The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that it will be joining the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships (CHAMP).
The announcement was made during the COP28 World Climate Action Summit.
ALGA President, Linda Scott, said that ALGA had encouraged the Federal Government to sign the CHAMP pledge, which will enhance cooperation on climate action between national, state and local governments.
“Australian local governments have been committed to and championed climate action for more than two decades,” Ms Scott said.
“A recent report by ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability showed around three quarters of Australian councils have set or are in the process of developing community emissions reduction targets and are working towards net zero.
“We have consistently advocated for more support for local governments to reduce emissions, and were thrilled when this advocacy delivered a new federal $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund for councils announced in June this year.”
Ms Scott said that the CHAMP pledge is an opportunity to deepen the partnership between the Federal Government and local governments to meet the community’s aspirations for increased climate action.
“We look forward to working with the Government on what the CHAMP pledge objectives mean in our local Australian context, and how we can work together to support our national emissions reduction targets.
“We are also keen to tap into the learnings and expertise of other councils around the world, whose governments have signed up to this global climate action agreement.”
