Merging sustainability costs and benefits with government plans and budgets

Abstract

"It has become apparent that planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists have to work together in order to ensure that development can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations." (WIT Sustainable Development Conference 2007) How do economists and policy makers merge environmental costs and benefits with whole-of-government plans and budgets? Scientists must collaborate with industry, the community and government to create support for achieving environmental outcomes. To achieve specific environmental outcomes, government support is needed. To gain government's support, scientists should provide specific, measurable and fully costed proposals that, when implemented, result in the desired outcome. Stakeholders recognise that a Government's budget is a political and financial instrument. Costs can only be recognised by government bodies once they have been included in the annual budget papers, or the budgets of government corporations and statutory bodies. This paper discusses the processes necessary to gain government support and funding for policy initiatives. It reports on progress in sustainability reporting, proposes public sector agencies report the environmental costs and benefits and establishes a framework that merges sustainability reporting with the whole-of-government budgeting and reporting structures that are associated with government accountability. © 2007 WIT Press.