About Sustainability
Sustainability and NSW Legislation
There are a number of legal requirements for councils and councillors to implement or have regard to the ‘principles of ecologically sustainable development’ (‘principles of ESD’). Key legislation in this regard includes the Local Government Act (LG Act), the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) and the Protection of the Environmental Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act).
The LG Act [s.7] requires councils, councillors and council employees to have regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development in carrying out their responsibilities. In broad terms, councils, including councillors and staff, are required to apply the principles when:
- Making decisions and carrying out duties
- Determining development applications
- Preparing plans and reports
Similarly, a stated object of the EP&A Act is to encourage ESD. There is a strong inference that decisions and planning instruments made under the EP&A Act should be founded on the principles of ESD. The principles of ESD are outlined in the Dictionary to the LG Act. They can be summarised as follows:
- The precautionary principle
- Intergenerational equity
- Conservation of biodiversity and ecological integrity
- Improved valuation, pricing and incentive mechanisms (especially in relation to environmental assets)
Sustainability in Our Region
Councils in the HCCREMS region are actively engaged in sustainability activities, with departments specifically focussed on waste avoidance and minimisation, environmental protection and community education. Many councils are actively evaluating and monitoring their carbon footprint and energy and water consumption and developing projects and infrastructure modifications to reduce resource use.
The DLG (Division of Local Government from the Department of Premier and Cabinet) Integrated Planning Reforms provide councils with a significant opportunity to commence or continue consultation with the local community on approaches to sustainability, and to assess and modify their own activities to respond to sustainability.
In addition, the creation of the WaSIP (Waste and Sustainability Improvement Program) which provides councils the opportunity to access funds to support the activities included in an adopted and approved Sustainability Action Plan, means that increasing emphasis may be put onto sustainability activities, and greater amounts of funding will also be available to resource councils to implement sustainability plans.