In February 2026 the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council invited the public to comment on their draft ‘Climate Resilience Plan’ (CRP) by responding to a survey on the Council website.  

The draft CRP is intended to replace the now defunct (though perfectly good) Climate Emergency Response Plan (CEP) that was drawn up by a previous Council after an extensive period of community consultation.

In April 2025 the current Council, led by Mayor Anthony Marsh and his Deputy, Paul Pingiaro voted to throw out the original CEP and retract their 2019 Climate Emergency Declaration, by a narrow majority of 6 votes to 5. 

 The Council’s former Climate Emergency Response Plan, or CEP was intended to be a 30 year plan, yet just six years after it was adopted, the CEP was dumped, without consulting  Peninsula ratepayers, and despite Council reports confirming that the original Plan was meeting its aims. 

Save Westernport is a member of the Peninsula Climate Alliance — a collective of local groups that formed to push back against the Council’s April 2025 decision to retract their 2019 Climate Emergency Declaration and dump the CEP. Upon reading the Council’s replacement Climate Resilience Plan, Save Westernport and the Peninsula Climate Alliance (PCA) found it to be alarmingly inadequate in its draft form, with a flawed focus  on ‘adapting’ to Climate Change, rather than working to reduce the Number One cause: – the burning of fossil fuels for energy. 

Read Save Westernport’s submission on the Council’s draft Climate Resilience Plan HERE 

Among our many concerns was the discovery that a number of key words were missing from the Council’s endorsed ‘Plan Framework’.
Among these are CO2, greenhouse, carbon, emissions, target, net-zero and fossil fuels. These glaring omissions led us to wonder, ‘Why is our Council avoiding taking action on reducing carbon emissions on the Mornington Peninsula ?

The Victorian Climate Change Act (2017) states: “the role of sub-national governments in driving this transition cannot be understated”.

Further concerns about the Council’s draft Climate Resilience Plan can be read in the detailed submission by Peninsula Climate Alliance (PCA) president, Greg Holland. 

Save Westernport and the PCA encouraged you all to have your say about the future of Climate Change action on the Peninsula by responding to the Council survey to express the strong community expectation that Climate Change preparedness will be a key priority across the Shire.

 

Update: in Feb 2026 representatives of  our groups in the Peninsula Climate Alliance received an email from Council officers, stating that public responses to the Council survey have confirmed that the Shire will need to significantly revise their draft Climate Resilience Plan to ensure that community concerns about the draft CRP will be addressed in the Council’s final version of the Plan.

This news is welcomed by Save Westernport and other members of the Peninsula Climate Alliance.

Thank you everyone who took the time to respond to the Council’s public survey on the Climate Resilience Plan.

 

Finally, in  January 2026 Save Westernport made a submission on the federal reform of the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) concerning the introduction of Standards on Offsets for Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES).

Save Westernport’s Jan 2026 submission on EPBC reform is
HERE

 

Remember you can support Save Westernport’s ongoing voluntary work by becoming a Member,

or by renewing your annual $20 membership HERE

 

You can also make a Donation HERE

 

Thankyou, from the Save Westernport Steering Committee


Picture: Mornington Pier, 2 September 2024
Gregor Carr (Jane Bunn’s Weather Photography 7 News)