The Local Government Act 2020 strengthened the mandate for councils to act on climate change.

The role of a Council is to provide good governance for the benefit and wellbeing of their community.

“Councils are required to promote the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the municipal district, including mitigation and planning for climate change risks.”

Other relevant overarching principles include:

•Councils are required to give priority to achieving the best outcomes for the municipal community, including future generations.

•Regional, state, and national plans and policies are to be taken into account during council’s strategic planning.

•Council must ensure its decisions, actions, and information are transparent.

There is now a clear expectation that decision-making is supported by robust and transparent practices, and that the long-term adverse consequences of climate change for future generations are incorporated into council planning, decisions and actions

DELWP (2020), Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Roles and Responsibilities under Victorian Legislation: Guidance for local government decision-makers, Victorian Government, Melbourne.

The Victorian Climate Change Act 2017 provides Victoria with a world-leading legislative foundation to manage climate change risks, maximise the opportunities that arise from decisive action, and drive Victoria’s transition to a net zero emissions, climate resilient community and economy.

Six guiding principles for decision making provide criteria for ‘assessing the suitability of council decision-making’ and a way to demonstrate due process.

Informed decision-making: Responses should be based on the best available evidence in the context of uncertainty; and be flexible and iterative, allowing for adjustments as circumstance change and new information is made available.

Integrated decision-making: Decision-makers should give priority to responses that are most likely to provide the greatest net social, economic and environmental benefit for Victoria; and consider the cost of climate change, including externalities and long-term costs.

Risk Management: Responses should ensure that risks are addressed by those who are best placed to manage them; avoid unintended consequences; not undermine our ability to adapt to climate change over the long-term and consider the trade-offs and understand and recognise the costs of and limits to adaptation.

Compatibility: Reponses should: build on the experiences of regions sectors, communities and industry; complement existing and planned work; and contribute to and be compatible with efforts to reduce emissions as well as adapt to climate change.

Equity: Responses should: be equitable and fair; consider both the present and the short, medium and long-term future; and adhere to principles of intra and intergenerational equity.

Community Engagement: Responses should: actively involve the community in setting policy directions and priorities; and value and response the knowledge and perspectives of Traditional Owner groups and Aboriginal Victorians

The purpose of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 is for the planning framework to support decisions in the ‘long-term interests of all Victorians’.

It establishes broad objectives for planning in Victoria that are relevant to climate change responses, including:

•sustainable land use and development

•the protection of biodiversity and natural resources, and the maintenance of ecological processes

There are also a range of clauses focused on planning responses to hazards such as bushfire, flood, erosion and heat.

Through Local Planning Schemes, councils can incorporate climate change adaptation through their Municipal Strategic Statement, Local Planning Policy and specific planning controls such as a schedule to a zone or an overlay.

Planners must take into account:

•Climate change impacts (natural hazards, coastal inundation and erosion)

•Planning for places (greenfield planning to respond to climate change)

•Agriculture (adaptation to climate change).

•Energy and resource efficiency

•Integrated water management

The roles and responsibilities guidance suggests ways to incorporate climate change adaptation decisions into planning, via:

•being pre-emptive and precautionary in responding to climate change

•communicating climate change adaptation within your community

• incorporating climate change adaptation across all aspects of planning.

Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic)

DELWP (2020), Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Roles and Responsibilities under Victorian Legislation: Guidance for local government decision-makers, Victorian Government, Melbourne.

The Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 requires councils to prepare a four-year municipal health and wellbeing plan following each council election.

According to the Climate Change Act 2017, local governments must consider climate change when preparing their municipal public health and wellbeing plan. They must consider:

• the potential impacts of climate change relevant
• the potential contribution to the State’s

to the decision or action (adaptation) and

greenhouse gas emissions of the decision or action

(mitigation)

Local governments must also have regard for the

Victorian public health and wellbeing plan, which lists ‘tackling climate change and its impact on health’ as a priority.

The state government has produced guidance for councils on how to tackle climate change through their health and wellbeing plans.

The guidance steps through the planning cycle and includes internal and external engagement, implementation and evaluation.

Refer to: DHHS (2019), Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2019-2023, Victorian Government, Melbourne.

Tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning. Guidance for local government, 2020.

DISCLAIMER: While this summary of Local Government roles and responsibilities refers to legislative and other legal frameworks, it is intended as general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice.

Climate and Weather

Climate is the average weather conditions of a place for a long period of time, while weather is the atmospheric conditions (hot day, rain, cool conditions) for a brief period of time. Across Australia, there are six broad climate zones. Yarra Ranges is in the Temperate Zone characterised by moderate temperatures, distinct seasons and reliable rainfall. [i]

Climate Change

Long‑term temperature records show the planet is warming, with global temperatures already about 1.1°C higher than in pre‑industrial times. That small‑sounding number represents a huge amount of extra heat in the climate system, and we’re already seeing the effects: more extreme heatwaves, longer fire seasons, and deeper droughts. Communities are already seeing the impact on people’s health, homes, and livelihoods right now.

That’s why global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C matter so much. Even at that level we’d see major losses, like most of the world’s coral reefs disappearing, and the impacts rise sharply as warming approaches 2°C. Scientists have been clear for decades that burning fossil fuels (among other human activities) is driving this change, but the pace is now faster than expected. The takeaway is simple: the quicker we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for energy, the more we limit future damage. The choices made today will shape the conditions we all live with tomorrow. [ii]

[i]Melbourne Water: Weather and Climate

[ii]Climate Council: explaining climate and weather

• The ‘vision’ for the strategy
• Goals, priorities and principles of the strategy
• Opportunities for collaboration or community led action within a specific priority area
  

• Evidence and data informed components
• Legislated responsibilities to climate change, land management, planning scheme, green wedge management
• Cultural knowledge systems and self-determined contributions.

Community engagement

• Community input into decision making
• Impact on the local neighbourhood and community as a whole
• Balanced needs of the community
• Guided by Community Engagement policy and organisational guidelines

Legislation, strategies and policies

• Local Government Act 2020 and other relevant legislation
• Priorities established in existing Council strategies and plans
• Organisational policies
• Recognised best practice

Evidence and data

• Research
• Benchmarking
• Customer insights
• Service and usage data
• Costs or savings related to the outcomes

Professional expertise

• Operational experience
• Technical expertise
• Advice and recommendations from Advisory Committees and officers
• Short-term and long-term implications of decisions
• Risk Analysis

As part of this consultation stage, as well as the broad community we will also be seeking feedback from identified stakeholders including Council Advisory Groups, We will also be hearing from Youth at a Youth Summit to be held in May and engaging younger students from local schools to share their feedback.

Our focus areas and the information within them have come from:

• The 2015 Environment Strategy Evaluation

• Recent community engagements:

• Council Plan Shape your future (2024): Community engagement

• Health & Wellbeing Strategy (2024-2025)

• Community Views survey (2025)

• Council Budget 2025-26

• Economic Development Strategy (2022)

• Tree Canopy Strategy (2022): Tree Canopy Strategy 2024-2044

• Heritage Strategy (2025): Heritage Strategy & Policy

• Housing Strategy (2023): Housing Strategy 2024

• Nature Plan (2022): Draft Nature Plan 2022-2032

• Domestic Animal Management Plan (2022)

• Open Space (2024): A Plan for Open Space

• Scientific Literature, including State of the Environment and State of the Climate reports at global, national and state levels.

Overview of Focus Areas:

1. Protecting and Strengthening Nature: Looking after our bushland, wildlife and natural places so they recover and thrive through time.

2. Resilient Communities and Places: Supporting people, homes and places to be safer, sustainable and prepared for events like storms, fires and heatwaves, so everyone can live and flourish as the climate changes.

3. Using Water Wisely and Caring for Waterways: Caring for our rivers, creeks and wetlands, and making sure we use water wisely for the long term.

4. Reducing Waste and Environmental Impacts: Cutting down on rubbish, reusing and recycling more, and reducing our impact on the environment.

5. Caring for Country: Partnering with Traditional Owners to use cultural knowledge systems to guide how we care for Country.

6. Multi-Generational Stewardship: Council, community and partners joining forces to care for the environment now and for future generations.

7. Tracking and Reporting Progress: Using sustainable indicators to measure what we do and reporting it clearly so everyone can see how we’re going and what needs more work.