This paper examines why public policy imperatives have not yet pulled environmental accounting into the mainstream, and explains how accounting can help reshape government decision-making. As part of this a model showing the place of accounts in the information system and the policy cycle is presented along with a research agenda and principles for the decision-centred design of accounts. The paper concludes that a phased implementation of the accounts as well as additional research into their applications will be needed to build practical understanding and political acceptance of the accounts.