MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have voted for the shire’s CEO, Mark Stoermer, to prepare and present a “Climate Resilience Plan” to council, replacing the Climate Emergency Declaration and the Climate Action Plan that they scrapped in April.
The shire’s previous Climate Action Plan was adopted in August 2020, one year after the shire declared a climate emergency. The plan entailed a ten-year program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the effects of climate change.
The newly elected council first questioned the plan in January this year with a motion passed for shire officers to prepare a report to help councillors make informed “strategic and budgetary decisions” regarding its climate emergency declaration.
This report was presented at the 22 April council meeting where Cr Paul Pingiaro tabled a motion to scrap the declaration along with its associated plan. At the time he stated it was “never been about denying or dismissing climate change”, but “ensuring that every dollar we spend delivers something tangible, measurable and real” (Shire pulls plug on climate emergency plan, The News 29/4/25).
In August, Pingiaro flagged a “Climate Resilience Plan” that he presented to the 23 September council meeting. The extensive motion required the council to:
- Fulfil its statutory obligations
- Focus on practical, place-based, costed and measurable outcomes for climate adaptation, hazard mitigation, biodiversity protection and sustainable infrastructure.
- Integrate with existing strategies, policies and programs, including coastal asset protection, drainage and stormwater upgrades, renewable energy initiatives for council assets, erosion management overlays and biodiversity corridor enhancements.
- Avoid duplication of federal or state responsibilities, targeting local priorities within council’s direct influence where the greatest community benefit can be delivered.
- Include a clear monitoring and reporting approach with proposed indicators, baselines and reporting frequency, fulfil its statutory obligations, focus on practical and measurable outcomes
The motion also called for an audit of current and planned climate-related projects and initiatives, the recommendation of priority projects for the next four years, and the proposed timeline for the preparation and consideration of the Mornington Peninsula Climate Resilience Plan.
The final section of the motion states that “For the avoidance of doubt, this resolution does not reinstate any prior ‘Climate Emergency’ declaration or plan, but seeks a practical, locally focused resilience framework for council’s consideration”.
“Tonight’s debate isn’t whether climate change exists or whether council should act. The question is how we act,” said Pingiaro at the 23 September council meeting. “Do we continue with broad symbolic declarations or vague aspirations, or do we shift to a practical, accountable, outcomes-based plan that delivers genuine resilience for our community?”
“This notice of motion requires the CEO to bring back by December a framework for the Mornington Peninsula Climate Resilience Plan. “The former emergency declaration and plan were well intentioned but duplicated state and federal responsibilities and failed to deliver. Only seven percent of outcomes were achieved. Residents were told to switch off gas while council approved a gas guzzling pool. That’s not climate leadership.”
Also presented, but eventually rejected, was an alternative motion by officers that included nuanced language and provided for “Mitigation strategies and commitments to reduce to net zero emissions, for council and community” and “Advocacy to higher levels of government for stronger climate action”.
Councillor David Gill addressed Pingiaro’s motion stating “You’ve outlined some of the things that should happen, but you haven’t outlined some of the things also that should happen. There’s no mention of community consultation. That’s the fallacy of this motion”.
“What does our community want? What do they want to see happen and how do they want us to go about it? “This is not a plan. This is more rhetorical than anything I’ve heard before of the aspirations of our community”.
Councillor Michael Stephens flagged his disapproval of Pingiaro’s approach stating “Resilience alone is not a climate strategy. It is a reaction to a worsening climate. Not a solution to reduce the problem”.
Councillor Max Patton presented a significant amendment to Pingiaro’s motion calling on the Climate Resilience Plan to adopt a “risk-remit-response” methodology and to incorporate the broader community into climate actions.
“In the motion we have before us there is nothing at all that mentions risk, and at its heart this issue is about protecting our community from harm. And if we don’t define the risks that we face… how can we expect the deliver a plan or a framework in response that addresses the risks?”
Patton’s amendment was voted down six votes to four with Crs Marsh, Pingiaro, Allen, Williams, Ranken and Batty against and Crs Gill, Patton, Stephens and Binyon in favour. Cr Roper was absent from the meeting.
In summing up his motion, Pingiaro said “No more open-ended strategies with no delivery. This transforms our approach from aspirational to structured, costed and deliverable. It ensures only proposals that are local, practical, measurable, transparent and accountable come forward. “That’s not just climate resilience. It is also governance resilience. Let me be clear, this is not about reducing climate investment but strengthens it.”
Pingiaro’s motion was accepted in a vote of six votes to four, with Crs Marsh, Pingiaro, Allen, Williams, Ranken and Batty in favour, and Crs Gill, Patton, Stephens and Binyon against.
Environment groups across the peninsula condemned the abandonment of the Climate Emergency Declaration and the Climate Action Plan in April and have been lobbying for their reinstatement. The shift from the previous council’s approach to climate change was the catalyst for the formation of a new umbrella group; Peninsula Climate Alliance (PCA), currently comprising 22 environment groups.
The chair of the PCA, Dr Greg Holland, told The News “The original climate emergency declaration and plan arose from a genuine and widespread community concern about the grave dangers posed by climate change”. “Climate change already is accelerating the impact of weather extremes and sea level rise. Preventing further increases requires both adaptation and emissions mitigation commitments by all sectors of society.”
“Yet both the cancellation of the climate emergency and plan and now Cr Pingiaro’s motion have occurred with no consultation, have not addressed the critical component of mitigation, and have not even adequately addressed risk.” “History will judge them severely.”
First published in the Mornington News – 7 October 2025
