Action Plan: Council Leadership

Council Commitment and Leadership

PECAN recommends that Council incorporate actions tackling the climate emergency into its overarching mission and direction statements, including:

  • Declare a Climate Emergency
  • Develop and implement a climate emergency action plan with milestone targets
  • Engage with the community to empower and involve the community (e.g. through deliberative democracy).
  • Work, collaborate and advocate with community, local, state, and federal, international bodies (MAV, SECCA, CASBE, Resilient Melbourne, IMAP, Coalition of Bayside Councils, Cities Power Partnerships)
  • Commit to emission cuts and responses consistent with limiting temperature rise to 1.5C
  • Join with other local government bodies to advocate for greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
  • Advocate for Victoria and Australia to achieve emissions reductions (across all sectors):
    • 50% emissions reduction by 2025 (on 2005 levels)
    • 80% emissions reduction by 2030 (on 2005 levels)
    • 100% emissions reduction by 2040 (on 2005 levels)
  • Advocate for end to deforestation and native forest logging

Council Structures and Bodies

PECAN recommends that Council create fit-for-purpose structures and bodies within the organisation to tackle the climate emergency, including:

  • Committing the Council to a whole-of-organisation focus on tackling the Climate Emergency
  • Ensuring staff and resources for cross-departmental Climate Action/Emergency structures
  • Ensuring that Implementation of the Climate Emergency Plan is a priority for other areas of Council (i.e. waste, transport, parks, etc)

Community Partnering and Engagement

PECAN recommends that Council creates structures including Advisory Committees and working groups with community representatives to enable responsible Departments to consult and collaborate in the development and implementation of  policy with the community, by:

  • Engaging, informing, resourcing and activating the local community to tackle the Climate Emergency (through advisory and participatory bodies, community involvement in planning and implementation, and expanding the role of existing community outreach bodies, such as the EcoCentre)
  • Following the mandatory community participation requirements under the Local Government Act 2020, and following the community engagement recommendations in the Auditor General’s Victoria Better Practice Guide