Environmental management

DPS reports annually on elements of environmental performance, in line with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), for the management of resources for which it is responsible.

DPS also reports under the:

• Energy Efficiency in Government Operations Policy, and
• National Environment Protection Measures (Implementation) Act 1998.

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) is defined as ‘development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends’.⁴³

DPS reports annually on ESD throughout this report.

Identification, management and monitoring of environmental impacts

DPS aims to ensure that the vital functions of Parliament House operate effectively, while minimising resource consumption and waste production by:

• monitoring environmental performance
• implementing programs and projects to improve environmental outcomes, and
• developing plans to improve environmental sustainability.

Many activities at Parliament House—including maintenance, engineering, landscaping, ICT, catering and office-based services—have the potential to affect the environment through energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation.

DPS incorporates environmental guidelines and checklists in the procurement of products and services and in the planning and delivery of projects, including consideration of:

• whole-of-life principles
• sustainable procurement principles
• reuse and recycling of materials, and
• energy, water and waste minimisation.

Communication and promotion

DPS provides information on its environmental performance and promotes sustainability initiatives. This includes encouraging participation in annual environmental events such as National Recycling Week and World Environment Day.

Environmental performance

Water consumption

Figure 25: Annual water consumption 2009–10 to 2018–19

Total water consumption for 2018–19 was 241,826KL, representing an increase of 21 per cent on the 199,797KL consumed the previous year. Landscape water consumption increased from 106,542KL in 2017–18 to 120,626KL in 2018–19, representing an increase of 13 per cent. Building water consumption in 2018–19 was 121,200KL, an increase of 30 per cent on the 93,255KL consumed the previous year. Annual water consumption for Parliament House is shown in Figure 25.

In 2018–19, landscape water consumption increased due to additional irrigation requirements associated with re-turfing lawn in areas affected by the building perimeter security works. In addition, summer 2019 was the warmest on record in the ACT requiring additional landscape irrigation—although rainfall was deemed average during the summer, water was predominately delivered by thunderstorms which are not favorable for irrigation.

In 2018–19, building water consumption increased due to major upgrade works of the building’s ‘Condenser Water System’ and external ‘Cooling Tower’ which required the large water tanks for the cooling tower and main water pipes between the cooling tower and the building’s central energy equipment to be fully drained, flushed and refilled.

Water saving initiatives

Kitchens upgrade project

In 2019, the Parliament House kitchens are being updated in two stages to incorporate more energy and water efficient equipment—new large commercial dishwashers will use 40 per cent less water and 55 per cent less energy. The construction phase for stage one and design phase for stage two is scheduled for completion in November 2019. The construction phase for stage two will commence in December 2019 with an estimated completion in August 2020.

Air-conditioning upgrade project

In 2018–19, DPS progressed with the design phase for the upgrade of the building’s main air-conditioning systems. The upgrade will include the replacement of the existing water humidification system for the building to increase water efficiency, reduce chemical usage, and improve building comfort conditions. The design phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2020.

Energy consumption

In 2018–19, total energy consumed at Parliament House, DPS tenancies, and by DPS vehicles was 143,571GJ, representing an increase of 1.6 per cent from the previous year. Parliament House electricity consumption decreased by 2.4 per cent, natural gas consumption increased by 8.4 per cent, diesel fuel energy (non-transport) increased by 11 per cent, and energy for DPS vehicles (passenger and other transport) increased by 15 per cent compared with 2017–18.

Table 58 shows energy consumption by Parliament House, DPS tenancies and by DPS vehicles. Parliament House building energy use comprises:

• natural gas for heating, general hot water and in kitchens
• electricity to power office lighting, mechanical services, lifts, cooling and ICT equipment, and
• a small amount of diesel mainly used for testing the emergency backup generators.

Table 58: Energy consumed at Parliament House, DPS tenancies and by DPS vehicles

Indicator	Energy consumption (GJ)
	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19
Parliament House building44	144,807	140,380	142,451
Minter Ellison building45	614	603	679
Transport–passenger vehicles	69	51	45
Other transport46	363	33347	396
Total energy consumption	145,853	141,36748	143,571

Figure 26 shows total Parliament House electricity and gas consumption has remained reasonably consistent over the past 10 years. In 2018–19, Parliament House’s combined electricity and gas consumption was 141,918GJ—an increase of 1.2 per cent compared to the average energy consumption of 140,178GJ over the previous three years.

In 2018–19, electricity consumption was the lowest on record since the building opened in 1988. Lower electricity use was achieved following refurbishment and upgrade of the building’s five external cooling towers, main condenser water system and associated equipment. The project included installation of more energy efficient fans, pumps and motors to improve the overall efficiency of the building’s cooling systems.

In 2018–19, gas consumption was higher than average due to the building's ageing heating equipment. Additional heating required to maintain temperature while entrances were under construction during cooler months was also a contributing factor. In 2019, DPS completed the upgrade of six large boilers used to heat the building, which together with further optimisation of temperature settings in 2019, is expected to lower gas consumption considerably over the coming years.

Figure 26: Parliament House annual electricity and gas consumption from 2009–10 to 2018–19

Transport energy use

In 2018–19, there was a 15 per cent increase in energy use associated with all DPS transport vehicles, compared with 2017–18.⁴⁹ This increase was largely due to additional work required to reinstate landscaping following external security upgrades. Other transport energy consists of fuel used in onsite maintenance and loading dock vehicles, many of which operate on electric power to reduce emissions.

Energy saving initiatives

Projects and energy saving initiatives progressed in 2018–19 include:

• upgrade of lifts—this project is upgrading all 42 lifts in the building. New mechanical components use 30 per cent less energy. In 2018–19, 16 lifts were upgraded and a total of 20 lifts are now completed. Of the remaining 22 lifts, the next 18 are scheduled for completion in 2019–20 and the final four lifts will be completed in 2020–21.
• upgrade of the heating and cooling air systems—this project includes the upgrade of the building’s 37 major air-handling units, 16 smaller constant volume units, and 63 individual fan coil units used to distribute air and control comfort conditions in the building. The project is currently in the design phase which is expected to be completed in 2020. New design features to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions include:
  • more energy efficient fans, pumps, and motors
  • variable speed drives to improve equipment efficiency
  • upgrade of dampers to optimise air flows
  • upgrade of the humidification systems
  • enhanced metering capability
  • improved control systems to operate equipment more efficiently, and
  • new refrigerants which are more environmentally friendly.
• upgrade of the ventilation systems—this project includes the upgrade of exhaust fans for carparks, toilets, loading dock, lift motor rooms, uninterruptable power supply rooms, battery rooms, and transformer rooms. New improvements to reduce energy consumption include:
  • high efficiency fans and motors and optimisation of airflows
  • installation of variable speed drives for energy efficient fan control, and
  • improved temperature monitoring for safe and efficient equipment operation.

Recycling and waste management

Parliament House waste is generated from a diverse range of activities inside and outside the building. Quantities and types of waste fluctuate throughout the year, depending on building occupancy, sitting patterns, construction projects, office refurbishments, and election cycles.

DPS recycles paper, cardboard, printer cartridges, lamps, used oil, grease, batteries, landscape material, metal, organic food waste and co-mingled waste.

In 2018–19, the total amount of general waste (excluding construction waste) sent to landfill was 382 tonnes. This was a decrease of five per cent compared with the 404 tonnes sent in 2017–18. Factors contributing to the decrease in landfill waste included lower building occupancy levels due to the federal election in 2019 and increased recycling rates. Table 59 shows waste quantities and recycling rates.⁵⁰

Table 59: Ongoing, non-ongoing, sessional and casual employees at 30 June 2019

Total
	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19
Landfill waste	412	404	382
Reused, recycled, and composted waste	589	569	615
Total waste generated	1001	973	997
Recycling rates	59%	58%	62%

In 2018–19, a total of 170 tonnes of paper and cardboard was recycled—an increase of three per cent compared with the 165 tonnes in 2017–18. The amount of paper and cardboard recycled varies annually, depending on parliamentary business and other building activity. The printer settings on all DPS fleet printers are set to double-sided printing and greyscale on all print jobs, to reduce paper consumption and printing costs.

Figure 27 shows annual waste disposed to landfill (excluding landscape waste) and paper recycled.

Figure 27: Annual waste disposed to landfill (excluding landscape waste) and paper recycled

In 2018–19, other quantities of waste reused and recycled included; 140 tonnes of landscape waste, 92 tonnes of scrap metal, 82 tonnes of kitchen grease, 64⁵¹ tonnes of food organics, 34 tonnes of co-mingled recycling, and 31 tonnes of e-waste. DPS strives to increase recycling rates and improve reporting by working closely with waste service providers to accurately quantify all waste types from Parliament House.

Figure 28 shows a breakdown of the main waste types recycled at Parliament House in 2018–19 compared to waste sent to landfill.

Construction waste is managed under project contracts and, where possible and appropriate, construction materials are reused, recycled or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. In 2018–19, approximately 35 tonnes of steel lift parts and equipment were sent for reuse and recycling as part of the Parliament House lift upgrade project.

Figure 28: Breakdown of main waste types (recycling and non-recycling) in 2018–19

Table 60: Breakdown of main waste types in 2018–19 (tonnes)

Waste type
Non-recycling
Waste sent to landfill	382
Recycling
Paper and cardboard	170
Landscape waste	140
Co-mingled recycling	34
Food organics52	64
Kitchen grease	82
Scrap metal	92
E-waste	31
Other recyclables (printer cartridges, lamps etc.)	2
Total waste generated	997

Landscape waste

The preferred method for disposing of green landscape waste at Parliament House is to chip the material on-site and re-use it in the gardens. When waste generated in the landscape cannot be chipped on-site the material is taken off-site to be recycled or sent to landfill. During 2018–19, 140 tonnes of landscape waste was sent for recycling and 44 tonnes of non-recyclable material was sent to landfill. Figure 29 shows annual trends in landscape waste and recycling rates.

Figure 29: Annual quantity of landscape waste (tonnes)

Co–mingled and organic waste recycling

Co-mingled waste includes metal cans, glass bottles, milk cartons and plastic, collected in a common bin. During 2018–19, a total of 34 tonnes of co-mingled waste was collected and recycled, a 10 per cent decrease compared to the amount collected and recycled in 2017–18. The decrease in co-mingled recycling is likely due to a reduction in building occupancy levels during the 2019 federal election.

DPS donates surplus meals to charity via our partnership with the food rescue service charity OzHarvest and also collects food scraps from catering operations for recycling at a local worm farm and composting facility. These initiatives reduce the burden on ACT landfill sites while reducing emissions (methane) caused by the breakdown of food waste.

During 2018–19, a total of 3,438 meals (1,146 kilograms) were donated to charity and an additional 64 tonnes of organic food waste was sent to the worm farm for composting. As part of a kitchen refurbishment project currently underway, DPS will install a food waste digester onsite to process food scraps from catering operations— this initiative will reduce operating costs and limit transport emissions associated with composting food waste offsite. Figure 30 illustrates annual co-mingled and organic recycling rates.

Figure 30: Parliament House annual co-mingled and organic waste recycled (tonnes)

Emissions and effluents

Greenhouse gas emissions

During 2018–19, a total of 26,092 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) was generated from Parliament House operations and DPS tenancies,⁵³ representing a four per cent decrease from 2017–18. The reduction in emissions is due to lower electricity consumption over this reporting period compared to last.

In 2018–19, DPS reduced CO₂ emissions by 53 tonnes from renewable electricity generated by rooftop solar panels at Parliament House. Table 61 shows the breakdown of emissions within various categories.

Table 61: Annual greenhouse gas emissions—direct and indirect, including passenger and operational vehicle fleets (tonnes CO₂e)

Emission category	Comment	2016–17	2017–18	2018–19
Scope 1	Emissions at the source of the activity (for example, emitted from gas and fuels used at Parliament House and by vehicles)	2,702	2,635	2,862
Scope 2	Emissions generated elsewhere (for example, by the power plants that produce the electricity used at Parliament House and DPS tenancies)	21,835	20,810	20,084
Scope 3	Indirect emissions, meaning emissions generated during the delivery of electricity, gas and fuel to Parliament House, over which DPS has little control	3,776	3,652	3,146
Scopes 1 and 2 total	DPS has direct responsibility for these emissions	24,537	23,445	22,946
Total net emissions (Scopes 1, 2 and 3)	Direct and indirect emissions including offsets	28,313	27,097	26,092

Figure 31: Parliament House greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and gas usage, and carbon savings from renewable sources (tonnes CO₂e)

Carbon savings include accredited green power purchased under the whole-of-Australian Government (WoAG) electricity contract and a small amount of solar power generated from Parliament House rooftop solar panels. From 1 July 2016, accredited green power was not provided under the WoAG contract.

Emission reductions from recycling

In 2018–19, DPS diverted 64 tonnes of organic food waste from landfill to a local recycling facility—equivalent to reducing lifetime landfill CO₂ emissions by 122 tonnes.⁵⁴

Low emissions paint

DPS uses low odour, low VOC paint for all wall painting activities throughout office areas, rooms and corridors in Parliament House. Low VOC paints are those that contain less ‘Volatile Organic Compounds’ or VOC Solvents than traditional coatings and improve indoor air quality. DPS is also trialling low odour, low VOC paint for use on basement plant room floors to further improve indoor air quality in the building. DPS performs regular checks of indoor air quality in Parliament House to ensure high standards are maintained.

Ozone–depleting substances

Parliament House relies on refrigerants that contain Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS). These are used for chillers, air-conditioning units, cool rooms and refrigerators. DPS is reducing the requirement for ozone-depleting gases through timely replacement of older cooling equipment with equipment that uses environmentally safer refrigerants.

Many cool rooms at Parliament House operate on a ‘glycol’ fluid which is an environmentally safer refrigerant. Over the coming years, DPS will upgrade many of the building’s smaller air-conditioning units to ODS-free cooling units.

Air pollutants

The combustion of natural gas at Parliament House for heating, hot water and cooking purposes generates oxides of nitrogen (NOx), oxides of sulphur (SOx) and other air pollutants. DPS reports on these emissions through the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI).

Discharges to water

Sewage from Parliament House is required, under a trade waste agreement, to be equivalent to domestic strength (a domestic equivalent is a concentration or level the same as would be found in household waste water). To ensure these requirements are met, the following facilities are in place:

• a grease trap on each kitchen drain
• a coalescing plate filter on the vehicle wash-down bay (to prevent oil from entering the sewer), and
• a system to remove paint solids from paint brush washing facilities before waste enters the sewer.

Significant spills of chemicals, oils and fuels

In 2018–19, there were no significant spills of chemicals, oils or fuels from Parliament House.