No community within Australia remains untouched by climate change as extreme weather events continue to worsen.
The impacts are reverberating throughout communities, and the level of government closest to the community – councils – are at the heart of responding, keeping communities safe and strengthening for the future.
This is why it’s important that the Cities Power Partnership’s Climate Summit for Local Government is set to bring together over 150 elected officials and chief executives from councils across the country to identify key opportunities, inform practical actions, and inspire innovation, all at the local government level.
As the country’s largest local government climate network, and part of the Climate Council, the Cities Power Partnership focuses on connecting local councils across Australia in order to educate change-makers on tackling climate change.
The summit will take place in Melbourne on 6 to 8 September 2023, and will be the first in-person conference from the Cities Power Partnership in five years.
Director of the Cities Power Partnership, Dr Portia Odell, said the two and a half-day long summit will cover the most engaging aspects of climate action for local councils.
“As well as two full-days of conference program packed with keynotes and workshops, attendees will experience a variety of special events on the agenda, including an electric vehicle fleet showcase and our Climate Awards Gala Dinner,” Dr Odell said.
“The Climate Summit for Local Government is for councils at all stages of the climate action and resilience journey – whether you’re a council with plenty of climate initiatives under your belt or just getting started.”
The EV showcase and networking event will open the summit, allowing attendees to witness the diverse range of vehicles that are rapidly making up local government fleets across the country – from utes to garbage trucks.
There will be ample opportunity to learn more about this exciting step in Australia’s transportation sector, including the chance for attendees to test-drive a selection of the vehicles themselves at the Melbourne Showgrounds (subject to conditions and weather permitting).
Following the EV showcase, guests are invited to two further days of climate-focused conversations at RMIT Storey Hall in the Melbourne CBD, including workshops, keynote presentations, plenaries and interactive panels with climate scientists and other leading industry experts.
“We also want to make sure there’s countless opportunities for leaders to connect with each other about a sustainable future, allowing for that flow of ideas and information that can only happen at live events,” Dr Odell said.
“Our previous events have been wildly successful in bringing together an array of different local governments from across the country.”
I have no doubt this summit will act as a starting point in many collaborative initiatives focused on reducing emissions.
“We now have over 180 member councils which represent nearly 70% of the country’s population, plus we’ve grown exponentially since we hosted our last national in-person event. So it’s safe to say this year’s Summit will be our biggest event to date,” Dr Odell said.
The Cities Power Partnership encourages key council decision makers (including Council CEOs, General Managers, Mayors and Councillors) who are looking to embed climate action into council operations, communications, community education and more, to attend.
A more detailed program and list of speakers will be available closer to the Summit date. You can find out more information – including the key program topics – and purchase tickets via cppsummit.org.au.
Early bird tickets are on sale now, with further discounts available for member councils as well as group bookings of two or more tickets.
Reserve a place at this premier clean energy event today!
Council Magazine is a media partner of the Climate Summit for Local Government event.
