For Councillors - ESD Briefings and "The Guide"

The HCCREMS program team, with the active assistance of the 14 local government authorities in the region, developed and delivered a councillor sustainability ‘briefing’ package to 84 councillors from 9 HCCREMS councils shortly after the 2008 local government elections.

This professional development package was designed through extensive consultation with councillors, general managers, senior staff and subject matter experts - helping to make it highly relevant to councillors in NSW.

To support the training package a companion  Guide to Good Governance and Ecologically Sustainable Development was written and published to provide an enduring, in depth reference manual for local government councillors across NSW. Find out more and download your own copy of  "The Guide".

Thirteen short briefing sessions were delivered in partnership with Hunter Councils’ Local Government Training Institute to 84 councillors across 9 councils in the HCCREMS region. The sessions were tailored to the specific needs of each council and delivered in house to maximise attendance.

The final training package included 3 modules, covering Governance and Ecologically Sustainable Development Principles under the Local Government Act; Councillor responsibilities and ESD Planning.

92% of councillor participants rated the briefing sessions as “very or extremely relevant”. 89% of participants identified that the briefings had improved and clarified their understanding of “ESD”.

The overall result was a professional development package that relates ESD principles and practices to a range of council responsibilities - ensuring that ESD is not perceived as an `extra’ to council responsibilities, but rather critical to ensuring good governance.