PARRAMATTA GREENS MEDIA RELEASE – 21 October 2021 

Most Parramatta Councillors oppose “doing our fair share” for the climate crisis.  Greens Councillor Phil Bradley called on Parramatta Council to “do its fair share” when it comes to climate change action. He moved that the Council commit to at least a 40 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030, but Council failed to do so.

Greens Councillor Bradley says “Like me, the public should be outraged that the majority of Councillors at the October 25 council meeting refused to support my motion to take more action on climate change.”  “In the latest Climate of the Nation report, 75 per cent of Australians expressed concern about climate change,” he says. “That’s the highest level of concern since this survey began”, he says.

“Using the carbon budget in the United Nations’ recent IPCC climate report, the Climate Council has estimated that for Australia to do its fair global share, we should reduce our emissions by 75 per cent by 2030,” he says. “The NSW Government has announced a 50 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 and the Business Council of Australia has now supported a 46 to 50 per cent reduction.”

“Most Parramatta Councillors clearly failed to support Council also doing its fair share, by their opposing my motion for, among other things, a modest 40 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030!”

In August, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report. It’s been described as a “code red for humanity” by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. Councillor Bradley says the report “may be our final warning”.  “It is clear that the scale and pace at which humans are altering the climate system has no precedent. The changes are being driven by burning fossil fuels. “There is a narrow path to avoiding climate catastrophe, but only through immediate, deep and sustained emissions reductions.” 

He also called on the Council to acknowledge the leadership of NSW Treasurer Matt Kean with his Net Zero Plan, which commits to a 50 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030, while also delivering jobs for the State.

Councillor Bradley says “One in four Australian homes already have solar panels on the roof, meaning Australia has the highest uptake of solar power in the world. 

“Renewables create jobs,” he says. “In 2019, at least 25,000 people were employed across renewable energy supply chains and almost 10,000 of those ongoing jobs were in rooftop solar.”

“Another way of growing jobs in Parramatta while also cutting emissions is by making buildings more energy efficient. The Better Buildings initiative demonstrates that it would create 180,000-plus ongoing jobs and reduce the cost of living for 2.65 million Australian households – and there’s no reason why Parramatta shouldn’t get a share of the benefits.”

In his motion, Councillor Bradley also called on the Council to write to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, requesting that he take commitments for a significantly increased 2030 emissions cut and for net zero emissions before 2050 to the UN Climate Change Conference in November. He also called on the Council to ask the Federal Member for Parramatta, Julie Owens, to support the Community Protection Pledge to keep residents safe from worsening extreme weather.