Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Land
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Biodiversity
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Invasive species
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Wildlife trade
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Our science strategy
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    A day in the life

    A day in the life...

    Our video series showcases the diverse and important work we do.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Science and research
  3. State of the Environment (SoE) reporting

Sidebar first - EN - Science

  • Science and research
    • Climate change
      • Adapting to climate change
        • National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy
          • Adaptation across domains
        • Adapting Australia's unique environment to climate change
        • Publications and resources
      • Climate science
        • Understanding climate change
        • Future climate change
      • Emissions reduction
      • Environment and climate change
      • Oceans and climate change
        • Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems
          • Blue Carbon Conservation, Restoration and Accounting Program
            • Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants
            • Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund
          • International Partnership for Blue Carbon
      • Agriculture and climate change
      • Nature-based solutions for climate
        • Financing Solutions for Nature
      • Climate services and tools
      • International adaptation
    • Australia's biological resources
      • Access to biological resources in Commonwealth areas
      • Access to biological resources in States and Territories
        • New South Wales
        • Victoria
        • Queensland
        • South Australia
        • Western Australia
        • Tasmania
        • Northern Territory
        • Australian Capital Territory
        • External Territories
      • Permits
        • Permits for commercial or potentially commercial purposes
        • Permits for non-commercial purposes
        • List of permits issued
        • Invitation to join the consultation register
      • The Nagoya Protocol - Convention on Biological Diversity
        • National Competent Authorities
      • Publications
      • Access to biological resources - related websites
    • Australian Biological Resources Study
      • ABRS priorities
      • Bush Blitz  
      • Databases and online resources
      • Funding and research
        • Churchill Fellowships
      • Grants
        • ABRS Grants awarded
        • Priority Areas for Research Grants
        • Student Travel Grants
        • Substantial Supplement Partners
      • ABRS Publications
        • ABRS identification series
        • Algae of Australia
        • Australian Flora and Fauna Series
        • Fauna of Australia
        • Flora of Australia
        • Flora of Australia Supplementary Series
        • Fungi of Australia
        • Species Plantarum Flora of the World
        • Zoological Catalogue of Australia
    • Bird and bat banding
      • About banding
        • Band design
        • Banding studies
        • Different marks
      • Banding data
        • Search the ABBBS database
      • Get involved
        • Guidelines for first time applicants
        • Report band sightings
          • Report band sightings form
      • Forms & publications
    • National Environmental Science Program
      • Phase 1
        • Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub
        • Marine Biodiversity Hub
        • Threatened Species Recovery Hub
        • Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub
        • Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub
        • Tropical Water Quality Hub
      • Phase 2
        • Resilient Landscapes Hub
        • Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub
        • Marine and Coastal Hub
        • Climate Systems Hub
      • NESP News
    • Our science strategy
      • Science Convenor
      • Science Council
    • State of the Environment (SOE) reporting
    • Supervising Scientist
      • About the Supervising Scientist Branch
        • Staff profiles
      • Ranger Mine
        • Closure and rehabilitation
        • Monitoring
          • Early detection monitoring
          • Assessment of long-term ecosystem level responses
        • Environmental research
        • Supervision and assessment
      • Other uranium mines
      • Keeping the community informed
        • Committees
        • Consultation with indigenous communities
      • SS publications
        • Internal Reports
        • Key Knowledge Needs

State of the Environment (SoE) reporting

Leading the way in preparing the national 2021 State of the Environment Report is Dr Terri Janke, a Wuthathi/Meriam woman and an international authority on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. Terri has a pivotal role working with fellow co-chief authors, Professor Emma Johnston and Dr Ian Cresswell, to strengthen the link between traditional and western science. This marks the first time the report will be led by female co-chief authors, as well as the first time an Indigenous co-chief author has been appointed. Emma and Ian are two of Australia’s most distinguished environmental scientists who served as lead authors during SoE 2016.

The SoE Taskforce works together with a team of independent authors from across Australia on twelve environmental themes: Air quality, Antarctica, Biodiversity, Climate, Coasts, Extreme events, Heritage, Indigenous knowledge, Inland water, Land, Marine and Urban environments.

Indigenous and female voices are strongly represented across the report bringing a wholistic perspective of Indigenous knowledge and western science systems. Indigenous authors meet regularly and have developed Indigenous Co-Authorship Collaboration Guidelines, Strategy and an Indigenous Glossary to support the drafting, reporting and consultative process. This will ensure Indigenous views, values and knowledge are used to inform decision making for better environmental outcomes in caring for country.

The department recently hosted a live webinar to introduce a few of the SoE Indigenous co-authors who shared their vision for the 2021 report. The full webcast, including a Q&A session open to participants, is now available if you’d like to hear what the authors had to say.

What is State of Environment reporting?

Every 5 years the Australian Government conducts a comprehensive review of the state of the Australian environment.

National SoE reports provide information about environmental and heritage conditions, trends and pressures. They cover the Australian continent, surrounding seas and Australia's external territories.

The purpose of the State of the Environment Report is to:

  • provide a strategic view to shape policy and action
  • engage with users to influence behaviour
  • assist with assessing our interventions as stewards for the Australian environment using the principles of collaborative partnerships to combine science, traditional and local knowledge.

SoE 2021

The next SoE report is due to be released in early 2022.

This is the first time the report will have co-chief authors, bringing both Indigenous and female representation into the leadership profile. Further improvements see a team of Indigenous co-authors contributing to all twelve themes: Air quality, Antarctica, Biodiversity, Climate, Coasts, Extreme events, Heritage, Indigenous, Inland water, Land, Marine and Urban, integrating Indigenous knowledge and western science systems. This will ensure Indigenous views, values and knowledge are used to inform decision making for better environmental outcomes in caring for country.

Our focus for improvement in 2021

Our focus for improvement in 2021

Text version of Our focus for improvement in 2021

Clearly define the State of the Environment’s purpose and target our audience.

  • Target audience groups to those with most influence on environmental outcomes – and create products to suit.
  • Clarify purpose to get maximum impact. Our major risk is a lack of use to inform decision making and policy.
  • Create multiple products for targeted audiences.

Ensure concordance with states and territories.

  • Work with states and territories to streamline our indicators.
  • Ensure and outcome focus for our measurement of change.
  • Use international reporting frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Socialise narrative of environmental-economic accounts as they become available.

Partner with key players to improve fitness for purpose.

  • Greatly improved Indigenous inclusion and engagement through co-authorship.
  • Ensure user-centred design, implementing 2018 user research and partnering with key users.
  • Link better to National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy data facilities such as the Atlas of Living Australia.
  • Include input, case studies and data from key stakeholders such as proponents and non-government organisations.

This will give us:

  • Better linking of national and sub-national reporting
  • Increased trust of data and information
  • Usable information for our key stakeholders
  • Aspirational - ability to drill down from national view
  • Improved access to our Indigenous knowledge
  • Access to innovative ideas around data
  • Better alignment with our international reporting
  • Streamlined report

Visit the State of the Environment 2021 Have Your Say web page to see a snapshot of key comments on each of the twelve scoping papers and data on the responses we received.

Collaborative partnerships and SoE principles and purpose

Collaborative partnerships and SoE principles and purpose

Text version of Collaborative partnerships and SoE principles and purpose

Through collaborative partnerships with non-government organisations, peak bodies, industry, private business and indigenous groups we will combine science, traditional and local knowledge in a process of co-creation.

The purpose of the State of the Environment Report is to:

  • provide a strategic view to shape policy and action
  • engage with users to influence behaviour
  • assist with assessing our interventions as stewards for the Australian environment

SoE website

The 2016 SoE was the first digital product providing greater flexibility for decision-makers, researchers and the public to explore and discover SoE information. We will build on the digital platform for the 2021 SoE, making it even easier to find information and underlying data, and deliver targeted products for different users.

State/territory reporting

Some states and territories produce SoE reports. We are working with the states and territories to improve our linking of outcome-based indicators to make it easier to see what is going on across the nation and at regional levels.

Some regional-scale reporting also occurs in many areas throughout Australia.

Visit state and territory government websites to find out about their reporting processes:

  • Australian Capital Territory
  • New South Wales
  • Queensland
  • South Australia
  • Tasmania
  • Victoria
  • Western Australia
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 12 October 2021

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.