Surf Coast Shire to ditch carbon offsets, proposes rate increase

The Surf Coast Shire is overhauling its climate policy as it looks to rein in costs.

Surf Coast Shire headquarters in Torquay. Picture: Brad Fleet

The Surf Coast Shire has revealed a sharp pivot on environmental policy, with the organisation ceasing to be certified as carbon neutral.

Council will ditch its carbon offset program as of June 30 in favour of “more direct measurable actions”, while a fee to use the electric vehicle chargers at the Torquay civic centre is also incoming.

Rather than purchase offset credits, funding will be redirected to initiatives that reduce the organisation’s emissions and support the development of local carbon abatement projects.

Measures include transitioning council facilities from gas to electricity, switching council’s car fleet to electric vehicles, and replacing appliances that use high-emitting refrigerants.

Otway Range ward councillor Leon Walker said the changes put the shire in line with similar moves made by organisations globally.

“Best practice has changed and so must we,” he said.

“We remain as committed as ever to reducing organisational emissions and to tackling the climate emergency.”

Surf Coast councillor Leon Walker. Picture: Supplied.

Under a separate policy listed in the shire’s 2025-26 draft budget, the EV chargers at Torquay civic centre will now cost $0.20/kWh, plus an additional $1 for every minute the vehicle is left charging after the battery reaches capacity.

The shire’s current climate policy centres around its goal to achieve net zero from all operations excluding Anglesea landfill by 2030.

Also revealed in the draft budget was an expected average annual rate rise of 3 per cent and a $20 increase to the mandatory urban waste service charge of $515.

Residents will also be charged an additional $63 for the state government’s controversial new fire services volunteer tax, which it is forcing local governments to collect on its behalf.

It comes as the shire moved on Tuesday to join councils like the City of Greater Geelong in opposing the new tax, with council voting to write to Premier Jacinta Allan and key government ministers to ask that the bill be either be abandoned or altered to remove the onus of collecting the levy from councils.

The Surf Coast draft budget draft is open for public consultation, with ratepayers given until May 26 to make a submission.

Originally published as Surf Coast Shire to ditch carbon offsets, proposes rate increase