Part 2: Achievements and challenges–performance insights
- Building the evidence base
- Partnerships
- Volunteering
- Indigenous communities
- Stronger Families and Communities Strategy
- More help for families
- Helping prevent homelessness
- Giving children the best possible start in life
- The new Child Care Support Program
- Helping parents support their children—the Child Support Agency
- Work and family
- Encouraging participation
- Reforms to support people with disabilities
- FaCS–Centrelink Business Alliance
- People are a priority in FaCS
- FaCS triple bottom line reporting
FaCS triple bottom line reporting
Key point
- In 2003 FaCS became the first Australian Government department to publish a triple bottom line report.
FaCS released its first triple bottom line (TBL) report in October 2003, making FaCS the first Australian Government department to publish a TBL report. In its role as secretariat to the Prime Minister's Community Business Partnership, FaCS is one of a number of organisations working to develop a national TBL reporting framework for Australian business. In that context, it makes good sense for FaCS to set an example and lead the way in the public sector.
Our reporting against a range of social, environmental and economic performance indicators has served FaCS well in a number of ways. FaCS is working to address the gaps in data that emerged during compilation of our first report, data that are needed to ensure more complete and sustainable management of our organisation and our efforts. The report also acknowledges to FaCS staff and the community at large that our operations have social, environmental and economic impacts–not just financial ones–and that these must be analysed and reported on transparently in the spirit of improvement.
FaCS triple bottom line reporting draws from indicators developed by the Department of the Environment and Heritage and underpinned by the 2002 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines.
In October 2003 the Minister for Family and Community Services launched the first FaCS triple bottom line report at the Tuggeranong Enclosed Oval, a public sporting facility that had been severely damaged by the Canberra bushfires of January 2003. The event also promoted other FaCS TBL commitments and initiatives.
The report's launch coincided with that of the FaCS Greenfleet membership drive. In conjunction with Greenfleet and the ACT Department of Urban Services, FaCS senior executives planted 120 trees to replace those lost in the fires. To date more than 100 FaCS staff have joined Greenfleet. FaCS is working with ACT Urban Services to maintain trees through the current drought with a mulching and watering program.
At the same event Howard Bamsey, Chief Executive of the Australian Greenhouse Office, presented FaCS Secretary Mark Sullivan with the FaCS Greenhouse Challenge membership certificate in recognition of the commitment that FaCS has made to better understanding, managing and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Membership of the Challenge requires FaCS to report annually to the Australian Greenhouse Office on our greenhouse gas emissions and the work we are undertaking to reduce these.
This event also showcased the Toyota Prius hybrid car, which uses a combination of electric and petrol motors to reduce fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and noxious gas emissions. In January 2004 FaCS leased a hybrid car for use by the ministerial courier. Since this date the car has travelled 12 539 kilometres and used 671.47 litres of fuel. The car used 29.1 per cent less fuel with the same percentage reduction in greenhouse gas emissions than the car it replaced for the same distance.
FaCS is currently considering increasing the number of hybrid vehicles in its fleet.
