A Victorian council, still grappling with the aftermath of a devastating bushfire that claimed over 50 homes and businesses, is urging the federal government to mandate contributions from fossil fuel companies towards national climate disaster recovery efforts. The Mount Alexander Shire Council, located approximately 90 minutes northwest of Melbourne, is actively engaged in rebuilding following the January inferno.
This month, the council unanimously passed a motion calling on the federal government to implement a climate pollution levy specifically targeting coal, gas, and oil corporations. Greens councillor Lucas Maddock articulated the rationale behind this proposal, suggesting that the revenue generated from such a levy could be directed towards mitigating and recovering from the “climate damage” attributed to these companies.
“It’s only fair that it is the big polluters who foot this bill,” Cr Maddock stated during the council meeting. “Without decisive action to ensure they do, it will be local communities and councils like ours who continue to pay for the climate damage out of our own pockets.”
The successful motion also mandates the council to seek the support of the state government at the upcoming local government state conference. Cr Maddock elaborated on the issue in an interview, highlighting that taxpayer funds are currently being allocated to respond to disasters exacerbated by climate change.
“These are funds that could be going to our schools, to our roads, to our health services,” he remarked. He further explained that while insurance covers some direct losses, ratepayers are still bearing the brunt of indirect costs. These include escalating insurance premiums and the necessity of retrofitting homes to enhance their resilience against climate-related events.
Cr Maddock referenced a recent study by The Castlemaine Institute, which estimated that the average household within the shire would need to invest around $23,000 in retrofitting to achieve adequate climate and disaster resilience. “Personally, in our house in Barkers Creek, we’re facing upwards of about $100,000 and we just can’t afford that,” Cr Maddock shared. “So we’re making really tough decisions now on what we can and can’t afford, and what are the most important things to get done.”
The Burden on Local Communities
The town of Harcourt, situated within the Mount Alexander Shire, bore the brunt of the Ravenswood fire earlier this year. Castlemaine resident and climate activist Malcolm Robbins addressed the council meeting, asserting that fossil fuel corporations are not contributing their equitable share to climate repair.
“Every local community is paying the price of accelerating anthropogenic climate change, while big coal, oil and gas corporations externalise the true cost of their activities — shifting the burden of climate damage onto communities, local businesses, and families,” Robbins argued. “It’s time to rectify that injustice and I believe that those most responsible for climate damage must adequately contribute to repairing it.”
Michael Henry, a local cider maker who lost his home and orchard in the blaze, echoed the sentiment. While he acknowledged the merit of a disaster recovery fund, he also stressed the federal government’s role in shouldering some of the financial responsibility.
“Certainly, they have some form of responsibility for it,” Henry stated. “But then, at the end of the day, we all bear that responsibility. It’s all well and good to say that the mining companies have dragged all this oil and fossil fuels out of the ground, but who’s burning it? They’re not. We are.”
Henry also pointed to the responsibilities of local and state governments in disaster preparedness and mitigation. “When you’re looking at roadsides that have neck-high, dry grass, you’re asking for a fire,” he observed. “And that comes through mismanagement from local government and state government. That’s what causes these sorts of fires, these sorts of disasters.”
In response to inquiries, federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Josh Wilson, stated that the government is providing support to local governments through its $100 million Community Energy Upgrades program. The Mount Alexander Shire Council received $247,925 in the second round of this initiative, which will be used to electrify its town hall.
