By Hugh Fraser*
MORE than six years ago Mornington Peninsula Shire Council resolved to commit to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2021.
This resolution built on earlier work by successive councils since 2001. Twelve extensive climate change community consultations were held throughout the shire in 2008. These conversations were held up as an exemplar of successful engagement with the community in adaptation actions. Council then launched its commitment to a sustainable peninsula and management restructured with each directorate enjoying “sustainable” in their titles.
The actions which management pursued were significant – with substantial expenditure on drainage, fire management and reduced potable water use. The Eco House at The Briars, Mount Martha was constructed. Climate change adaptation opportunities were said to be “embedded” in management process. But were they?
Down the sustainability track after six years, council intervened in 2014 requiring an audit of the shire’s carbon footprint. Management revealed that, on the application of abstract “sustainability principles” embedded in management process, the shire’s carbon footprint in its own operations had not diminished at all!
Adaptation of good practice requires a definite start and finish to projects. It was obvious to council that practical projects and a defined target date were required more than the application of abstract principles and management processes. It abolished the precatory and confusing directorate titles of Sustainable Organisations, Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Environment and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Council required incoming CEO Carl Cowie – who had a strong background in the corporate sector – to come up with a practical no nonsense alternative but descriptive functional directorate names. Local government titles of “directors” were done away with, and management restructured under the CEO with corporate titles of chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO) – and he succeeded in attracting top commercial appointments to these positions. He dispatched a shire officer to the Paris 2015 World Environment Conference COP21. On her return, he established a specialist climate change, energy and water team in a commercially-oriented restructured shire management.
The carbon neutral action plan was endorsed by council on 10 August 2015. On 8 February 2016, council committed the shire to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations – that its net greenhouse emissions being equal to zero – within five years (by 2021).
This commitment was repeated in the 2016-2020 council plan and most recently by the current council in its 2021-2025 council and wellbeing plan.
Shire management then followed through with much good work – energy efficient shire buildings, rooftop solar PV rollout, street lighting bulk LED and other initiatives avoiding emissions through integration of environmentally sustainable design. The shire’s initiatives made it compliant with the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
John Baker was appointed shire CEO in late 2018. He had had extensive experience in UK local government as “lead partner” with both Ernst and Young and KPMG. He inherited what he described as a “very impressive team at the shire”. The executive management team old style – and previously abolished by council – local government titles of director were reinstated and restructured four times 0ver the next three years. The entirety of the inherited executive team is now no longer in the employ of the shire.
To give fresh momentum to its climate change initiatives, on 13 August 2019 council adopted the declaration of a Climate Emergency. By August 2020, it was among the first councils to have a climate emergency plan. The shire has a national and international reputation in leading on climate change initiatives.
Carbon neutrality in the shire’s own operations with practical projects in the shire has proved elusive.
It failed to do so by 2021. Instead, it budgeted in the 2021/22 financial year to finance projects reducing emissions in China, India, New South Wales and Queensland and consequently the shire was certified as a carbon neutral business.
The policy of council is to “maintain carbon neutrality accreditation for the Shire’s Operations”.
However, in an extraordinary and dysfunctional backflip on 10 May council, by a majority vote, resolved to remove from the 2022/23 budget – on management’s recommendations – the allocation of $200,000 for “carbon neutrality – climate active certification and carbon offsetting” (carbon credits).
*Hugh Fraser is a barrister, Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor 2012 – 2021, he represented the Shire at the UN Paris 2015 World Environment Conference COP 21 and the delivered the Australian Capital City Lord Mayors’ “Climate Statement” at the opening Plenary session of the UN Madrid 2019 Climate Change Conference COP25.
