Brimbank

Climate Emergency

Plan 2020-2025

Annual Report Card 1

1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021

Council’s new Community Engagement Policy

2021 established an engagement framework

with a set of principles to guide best practice

engagement and enable meaningful and genuine

opportunities for community involvement in

decision making processes.

Council held the North West Communities for

Climate Action Conference in collaboration with six

other municipalities. Sessions included emergency

services experiences and Aboriginal land

management skills.

Council’s Young Environmental Leaders training

program was established and commenced in

collaboration with the Brimbank Community

Leadership Program.

Council continued our hosting of and strong

collaboration with the Western Alliance for

Greenhouse Action (WAGA).

Council received significant community input into

the draft annual budget consultations, advocating

for strong action on climate change.

Council adopted updated formal statements

acknowledging Traditional Owners, and Traditional

Owner corporation spatial borders were determined.

Council submitted its Emergency Plan as its pledge

to the Victorian Government and advocated for

them to declare a climate emergency, put a price

on carbon emissions, and target 100% renewable

energy by 2030. The Victorian Government

released emission reduction targets for 2025 and

2030, and Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy.

2020/2021 saw implementation of year one of the

Brimbank Climate Emergency Plan 2020-2025 - Let’s

co-create our future.

The Emergency Plan outlines the need for, and

urgency of, an ambitious transformation of Brimbank.

Together we must work to free our community

from fossil fuel pollution, and become resilient to

climate change.

In Brimbank, equity, energy, infrastructure, the

natural environment, and the material economy are

core challenges of climate change.

These five areas translate to our five themes for

action in the Emergency Plan: People Power, 100%

Renewable, Resilient Rebuild, Green and Cool, and

Circular Economy.

Taking urgent action on climate will enable our

security, and thus our freedom.

In the year from July 2020 to June 2021, Council has

made significant progress towards the fundamental

objective of the Plan: to stop pouring pollution into

our atmosphere.

We must ‘electrify

everything’, and use

100% renewable clean

electricity for all our

energy needs.

Securing over $1.5M in funding from the Australian

Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to enable

the Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre

aquatic facilities to be all electric powered –

with an Australian first heat-pump system

– was the highlight.

This project highlights the core task at hand.

Council contracted the development of a municipal

emissions pathway, targeting the industrial and

commercial sectors that make up circa 70% of

Brimbank emissions.

Council worked with WAGA and with 46 Victorian

councils to finalise contracts for the Victorian

Energy Collaboration (VECO) power purchase

agreement to provide councils with 100%

renewable electricity from 1 July 2021.

Council assessed the feasibility of electric

alternatives to gas heating and cooling at the

Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre and secured

an ARENA grant of over $1.5M to go all electric!

Council explored the feasibility of developing a

community solar farm at the old Sunshine landfill,

and advocated to the Victorian Government for

special conditions for community energy projects to

make it financially viable.

Council installed electric vehicle charging

infrastructure for its fleet at the Sunshine multi

deck carpark, and at Council’s operations depot.

Council installed solar PV at multiple sites including

a significant system at the Sunshine Leisure Centre.

Council advocated for, and applauded the Victorian

Government decision to power the metropolitan

train network with 100% renewable energy.

Council commenced work on a 100% Renewable

Brimbank community campaign to be launched

in 2021/22.

Through the Creating Better Streets for People

program Council’s streets designs are changing to

be walking and cycling friendly corridors that include

high levels of tree shading, and water sensitive

urban design features such as raingardens.

Council adopted a new parking permit policy,

together with car park management plans for

Sunshine and St Albans, to provide a framework for

effectively and fairly managing parking across the

municipality.

Council continued to support staff to use

sustainable transport solutions such as public

transport and cycling.

Council advocated to the Victorian Government for a

high-level of sustainable design and construction to

be included in major projects such as the Melbourne

Airport Rail Link.

Council continued to utilise its environmentally

sustainable design framework to guide the design and

construction of its own new buildings including the

new sports pavilion at Errington Reserve in St Albans.

Council applauded the Victorian Government’s

budget funding of significant new social

housing, and of rebates for heating and cooling

infrastructure (energy efficient reverse cycle split

systems) for low-income households.

Council commenced a project, in collaboration

with the Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built

Environment (CASBE), to consider the next phase

of improvements to the Victorian planning system

needed to enable all-electric precincts

and buildings.

The Victorian Government announced its

policy support for the transition to EVs and

electrified transport.

Council’s urban ecology projects included

distributing native plants to schools.

Brimbank’s urban canopy cover has increased

from 6% to 10% as part of the implementation of

Council’s Urban Forest Strategy.

Council continued its active involvement in the

Greening the West initiative, and welcomed the

launch of the GTW Strategic Plan 2020–2025,

and Victorian Government funding of $5M for tree

planting in the western suburbs.

The Brimbank Oasis concept of cool and green

parks hit its stride with the commencement of the

Dempster Park Oasis Project attracting $1.5M in

funding from the Victorian Government, and Sunvale

Community Park winning three industry awards.

Council progressed and promoted plant-rich diets

through the provision of vegetable seedlings to 32

schools and the launch of A Guide to Community

Gardening in Brimbank.

Council communicated on social media about the

need to reduce food waste.

Council raised awareness in the communities where

we planted nature-strip trees about the important

benefits of increasing our tree canopy cover,

including how they cool homes in summer.

Council continued its work with IPC Health to

promote heatwave awareness.

Council urban design projects such as the

upper Stony Creek wetland and projects on the

Hampshire Road upgrade continued to cool and

green the municipality.

Brimbank’s precious ‘Friends of’ groups and Council’s

temporary Working for Victoria staff, and own

conservation team did a power of work to protect

and restore our natural assets including our living

and wonderful waterways.

Council developed a new Social Procurement Policy

to provide support for social outcomes when we are

purchasing goods and services.

Council welcomed the final report by the Victorian

Parliamentary Inquiry for Disadvantaged Job

Seekers, which has considered and responded

to Council’s submission for greater support and

pathways to assist local job seekers.

Council’s Compost Revolution program was a hit

during lockdowns with hundreds of compost bins

and worm farms arriving at residents’ doors.

Council worked with traders in the St Albans and

Sunshine activity centres to understand their waste

management issues so that we can assist them and

improve public amenity.

Council collaborated with other councils on a project

to better understand how we can achieve better

recycling outcomes at multi-unit dwellings.

Council trialled high recycled content asphalt on a

road upgrade project.

Council has been actively working to prepare for

the implementation of the Victorian Government’s

Recycling Victoria policy commitments: including

the move to a four bin kerbside collection system,

the introduction of a container deposit scheme, and

the banning of single use plastics.

Building a

sustainable

Brimbank

Brimbank Council has

allocated $31.17 million in the

2021/22 Annual Budget on

sustainability projects.

This budget is

focused on investing

in key sustainability

initiatives that

support our community today,

while building a more sustainable

Brimbank for our future.

Take a look at the snapshot

of sustainability projects

we’re planning to deliver

across Brimbank.

Park upgrades

Tree Planting

Su olk Road Local

Activity Centre,

Greening and water

sensitive urban

design features

Warm Season Grass

Conversion - to reduce

reliance on drinking

water

Nature Places to

improve

public access

Gould Street Greening

Improvements

Brimbank Aquatic

and Wellness

Centre – carbon

neutral aquatic

centre

100% Carbon

Neutral

Renewable

Electricity

Supply for all

buildings,

facilities and

streetlights

Bike / pedestrian / shared

user pathways

Rain Gardens within Road

Rehabilitation Works

Street lighting upgrade

Gould Street Pedestrian Improvements

Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre –

Green Star

Alfrieda Street Masterplan

Kororoit Creek Stormwater Pollutant Trap

Creating Streets for People Policy

Environmentally Sustainable Design

Standards for Council buildings

Kerbside Green Waste Service

Kerbside Recycling Service

Recycling and waste education

Conservation Land Management and Education

Climate Emergency Plan

Annual Budget

2021/2022

31.17M

9249 4000

info@brimbank.vic.gov.au

PO Box 70, Sunshine, VIC 3020

• TTY dial

133 677

• Speak & Listen

1300 555 727

•

www.relayservice.gov.au

, then enter

03 9249 4000

www.facebook.com/brimbankcouncil

www.twitter.com/brimbankcouncil

www.youtube.com/brimbankcitycouncil

189 - 0521