Sustainability Reporting

Measuring Our Progress: Canberra's Journey to Sustainability

The ACT Government is committed to reporting on progress towards sustainability in the ACT, and on 9 July 2004 the Chief Minister launched the first ACT sustainability report.

Entitled Measuring Our Progress: Canberra's Journey To Sustainability, the report provides a practical expression of what sustainability means for the ACT, and a 'snapshot' of our progress. It measures progress against a set of 11 core sustainability dimensions using 29 headline indicators and 50 supplementary indicators that have been derived through extensive research and community consultation. It also includes the first ecological footprint of the ACT, which has been developed independently by the University of Sydney.

The report is designed to stimulate discussion in the community and challenge us to confirm whether we are measuring the right things. It provides an important benchmark against which to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of The Canberra Plan, and its supporting plans, in future years.

Measuring Our Progress: Canberra's Journey To Sustainability is available in three volumes.

Volume One of the report, Our Story, is a summary of the information presented in Volumes Two and Three. It includes key facts about Canberra, which provide a context for interpreting the results. For many readers, Volume One will provide all the necessary information to understand the report.

Download a copy of Volume One: Measuring Our Progress: Canberra's Journey To Sustainability - Our Story here. ( PDF 2.3Mb )

Volume Two of the report, Our Core Dimensions, is a detailed analysis and description of Canberra's progress, measured using indicators of eleven core dimensions of sustainability. It includes detailed information about each indicator.

Download a copy of Volume Two: Measuring Our Progress: Canberra's Journey To Sustainability - Our Core Dimensions here. ( PDF 2.9Mb)

Volume Three of the report, Our Ecological Footprint, is an assessment of Canberra's ecological footprint, which has been undertaken independently by the University of Sydney.

The development of Measuring Our Progress: Canberra's Journey To Sustainability has been the result of extensive research and community consultation.

A thorough review of approaches to sustainability reporting in other jurisdictions was conducted, which led to the Chief Minister releasing, on 25 November 2003, an Issues Paper to promote community discussion and debate. The release of the Issues Paper was preceded by a series of community workshops to assist with the development of the report. Community submissions on the Issues Paper were accepted until 16 January 2004.

Although the period for submissions is now closed, the Issues Paper still provides a good overview of the concept of sustainability and some of the major issues involved in sustainability reporting in the ACT.

Download a copy of Reporting on Progress Towards Sustainability in the ACT here ( PDF 349Kb)