1998/99, a total of 3,040,051 tonnes of waste from metropolitan Melbourne were disposed of at landfill (Environment Protection Authority, 2000c). Based on 1996/97 data, approximately 34% of this was municipal waste and 66% was from the commercial/industrial and building/demolition sectors.

The graph below shows a steady decrease in municipal waste going to landfill since 1992. This decrease is directly related to an increase in recycling. In 1999, 69 of Victoria’s 78 local councils, and all metropolitan councils, provided recycling services to their residents. The average weekly household recycling stream is 4.3kg – an increase of 2.1kg since 1993 (Burke, 1999).

However, as Environmental Indicators for Inner Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 1 cautioned, even though households are reducing the amount of garbage going to landfill, more recyclables are being consumed (even though they are eventually being placed for collection for recycling). Total waste is therefore increasing.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 19 5 MUNICIPAL WASTE

The Auditor-General found that landfill deposits had not decreased over recent years. As indicated above, the municipal component seems to be reducing. According to the Auditor-General, this apparent discrepancy is the result of relatively high and increasing levels of waste deposited to landfill by commercial and industrial enterprises (Auditor-General, 2000).

INDICATOR: Total tonnage of municipal solid waste from metropolitan Melbourne disposed of at landfill, 1992/93 – 1996/97.

1600

1400

1200

1000

800 Tonnes (‘000s) Tonnes

600

400

200

0

1992/93 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 1996/97

Source: Ecorecycle 2000. Figures for municipal waste for 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/2000 are not available.

The Envirometer Some positive signs but care is still required.

20 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 5 MUNICIPAL WASTE

The table below shows the total municipal waste deposited at landfill in 1996/97 (see also Bulletin 1 of Environmental Indicators for Inner Metropolitan Melbourne) and 1998/99 by municipality, and the total waste per head of population by municipality. In most municipalities, total waste sent to landfill has decreased since 1996/97. The missing data for many of the municipalities highlights the importance of developing environmental indicators. It is only with accurate and reliable data that environmental strategies can be monitored and improved.

INDICATOR: Total tonnage of municipal waste sent to landfill in metropolitan Melbourne by municipality, 1996/97 and 1998/99.

Region Municipality Waste deposited at Waste per head of landfill (tonnes) population1 (kg) 1996/97 1998/99 1996/97 1998/99 Eastern2 Knox 28,300 29,400 207 205 Manningham* 35,800 36,700 325 328 Maroondah 18,752 18,946 196 192 Whitehorse 34,196 233 Yarra Ranges 34,507 244 TOTAL South Eastern3 Bayside 22,985 21,000 266 235 Boroondara 55,368 65,000 360 410 Cardinia Casey 58,183 42,930 391 257 Frankston 15,212 16,500 139 147 Glen Eira 28,705 24,000 239 194 Greater Dandenong 39,049 30,000 296 228 Kingston 61,344 42,000 473 313 Monash 43,804 40,875 273 251 Stonnington 52,631 46,000 594 504 TOTAL Mornington Peninsula4 Mornington Peninsula Northern5 Banyule 18,500 20,500 157 172 Darebin 26,930 26,900 211 208 Hume 35,250 35,600 292 275 Moreland 32,000 32,000 234 233 Nillumbik 15,300 15,300 267 258 Whittlesea 23,950 20,800 225 183 TOTAL 151,930 151,100 228 219 Western6 Brimbank 46,335 43,983 298 268 Hobsons Bay 22,866 17,971 294 218 Maribyrnong 25,151 18,045 410 296 Melbourne 37,615 24,592 947 518 Melton 1,989 37,858 295 822 Moonee Valley 43,392 44,006 394 393 Port Phillip 30,356 20,152 399 252 Wyndham 20,372 27,526 267 332 Yarra 26,050 18,728 388 272 TOTAL 264,126 252,861 375 356

Data provided by: 1Department of Infrastructure (1998), population in 1996; Australian Bureau of Statistics (1999), population in 1999; 2Eastern Regional Waste Management Group (Least Waste); 3South Eastern Regional Waste Management Group; 4Mornington Peninsula Regional Waste Management Group; 5Northern Regional Waste Management Group; 6Western Regional Waste Management Group. * Data for Manningham refer to 240 litre co-mingled MGB system discontinued 29/3/99.

The Envirometer Data not conclusive.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 21 5 MUNICIPAL WASTE

CASE STUDY City of Manningham’s Waste Management Strategy. Manningham City Council was one of the first councils in Australia to implement a fully integrated waste management service incorporating garbage, garden waste and split compartment recycle bins. Manningham’s Waste Management Strategy “provides the philosophy and purpose for the new waste management services. Working towards the stretch goal of zero waste, the Manningham Strategy provides for an inter-generational approach to environmental sustainability” (Manningham City Council, 1999, p.1).

The Waste Management Strategy has been fully operational since March 1999. At the time of implementation, Council’s target was to achieve a 50% reduction of waste going to landfill by 2000 (or 17,200 tonnes per annum based on 1991 tonnages per annum). In the first three months of operation, a reduction of 44% in waste going to landfill was achieved. The City of Manningham aims to continue this trend by reducing the waste going to landfill by a further 240 tonnes per month (Manningham City Council, 2000). Council recognises the importance of education in achieving this aim and has thus stressed to residents the important contribution that every household can make to achieve the goal of zero waste.

Potential Future Indicators

Number of councils with waste management strategies. Waste reduction targets set by councils. Waste to landfill by weight and volume. Recycling by weight, volume and type of material.

Further Information Ecorecycle http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au Manningham City Council (1999). Waste Management Services – Marketing and Education Strategy. Manningham City Council (2000). Manningham Matters, February 2000 Newsletter.

22 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 6 ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Introduction

Per capita, Victoria is one of the worst greenhouse gas producers in the world, producing some 71 million tonnes of greenhouse gases and spending some $8.5 billion on energy annually (Sustainable Energy Authority, 2000).

The Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) has been established by the Victorian Government to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and support and facilitate the development and use of sustainable energy options to achieve environmental and economic benefits for the Victorian community (Sustainable Energy Authority, 2000).

Most of Victoria’s electricity is currently generated from brown coal-fired power stations. These power stations are major sources of greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming. Green Power is electricity generated from clean, renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro power. The cost of Green Power varies between suppliers, but is usually equivalent to between $3 and $4 extra per week for the average home.

The retailers listed in the table below sell electricity to almost two million Victorian customers, of which 0.01% currently purchase Green Power.

INDICATOR: Current use of Green Power in Victoria and Australia.

Proportion of total Victorian1 customer base using Green Power, 2000. Retailer Total domestic Green % domestic customer base Power customers AGL 483 0.21 CitiPower 141 0.06 PowerCor 15,208 2.82 United Energy 1,891 0.36

TXU2 45 0.01 State Total 17,768 0.01

1 Data for metropolitan Melbourne were not available.

2 Formerly Eastern Energy.

Data provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority.

To illustrate the use of Green Power further, the graph below shows the increase in Green Power customers in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia. There has been an increase in the numbers of customers purchasing Green Power since early 1999.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 23 6 ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Total Australian Green Power customers, January 1999 – May 2000.

NSW Vic Qld ACTWA Total Growth

80,000 71,245 67,809 70,000 61,288 64,005 60,407 55,9723 58,691 60,000 50,045 51,373 46,138 47,696 48,004 50,000 41,616 38,435 40,000 29,491 29,501 29,702 30,000 number of customers 20,000 10,000

0 Jul-99 Apr-99 Apr-00 Feb-99 Feb-00 Jan-00 Jun-99 Oct-99 Jan-99 Aug-99 Mar-99 Mar-00 Sep-99 Nov-99 Dec-99 May-99 May-00

Data provided by SEA.

Western Australia joined the Green Power program in July 2000.

The Envirometer Some positive signs with room for improvement.

24 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 6 ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

CASE STUDY Green Power and the City of Moreland. Moreland City Council is committed to working towards environmental sustainability in its own operations, as well as in the wider community. Each year Moreland City Council consumes more than 160 Mwh of energy. A recognition of the environmental impacts associated with traditional energy usage has resulted in a major focus on energy issues in Moreland’s environmental program. Council is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from energy consumption by increasing energy efficiency and using Green Power.

Moreland was the first local council in Australia to purchase a high percentage of electricity supplied from power sources that do not produce greenhouse gases, and was the first Victorian council to run Green Power on all contestable sites. Green Power now supplies power to seven of Council’s largest facilities, accounting for 72% of corporate energy consumption. The Green Power purchased by Council is sourced from wind turbines.

Other energy related initiatives of Council include participation in the Cities for Climate Protection program; incorporation of innovative energy-related initiatives into the redevelopment of its municipal offices; and the integration of energy and greenhouse issues into Council’s Footprints Environmental Education Program for Moreland’s primary and secondary students.

Potential Future Indicators Attitudes towards purchase of Green Power. Photovoltaic system capacity in metropolitan Melbourne. Installation of solar hot water systems.

Further Information Australian Greenhouse Office http://www.greenhouse.gov.au Moreland City Council http://www.moreland.vic.gov.au Sustainable Energy Authority http://www.sea.vic.gov.au

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 25 7 GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS

Introduction Energy use activities contribute approximately half of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Local governments can play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through policy and programs, in areas such as urban development, land- use planning, transport planning, local economic development, and community development and education. Local government is also a large user of energy through its own operations and facilities. To be a credible leader in energy management within their communities, local governments must first ensure that their own energy consumption is as efficient and effective as possible and that their policies recognise and reflect the urgent action required to address greenhouse gas emissions.

Local governments may embark on energy management through developing a formal program with the assistance of an external body such as the AGO, or through developing their own energy management program. Either way, energy management involves establishing an energy management policy, developing an implementation strategy, setting greenhouse gas/energy reduction targets and monitoring and reviewing the outcomes.

In Australia, the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program is being delivered by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in conjunction with the AGO. CCP is an international campaign that assists local governments and their communities to set targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria offers assistance to local governments to develop a tailored energy management strategy for their organisations and training for officers in energy management.

INDICATOR: Number of councils in metropolitan Melbourne that currently have (July, 2000) active energy management programs.

Of the 31 councils in metropolitan Melbourne, eleven have active energy management programs: Boroondara* Darebin* Frankston* Greater Dandenong Manningham Maroondah Melbourne* Monash Moreland Nillumbik Port Phillip*

* these councils have adopted greenhouse gas reduction targets through the CCP program (generally 20% below 1995/96 levels by around 2010) (Data provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority). Several other councils in metropolitan Melbourne are currently formulating energy strategies and policies.

The Envirometer Some positive signs with room for improvement.

26 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 7 GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS

CASE STUDY City of Melbourne and Cities for Climate Protection. The City of Melbourne made a commitment to contribute to global reduction of greenhouse gases when it joined the Cities for Climate Protection program in April 1998. This year (2000) Council has published its Sustainable Energy and Greenhouse Strategy which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributable to Council’s own activities by 30% on 1996 levels by the year 2010 (City of Melbourne, 2000a). The strategy also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the municipality by 20% on 1996 levels by the year 2010.

Street lights and buildings generated approximately 96% of Council’s corporate greenhouse gas emissions in 1996, and these two sectors will be priorities for action planning in the future. Approximately 60% and 31% of community greenhouse gas emissions in 1996 were generated by the commercial and industrial sectors respectively. A priority for Council is to form supportive partnerships with these sectors.

The strategy is being implemented through annual Greenhouse Action Plans, work area business plans, partnerships with business, demonstration projects and joint funding arrangements. Progress on the strategy will be reported annually to ICLEI and the Australian Greenhouse Office under the CCP program. Council has also published a Sustainable Business Directory in partnership with ICLEI (City of Melbourne, 2000b). The directory features 107 Melbourne-based businesses which promote sustainability either through environmentally sensitive products and processes or through the provision of environmental management services.

City of Melbourne Councillor David Risstrom also says that ‘Council’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas output by 30% by 2010 is not only one of our best investments in our City’s future health and wellbeing, it makes real economic sense as well.’

Potential Future Indicators Local government initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that have been adopted by councils in metropolitan Melbourne. Greenhouse gas reductions achieved.

Further Information AGO http://www.greenhouse.gov.au ICLEI http://www.iclei.org/ccp-au/ccp.htm City of Melbourne http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenhouse/index.htm SEA http://www.sea.vic.gov.au

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 27 8 SUSTAINABILITY AND TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE REPORTING

Introduction

The concept of the triple bottom line has been explored in John Elkington’s Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business (Elkington, 1999). However, sentiments underpinning the concept date back to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, where the growing need for corporations to account for their environmental and social performance was publicly expressed. Sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Companies aiming for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial bottom line but against the triple bottom line (Elkington 1999).

To become a sustainable corporation, reporting against the triple bottom line is required as well as an incorporation of economic, environmental and social responsibilities in mission statements, policy, strategy, organisational culture and action. The triple bottom line is finding increasing and widespread international acceptance within the corporate community, and is transforming corporate reporting practices (Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, 2000).

Environmental reporting in Australia is quite well established. A number of large corporations now include environmental indicators in their annual reports. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has run two surveys of local government expenditures and related revenues having an impact on the environment into two accounts, ‘Environmental Protection’ and ‘Natural Resource Management.’ Some highlights from the 1998-99 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000) survey include:

current expenditure on the environment by local governments in Australia is $2.7 billion, or 20% of all current local government expenditure; capital expenditure on the environment is $729 million, or 21% of all capital expenses; activities related specifically to environmental protection accounted for approximately 12% of total council revenue and expenditure; approximately 90% of all environment protection revenue was from rates collection.

Reporting on the social bottom line is not as advanced.

28 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 8 SUSTAINABILITY AND TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE REPORTING

To gauge the use of the triple bottom line concept in local government, the 31 councils in metropolitan Melbourne were surveyed. Nineteen councils completed the survey (61%). While most councils make some reference to environmental and social issues in their corporate plan or annual report and are considering implementing triple bottom line accounting, most do not currently report against triple bottom line performance indicators.

.INDICATOR: Number of metropolitan Melbourne councils that are currently reporting against triple bottom line performance indicators, or are considering doing so, July 2000.

Does your council’s corporate plan or annual report contain... references to environmental or social performance... that you consider fall within the triple bottom line concept?

n = 17 Yes No Considering 65% 12% 24% Is your council considering implementing the triple bottom line? n = 16 Yes No 75.0% 25.0% Does your council have a capability to express expenditure associated with environment/ environmental protection/natural resources use and management as a separate line item(s)? n = 17 Yes No Considering 41% 47% 12% Does your council report against triple bottom line performance indicators? n = 14 Yes Some Considering 21% 21% 57%

Note: percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding

The Envirometer Although most councils are considering implementing the triple bottom line, most do not currently report against triple bottom line performance indicators and most do not have the capability to express environmental expenditures as a separate line item

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 29 8 SUSTAINABILITY AND TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE REPORTING

CASE STUDY Shire of Yarra Ranges. In May 1999, the Shire of Yarra Ranges launched its Vision 2020 – Working in Partnership with our Community. Based on extensive community consultation through a series of workshops, the plan sets a strategic framework that reflects the needs and aspirations of the community. The plan is structured around six key themes, selected by the community:

The Social Fabric of the Shire in 2020; Environmental Stewardship in 2020; The Local Economy in 2020; A Tourism and Cultural Icon; A Living and Learning Community; A Safe Shire in 2020. The Shire prefers to talk about ‘sustainability’ rather than the ‘triple bottom line’ on the basis that the latter term fragments, rather than integrates, the concept of sustainability.

The Shire has moved swiftly to implement Vision 2020, establishing what may be a unique organisational structure designed to deliver sustainability. A new Sustainability Group has been created to provide a focus for enhancing community sustainability. The Group is formally responsible for economic development and tourism, environment, strategic land use planning and social planning. The Group’s Director, Ian Gibson, says that a major on-going task is helping the organisation to learn about and apply the concept of sustainability in all of its operations and functions. One of the Group’s key actions for 2000/1 is to develop a sustainability management framework including:

quality of life performance indicators which measure improvements to social, economic and environmental well-being; integration of sustainability principles into the strategic decision making of the organisation; development of communication strategies to educate both the organisation and the community on sustainability concepts.

Potential Future Indicators Number of councils that have adopted triple bottom line accounting.

Further Information Elkington, J. (1999). Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. 2nd ed. Capstone Publishing. Oxford. Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (1999). Triple Bottom Line Issues Group. http://www.icaa.org.au/triplesplashpage.html [accessed 04/08/2000]. Yarra Ranges Shire Council http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au

30 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 APPENDIX A

Cost of cleaning sanded areas of beaches and inland waterways in metropolitan Melbourne, 1998/99. The table below shows the total cost of cleaning sanded areas of beaches and inland waterways in metropolitan Melbourne during the 1998/99 summer season (1/10/98 - 30/4/99). These figures indicate the commitment made by councils to cleaning Melbourne’s beaches for the health and safety of people visiting beaches, as well as the fauna and flora living there.

Cost of cleaning sanded areas of beaches and inland waterways in metropolitan Melbourne, summer season 1998/99 (1/10/98 – 30/4/99)1

Council Total beach/inland waterway Total length of Total expenditure cleaning expenditure2 ($) foreshore/waterway additional litter traps cleaned (km) per km($) Wyndham 37,805 2.5 15,122 Hobsons Bay 194,339 3.0 64,780 Port Phillip 439,646 9.3 47,274 Bayside 139,275 16.0 8,705 Kingston 205,567 13.0 15,813 Frankston 58,367 8.7 6,709 Mornington Peninsula 245,469 40.0 6,137 Casey 1,505 not known Total 1,132,973 approx. 92.5 approx. 12,248

1 Data provided by Department of Infrastructure. Over the past 10 years, the Department of infrastructure has provided $1 million annually to subsidise the costs incurred by Victorian municipal councils for cleaning sanded areas of beaches and inland waterways. Reimbursement of expenditure incurred over the past two summer seasons was 48 cents and 45 cents in the dollar respectively.

2 These figures do not include the costs associated with capital works or maintenance expenditure, including: cleaning adjacent non-sanded areas; the cost of the provision of receptacles for rubbish or incinerators; maintenance of foreshore buildings, toilet blocks or barbecues or; the cost of replenishing beaches with sand. Works on Crown Land remaining under the control of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment are not included in these figures.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 31 APPENDIX B

Number of stormwater outfalls in metropolitan Melbourne with litter traps (existing and proposed) by bayside municipality, 2000. Local government is responsible for land-use planning in Victoria and therefore has a significant role to play in managing stormwater quality. Local government has direct drainage responsibility for catchments up to 60 ha, and is also responsible for the management of various parts of the urban environment that discharge directly into the stormwater systems (including roads, reserves, parks and car parks). Councils in Melbourne operate an estimated 25,000 km of constructed drains, servicing an urban area of approximately 150,000 hectares (Victorian Stormwater Committee, 1999).

The table below shows the number of stormwater outfalls that are treated for litter by the council in each bayside municipality. These findings are preliminary only and suggest that further work is needed to document council efforts to manage the litter entering Melbourne’s waterways. As councils adopt stormwater management plans, we expect that this information will be more readily available.

It is important to remember that litter traps are only one method of improving water quality. Other methods include community education, water sensitive urban design and amendments to planning schemes.

Number of stormwater outfalls in metropolitan Melbourne with litter traps (and proposed) by bayside municipality, 2000.

Municipality Total number Current number of Proposed number of of stormwater outfalls litter traps additional litter traps Wyndham approx. 6 1 GPT inline separator; not known 1 grate upstream; SEP litter baskets in upper catchments Hobsons Bay 42 4 GPT inline separators; 68 SEP litter baskets approx. 90 SEP litter baskets in street drains Melbourne approx. 140 outfalls into 2 GPT inline separators plans for the provision of the Yarra River upstream of outfalls; additional litter traps are 3 trash racks upstream dependent on Council of outfalls endorsement of strategies in the recently completed Stormwater Management Plan Port Phillip 53 191 SEP litter baskets; 20 SEP litter baskets (2001) 2 GPT inline separators 2 GPT inline separators (2001 Bayside 40 13 GPT inline separators; propose to have a GPT 275 SEP litter baskets inline separator for every stormwater outfall; expect approx. 5 in next year Kingston 66 1 GPT inline separator; 10 SEP litter baskets 25 SEP litter baskets Frankston data not available Mornington Peninsula 105 outfalls into Port 7 inline separators; no proposals for more litter Phillip Bay; 10 outfalls into 2 steel grates; unknown traps, but currently Western Port Bay number of SEP litter baskets considering actions under Stormwater Management Plan Casey information not available – 1 GPT inline separator; have started fitting litter informal drainage into 200 SEP litter baskets; traps close to shopping Western Port Bay from centres; no litter traps are rural areas proposed for informal drainage outfalls from farm areas

GPT = Gross Pollutant Trap; SEP = Side Entry Pit Note: This information does not include litter traps that have been installed by Melbourne Water.

32 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to the following people who provided data and/or commented on drafts of the bulletin:

Open Space – Art Truter (Department of Infrastructure)

Air Quality – Bryan Hellyer (Environment Protection Authority); Dr Graeme Lorimer

Water Quality – Rhys Coleman (Melbourne Water Corporation)

Beach Quality – Bronwyn Burton (Environment Protection Authority); Sharon Bryant (Department of Infrastructure); councils that provided information on litter traps

Waste – Bruce Copland (Environment Protection Authority), Jenny Pickles (Ecorecycle Victoria); Eastern Regional Waste Management Group (Least Waste); South Eastern Regional Waste Management Group; Mornington Peninsula Waste Management Group; Northern Regional Waste Management Group; Western Regional Waste Management Group

Alternative Energy – Iain Buckland (Sustainable Energy Authority)

Triple Bottom Line Reporting – thanks to those councils that completed and returned the survey on triple bottom line reporting

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 33 REFERENCES

Auditor-General of Victoria (2000). Reducing Landfill – Waste management by municipal council. Performance Audit Report No. 65.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (1999). Regional Population Growth, Australia, 1998 – 1999. Catalogue 3218.0.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2000). Environmental Expenditure: Local Government Australia, 1998-99. Catalogue 4611.0

Australian Institute of Urban Studies and City of Melbourne (1998). Environmental Indicators for Inner Metropolitan Melbourne, Bulletin 1.

Australian Institute of Urban Studies and City of Melbourne (1999). Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne, Bulletin 2.

Boroondara City Council (1998). Open Space Policy.

Burke, L. (1999). Review of Melbourne Waste and Recycling Collection.

City of Darebin (2000a). Waterways. http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/environment/water.htm [accessed 28/07/2000].

City of Darebin (2000b). Stormwater Management Plan.

City of Darebin (2000c). Edwardes Lake Management Plan.

City of Melbourne (2000a). Sustainable Energy and Greenhouse Strategy.

City of Melbourne (2000b). Sustainable Business Directory.

Department of Infrastructure (1998). Melbourne in Fact: 1996 Census Statistics in Melbourne’s Local Government Areas. Government of Victoria, Melbourne.

Department of Infrastructure (2000). Victoria in Future: Overview. Government of Victoria, Melbourne.

Ecorecycle (2000). Overview of Waste to Landfill.

http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au/aboutus/statistics.asp [accessed 28/07/2000].

Elkington, J. (1999). Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. 2nd ed. Capstone Publishing, Oxford.

Environment Protection Authority (2000a). Air Quality Improvement Plan Fact Sheet, Air Quality Trends. EPA, Melbourne.

Environment Protection Authority (2000b). Beach Report: A Litter Bit Goes a Long Way. http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/beachreport/bw_about.htm [accessed 22/06/2000].

Environment Protection Authority (2000c). Landfill Levy Data. May 2000.

ICLEI (2000). Cities for Climate Protection. http://www.iclei.org/ccp-au/ccp.htm [accessed 18/05/2000].

Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (1999). Triple Bottom Line Issues Group. http://www.icaa.org.au/triple/triplesplashpage.html [accessed 04/08/2000].

Manningham City Council (1999). Waste Management Services – Marketing and Education Strategy.

Manningham City Council (2000). Manningham Matters, February 2000 Newsletter.

Melbourne Water Corporation (1998). Healthy Waterways, 1998.

Saulwick, I. and Associates (2000). Attitudes of Young People to Conservation and the Environment: A study conducted in Victoria for the Melbourne Water Corporation and the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Sustainable Energy Authority (2000). Sustainable Energy Authority. http://www.sea.vic.gov.au/aboutus/greenhouse.htm [accessed 14/06/2000].

Victorian Stormwater Committee (1999). Urban Stormwater Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

World Bank (1998). World Development Indicators.

34 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 WEBSITES

Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au Australian Greenhouse Office http://www.greenhouse.gov.au Australian Institute of Urban Studies http://home.vicnet.net.au~aius Cities for Climate Protection http://www.iclei.org/ccp-au/ccp.htm Department of Infrastructure http://www.doi.vic.gov.au Department of Natural Resources and Environment http://www.nre.vic.gov.au Ecorecycle http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au Environment Protection Authority http://www.epa.vic.gov.au Environment Victoria http://www.envict.org.au Municipal Association of Victoria http://www.mav.asn.au Melbourne Water http://www.melbwater.com.au Sustainable Energy Authority http://www.sea.vic.gov.au Councils Banyule http://www.banyule.vic.gov.au Bayside http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au Boroondara http://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au Brimbank http://www.brim.vic.gov.au Cardinia http://www.cardinia.vic.gov.au Casey http://www.casey.vic.gov.au Darebin http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au Frankston http://www.frankston.vic.gov.au Glen Eira http://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au Greater Dandenong http://www.greaterdandenong.com Hobsons Bay http://www.hobsons.vic.gov.au Hume http://www.hume.vic.gov.au Kingston http://www.kingston.vic.gov.au Knox http://www.knox.vic.gov.au Manningham http://www.manningham.vic.gov.au Maribyrnong http://www.thehomesite.com.au/plvic/5a14.html Maroondah http://www.maroondah.vic.gov.au Melbourne http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au Melton http://www.melton.vic.gov.au Monash http://www.monash.vic.gov.au Moonee Valley http://www.mooneevalley.vic.gov.au Moreland http://www.moreland.vic.gov.au Mornington Peninsula http://www.morningtonpeninsula.vic.gov.au Nillumbik http://www.nillumbik.vic.gov.au Port Phillip http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au Stonnington http://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au Whitehorse http://www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au Whittlesea http://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au Wyndham http://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au Yarra http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au Yarra Ranges http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 35 METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE PROFILE

Metropolitan Melbourne covers 8,812 square kilometres of land and has an estimated resident population of 3,417,945 people (Department of Infrastructure, 2000; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1999). There are 31 municipalities within the metropolitan Melbourne region. The map and table below show the location, area (square kilometres), estimated resident population and population density in each of Melbourne’s municipalities.

Map of Melbourne Local Government Areas, 1996

Source: Department of Infrastructure, 1998.

36 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 Area, Estimated Resident Population and Population Density in metropolitan Melbourne’s 31 municipalities.

Municipality Area (square kilometres)1 Estimated Resident Population Density Population, June 19992 (population per square kilometre)

Central Melbourne 36 47,509 1,320 Port Phillip 20 80,031 4,002 Yarra 20 68,900 3,445

Inner Boroondara 60 158,402 2,640 Darebin 53 129,597 2,445 Glen Eira 39 123,468 3,166 Maribyrnong 31 60,992 1,967 Moonee Valley 44 112,111 2,548 Moreland 51 137,405 2,694 Stonnington 25 91,181 3,647

Middle Banyule 63 119,462 1,896 Bayside 36 89,498 2,486 Brimbank 123 163,823 1,332 Greater Dandenong 130 131,842 1,014 Hobsons Bay 65 82,569 1,270 Kingston 91 134,301 1,476 Knox 114 143,726 1,261 Manningham 113 113,616 1,005 Maroondah 63 97,473 1,547 Monash 81 162,577 2,007 Whitehorse 64 146,974 2,296

Outer Cardinia 1,281 45,083 35 Casey 407 167,326 411 Frankston 131 112,062 855 Hume 504 129,589 257 Melton 530 46,066 87 Mornington Peninsula 723 124,202 172 Nillumbik 435 59,416 137 Whittlesea 490 113,703 232 Wyndham 542 82,871 153 Yarra Ranges 2,447 141,170 58

1 Source: Department of Infrastructure, 2000.

2 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1999.

Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3 37 38 Environmental Indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne - Bulletin 3