Councils going for net zero: full list

Victorian councils have embraced net zero with particular gusto, with 34 of the state’s 45 local governments setting target dates to get there. In NSW, one third of councils have adopted a net zero goal, compared to 12 per cent in South Australia, 8 per cent in Western Australia and 5 per cent in Queensland.Tasmanian councils have not bothered setting targets, largely because the state itself is carbon neutral, while the ACT has a net zero goal, and two of the Northern Territory’s six councils have also made the pledge.Data analysis platform Purpose Bureau reviewed 531 local councils in Australia and found 92, or just over 17 per cent, had made net zero commitments by 2050 or sooner.The 10 councils that have already achieved carbon neutrality are Brisbane City Council (Australia’s largest local government, with 1.25 million residents), Adelaide City Council, Subiaco and Fremantle in WA, and Bayside, Colac Otway, Melbourne, Moonee Valley, Moreland and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. local councils net zeroIn NSW, Sydney, Waverley and Willoughby councils have all recently accelerated their net zero targets, while others, including Byron, Blue Mountains and Georges River, plan to reach the goal by 2025. Most local government emissions reductions plans govern only the operations of the council itself, but some have also set goals for the community as a whole.The plans have been criticised by some resident groups.Ratepayers Victoria committee member Verity Webb said councils should stick to environmental issues such as recycling and planting trees instead.“It’s up to federal and state governments to take the lead on reducing emissions and introducing policies and legislation,” Ms Webb said.Local councils should “lead by example, with simple, practical and inexpensive solutions: for example, reducing the use of council vehicles and encouraging staff to walk, rather than drive," she said.But Dr Simon Bradshaw, who will represent Australia at a COP26 forum on the role of sub-national governments in emissions reduction in Glasgow on Thursday, said local governments were well-placed to contribute because “so much of the practical action that has to happen is at the local level”.“Local councils own and manage huge amounts of the nation’s infrastructure, so they have a lot of scope to be driving down emissions, both through their own operations, and everything that’s under their control,” Dr Bradshaw said.Local governments also had an important advocacy function for their communities, Dr Bradshaw said, and it was frustration with perceived federal inaction on climate change that had helped kickstart the Cities Power Partnership, a group of 160 councils wanting to cut emissions.The participating councils were a “real mix, all shapes and sizes,” Dr Bradshaw said, and they included a number of central Queensland councils representing areas traditionally dependant on fossil fuel industries.The group received a boost on Monday, with the NSW, SA and ACT governments agreeing to form the Net Zero Emissions Policy Forum, described as a “collaboration designed to help sub-national jurisdictions address the practical challenges of achieving net zero emissions”.Dr Bradshaw said momentum for local government action on emissions was accelerating. A recent survey of councils by the Cities Power Partnership found one in four were already investigating a council operations emissions target, and 11 per cent said they would have a goal set within the next 12 months.council net zeroNSW COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSArmidale 2030Ballina 2030Bayside 2050Bega 2050Blacktown 2030Blue Mountains 2025Byron 2025Canterbury 2050Cessnock 2050Georges River 2025Glen Innes 2050Hawkesbury 2050Hornsby 2050Hunters Hill 2050Inner West 2025Kiama 2031Lismore 2050Maitland 2050Newcastle 2050Northern Beaches 2030Orange 2050Randwick 2030Ryde 2050Shellharbour 2050Shoalhaven 2050Snowy Valleys 2050Sydney City 2028Upper Hunter 2030Waverley 2030Willoughby 2025Wollongong 2030Woollahra 2050VICTORIA: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSAlpine 2023Ballarat 2025Banyule 2028Baw Baw 2050Bayside Already carbon neutralBrimbank 2030Casey 2040Colac Otway Already carbon neutralDarebin 2050Frankston 2025Greater Bendigo 2036Greater Geelong 2035Kingston 2050Knox 2030Maroondah 2050Melbourne City Already carbon neutralMelton 2040Moira 2050Monash 2025Moonee Valley Already carbon neutralMoorabool 2050Moreland Already carbon neutralMornington Peninsula Already carbon neutralMount Alexander 2030Murrindindi 2050Port Phillip 2050South Gippsland 2030Stonnington 2040Surf Coast 2050Wangaratta 2050Warnambool 2040Whittlesea 2022Wyndham 2040Yarra Ranges 2040QUEENSLAND: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSBrisbane Already carbon neutralNoosa 2026Sunshine Coast 2041Whitsunday 2050SOUTH AUSTRALIA: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSAdelaide Already carbon neutralBurnside 2030Charles Sturt 2025Holdfast Bay 2030Marion 2030Mount Barker 2050Unley 2050Yorke Peninsula 2050WESTERN AUSTRALIA: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSAugusta-Margaret River 2030Bayswater 2040Belmont 2050Busselton 2050Cockburn 2030Denmark 2050Donnybrook-Balingup 2050 Fremantle Already carbon neutralManjimup 2050Melvilee City 2050Subiaco Already carbon neutralOTHER STATES AND TERRITORIESNo Tasmanian council has a net zero goal but state became carbon neutral in 2015.The Australian Capital Territory government has a net zero goal for 2050.Two out of six Northern Territory councils have net zero goals: Darwin by 2030 and Alice Springs by 2050.

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November 10, 2021 at 11:30PM
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Victorian councils have embraced net zero with particular gusto, with 34 of the state’s 45 local governments setting target dates to get there. In NSW, one third of councils have adopted a net zero goal, compared to 12 per cent in South Australia, 8 per cent in Western Australia and 5 per cent in Queensland.Tasmanian councils have not bothered setting targets, largely because the state itself is carbon neutral, while the ACT has a net zero goal, and two of the Northern Territory’s six councils have also made the pledge.Data analysis platform Purpose Bureau reviewed 531 local councils in Australia and found 92, or just over 17 per cent, had made net zero commitments by 2050 or sooner.The 10 councils that have already achieved carbon neutrality are Brisbane City Council (Australia’s largest local government, with 1.25 million residents), Adelaide City Council, Subiaco and Fremantle in WA, and Bayside, Colac Otway, Melbourne, Moonee Valley, Moreland and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. local councils net zeroIn NSW, Sydney, Waverley and Willoughby councils have all recently accelerated their net zero targets, while others, including Byron, Blue Mountains and Georges River, plan to reach the goal by 2025. Most local government emissions reductions plans govern only the operations of the council itself, but some have also set goals for the community as a whole.The plans have been criticised by some resident groups.Ratepayers Victoria committee member Verity Webb said councils should stick to environmental issues such as recycling and planting trees instead.“It’s up to federal and state governments to take the lead on reducing emissions and introducing policies and legislation,” Ms Webb said.Local councils should “lead by example, with simple, practical and inexpensive solutions: for example, reducing the use of council vehicles and encouraging staff to walk, rather than drive," she said.But Dr Simon Bradshaw, who will represent Australia at a COP26 forum on the role of sub-national governments in emissions reduction in Glasgow on Thursday, said local governments were well-placed to contribute because “so much of the practical action that has to happen is at the local level”.“Local councils own and manage huge amounts of the nation’s infrastructure, so they have a lot of scope to be driving down emissions, both through their own operations, and everything that’s under their control,” Dr Bradshaw said.Local governments also had an important advocacy function for their communities, Dr Bradshaw said, and it was frustration with perceived federal inaction on climate change that had helped kickstart the Cities Power Partnership, a group of 160 councils wanting to cut emissions.The participating councils were a “real mix, all shapes and sizes,” Dr Bradshaw said, and they included a number of central Queensland councils representing areas traditionally dependant on fossil fuel industries.The group received a boost on Monday, with the NSW, SA and ACT governments agreeing to form the Net Zero Emissions Policy Forum, described as a “collaboration designed to help sub-national jurisdictions address the practical challenges of achieving net zero emissions”.Dr Bradshaw said momentum for local government action on emissions was accelerating. A recent survey of councils by the Cities Power Partnership found one in four were already investigating a council operations emissions target, and 11 per cent said they would have a goal set within the next 12 months.council net zeroNSW COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSArmidale 2030Ballina 2030Bayside 2050Bega 2050Blacktown 2030Blue Mountains 2025Byron 2025Canterbury 2050Cessnock 2050Georges River 2025Glen Innes 2050Hawkesbury 2050Hornsby 2050Hunters Hill 2050Inner West 2025Kiama 2031Lismore 2050Maitland 2050Newcastle 2050Northern Beaches 2030Orange 2050Randwick 2030Ryde 2050Shellharbour 2050Shoalhaven 2050Snowy Valleys 2050Sydney City 2028Upper Hunter 2030Waverley 2030Willoughby 2025Wollongong 2030Woollahra 2050VICTORIA: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSAlpine 2023Ballarat 2025Banyule 2028Baw Baw 2050Bayside Already carbon neutralBrimbank 2030Casey 2040Colac Otway Already carbon neutralDarebin 2050Frankston 2025Greater Bendigo 2036Greater Geelong 2035Kingston 2050Knox 2030Maroondah 2050Melbourne City Already carbon neutralMelton 2040Moira 2050Monash 2025Moonee Valley Already carbon neutralMoorabool 2050Moreland Already carbon neutralMornington Peninsula Already carbon neutralMount Alexander 2030Murrindindi 2050Port Phillip 2050South Gippsland 2030Stonnington 2040Surf Coast 2050Wangaratta 2050Warnambool 2040Whittlesea 2022Wyndham 2040Yarra Ranges 2040QUEENSLAND: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSBrisbane Already carbon neutralNoosa 2026Sunshine Coast 2041Whitsunday 2050SOUTH AUSTRALIA: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSAdelaide Already carbon neutralBurnside 2030Charles Sturt 2025Holdfast Bay 2030Marion 2030Mount Barker 2050Unley 2050Yorke Peninsula 2050WESTERN AUSTRALIA: COUNCILS WITH NET ZERO TARGETSAugusta-Margaret River 2030Bayswater 2040Belmont 2050Busselton 2050Cockburn 2030Denmark 2050Donnybrook-Balingup 2050 Fremantle Already carbon neutralManjimup 2050Melvilee City 2050Subiaco Already carbon neutralOTHER STATES AND TERRITORIESNo Tasmanian council has a net zero goal but state became carbon neutral in 2015.The Australian Capital Territory government has a net zero goal for 2050.Two out of six Northern Territory councils have net zero goals: Darwin by 2030 and Alice Springs by 2050.