Review of Sustainability Victoria
We believe that SV is particularly strong in the following functional areas defined in the Sustainability Victoria Act 2005:
• Fostering stewardship in the use of resources
• Facilitating the environmentally sustainable measures in all sectors of the Victorian economy, including local government, business and households
• Providing information and advice, awareness and education on environmental sustainability, efficient use of energy, including renewable energy
• Encouraging and promoting the development and use of environmentally sustainable practices, markets, technologies and industries, including
resource efficiency, energy efficiency, renewable energy and water; including demonstration projects, and
• Develop and implement community education and awareness strategies in relation to environmental sustainability.
The leadership role that SV plays is both unique and valuable, and the VLGA believes that this must continue.
Revised Sustainability Fund Priority Statement
We note that the waste industry often stresses the need to increase infrastructure investment in the waste sector and we agree with the industry's view. In addition, we note the case made by local governments that their waste functions should also receive resources from the Fund, and we also support this.
However, we do not believe that the use of the Landfill Levy should be further narrowed than is currently the case. That is, we believe that the Landfill Levy should be capable of continuing to fund the broad and diverse range of sustainability, behavior change and consumption programs and activities as is currently the case.
Therefore, we believe that the State Government should commit to maintaining its promised level of funding for these programs, rather than the Priority Statement being redeveloped in such a way that will fund waste infrastructure and programs to the exclusion of these other funding priorities.
VLGA Submission on the Strategic Review of Sustainability Victoria - July 2011
Revised Priority Statement of the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund Submission - August 2011