ABSTRACT
In Australia, the main national green planning process is the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (NSESD) implemented by the Commonwealth government’s Environment Strategies Directorate. The NSESD was initiated in 1990 by the Commonwealth Cabinet, and the strategy was drafted and endorsed in 1992 (CoA, 1992a); it is an ongoing process. An intergovernmental committee on ESD, comprising Commonwealth, state and local agencies, meets approximately quarterly to work through key sustainability issues, and to try to promote a national approach — which is critical in a federal system where responsibility for environmental and economic management is divided. The NSESD has a long-term vision, although not over any prescribed period of years.
