Climate action in government operations

The Australian Public Service is working towards achieving the APS Net Zero 2030 Target, guided by the Net Zero in Government Operations Strategy.

Net Zero involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions by improving energy efficiency, adopting renewable energy, and implementing other reduction strategies.

Progress towards achieving the 2030 target will be calculated at the aggregate level of all included entities, with annual reporting supporting scrutiny of individual entity performance.

Work has focused on government priorities set out in the Net Zero Government Operations Strategy. This includes:

• developing and publishing the Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy
• starting the work to establish whole-of-Australian-Government electricity procurement arrangements
• meeting the target of 75% of new passenger vehicle orders to be low or zero emission vehicles.

COMCAR’s electric vehicle fleet and charging facility located in Melbourne.
Image: Finance (COMCAR)

The Climate Action in Government Operations Emissions Reporting Framework was released in June 2025. It defines the methodology to be used when producing annual greenhouse gas emission inventories, so that data and calculations suit the context of Australian Government operations.

By November 2024, departments of state, and some entities that voluntarily opted-in, had published their first climate disclosures as part of the Commonwealth Climate Disclosure initiative. These disclosures largely focused on governance structures for, and progress on, climate risk management, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and commitment to the emissions reduction target.

To drive further change, tailored initiatives were delivered in 2024ꟷ25 focusing on collaboration and capability uplift. These include establishing the Chief Sustainability Officer Network across the APS, publishing 4 climate action courses on APSLearn – Foundations of Net Zero in Government Operations, Net Zero Buildings, Commonwealth Climate Disclosure, and Net Zero Energy.

Find out more

Department of Finance (2025) APS Net Zero Emissions by 2030, Finance website, accessed 25 July 2025.

Australian Government (2025) Climate Action in Government Operations Program , APS Academy website, accessed 25 July 2025.