Climate Emergency Hypocrisy Makes Case For Ending Council Climate Activism
'The hypocrisy of those councils declaring a climate emergency but then sending staff on junkets shows exactly why more common sense councillors are needed around the council table,' says Mr Luxton.
'ACT Local councillors will oppose attempts to reduce emissions at the local government level, and will move for much stricter policies for international travel. That means no international climate junkets, and all other travel must have clear benefits for ratepayers – in most instances this will mean no travel at all.
'The role of a council is to deliver core services and resilient infrastructure that can't be delivered privately – not to try to change the weather.
ACT Local candidates' approach to climate change will mean:
Stopping local emissions reduction plans
Ending 'climate emergency' declarations
Banning ratepayer-funded climate junkets
Closing down emissions reduction slush funds
Requiring consenting and land use decisions to disregard emissions
Making spending decisions based on cost, not carbon
Continued improvement of infrastructure like stormwater and stopbanks
'Emissions are already managed at central government level via the Emissions Trading Scheme - councils don't need to be involved,' says Mr Luxton.
'In Parliament, ACT is addressing local climate activism with Mark Cameron's member's bill to stop councils from considering emissions in their land use plans. ACT councillors would take this a step further, working to secure majorities around the council to take climate ideology out of councils entirely.
'ACT councillors will focus on delivering the basics well, with less waste and lower rates.'
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