PIA VIC Climate Change Advocacy
PIA Victoria has been advocating strongly for a number of years for greater recognition of the planning system’s role in not only climate change adaptation but also mitigation. See PIA Victoria’s Climate Change Position Paper HERE for detail. PIA National has also been running a Climate Conscious Planning campaign.
Consequently, PIA Victoria is thrilled to see this week’s tabling of the package in Parliament. Importantly for planners, this includes proposed changes to the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to recognise the important role of planning. In the words of Minister D’Ambrosio “…the Victorian Government also recognises the critical role that Victoria’s land use planning system will continue to play in achieving a net zero emissions and climate resilient Victoria. Land use decisions cut across a range of activities and sectors, presenting significant opportunities for strong and meaningful climate action.”
Explicitly empowering planners to act in relation to climate change is critical to a more climate resilient and zero emissions future, and is something PIA, and our colleagues at other peak bodies have been advocating for strongly for a number of years. This is a potential game changer in how meaningfully we address one of the greatest challenges we face locally, nationally and globally. Planning is foundational to many of the changes needed to meet this challenge.
The changes to the P&E Act seek to introduce a new objective to provide for “explicit consideration of the policies and obligations of the State relating to climate change, including but not limited to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and the need to increase resilience to climate change, when decisions are made about the use and development of land”, requiring consideration as Councils prepare any amendments to their planning schemes. We commend the State Government for explicitly acknowledging planning’s important role in climate change mitigation and adaptation, and that strong calls from local government to be empowered to act in relation to climate change have been recognised.
These changes are consistent with PIA Victoria’s calls for “Legislative and related changes to support climate change action…to ensure that, within the current planning system, a greater consideration of matters pertaining to climate change is promoted: [including] Amend[ing] other relevant legislation to support increased consideration of climate change actions by relevant bodies, such as direction for decision-makers under the Planning & Environment Act and the Victorian Planning Authority Act.”
We look forward to a continuing role in providing advice to the Government as it operationalises this legislative change in the planning system.
Quotes from Patrick Fensham, President of PIA in Victoria:
“PIA Victoria commends the State Government for pursuing this addition to the objectives of planning in Victoria, which will mean that the State’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and the impacts of climate change will need to be considered in land use planning and development decisions.”
“The big challenge now for the Government will be to ensure that this change has a meaningful impact on development outcomes, for things like car usage, what building materials are used in development and whether future development is restricted or prohibited in areas subject to increased flood and bushfire hazards because of climate change. We look forward to working with the Government on operationalising this reform initiative through the planning system.”
ENDS
Patrick Fensham is available for comment and can be contacted at vicpresident@planning.org.au. For more information, please contact Carmel McCormack at carmel.mccormack@planning.org.au.