Hobart City Council declares a climate change emergency and urges state and federal governments to follow suit
UPDATED: The State Government agrees climate change is a serious and urgent issue but is yet to reveal whether it will join the Hobart City Council and also declare a climate emergency.
Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
UPDATED: The Tasmanian Government has acknowledged the urgency of climate change but hasn’t committed to calling it an emergency.
Premier Will Hodgman is set to receive a letter from Hobart City Council urging him to after they voted to declare a global climate and biodiversity emergency on Monday night.
The council joined more than 600 other jurisdictions around the world and now wants the Government to follow suit.
WORD CHANGE COOLS STORM OVER CLIMATE
ALDERMEN WALKOUT STOPS CLIMATE EMERGENCY DEBATE
PETER BOYER: WE NEED TO CALL IT AN EMERGENCY
A Government spokeswoman said it recognised climate change was a serious and urgent issue that required local, national and international action.
“We are already taking action to address the issue,” she said.
“The State Government is focused on delivering our nation-leading Climate Action 21 Plan, our commitment to renewable energy is unflinching and we are on track to be 100 per cent renewable by 2022.
“We have our clear commitment to the similarly nation-leading Battery of the Nation plan and Project Marinus which will see Tasmania powering Australia with our renewable energy.”
The Government did not answer whether it would also declare a climate emergency.
Greens climate change spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said Tasmanians wanted the State Government to show the leadership Hobart City Council had demonstrated.
“The evidence from the budget process over the last month has shown the Liberal Government hasn’t yet appreciated they have to move out of the reactive, business as usual approach,” she said.
“The Greens will work co-operatively with all political parties to make sure that we move into an emergency response to the climate change threat.”
Dr Woodruff said she understood other councils were also considering declaring a climate emergency.
Councillor Bill Harvey, who brought the motion to council, said Hobart was the first capital city in Australia to declare it an emergency.
Council will also write to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
EARLIER: Hobart has finally declared a climate emergency.
After about a month of back and forth with walkouts and amendments, the Hobart City Council on Monday night voted 8-3 to declare a global climate and biodiversity emergency.
It joined more than 600 other jurisdictions around the world who have also called it an emergency.
Council voted largely to support Councillor Bill Harvey’s original motion that first went before council on May 19.
Surprisingly, Alderman Jeff Briscoe, who heavily amended the motion at last week’s planning committee meeting to remove the word “emergency”, voted to reinstate it.
It was standing room only as more than 50 climate change activists packed council chambers at Hobart Town Hall to watch elected members debate the motion.
They carried signs and stuffed animals, dressed up in costumes and broke into ferocious applause when elected members spoke supporting the declaration of an emergency.
“I bet dinosaurs didn’t believe in climate change, now they’re dead,” one sign read.
Cr Harvey said using the word emergency was about leadership and added intensity to what council needed to do.
“Calling it an emergency is telling the truth about what’s happening around the globe,” he said.
“Council has a good track record on dealing with climate change — we’re recognised at an international level by the United Nations.”
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said climate change was a huge threat to Hobart through bushfires and severe weather events.
“It’s about working with our allies nationally and around the world to reduce the impact of climate change and how it threatens our community,” she said.
“We need to stand in solidarity with governments and millions of people around the world.”
Council will now write to Premier Will Hodgman and Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging them to also declare a climate and biodiversity emergency and commit to implementing strong national policy, regulation, strategy and resources for future generations.
The declaration will also be included in the council’s new strategic plan.
The topic had been hotly debated since it was first raised as an urgency action on May 19 when three aldermen — Jeff Briscoe, Damon Thomas and Simon Behrakis — walked out of the meeting to stop it going to a vote.
EARLIER: CLIMATE change activists have packed the Hobart City Council chambers in anticipation of tonight’s climate emergency non-emergency motion.
The original motion — to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency — was heavily amended by the council planning committee last week to remove the word “emergency”.
Councillor Bill Harvey, who brought the initial motion, has signalled he will put forward the original as an alternative at tonight’s meeting to reinstate the emergency.
About 50 people have filled the chambers at Hobart Town Hall to watch the debate, many carrying signs and sporting costumes.
The topic has been hotly debated since it was first raised as an urgency action on May 19 when three aldermen — Briscoe, Damon Thomas and Simon Behrakis — walked out of the meeting to stop it going to a vote.
Cr Harvey said declaring a climate emergency was about a statement of leadership.
Spirit of Tassie is a big, unholy mess
Trying to keep track of what’s happened with the Spirit of Tasmania saga? Political editor David Killick breaks down the key moments
‘We’ve all been let down’: Ferguson defiant amid ferries row
Acting Premier Michael Ferguson hit back at accusations, saying TT-Line failed to deliver the troubled replacement Spirits and we’ve all been let down.