Council Roles and Responsibilities relating to climate change

Climate change has been raised in priority for councils forming strategic plans through inclusion in the Local Government Act ​2020 Part 2 (division 1). To achieve good governance, Council decisions MUST promote the overall sustainability of the municipal district, including mitigation and planning for climate change risks. In addition, the Victorian Climate Change Act 2017 requires consideration of climate change in municipal public health planning.
This webpage compiles some recent documents and presentations to aid in understanding the risks of climate change and its bearing on Council's role and decisions..
The Victorian government has published two guidance documents to assist include climate change consideration in key decisions, These will be relevant for Councils in 2021 as they form the municipal Strategic Plan and the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan (MHWP). The guidance also applies to Council planning decision and forward asset planning.
(1) DELWP "Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Roles and Responsibilities under Victorian Legislation". This document was in part based on research at Australian National University and RMIT, "Legislative Analysis and Community Consultation Report"
(2) DHHS "Tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning". This document shows the holistic impacts of climate change on community health and how this should be included while forming the MHWP.
Scroll down for presentations relating to both these guidance documents. 
One of the researchers and author of the DELWP guidance, Dr Tayanah O'Donnell of ANU, presented to the GMCA at its meeting of December 17, 2020. The DELWP guidance paper primarily focused on ADAPTATION to expected climate conditions. The cost of adaptive action will rise with higher temperatures, and limiting mean temperature rise to less than 2 degrees, and preferably 1.5 degrees, will limit the cost of adaptation. Projected climate impacts for the GMCA regions can be accessed by the link button.
​Dr O'Donnell discusses the key issues to consider in Council decisions. in the video below

In this video link, key Climate Risk Consultant, Sarah Barker of Minter Ellison, also explains the multiple risks of not taking mitigation action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise of temperature.  Councils face regulatory, financial, insurance, asset, public health and reputation risks. This broadly impacts council operations including finance and insurance markets, asset damage, community services, emergency planning and response, local economies and policy approaches.

Victoria's Climate Change Strategy was released in May 2021. DELWP briefed the GMCA on this strategy and the complementary  Regional Adaptation Strategy   (Dr Stephen Pollard and Kristy Roche of DELWP).


​Every Council is required to consider climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning.
In May 2021, presentations to the Alliance explained the health risks of climate change to our communities and the role of the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. Department of Health briefed the GMCA on approaches to account for climate change, with research work from Sustainability Victoria that demonstrates the health impacts of climate change (Dianna McDonald, SV and Grace Reilly, DoH)

​Councils make key decisions in the planning and development of urban areas. Collectively councils are working to embed Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) in new subdivisions. Councils are also developing the evidence base to revise the Victorian Planning Scheme and increase ESD and zero carbon development. The Alliance explored this work at its meeting in August 2021. Speakers are collaborating with the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE), an association of Victorian councils committed to ensuring future generations can enjoy a sustainable built environment.