Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to keep its Climate Response Policy following community blowback

It had been on the chopping block after the council put a proposal to rescind it on public exhibition

At its meeting on Thursday, October 20, the council narrowly voted not to rescind the policy after a successful move put forward by Cr Rachel Sheppard.

The council adopted the revised Climate Change Response Policy for the purpose of public exhibition. A further report is due at the December 2022 meeting.

A motion raised by deputy mayor Adam Roberts to rescind the policy and develop a Draft Resilience and Adaptation Strategy was narrowly defeated.

The council heard from community representatives Harry Creamer, Stuart Watson and Stephen Healy before making its decision.

The Climate Change Response Policy articulates the council's position and response to climate change.

At the March 2022 meeting, the council resolved to place the proposal to rescind the Climate Change Response Policy on public exhibition.

In response, 237 submissions and one petition with 132 signatures flowed in.

The feedback showed a lack of support for the Climate Change Response Policy rescission proposal with just 12 respondents favouring the proposed rescission.

The council's next step was further engagement on the issue as a part of a community satisfaction survey to gauge how the community prioritised climate change expenditure by council compared with expenditure on infrastructure maintenance. Those results are in.

A report to the October meeting said the survey indicates that 93 per cent of residents are at least somewhat prepared to respond in an emergency situation.

"However, looking at various measures included in the survey there is interest for an increased focus on environmental/climate change measures, which is unsurprising given recent events," the report said.

Climate change has been a hot topic for council and the community.

The council revoked its Climate Change Emergency Declaration at its February 2022 meeting, becoming the first council in the state to do so.

Any reference to the declaration was later removed from council's Climate Change Response Policy.

The council also replaced references to "climate change" with "sustainable resource management" in the community-devised roadmap for the region's future, Imagine2050.

The proposal to rescind the Climate Change Response Policy is among the items on a packed agenda as the council takes its monthly meeting to Laurieton on Thursday, October 20.

The 160-page business paper also included the matters of coastal erosion at Illaroo Road in Lake Cathie, council's Community Satisfaction Survey and the possible purchase of land in Tuffins Lane, Port Macquarie.

The council meeting, at Laurieton United Services Club, is the second ordinary meeting away from the Port Macquarie chambers this year. The first was in Wauchope in March.