On Wednesday, Councils from across so-called Australia voted to support a Climate Compensation Fund, paid for by big polluters, at the Australian Local Government Association general assembly.
The motion, led by the City of Sydney, is part of the Polluters Pay for Climate Compensation campaign that advocates for the Federal Government to put a levy on coal, oil and gas corporations to be used as a compensation fund for adaptation, resilience, recovery and relief before, during and after climate disasters occur.
"The council's unanimous support for this motion demonstrates that support for a more sustainable financial model for councils to manage accelerating costs of climate damage is an essential community need, not a partisan issue."
Councillor Dr Judy Greenwood from City of Parramatta
Councils are on the frontline of responding to climate disasters and supporting affected communities. Their support for the Polluters Pay campaign reflects the growing frustration that these costs continue to fall on rate and taxpayers rather than the industries and companies most responsible for the climate crisis.
Friends of the Earth’s Act on Climate Collective backs a Polluters Pay framework and the creation of a compensation fund to enable spending on resilience, risk reduction and adaptation. We have been calling for the Victorian Community Climate Adaptation Fund, which will directly support community-led adaptation.
The motion being passed sends a message to the Federal Government that councils oppose the costs of the climate crisis being borne by communities.
This is about more than raising revenue. It is about climate justice.
We must push for this motion to become policy and a priority for federal advocacy.
Learn more about Communities for Climate Compensation and how they can support your community in passing a council motion, and attend their planning and training session in Naarm, Melbourne, on August 1st.
This article is an opinion piece by Collective members and does not reflect the official opinions of Friends of the Earth Australia.
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