The Department aims to ensure that the potential for economic growth in the sector is maximised, the interface between the environment and development effectively managed and, wherever possible, that it stimulates economic growth that supports transformation. The top strategic priority areas for the Department over the medium-term include: providing support to local government in the areas of air quality management, waste management, biodiversity management, coastal planning and open space planning; strengthening compliance and enforcement activities; drawing linkages between climate change, the green economy and sustainable development; aligning governance systems with the new outcomes approach, paying particular attention to ensuring that environmental assets and natural resources are valued, protected and continually enhanced (Priority Outcome 10); and focusing on key national and international engagements.