EPA Collaboration with Australia
Acting Administrator Wheeler and Australian Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg met at EPA on July 12, 2018.Australia, a key U.S. ally, is an important environmental partner for EPA in the Asia Pacific Region and faces many similar environmental issues that we face in the U.S. EPA’s current cooperation with Australia primarily focuses on water cooperation and sharing of lessons learned in areas of key environmental concern.
Explore our work in Australia:
Activities
Building Strong Institutions and Legal Structures
EPA shares our experience and lessons learned with Australian government officials both at the national and state level, regarding environmental policy development, chemicals, enforcement, and emergency response.
In addition, international research projects routinely organize scientist-to-scientist dialogue and cooperation. Ongoing discussions also take place under U.S.-Australia Science &Technology (S&T) Agreement workgroups, led by the U.S. Department of State.
View the U.S.-Australia Science &Technology (S&T) Agreement on the Agreements with Australia page.
Improving Access to Clean Water
EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs, Jane Nishida, and Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources First Assistant Secretary, Tony Slatyer, at MOU signing. EPA has had a long standing collaborative relationship with Australia on sustainable water management issues. Both countries are facing many common water quality and quantity issues such as increasing growth, drought, aging infrastructure and climate change, all of which add stress to limited resources.
In 2011, EPA Administrator and Australian Environment Minister signed a five-year MOU on water cooperation. Cooperation has consisted of policy dialog and exchange of lessons learned, through management and technical staff discussion via video conference and, when appropriate, in face-to-face meetings.
On February 29, 2016, EPA and the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources signed a five-year MOU to renew cooperation on water. This engagement focuses on high level policy dialog, exchanges of lessons learned, and technical staff discussions on key emerging topics.
- View the Memorandum of Understanding to renew cooperation on water on the Agreements with Australia page.
Cooperation on Air Quality
EPA and our Australian counterparts have a history of exchanging experiences and lessons on addressing the reduction of air emissions. Additionally, EPA partners with Australia to address methane emissions through The Global Methane Initiative.
Agreements
- February 2016: Agreement Relating to Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Australia
- February 2016: U.S. EPA-Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources Memorandum of Understanding on Water
- March 2011: U.S. EPA–Australian Department of Environment Memorandum of Understanding on Water
Key Partners
The following links exit the site Exit
- Australian Department of the Environment and Energy
- Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
- U.S. Embassy in Australia