The National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) tracks pollution across Australia. It records emissions of 93 substances to air, land and water, and transfers of those substances in contained waste, from more than 4,000 industrial facilities. It also holds estimates of diffuse emissions from sources such as motor vehicles, wood heaters and smaller businesses.
Key points
- Public database of emissions and transfers of 93 substances
- Data comes from more than 4,000 reporting facilities
- Established under the National Environment Protection (National Pollutant Inventory) Measure 1998
- Includes government estimates of diffuse emissions
- Greenhouse gases are excluded and sit under NGER
Why the NPI exists
The Australian, state and territory governments set up the NPI through the National Environment Protection (National Pollutant Inventory) Measure 1998, known as the NPI NEPM. Its goals are to collect a broad base of information on emissions and transfers of listed substances and to share that information with the community in a form that is useful, accessible and easy to understand. DCCEEW describes its purposes as meeting community right-to-know expectations, encouraging cleaner production, tracking environmental progress and helping governments set priorities.
What the NPI covers
The 93 substances were chosen for their potential effect on human health and the environment. Greenhouse gases are not part of the NPI. They are tracked through the National Greenhouse Accounts and reported by large corporations under the separate National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme.
How the data is used
Facility data is published each year on or before 31 March for the previous financial year. Anyone can search it by facility, substance or postcode, view it on a map, or download it from data.gov.au.
Who reports
Facilities report when they exceed thresholds covering the use of listed substances, fuel and waste burnt, electricity use, and nitrogen and phosphorus discharges. Reports go to the state or territory environment agency by 30 September each year for the financial year just ended. The NPI is Australia’s pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR), the model used internationally for public inventories of this kind.
Why it matters
NPI data is public and searchable by postcode, so a facility’s reported emissions are visible to neighbours, investors, lenders and regulators. Accurate estimates and a well-documented method protect an operator’s credibility when the figures are questioned.
References & sources
Primary regulatory documents and authoritative references underpinning this answer.