Environment
- Publication no: AP-R752-26
- ISBN: 978-1-923617-23-0
- Published: 10 February 2026
- PDF (free) Download
This report details how Austroads member agencies are managing their sustainability impacts and other key environmental themes. This reporting year focuses on the themes of ‘overarching sustainability’ ‘governance’, ‘biodiversity’ and ‘heritage’.
The information was collected using an online survey, desktop research of publicly available information and interviews with Austroads member agencies. This report builds on the last stocktake from reporting years 2022–2024, which reported on the 7 key themes of ‘overarching sustainability’, ‘greenhouse gas emissions’, ‘climate change resilience’, ‘circular economy’, ‘biodiversity’, ‘human health’ and ‘heritage’.
This update showcases how the policy and strategic landscape is shifting, shaping how agencies advance initiatives across the 7 key themes. It provides a series of case studies to assist in the sharing of knowledge and definition of contemporary practice, to assist member organisations in self-assessment of organisational maturity for each of the themes.
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- Executive Summary
- 1. Introduction
- 1.1 Purpose
- 1.2 Scope
- 1.3 Overview of member organisations
- 1.4 Methodology
- 1.4.1 Online survey
- 1.4.2 Environmental and international scan
- 1.4.3 Group interview sessions
- 1.4.4 Stocktake development
- 1.4.5 Case study development
- 1.5 Emerging developments across reporting themes
- 1.5.1 Year 1 – Overarching sustainability
- 1.5.2 Year 1 – Biodiversity
- 1.5.3 Year 1 – Heritage
- 1.5.4 Year 2 – Greenhouse gas emissions
- 1.5.5 Year 2 – Circular economy
- 1.5.6 Year 2 – Human health
- 1.5.7 Year 3 – Climate change resilience
- 2. Overarching Sustainability
- 2.1 International scan
- 2.2 Australia and New Zealand strategic context
- 2.2.1 Australia
- 2.2.2 New Zealand
- 2.3 Maturity self-assessment
- 2.3.1 Indicators of mature sustainability governance and barriers to better outcomes
- 2.4 Progress overview
- 2.4.1 Key areas of focus
- 2.4.2 Key improvement opportunities identified
- 2.5 Case studies
- 3. Biodiversity
- 3.1 International scan
- 3.2 Australia and New Zealand strategic context
- 3.3 Maturity self-assessment
- 3.3.1 Indicators of organisational maturity and barriers to better outcomes
- 3.4 Progress overview
- 3.4.1 Areas of focus
- 3.4.2 Key improvement opportunities identified
- 3.5 Case studies
- 4. Heritage
- 4.1 International scan
- 4.2 Australia and New Zealand Strategic context
- 4.3 Maturity self-assessment
- 4.3.1 Indicators of organisational maturity and barriers to better outcomes
- 4.4 Progress overview
- 4.4.1 Areas of focus
- 4.4.2 Key improvement opportunities identified
- 4.5 Case studies
- Appendix A Stocktake Tables
- A.1 Overarching sustainability
- A.2 Biodiversity
- A.3 Heritage
- Appendix B Environmental Scan
- B.1 Overarching sustainability
- B.1.1 Sustainability objectives, policy or strategy
- B.1.2 Sustainability public reporting
- B.1.3 Sustainability design guidelines and specifications
- B.1.4 Third-party sustainability certification
- B.2 Biodiversity
- B.2.1 Member organisation biodiversity policy or strategy
- B.2.2 Ecological impact assessment
- B.2.3 Construction phase biodiversity guidelines
- B.2.4 Landscaping requirements and/or guidelines
- B.2.5 Mitigation measure guidance
- B.2.6 Biodiversity offset guidance
- B.3 Heritage
- B.3.1 Member organisation heritage policy
- B.3.2 Internal education and training on heritage
- B.3.3 Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori heritage management guidelines
- B.3.4 Non-First Nations/historic heritage management guidelines
- B.3.5 Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori engagement strategy or initiative
- B.3.6 Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori heritage design guidelines or framework
- B.3.7 Non-First Nations/historic heritage design guidelines or framework
- B.3.8 Transport specific non-First Nations/historic heritage records
- B.3.9 Organisational reconciliation
- B.1 Overarching sustainability
- Appendix C Engagement Outcomes
- C.1 Survey participants
- C.2 Group interviews
Austroads has released the Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake 2025–2027: Year 1, continuing and building on earlier work to provide deeper insight into how transport agencies across Australia and New Zealand are embedding sustainability practices across their operations and strategic frameworks.