MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have backed a climate resilience framework just months after scrapping a climate emergency declaration and climate action plan.
The decision was made at the council’s 2 December meeting which will see the proposed framework, subject to community input, to centre on “practical, place-based, costed and measurable outcomes” that address climate adaptation, hazard mitigation, biodiversity protection, and long-term sustainability of local infrastructure.
Councillors supported the new framework for the climate resilience plan in an 8-2 vote.
The plan will now replace the climate emergency declaration after deputy mayor Cr Paul Pingiaro successfully tabled a motion at the council’s 22 April meeting to revoke it along with its associated plan. At the time he said it was “never 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 had outlined a replacement framework – flagging a climate resilience plan and later taking a detailed motion to the 23 September meeting to establish a new, more practical direction.
According to a shire report, the plan will avoid duplication of federal or state responsibility, “targeting local priorities within council’s direct influence where the greatest community benefit can be delivered”.
It would also integrate a resilience strategy with ongoing initiatives such as coastal asset protection, stormwater and drainage upgrades, renewable energy improvements for council facilities, erosion management overlays, and enhancements to biodiversity corridors.
The document also recommended priority projects for the next four years, including estimated costs and potential funding sources to help councillors determine which initiatives should advance through future budget cycles.
Shire CEO Mark Stoermer confirmed community consultation would be undertaken as it was “critical to this project”.
Cr Kate Roper voted in support of the proposed framework but noted “it is concerning that the adoption of this plan will not come back to council until December 2026, which is two years without a solid plan to mitigate climate change damage”.
Cr Michael Stephens, who opposed the new framework along with Cr David Gill, said while the resilience plan set out an important framework for managing the impacts of climate change, “it does almost nothing to address our council’s contribution to the causes that climate change is making in itself”.
“Resilience on its own is not enough. If we plan only to cope with the impacts while ignoring the contribution to the drivers of the crisis, we risk simply managing decline,” he said.
“The plan does not show how council will reduce emissions, accelerate renewable energy, electrify the assets, or lead by example in transitioning away from fossil fuels. It also understates the influence local government actually has over transport, building, procurement, land use, planning, and community behaviour.”
Gill believed the community should have been “involved in the planning from the start”, adding the framework was not about “getting on with the emergency” nor “the idea that we need to act – it’s putting it off”.
Cr Max Patton said while he generally supported a climate resilience plan approach, he too shared concerns the shire would be “without a plan of any kind until the end of 2026”.
“The optimal approach for this would have been to refer to the existing plan to review that alongside the community and with the community,” he said.
“Since the decision enabled to revoke the emergency plan and emergency declaration, the climate landscape has changed rapidly in Australia with the release of the National Climate Risk Assessment, an adaptation plan highlighting that across the country things are only getting worse, or the outlook is only getting worse.
“If council does not endorse the proposed plan this evening, it will delay the development of the climate resilience plan, and we can’t wait another moment of not meeting our legislative obligations so I will be supporting this.
“I think it’s a starting point and I look forward to advocating further for better inclusion of emissions reduction as well as comprehensive community engagement.”
Speaking at the meeting, Pingiaro said the new framework would build on the council’s long-standing partnership with the South East Council Climate Change Alliance (SECCA) which was also advocating for external funding.
This included a “financial flood resilience infrastructure project, where the Mornington Peninsula is one of three case study councils working to bring in investment for critical drainage and flood resilient infrastructure”.
“That’s a direct benefit to our residents in terms of better planning, better assets and reduced risk,” he said.
The shire’s previous council term had adopted the climate action plan in August 2020, one year after declaring a climate emergency. The plan had a ten-year program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the effects of climate change.
As reported by The News, environment groups across the peninsula condemned the abandonment of the Climate Emergency Declaration and the Climate Action Plan and have been lobbying for their reinstatement. This has led to a Peninsula Climate Alliance, currently comprising 24 environment groups.
First published in the Mornington News – 9 December 2025
