Please Sign and Share our new Petition urging MP Council to restore Action on Climate Change
https://www.change.org/p/save-our-mp-climate-emergency-plan

(The DONATE  button with this petition is optional only and all proceeds go to Change.org  To support Save Westernport directly please visit https://savewesternport.org/donate/ )

By signing this petition you’ll show the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council that you do not support their decision to abandon the Climate Emergency Declaration and Climate Emergency Action Plan, and let them know they must reverse this decision.

This petition was generated by a coalition of Mornington Peninsula climate and environmental groups, including Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network, Save Westernport, the Victorian Farmers Federation Peninsula Branch, Flinders Zero Carbon Community, Repower Mornington Peninsula, and
Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation Group.

What is the issue?

On 22 April, 2025 the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (MPSC) revoked their commitment to meaningful action on climate change by rescinding the Strategic Climate Emergency Plan 2020 – 2030 and the Climate Emergency Declaration.

Both the Climate Emergency Declaration and the Climate Emergency Plan (CEP) were developed after widespread community consultation and were supported by 92% of Shire residents in 2019/20.

The CEP provided a strategic approach to addressing the major present and future dangers to our environment and community from climate change.

The Peninsula is particularly vulnerable to the increased frequency of extreme weather events caused by climate change such as heat waves, bushfires, flooding, and drought, with disruptive effects on the local environment, as well as financial costs to the community, agriculture, and tourism.

Council, under Victorian legislation, has a duty of care to manage foreseeable risks in relation to climate change. The Climate Emergency Plan provided a framework by which all Council actions would be guided and was achieving impressive outcomes.

Without a coherent and strategic plan any meaningful action on climate change will be very problematic.

We are deeply concerned that these changes in Council’s priorities were made with:

  • No prior notice
  • No specific community consultation
  • No associated business plan to assess the potential implications for the peoples, environment, agriculture, or commercial activities of the Peninsula.

We do not accept Council’s misleading and inaccurate claims that the work done under the Climate Emergency Plan was a waste of resources. If there were issues with any specific actions, these should have been reviewed and dealt with as needed, rather than throwing out the entire Plan and the Climate Emergency Declaration.

We note that such Declarations and Plans are central to climate actions across most local government councils including all those surrounding our municipality. MPSC is out of step.

Please sign this petition
Show the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council that you do not support their decision to abandon the Climate Emergency Declaration and Climate Emergency Action Plan and ask that they reverse this decision.

We respectfully and urgently request that MPSC:

  1. Reinstates both the Climate Emergency Declaration, and the Climate Emergency Plan, with effective funding and staffing for 2025-26;
  2. Commits to extensive community consultation prior to any further changes to the Climate Emergency Plan;
  3. Meets their responsibility to present and future generations by continuing to address the growing challenges of a changing Mornington Peninsula climate, through the strategic, targeted approach of a Climate Emergency Plan.

Please share and repost everywhere you can.

Read our latest Newsletter about the Special Meeting we held on May 14 to discuss recent Council cuts.

Our trusted Councillors are urging us to view the MP Shire Council’s 2025-26 Plan, and draft Health and Wellbeing Plan, and submit our comments while these Council Plans for the NEXT 4 YEARS are open for consultation UNTIL July 2nd 2025 .

Review the Council’s Plans and submit your comments HERE

https://shape.mornpen.vic.gov.au/

This is one of the most effective actions we can take to tell decision makers in Council our heartfelt concerns about unnecessary cuts to Climate Action, and to worthy Arts and Culture programs on the Peninsula.
Visit https://shape.mornpen.vic.gov.au/budget-2025-26

Help Resist the influence of what many perceive as an undemocratic voting bloc on the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council!