This week Bayside Council announced it was the
FIRST South Eastern Victorian Council to be certified CARBON NEUTRAL
With so much hype and claim across the Country that Climate change is the existential threat to humanity, I honestly expected this to make the 6pm TV News bulletins. But it didn't, I wonder why? Are people simply focused on the real threat to our existence? Cost of living? Is it case of hip pocket over expensive guilt absolution? Likely
Back to Bayside... "Carbon Neutral they say"
A quick review of Bayside Council's roadmap to Carbon Neutral shows:
In 2017 work commenced on a Climate Change response.
Community Consultation was completed (Dec 2017-Feb 2018)
39 Responses were received.
The population of Bayside is around 102,000 residents.
54% of these 39 respondents (21 people) accepted "high cost" paid carbon offset credits.
There was strong concern from the respondents around the purchase of carbon credits using ratepayers' public money.
Council formed a Climate Emergency Action Plan.
Council purchased Carbon Credits from multiple overseas organisations and some domestic organisations.
As someone who has researched and pulled apart more Council reports and documents that I care to admit, there are some MASSIVE issues with this process.
Why was consultation done in Dec-Feb when most people are not likely to engage with an issue due to Christmas and New Year?
Why did Council accept that 39 responses were EVER adequate in making such a decision?
What methodology was used to ensure loads of ORDINARY residents were giving feedback and not pre-disposed climate action enthusiasts who are biased?
What was the debate amongst Councillors like on this issue? Was there ample chest beating and "I am a legend" for voting on this?
There are many questions to be further answered including HOW MUCH HAS ALL THIS COST? We know it has cost AT LEAST $2.4 MILLION so far, based on this comment in a Council report.
"The estimated costs for achieving carbon neutrality are around $2.4 million, with the majority of these funds being directed towards energy efficient upgrades and installation of solar panels on Council buildings."
There needs to be an audit done on the full cost, and this should be public ASAP. Perhaps ALL Councils should be declaring the total cost of these plans and strategies for you know, transparency.
Whilst Baysiders may be some of the most affluent households in the State, not everyone is a millionaire.
Many are struggling to afford rent, mortgage payments, bills, and everything else thrown at them. Just like every other community.
The average rates bill in Bayside is somewhere around $1860 - how much of that is now being funneled into the Climate emergency?
At $1 Million - $28 per household.
At $2 Million - $56 per household.
At $5 Million - $140 per household.
Whilst I recognise these aren't extraordinary savings, they are a waste in the context of what Council could be doing with the money. Potholes anyone?
Imagine what this would be like across the state - enormous funding for other priorities. Got stuffed roads or drains? Need more parks?
Well, we can't fix them because there is a climate emergency!
Side note: The most common and overused raw material used by Councils across the state is CONCRETE. Does anyone see the hypocrisy? Concrete is heat-load generating...and contributes significantly to climate change.
So back to Climate Emergencies in our Councils.....
Now, this led me to do some digging because as a prolific Council Watcher, there is not a Council meeting that generally goes by without the climate emergency being spoken of. So, I decided to look at the number of participants who formed Councils Climate Emergency Responses VS their total population. Just to see how many people were involved and keen to see a Climate Emergency Action Plan - surely thousands?
Especially in those inner left councils where they protest about lots of things.
They seem engaged and really active with Council.
These are the responses that then are used to design and justify each Councils "Climate Emergency Action Plans".
How many people's feedback helped form the climate action plan or climate emergency response?
Involved in Community Feedback | Approx Population | % of population who helped formed action plan | |
Banyule | 135 | 127,348 | 0.11% |
Whitehorse | 48 | 172,466 | 0.03% |
Hume | 1300 | 252,987 | 0.51% |
Maroondah | 500 | 115,043 | 0.43% |
Mornington Peninsula | 550 | 169,663 | 0.32% |
Merribek | 60 | 174,735 | 0.03% |
Nillumbik | 106 | 63,041 | 0.17% |
Boroondara | 1500 | 167,900 | 0.89% |
Casey | 395 | 378,831 | 0.10% |
Bayside | 39 | 102,177 | 0.04% |
City of Melbourne | 654 | 149,615 | 0.44% |
(Both Hobsons Bay and Bass Coast Council implemented a response to petitions with over 1,000 signatures on them).
Not one Council in the table above has even managed to get 1% of the population involved in the forming of a Climate Action or Climate Emergency response/plan!
ISN'T CLIMATE EMERGENCY THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNTIES?
That's what I keep hearing in Councils......why aren't the residents in their thousands lining up to have their say, where is their emergency response? Why aren't 5,000 people marching on town hall demanding Carbon Neutrality Now?
Council Watch research has shown that far from denying climate change, only 8% of respondents want Councils using their Budget funds to spend on Climate change.
That's 92% who don't want Councils spending on the topic, despite the existential threat to humanity. Wait, what? That's not what Councils tell us - everyone is waiting for the impending doom and roasting of humanity right?
OK, maybe not then.
Ponder this, if a publicly listed company was to do research with its customers, get less than 1% of them involved for feedback, then shift its business actions and priorities drastically based on that feedback, what would be the result? How sound would that be?
I don't think there is a board member in any Australian Company who would accept that. I don't think any statistical expert or data scientist would argue this is a case for overwhelming action at all. It might not qualify as an emergency at all.
So why are many of our Councillors so willing to die on the Climate Change Hill?
Could it be because the loud climate activists have scared and influenced them into disproportionate action? Could it be because the activists know Councils are so weak they cannot fend off radical activism? Could it be that officers like variety and roads and rubbish just aren't as sexy as climate change on Instagram and Facebook feeds?
It seems our Councils will continue to spend MILLIONS on a self-indulgent Virtue Signaling exercise, chasing a Carbon Neutral status.
Sure, the Carbon Neutral status logo will get a good run in Staff email signatures and company letter head. It doesn't look offensive, and it is GREEN. It's just one more to add to the many versions of Pride flags, Indigenous Flags, Accreditations and Certifications galore that come with any corporate council email.
The question remains, has any of this resulted in ANY reduction in CO2 in our atmosphere in a meaningful way? Will it?
This proves that less than 1% of local populations CAN upend and hijack a Councils democratic decision-making process with ease, they just need Councillors who believe anything thrust in front of them by officers and loud activism, coercion, accreditations, and a bit of chest beating.
We need Councillors who are critical thinkers, this crap isn't working.
We need Councillors and CEO's who understand how hard it is to fork out EVERY DOLLAR, they bill us.
People are struggling with grocery costs, power bills, rent, mortgages, and EXPENSIVE RATES AND BIN TAXES, but listening to many Councillors and CEO's - you wouldn't think so, would you? They seem to think it's an endless gravy train that we can all afford. It's not BUT those pesky activists have got their grip on Council money firmly. After all, there's an EXPENSIVE climate emergency to pay for.
More reading and links:
Revenue paid to Vic Councils rose to over $13 Billion a year
(source VAGO 2022/23 audits)
I live in Frankston Council catchment. I’ll be running next elections. My background includes senior roles in large businesses, including head of sales, marketing and operations. I believe it’s high time we made these people accountable with what they are doing with rate payers money.
Lisa Stark
I now live in Myrtleford (new to east coast), have been told about this terrible decision of Big battery plans for Dederang "Kiewa valley" Dairy Country, Mudgegonga, Echuca and apparently two other towns, the ill missed information given to government is very alarming, i have been told they have chosen particular areas as less population less fight, well if we were all properly informed and consulted by Alpine Shire Council and other shires there would be a hell of a lot of very loud "NO's", im also wondering why a lot of business don't have petitions on their counters for all too sign also our local MP needs to be louder, are councils not doing what they are payed for…
Climate change and global warming are an embellished alarmist dishonest fraud. The reality is the climate changes plural, since the year dot there is no permanence to it. I have played cricket in one hundred degree heat during the sixties and seventies and in the n nineties never played cricket because it rained non stop for three months. Experienced time when one could only water the garden with a bucket and on odd or even days of the calendar. Our dams are now full to near capacity. There is no scientific evidence to suggest CO2 gases contribute to global warming in fact the biggest contributor to CO2 gases which cannot be inhibited, is volcanic activity. Did you know…
Perhaps councils need to watch 'Climate the movie' The film that lifts the lid on the climate alarm, and the dark forces behind the climate consensus. Wouldn't hurt for our children to also watch it and realise they can start worrying when the climate STOPS changing.
Concrete which sends water into storm water drains is the problem. Permeable paving under Sec 56 has always been an option. Mad councils refuse it and insist in concrete. Councils are adding to climate woes!!!