Climate summit seeks national planning framework
27/10/2009 4:18:00 PM
A cross-governmental summit held today (26/10) on the Gold Coast has called for a national planning framework to help combat climate change.
The Gold Coast City Council initiated event was attended by almost 90 delegates from all tiers of government, business, academia and the community.
Council’s Sustainable City Future Committee Chairperson, Councillor Peter Young, said the summit, at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, had produced a set of principles to guide greater climate co-operation across all tiers of government.
“The principles relate to adaptation and mitigation steps along five key themes: Governance and leadership; research; advocacy and awareness; infrastructure; and planning and regulation,” Cr Young said.
“In the area of planning and regulation delegates sought to boost co-operation across all levels of government with a new national planning framework.
“With Federal Government leadership, this would see more consistent planning and funding to enable actions by the appropriate authority.
“For instance, where better flood modelling is required at a regional level, local Councils could be tasked, and funded appropriately, to carry out the work.
“Gold Coast City Council has spent close to $5 million on high-order flood modelling, but some smaller local authorities are not so well resourced. They will need to do this work, but they will also need to be adequately funded.”
“It is important that the Federal Government take the lead on major issues such as population levels and growth, which will have impact on all levels of government.
“But the Federal Government can’t shoulder all responsibility. We are all in this together and we all need to play our part in effecting change.
“That was the overriding commitment from today. Co-operation, within each level of government and cascading down through all tiers of government, will be the key to an effective climate change response.”
Cr Young said this, and other principles adopted at today’s summit, would be communicated to Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, ahead of Australia’s participation in climate change talks in Copenhagen.
He said the entire group entire group congratulating Council for the summit and encouraged it to continue to champion climate change issues at a local, state and national level.
