Action by local government to undertake measures that support more uptake of renewables and the shift to electric transport will create new jobs and achieve significant savings in running costs for the Council, business and residents.
The 20+% of Eurobodalla households with rooftop solar have seen the financial benefits of installing renewable energy.
Shifting to electric vehicles reduce running costs by 70%, maintenance costs by 40% and you can forget having to worry about big fluctuations in global petrol and diesel prices. The NSW Government recognises the benefit of moving to electric vehicles with their $590m package including assisting Council and businesses with more than 10 vehicles with financial assistance to upgrade to EV fleets.
Climate Solutions for Eurobodalla sent a survey to the seven groups contesting the Eurobodalla Council election. Four groups completed the survey – the Mayne Group, Eurobodalla Labor, Eurobodalla Greens and the Pollock Group. The table below summarises their responses. Sadly Better Eurobodalla Group, Advance Euroboalla and the Hatcher Group did not respond to the survey so we don’t know where they stand on these important issues.
| Questions | Mayne Group | Eurobodalla Labor | Eurobodalla Greens | Pollock Group |
| Do you see climate action opportunities in the Eurobodalla | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Are you prepared to offer incentives to business to help climate action | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Do you agree that Eurobodalla (not just Council) must attain net-zero emissions? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| If so, do you agree this target should be achieved by 2030? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Do you believe Council should add more renewable energy generation to its facilities such as the extra 1000kW advised in a recent consultancy report to Council? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Will you ensure that Council engages in the development of micro grids (solar and community batteries) in the Shire to enable more resilience, especially in smaller towns | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Will you shift the Council fleet to electric vehicles as each vehicle requires replacement? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Will you install EV charging stations at Council facilities | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Local government is about so much more than roads, rates and rubbish and have a critical role to play in seizing the opportunities that exist in the transition to a Zero Emissions economy.