A new report from the National Sustainability Council (NSC) has been welcomed by several industry bodies, saying it is the start of a new conversation around sustainability in the country.

‘Sustainable Australia Report 2013: Conversations with the Future’ provides a picture of Australia and how the country has changed in the past 30 years.

Through roundtables and other meetings between various government, business, tertiary and environmental groups, the report was developed and looks at economic, social, environmental and other relevant issues to sustainability.

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) president Tom Roper says, “The report highlights the important role Australia’s built environment – and in particular our cities – will have in securing a sustainable future for all Australians.”

While the report finds the 18 major cities rank among the best in the world on global indices of liveability, they lag behind in terms of sustainability – particularly energy consumption, car dependence and equity.

“A sustainable future means creating cities that are liveable, competitive, productive and healthy for everyone,” Roper says.

Challenges of population growth are highlighted in the report, which brings increasing city sizes, greater population densities, increased pressures on natural assets, more congestion and greater demand for infrastructure and services.

“Of real concern is the report’s emphasis on the growing divide between residents of inner and outer urban areas, with people in outer areas having less access to employment opportunities close to where they live, being less likely to hold higher education qualifications, spending longer times commuting to and from work and having poorer access to vital health services,” Roper says.

Sustainable Business Australia (SBA) says the work of the NSC and the sustainability metrics that are developed from it will be a major driver of change and Australia now needs a GDP model that will include all relevant pillars of sustained growth and wealth creation across the country – natural capital availability, resource intensity, innovation and business capabilities, and social cohesion.

SBA’s CEO Andrew Petersen says, “The work of the NSC will enable this country to start building that model and to build a national prosperity framework.

“Australian policymakers, progressive businesses and community organisations now need to work together to identify groups of feasible indicators such as CO2 productivity, energy productivity, water productivity, water and land resources, environmental goods and services, and energy pricing.”

Work conducted by the NSC is the forerunner to create a blueprint for the economy, he says.

Many companies are already adopting strategies for achieving sustainable development and SBA believes the next step for the NSC is to create a set of development objectives.

Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) executive director of advocacy Robin Mellon says, “The report emphasises that sustainability is not simply a matter of ensuring we protect our natural environment. True sustainability means ensuring that future generations have at least the same quality of life as we have enjoyed.”

In order to secure a sustainable Australia, economic, social and environmental factors must be addressed, Mellon says – from improving housing affordability, employment and education opportunities, to reducing car dependence and rates of obesity, as well as building resilience and adapting to climate change.

“To sustain the wellbeing of the Australian people of the long-term, we must find new ways of supporting economic growth without degrading the environment. This means accelerating innovation, investing in research and embracing sustainable development,” he says.

With the expected increased pressure on natural resources and added stress on existing infrastructure from population growth, Mellon says the focus must be on policies and programs that support the design and delivery of more sustainable productive and liveable communities.

The report can be downloaded from here.