Two partnerships representing 13 local governments combined have been selected as Western Australia’s first Regional Climate Alliances.
The $500,000 Regional Climate Alliance pilot program is part of the Western Australian Government’s Climate Policy, and encourages regional local governments to work together to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The pilot received eight applications, collectively representing a total of 51 regional local governments across the state.
The successful applicants impressed the judges by strongly demonstrating their ability to address climate action on a regional scale. They are:
- South Coast Alliance (SCA) – including the City of Albany, and the shires of Denmark, Jerramungup and Plantagenet; and
- Goldfields Voluntary Regional Organisation of Councils (GVROC) – including the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and the shires of Coolgardie, Dundas, Esperance, Laverton, Leonora, Menzies, Ngaanyatjarraku and Wiluna.
The SCA, which accounts for about 83 percent of the Great Southern population, will undertake projects that reduce emissions from fleet vehicles and waste, and improve bushfire preparedness and management.
The GVROC is an established partnership between local governments in the Goldfields region and will progress projects that reduce the increased risk of bushfires, mitigate the impacts of drought and improve the uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions.
Local Government Minister, John Carey, said, “The strong response to this initiative demonstrates how concerned local governments are about the effects of climate change in their regions and how they are trying to find solutions.
“The submissions received were very strong and it’s fantastic to see the willingness of local governments to collaborate to achieve successful climate action to benefit their communities.”
The Regional Climate Alliance program is overseen by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries in partnership with the Western Australian Local Government Association.
