SECCCA Spring Update 2022
Message from the Acting CEO…
As a year of great change and progress draws to a close, SECCCA looks back on a turning point in climate history in Australia. Finally, we have a federal government that is listening to the science, and was elected on the promise of climate action, both locally and globally.
Australia has committed $24.9 billion to climate action in the October Federal Budget, including funding for reinstatement of the Federal Climate Change Authority. The Climate Change Bill has passed through the of the Parliament and the Senate – it will be soon law.
Mirroring these seismic changes in Australian society, SECCCA concludes what has been no less than the biggest year yet for our small but powerful organisation. In August, we launched our 2022 Policy Platform which outlines the policies and funding required to protect our communities from climate change and to best position the SECCCA region for a zero emissions world. We have brought this policy roadmap to our local and national decision makers, presenting them with evidence-based solutions to the problems we collectively face.
As our advocacy program draws to a close for the year, we are pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with key decision-makers including local Members of Parliament and Ministers who hold office in the SECCCA region. We look forward to seeing the Victorian State Election commitments unfold, and witnessing the acceleration of climate action policy.
In this edition, we’re proud to present updates on a range of projects that our staff have been working on, including the BriefEzy tool, as well as present to you several new SECCCA projects currently underway.
In July, our project team began the Building Business Resilience project which prepares local businesses to manage climate risks and address vulnerabilities. In September we launched ‘Powering Up’: A Guide to Electrification to Council-Owned Buildings to assist in the transition to renewable energy. This month SECCCA will launch our Carbon Sink Study, an exciting project that will investigate the opportunities for carbon sequestration across the southeast region of Melbourne. I look forward to seeing how these exciting new projects will pan out and how they assist the communities of the Southeast.
In this last newsletter for the year, I would like to thank all the brilliant minds and hearts that make SECCCA what it is, and to thank every one of our supporters who make the work we do possible. I would also like to welcome Dominique back to SECCCA, we are all so glad to have you back leading the team.
Please accept my heartfelt good wishes for the festive season and I look forward to working with you to deliver positive change for our region in 2023.
Daniel Pleiter
Acting Chief Executive Officer