Local Government at the front line of the climate change challenge

Climate change will have a serious and direct impact on local governments' ability to provide services over the long term and to effectively govern, the Australian Council of Local Government heard at its meeting in Canberra yesterday.

Addressing representatives from more than 400 local councils around Australia, the Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), Romilly Madew, said making sustainable changes now was the best insurance against more drastic and far-reaching changes in the future.

"Climate change does not recognise borders. With this in mind, it is vital that we work together to find ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," Ms Madew said.

The GBCA, which was established in 2002 to develop a sustainable property industry in Australia and drive the adoption of green building practices, suggests four local government solutions to Australia's climate change challenges, including:

- Strong leadership at the local level, and a firm commitment to championing green initiatives.
- Collaboration and strategic partnerships between local governments and local business communities.
- Education, capacity building and skills development, as a significant transformation of the nation's skill base must be achieved if Australia is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental outcomes without endangering overall employment growth.
- Commonwealth support and funding for effective green education and skills programs, and to help local councils deliver national sustainability programs.

"There is tremendous potential for local government to be an agent of change, particularly by providing incentives for the adoption of green initiatives," Ms Madew explained.

"People who lodge development applications for green buildings, or to 'green up' existing structures, should most certainly have their applications fast-tracked by councils," Ms Madew suggested, adding that this practice had already been initiated in some capital cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide

"Perhaps the most important role for local governments is as green leaders - by leading the way in the adoption of sustainable building and eco-friendly business practices.

"The Melbourne and Brisbane City councils, for instance, have council offices certified under the Green Star environmental rating system, while Willoughby Council is the first local government with a sustainability charter," Ms Madew said.

"The Australian Greenhouse Office estimates that greenhouse gas emissions from Australian buildings alone will increase by 94 per cent in the period 1990-2010," Ms Madew concludes.

"It's time to get serious about climate change. While each level of government can do much more in its own right, so much more can be achieved through direct collaboration."