Our plan for Air

As a region, we are lucky to have a relatively low population density, which means air pollution concentrations are lower than more industrialised and urbanised areas. We also have nine air quality monitoring sites across the region that report against Australian standards set by the National Environment Protection Council. On the flipside, we are home to large scale open-cut mining operations, a major coal terminal and one of the oldest energy stations in Australia. Coupled with longer dry seasons, more extreme weather events, vehicles that have low emissions standards, and the majority of our land under agricultural production, our relatively good air quality may not be a given forever.

Chillingly, leading medical professionals are calling for improvements in Australia’s air quality standards to help reduce the rise in cardiac and respiratory health problems. This leaves our region in the position of having to decide whether to accept the status quo or do more to safeguard our airways.

Key attribute – Air quality (breathability and visibility)

On-ground Action