Emissions Reduction Plan update 2025–26

Acknowledgement of Country

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing spiritual, social and cultural relationship with the land, waters, skies and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and to their community leaders, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Declaration of targets and Accountable Authority sign off

The Australian Government released the Net Zero in Government Operations (NZGO) Strategy in November 2023, setting out the overall approach and action required by Commonwealth entities to achieve the APS Net Zero 2030 Target (2030 Target). The NZGO Strategy represents a commitment by the Australian Government to lead by example on emissions reduction and contribute to the decarbonisation of Australia’s economy.

PM&C is committed to the 2030 Target in full, as per the NZGO Strategy .

The 2030 Target is the target set by the government to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from government operations by the year 2030. It includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from activities in Australia and its territories, as described in the NZGO Strategy. It applies at the aggregate level to non-corporate Commonwealth entities and those Commonwealth entities and companies who opt-in and generally covers the entirety of the entity’s organisation. From an organisational perspective, this means minimising the greenhouse gas emissions that are within our control. PM&C is committed to the achievement of the government’s 2030 Target.

This Emissions Reduction Plan describes the priorities and actions PM&C is taking to reduce our operational emissions and contribute to the 2030 Target.

Cameron Gifford

A/g Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

22 October 2026

Purpose

PM&C is implementing emissions reduction initiatives consistent with the Australian Government's NZGO Strategy.

The purpose of this Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) update is to outline the priorities and actions PM&C is undertaking to reduce operational emissions and support achievement of the Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy. The ERP update incorporates both existing and new emissions reduction initiatives across the department.

The ERP update has been developed in accordance with the NZGO Strategy, associated guidance, and relevant annual emissions reporting requirements.

Governance and reporting

This Emissions Reduction Plan annual update summarises progress against the actions and targets set out in the Emissions Reduction Plan for PM&C. We maintained open communication channels with the Department of Finance to validate emissions data and action statuses as part of our processes for the Annual Report.

PM&C recorded progress using our emissions data and other indicators relevant to our operations as defined in the ERP, including total Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (tCO2-e) and the percentage change from our baseline year. Although Scope 3 emissions are not required under the APS Net Zero 2030 Target, PM&C voluntarily monitors travel expenditure.

PM&C has appointed the First Assistant Secretary, Corporate Division / Chief Operating Officer as the Chief Sustainability Officer whose role is to:

• champion the Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy and related initiatives that support climate action in government operations
• represent PM&C in the Chief Sustainability Officer network

PM&C operational context

As at 30 June 2026, PM&C employed 1,382 staff, with the majority located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). PM&C's operations are predominantly office-based and delivered from leased accommodation at 1 National Circuit, Canberra.

PM&C's operational emissions are primarily associated with electricity consumed in office facilities. As a tenant in commercial buildings, the department's ability to directly influence some building infrastructure and energy procurement decisions is dependent on leasing arrangements and engagement with building owners and managers.

PM&C maintains a small vehicle fleet to support the delivery of services across departmental offices and official residences. The fleet comprises two petrol-powered commercial vans and five passenger vehicles, including one hybrid vehicle and four low-emissions vehicles.

Staff travel is undertaken where required to support the delivery of government business and engagement activities, including travel between jurisdictions and to regional locations. PM&C seeks to minimise travel-related emissions by using videoconferencing and other virtual collaboration tools where appropriate. Travel is undertaken through the whole-of-government Travel Arrangements, which cover flights, accommodation and vehicle hire services.

PM&C has continued to implement measures to reduce operational emissions, including improving the efficiency of its vehicle fleet, promoting virtual collaboration technologies, and supporting initiatives aligned with the Australian Government's Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy.

Engagement

In developing this Emissions Reduction Plan, PM&C collaborated with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including:

• Department of Finance and the Climate Action in Government Operations unit, to ensure alignment with the Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy and Commonwealth Climate Disclosure requirements
• Building owners or their nominated representatives to explore opportunities to lower base building emissions
• PM&C’s outsourced Property Service Provider (PSP), which delivers whole-of-Australian-Government PSP arrangements

The following divisions and branches within PM&C were involved in developing the Emissions Reduction Plan:

• Corporate Division
• Digital, Security & Workplace Operations Division

Emissions inventory

Baseline emissions

Baseline emissions are a record of greenhouse gases that were produced prior to the introduction of strategies to reduce emissions. The baseline emissions from financial year 2022-23 are the reference point against which emissions reductions actions can be measured (see Table 1). The baseline emissions for this plan focus on scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, consistent with the APS Net Zero 2030 target. Electricity-related emissions were calculated using the location-based and market-based methods. The complete 2022-23 greenhouse gas emissions inventory tables are presented in our 2022‑23 Annual Report.

Table 1. PM&C Baseline emissions

PM&C’s baseline emissions were established using data from the 2022–23 financial year and remain the reference point for measuring progress against emissions reduction actions.

While combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions increased in 2025–26 compared with 2024–25, they remained substantially lower than the baseline year. As a result, PM&C continued to record an overall reduction in emissions relative to the baseline year.

Reductions recorded in fleet and other vehicle emissions are driven by the continued transition to low and zero emissions vehicles.

The percentage change since baseline for each emissions source is presented in Table 2.

Emissions sources will continue to be monitored, with further opportunities to reduce emissions to be considered in future reporting periods.

Table 2. PM&C market-based method emissions: 2022–23, 2024–25 and 2025–26

*This figure was incorrectly reported as 42.45 in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Annual Report 2025–26, table 3.9: 2025–26 electricity greenhouse gas emissions.

Net Zero targets

The APS Net Zero 2030 Target (2030 Target) (details within the Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy). The metric used to set the 2030 Target is t CO2-e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent).

The 2030 Target is defined in the NZGO Strategy as:

A target set by the Australian Government to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from government operations by the year 2030.

The objective of the 2030 Target is to reduce emissions to mitigate further impacts of climate change. It applies to all non-corporate Commonwealth entities, and any corporate Commonwealth entities or Commonwealth companies that opt-in. The organisational boundary is the whole entity, unless an exemption has been agreed for security or other reasons.

The timeframe for achieving the net greenhouse gas emissions target is from 16 June 2022 to 30 June 2030. The initial baseline as per the NZGO Strategy is the 2022-23 financial year. The initial baseline may change as additional emissions sources are included in the future.

Our specific interim targets are detailed within this Emissions Reduction Plan. The 2030 Target is an absolute target. The 2030 Target forms part of Australia’s international climate commitments, including Australia’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement.

The 2030 Target methodology has not been reviewed by a third party.

The Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy noted that a 2026-27 mid-term review would be undertaken to consider overall progress to date, domestic expectations and any recommended changes to policy or strategy. If the outcomes of this review impact the 2030 Target, changes would be reflected in our entity’s future disclosures.

Interim metrics used to monitor performance are detailed within this ERP and our annual climate disclosure.

Progress against the aggregated 2030 Target for the Australian Public Service, including metrics, is detailed within the Climate Action in Government Operations Annual Progress Report prepared by the Department of Finance.

During the reporting period there were no changes to the 2030 Target.

The following greenhouse gas emissions are included in the APS Net Zero Emissions Reporting Framework and 2030 Target: carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); nitrous oxide (N2O); hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); perfluorocarbons (PFCs); sulphur hexafluoride (SF6); and nitrogen trifluoride (N3).

The 2030 Target includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and is a net greenhouse gas emissions target.

It was not derived using a sectoral decarbonisation approach.

As part of our commitment to the 2030 Target, we also commit to the relevant targets in the NZGO Strategy.

This includes:

• developing an ERP and
• publishing our annual progress towards the 2030 Target, as measured by percentage of overall emissions reduction each year, in the annual updates to the ERP.
• Additional interim targets are detailed within this ERP and subsequent ERPs.

The published locations of our previous ERPs are also included in this ERP. Priorities and actions

Interim targets

While PM&C has not set separate interim targets for achieving net zero by 2030, the department remains committed to the APS Net Zero 2030 Target and will continue to implement actions that reduce operational emissions over time.

Delivered initiatives in 2025–26

PM&C has delivered on a number of initiatives toward APS Net Zero 2030, including:

• reduced office space and therefore reduced emissions, the lease for level 1, 10 National Circuit has been vacated and the department has decommissioned the tenancy.
• a non-LEV passenger vehicle was handed back at the end of lease in May 2026.
• recycling of empty toner cartridges
• all new printers, laptops, desktops and peripherals have energy-saving settings applied
• progress has been made in moving core user workloads from on-premises to the cloud
• Further targeted actions on existing emissions reduction measures and the consideration of further new measures are being undertaken. These actions are summarised in Table 3 below.

Table 3. Progress against emissions reduction activities

1. NMI stands for National Metering Identifier. It is a unique 10- or 11-digit number assigned to every electricity connection point on the national grid.Return to footnote 1 ↩