Carbon Neutral Crime Fighters

The Hon Lindsay Tanner MP
Minister for Finance and Deregulation
The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP
Minister for Home Affairs

Media Release  29 October 2009   CARBON NEUTRAL CRIME FIGHTERS

The Minister for Finance and Deregulation Lindsay Tanner and the Minister for Home Affairs, Mr
Brendan O’Connor today congratulated the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) on becoming the
first organisation to become fully Green ICT Certified by Computer’s Off Australia (COA).
Lindsay Tanner said the ACC was a leader in both government and non-government sectors in
achieving IT sustainability.

“Sustainable ICT is an important part of the Rudd Government’s ICT Reform Program,” Lindsay
Tanner said.  “Across Government, agencies are implementing low cost measure to realise energy efficiency
savings. It is very encouraging to see the Australian Crime Commission taking a lead in this area
and being recognised for it.”

The ACC has implemented hardware and software solutions to better manage power
consumption and has adopted server virtualisation by reducing the physical number of servers by
45 per cent. By purchasing carbon offsets, the ACC’s entire IT infrastructure is now carbon
neutral.

Minister O’Connor said that in addition to significant energy and cost savings, the ACC’s green
initiative included other benefits such as productivity efficiencies, increased security, improved
data management and improved service delivery for users, including partner agencies using the
Australian Criminal Intelligence Database.
“Every individual and organisation should be taking steps to improve power management and
reduce green house gases. Through this achievement, the ACC will now save 435 tonnes of
greenhouse gases per annum, which equates to 75 passenger vehicles,” Minister O’Connor said.
“The ACC will also save approximately $80,000 per annum in power and $43 000 per annum in
licensing and maintenance fees,” he said.

Green IT at the ACC is complemented by its wider commitment to environmental sustainability
throughout its entire business including energy efficient office fit-outs, office energy consumption,
vehicle fleeting management, air travel, water conservation and paper and general waste
management.

Computers Off Australia (COA) is a not-for-profit educational and awareness campaign aiming to
help raise awareness of the amount of power used when computers are left on or idle. It aims to
enable consumer’s and businesses’ power management to make significant savings in green
house gases and money and has developed a three-tick labelling system that identifies
individuals and organisations who are using power saving devices with their home and work PCs.
The labelling scheme certifies organisations using three colour-coded ticks that represent Power
Management (Green), Virtualisation (Blue) and Carbon Neutral (Gold).

Minister O’Connor contact: Senior Policy Adviser, Brian Humphreys 0438 595 567
Minister Tanner contact: Tim Naughtin 0438 265 065
ACC media contact: Alice Thompson, 6243 6843 or 0409 603 637