By Sharon Webb

MEANDER VALLEY Council has acknowledged climate change as a factor to be managed in its day-to-day operation. In the March meeting councillors committed to work with other levels of government, industry and the community to responsibly mitigate and adapt to the local effects of climate change. By voting for the new policy councillors elected to underpin all future council action by responsibly implementing measures to minimise emissions and address the emerging risks from climate change. The policy was a turnaround from the almost blanket rejection of a December 2019 motion by Cllr John Temple to declare a climate emergency, as 83 Australian councils already have done. Cllrs Andrew Sherriff and Michael Kelly voted against the motion but Mayor Wayne Johnston described it as a ‘major step forward’.

He thanked ‘the public’ and new council general manager John Jordan for his input into formulating the policy. The public push for the policy has come from Helen Hutchinson, who has asked a question about council action on global warming at every meeting since August 2019, and Westbury’s Sean Manners. The policy will apply to all Meander Valley Council operations, practices, services and community facilities, including management of natural areas. It commits the council to responses and specific actions to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change through normal planning and risk management systems. The motion was put by Cllr John Temple and seconded by Cllr Rodney Synfield. Cllr Susie Bower commented, ‘This is an important first step to acknowledging climate change.’ Cllr Tanya King, who declared the December motion ‘a publicity stunt’, described the new policy as ‘a strategic, evidence- based acknowledgment of climate change, and a sensible way for the council to get involved in mitigation … the initiative acknowledges the issue, and moving forward gives the opportunity to behave strategically and sensibly to manage the effects of climate change,’ she said. ‘I particularly look forward to better management of fire, fuel loading and improved management of natural areas.