Friday 8 April - Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, The Hon. Chris Bowen MP committed to collaborating with local governments on climate action if elected to the Federal Government.

The Hon. Chris Bowen joined over 200 Mayors and elected members representing over 108 local governments from across Australia to discuss Labor’s priorities to adapt, mitigate and build resilience.

“As one of the small handful of former Mayors in the House of Representatives, I embrace partnership between the Commonwealth and local government, particularly in climate change,” stated Mr. Bowen. “States, territories and local governments are getting on with doing the job and I want to provide a better framework for that to occur as part of a more consistent national approach.”

During the Roundtable, if elected, the Shadow Minister Chris Bowen committed to: 

• A roundtable with the Mayors in June to discuss how to accelerate climate action with local governments.

• Invite a representative of the Australian Local Government Association to a meeting of all jurisdiction climate change and energy ministers to develop a national framework for climate change and energy policy.

During the Roundtable, Mr. Bowen outlined policy commitments that would be relevant to local governments and communities including:

• Roll-out of a community batteries policy to empower communities' energy storing capacity. Local governments and communities are encouraged to host community batteries through a competitive bidding process.

• Solar banks that will provide access to solar energy for those that can’t establish arrays on their rooftops. 

• Establishing the “Powering The Regions Fund” as part of Labor’s Powering Australia Plan and National Reconstruction Fund and accessible to local governments, emerging industries and transitioning existing industries to net zero emissions.

• Emergency Response Fund with $200m allocated annually.

• Conduct a review of carbon credits to ensure that the system is working with integrity and encourage biodiversity.

• A National Climate Change Health Strategy to be developed in Government and that would include a focus on disadvantaged areas and communities.

• A constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament for first nations people

The Mayoral Roundtable was an opportunity to urge a new Federal Government to do its part to massively accelerate climate action through partnership with local governments. Recent research shows that if the emission reductions planned by just 61 of Australia’s 537 local governments were met, 91,200 kt CO2 emissions would be reduced, this would bring Australia over half way to meeting a 43% reduction target by 2030 from 2005 levels.

Deputy Mayor Romola Hollywood of Blue Mountains City Council shared, “We are experiencing the direct impacts of climate change with more frequent and more extreme weather events. We've experienced the black summer fires, torrential rain and flooding for the last three years and as we speak we are going through more of these extreme weather events. This is taking an enormous toll on our communities, our built infrastructure, and our natural environment and we're facing massive repair bills that are beyond the scope of our own infrastructure budgets.”

Moderated by Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds of City of Hobart in her capacity as Board Member of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy stated, “The work that we all do on climate change in the next decade will be the most important work we will do in our careers. It will be challenging, it will be difficult, we will face opposition, but the reward for the work that we do is a safer future for our communities and that is the most important goal that we can strive for.”

This Mayoral Roundtable was co-hosted by ICLEI Oceania - Local Governments for Sustainability with the Australian Local Government Association, Council of Capital City Lord Mayors, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, Local Government NSW and support of Better Futures Australia, Climate Emergency Australia, Cities Power Partnership, C40 Cities and UN Habitat.

This Roundtable built on the ongoing engagement of a growing number of Mayors and local government leaders to massively accelerate action including a recently released joint statement on the floods. To get involved, reach out to oceania@iclei.org

More information from the Roundtable: 

Watch the full video here

List of Local Government and Organisational Attendees

List of Local Governments Attendees to the Mayoral Roundtable

NSW

Bayside Council

Bega Valley Shire Council

Blacktown City Council

Blue Mountains City Council

Canterbury Bankstown Council

City of Ryde

City of Sydney

Cumberland Council

Eurobodalla Shire Council

Fairfield City Council

Forbes Shire Council

Glen Innes Severn Council

Goulburn Mulwaree Council

Kempsey Shire

Ku-ring-gai Council

Narrandera Shire Council

Orange City Council

Parkes Shire Council

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council

Shellharbour City Council

Shoalhaven City Council

Singleton Council

Snowy Valleys Council

Sutherland Shire Council

The Hills Shire Council

Tweed Shire Council

Wagga Wagga City

Waverley Council

Wollongong City Council

Yass Valley Council

SA

Adelaide Hills Council

Alexandrina Council

City of Onkaparinga

City of Port Lincoln

City of Tea Tree Gully

City of Unley

Mid Murray Council

Mount Barker District Council

Town of Gawler

Wattle Range Council

Whyalla City Council

TAS

Brighton council

City of Launceston

Derwent Valley Council

Glamorgan Spring Bay Council

Glenorchy City Council

Meander Valley Council

Northern Midlands Council

West Coast Council

QLD

Balonne Shire Council

Brisbane City council

Cassowary Coast Regional Council

Gladstone Regional Council

Logan City Council

Longreach Regional Council

Moreton Bay Regional Council

North Burnett Regional council

Redland City Council

Scenic Rim Regional Council

Sunshine Coast Council

Whitsunday Regional Council

VIC

Baw Baw Shire Council

Bayside Council

Benalla rural city

Brimbank City Council

Cardinia Shire Council

Central Goldfields Shire Council

City of Boroondara

City of Greater Bendigo

City of Melbourne

City of Port Phillip

City Of Yarra

Colac Otway Shire

East Gippsland Shire Council

Frankston City Council

Glen Eira Council

Glenelg Shire Council

Golden Plains Shire Council

Hepburn Shire

Kingston City Council

Knox City Council

Latrobe City Council

Loddon Shire

Melton City Council

Murrindindi Shire Council

Nillumbik Shire Council

Northern Grampians Shire Council

Rural City of Wangaratta

Strathbogie Shire Council

Wyndham City

WA

City of Armadale

City of Cockburn

City of Fremantle

City of Gosnells

City of Kalamunda

City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

City of Kwinana

City of Melville 

City of Nedlands

Mid Murray Council

Shire Augusta Margaret River

Shire of Ashburton

Shire of Denmark

Shire of Esperance

Shire of Moora

Shire of Mundaring

Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale

Town of Victoria Park

Participating Organisations

ALGA - Australian Local Government Association

CCCLM - Council of Capital City Lord Mayors

ICLEI Oceania - Local Governments for Sustainability

GCoM - Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

Better Futures Australia

Climate Action Network Australia

Climate Emergency Australia

Climate Council

Climateworks Centre Australia

Cities Power Partnership

C40 Cities

Local Government NSW

LGASA

MAV - Municipal Association of Victoria

UN Habitat

Article written by: Dustin Cutler

Edited by: Jessica Robbins