The Local Member for Port Macquarie Leslie Williams has publicly criticised the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council for its handling of climate change.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mrs Williams addressed Parliament on Thursday, May 12 where she expressed her disappointment that climate change was omitted from the Community Strategic Plan (CSP) - Imagine 2050.
She also slammed the "blatant misrepresentation" of the NSW Government's Climate Change policies, which occurred during a debate at Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's April 28 meeting.
During the meeting, Mayor Peta Pinson said council was unable to lead from the bottom, when the "two tiers of government above us have not scripted what climate change action looks like".
Mrs Williams said the NSW Government's action is outlined in the Net Zero Plan Stage 1 2020-2030.
"Our plan outlines how we will reduce emissions by growing the economy, creating jobs and reducing household costs over the next decade," she said.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council adopted the CSP at its extraordinary meeting on April 28, but requested its chief executive officer replace references to "climate change" with "sustainable resource management".
It is not the first time council has backtracked on a climate-related decision. In February, Port Macquarie-Hastings was the first local government area in the state to drop its climate emergency declaration.
A recent Port Macquarie News reader survey showed climate change was ranked as the number one issue in both the Cowper and the Lyne electorates.
Mrs Williams said it's disappointing the views of the community following extensive consultation were ignored when the councillors resolved at the April 28 meeting to adopt the CSP.
Minister for the Environment James Griffin MP, said council's decision to remove climate change from the CSP was "terrible".
"I echo the words and the concern raised by the Member for Port Macquarie, with respect to the Port Macquarie Hastings Community Strategic Plan," he said.
"By all accounts it seems to be a well considered and thought-out plan, aside from the shocking omission of anything dealing with climate change."
Mr Griffin said the community is looking for leadership, not people shirking their responsibilities when it comes to issues as important as climate change and the environment more broadly.
Mrs Williams also put forward a notice of motion to advise Parliament of council's previous decisions on climate change, as well as the abolishment of nine community and Councillor representative groups.
A notice of motion proposes that the House do something, or express an opinion on a matter and sets out the words of the motion being moved.
When asked by the Port Macquarie News about what she thought about Mrs Williams comments, Cr Pinson responded that the Local Member is entitled to be concerned about things that concern her.
"I have no concerns on that," she said.
Cr Pinson said council is certainly doing its heavy lifting when it comes to renewables and using resources wisely.
"We live in a beautiful environment, it's up to us to protect that," she said.
"So, you know, I'm really comfortable with the decisions we're making in council."
Cr Pinson said Mrs Williams is welcome to come to her office and have a conversation about her concerns.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
Bookmark our website
Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
You can support us with a subscription
Follow us on Twitter: @portmacnews
Follow us on Instagram: @portmacnews
Follow us on Google News