Borough wants feedback on its climate emergency plan

THE Borough of Queenscliffe has opened consultation for its community-led Climate Emergency Response Plan.
After having officially declared a climate emergency at its December 2019 Ordinary Meeting, the council has worked collaboratively with Queenscliffe Climate Action and other local voices to reach the next step in the development of the plan.
Borough chief executive officer Martin Gill said the plan would be ambitious in its nature and incorporate ideas from a wide cross-section of community members.
“Ultimately, the plan we put in place will not only affect us living in the Borough today, but also the children and grandchildren of future generations.
“That’s why I’m encouraging every local and every property owner to take a moment out of their day to provide us with feedback that will help limit the impacts of climate change and preserve our special coastline for decades to come.”
Point Lonsdale resident Kitty Walker, founder of Queenscliffe Climate Action, welcomed the initial consultation process, which will also include a randomly selected 30-person community panel.
This panel will play an important role in the plan’s development through a series of in-depth workshops.
“The independent recruitment of this panel to represent a cross-section of our community is a powerful way to get deep community involvement,” Ms Walker said.
“The workshops are a great opportunity for those who want a hands-on role in deciding not only the actions we take together as part of this plan, but the creation of the very plan itself.”
The draft plan, scheduled for release in February 2021, will define roles and responsibilities for both the council and the community in addressing both climate impact mitigation and adaptation strategies.
The council’s online survey to gather suggestions for the plan is now open, and residents and ratepayers of the Borough are encouraged to take part by heading to queenscliffe.vic.gov.au/cerp and following the prompts.
For those without the internet, you can request a hard-copy survey by writing to the council. The survey closes on November 1.
Residents wanting to join the community panel can find out more information and apply for the role by heading to sortitionfoundation.org/queenscliffe2020 or phoning 1800 979 787 for assistance. Participants in the community panel will be randomly selected from among the applicants by an independent consultant. Expressions of interest for the panel close on Monday, October 19.