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Local Councils

City of Rockingham

Home page: http://www.rockingham.wa.gov.au/
Population: 107,000
Annual Revenue: $101,939,545
No of households: 46,868

Corporate questionnaire


Access to Information

How easily council displays information about what it is doing for environmental sustainability.

Q1.   Does this Council train reception staff to deal with sustainability FAQ's from residents? Provide details on method of training and on the issues covered.
A.  No

Q2.   Do Council sustainability staff have input into the Council website layout to ensure that residents can easily locate info on environmental sustainability?
A.  

Q3.   Do Council sustainability staff ensure that eco-sustainability brochures are prominently displayed in civic centre foyers and ‘satellite’ offices?
A.  

Q4.   Does this Council have other policies/practices in this category? Tell us any of your own initiatives.
A.  No

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General Support for Environmental Sustainability

General ways that this council promotes environmental sustainability.

Q1.   Does this Council employ 2+ f/t or equiv. p/t environmental / sustainability officers (or similar roles by different names?) Please provide details of position, department and areas of responsibility.
A.   1 x Co-ordinator of Sustainability & Environment (Planning Services Department) 2 x Full Time Environmental Planning Officers (Planning Services Department) 2 x Part time Environmental Planning Officers (Planning Services Department) = Full Time Equivalent

Q2.   Does this Council have a Green or Ethical Purchasing Policy in place?
A.   The City is currently developing a Green Purchasing Policy to enable sustainable purchasing.

Q3.   Does this Council use a sustainability framework (economic, social, environment, governance) in all its planning, reporting and decision-making processes? Details?
A.   The City undertakes planning processes using a sustainable approach.

Q4.   Does this Council’s annual report (or similar) explicitly support sustainability using such guidelines as the Global Reporting Initiative?
A.  No

Q5.   Does this Council provide an annual report to the community on the state of the environment and encourage feedback?
A.   The Council has released full State of Environment Reports in 2001, 2005 and 2009 and interim Report Cards in 2003 and 2007. The process encourages public participation.

Q6.   Does this Council provide sustainability staff the opportunity to liaise with Councillors re sustainability information?
A.   Staff are able to liaise with Councillors through the Community Environment Advisory Committee and other forums.

Q7.   Does this Council provide staff education on sustainability issues?
A.   The City holds an annual ‘Switch Off’ program which encourages sustainability through increased energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction behaviours in the office.

Q8.   Does this Council have a ‘green team’ or Sustainability/Environmental advisory group?
A.   The City has a Sustainability and Environment Team.

Q9.   Does this Council have other policies/practices in this category?
A.  No

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Natural Resource Management

How this council manages the air, water, land, plants, animals and micro-organisms - and their ecosystems - in its care.

Q1.   Does this Council have an Integrated Water Management/ Catchment Management/ Stormwater Management Plan/ Food and Agriculture Localisation Plan in action? If so, which of the above?
A.   The City has produced an Integrated Catchment Management Plan for Lake Richmond. The document is due to be released in February 2013.

Q2.   Does this Council have Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan Guidelines?
A.  No

Q3.   Does this Council have a Green Plan in action?
A.   The City of Rockingham Greening Plan.

Q4.   Does this Council have a Natural Areas/ Bushland Management Plan?
A.   The City has a Local Biodiversity Strategy and is currently in the process of reviewing the strategy, with the intention of updating actions in the strategy and inserting targets for biodiversity conservation.

Q5.   Does this Council have any policies /strategies for retention of mature trees?
A.   The City has a practice of seeking to retain a portion of significant mature vegetation in new developments.

Q6.   Does this Council have a strategy in place for the control of phytophora dieback?
A.  No

Q7.   Does this Council have a strategy in place for the control of environmental weeds?
A.  No

Q8.   Does this Council have a strategy to protect and enhance biodiversity in the local area?
A.   The City has a Local Biodiversity Strategy and is currently in the process of reviewing the strategy, with the intention of updating actions and inserting targets for biodiversity conservation.

Q9.   Does this Council have any strategies for the development of wildlife corridors?
A.   The City of Rockingham Greening Plan identified greening corridors for the City of Rockingham.

Q10.   Does this Council have a Nutrient/ Irrigation Management Plan?
A.  No

Q11.   Does this Council have a Sustainable Landscaping Strategy/Plan/Policy
A.  No

Q12.   Does this Council have a Landowner Biodiversity Incentive Scheme?
A.  No

Q13.   Does this Council have a Marine/Coastal Management plan, where applicable?
A.   The Rockingham Foreshore Strategy for the City of Rockingham.

Q14.   Does this Council manage a substantial area of bushland? How much?
A.  

Q15.   Does this Council exert pressure to protect remnant bushland in the face of urban expansion plans?
A.  

Q16.   Does this Council encourage and support other land management agencies to protect/manage bushland with the LGA (e.g. DEC, FESA, Perth Regional NRM)? What is the area managed by these agencies?
A.  

Q17.   Does this Council have other policies/practices in this category?
A.  Unknown

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Sustainable Building and Design

How this council promotes and exhibits sustainable building practices

Q1.   Does this Council have a membership with the Green Building Council of Australia?
A.  

Q2.   Does this Council own buildings demonstrating outstanding Sustainable Design features, eg earning a Green Star Rating? Details?
A.  No

Q3.   Does this Council actively promote Sustainable Building Design above minimum legal BCA standards?
A.  Unknown

Q4.   Does this Council have a Sustainable Design Policy?
A.  No

Q5.   Does this Council reject development applications from individuals or commercial developers that deny solar access (eg solar hot water, PV, sunlight for garden) for the specific property and its neighbours?
A.  

Q6.   Does this Council allow shading devices in front yards? (eg Shade sails, roller shutters etc)?
A.  

Q7.   Does this Council allow the installation of solar hot water systems and PV cells on north roofs that face onto the street?
A.  

Q8.   Does this Council avoid using rainforest or old growth timbers in Council buildings and constructions?
A.  No

Q9.   Does thisi Council use recycled/biodegradable materials in its infrastructure/ construction items?
A.  

Q10.   Does this Council have policies and incentives for recycling of construction waste?
A.  No

Q11.   Does this Council reward sustainable design practices, ideas and construction? What kinds of incentives, bonuses and relaxations in policy are offered to those who undertake such design, construction etc?
A.  No

Q12.   Does this Council have a mechanism to promote and support the application of Water Sensitive Urban Design principles on Council property as well as in the wider community?
A.   The City has a Water Sensitive Urban Design Planning Procedure.

Q13.   Does this Council have a Renewable Energy Systems Policy?
A.  No

Q14.   Does this Council use Renewable Energy sources in any of its buildings? Details?
A.   The City has installed a solar air heater at Safety Bay Library. The City has also installed a Wind Turbine at Lark Hill Sporting Complex, photovoltaic cells at the Warnbro Library and a light retrofitting project at Churchill Park.

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Sustainable Transport / Climate Change

Action being taken by this council to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Q1.   Does this Council employ a TravelSmart Officer or similar? If so, for what fraction of time?
A.   The City employs a 1.0 FTE Engineering Technical Officer- Transport, who works on programs to promote transport via alternative transport modes.

Q2.   Does this Council purchase government accredited Green Power? If so, what %?
A.   The City uses Green Power for a number of Council facilities

Q3.   Does this Council offset all or some of its vehicle fleet's carbon emissions? What % of vehicle fleet emissions are offset? By what agency are these offsets accredited?
A.  

Q4.   Does this Council publish its annual energy consumption and the GHG emissions of its operations (units of electricity, gas, transport fuel)? Details?
A.  No

Q5.   Does this Council attempt to reduce employees' solo car travel to the workplace? Details of incentives/support for walking, cycling, public transport, car pooling?
A.  No

Q6.   Does this Council regularly tally and graph its employees' commuting carbon emissions to motivate efforts to reduce?
A.  No

Q7.   Does this Council’s fleet include a majority of fuel-efficient vehicles (<7L/100km) for urban use? No. of vehicles in total fleet? No. of vehicles using <7L/100km?
A.   1x Hybrid Honda Accord All vehicles purchased must achieve at least a 3.5 star rating in the government Green Vehicle Guide.

Q8.   Has this Council begun to factor in impacts of climate change across all departments and all areas of governance, especially planning?
A.   The City has developed a Climate Change Focus Group to coordinate the City’s response and adaptation to climate change.

Q9.   Is this Council addressing peak oil risks and vulnerabilities? How?
A.  No

Q10.   Does this Council continue to monitor its corporate greenhouse gas emissions/ manage climate change following the end of CCP funding? (eg. using WALGA reporting platform, Planet Footprint or other frameworks)
A.   The City subscribes to Planet Footprint to monitor electricity, water, gas and emissions.

Q11.   Does this Council have other policies/practices in this category?
A.  No

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Waste Management

How this council works towards the goal of zero corporate waste.

Q1.   Does this Council recycle any of its municipal solid waste?
A.  No Not at this stage. However as part of the recently released City of Rockingham Waste Strategy, an organic waste bin will be introduced to residents to capture up to 40% of organic waste normally destined for landfill.

Q2.   Does this Council have a zero waste to landfill strategy?
A.   The City of Rockingham Waste Strategy details how the City will work towards significantly reducing rubbish to landfill, with different methods and facilities to capture different wastes.

Q3.   Does this Council have a methane reduction plan?
A.   Methane gases collected from the Millar Road Landfill is converted into energy and fed back into the power grid.

Q4.   Does this Council have waste treated by an industrial biological composting system?
A.  No Not at this stage, however a plan for the development of a composting facility is part of the City of Rockingham Waste Strategy.

Q5.   Does this Council have an internal program that aims to reduce the amount of waste generated by Council staff?
A.   All staff have individual recycling bins at their work stations.

Q6.   Does this Council process its own kitchen/lunchroom waste in composting/wormfarming/bokashi system/s?
A.  No

Q7.   Does this Council recycle all of its paper wastes?
A.   Most paper is reused and/or recycled.

Q8.   Does this Council recycle all possible plastic, aluminium and glass waste?
A.   It endeavours to do so.

Q9.   Does this Council recycle all its ink and toner cartridges?
A.  

Q10.   Does this Council predominantly use high % recycled paper? Details?
A.   100% recycled paper for all general printing and copying.

Q11.   Does this Council have other policies/practices in this category?
A.   The Millar Road Landfill has several practices in place to reduce waste to landfill by diverting particular waste streams. The Salvage Yard collects items of a saleable nature free of charge, and then on sells to the public. Items include furniture, bric-a-brac, building and gardening supplies, bikes, and toys to name a few. The Green waste area stockpiles pruning’s that are brought to the landfill or collected on verge collections. This is shredded and offered to the public free of charge as mulch. Scrap metal, polystyrene, cardboard, non treated timbers, engine oil, batteries and ink cartridges are collected to be recycled. A Hazardous Household Waste (HHW) Shed provides a drop off point for the collection of residential quantities of chemicals, pesticides, paints, etc. This service is also free of charge to encourage safe and correct disposal.

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Water Management

How this council manages its corporate water usage

Q1.   Does this Council plant waterwise vegetation within Council properties, verges, public open space?
A.  

Q2.   Does this Council use Best Practice waterwise irrigation within Council properties, verges, public open space? (eg sub-surface irrigation)
A.  

Q3.   Is this Council a participant in ICLEI’s (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives) Water Campaign? Provide details of milestone and achievements.
A.   The City has achieved Milestones 1-3 of the ICLEI Water Campaign and is currently working towards Milestone 4 of the campaign which involves implementing a Corporate and Community Local Water Action Plan. The purpose of the Local Water Action Plan is to provide a framework for a set of effective and practical measures to manage in a sustainable manner, the water resources used and influenced by Council and the community.

Q4.   Has this Council been endorsed as a Waterwise Council or progressing towards endorsement?
A.   The City is working towards being endorsed as a Water Wise Council through the implementation of water saving actions set out by the Water Corporation.

Q5.   Does this Council water its own green spaces between 6pm - 9am as per Water Corporation regulation?
A.  

Q6.   Does this Council have its own Water Conservation Plan to target groundwater consumption?
A.  

Q7.   Does this Council have measures in place to ensure that its total bore water use remains within its annual entitlement? What % of bores are metered, and how often are meters read? If not, is such monitoring being planned?
A.  

Q8.   Does this Council keep a schedule of the amount of water applied and when it is applied in its public open spaces?
A.  

Q9.   Does this Council turn off its irrigation systems in winter for Council properties using scheme water, as per Water Corporation regulation?
A.  

Q10.   Has this Council conducted a water audit of any of its large water consuming facilities to identify where water savings can be achieved?
A.   The Water Corporation is currently conducting a water audit of the Council Administration Building.

Q11.   Does this Council have any water conservation or efficiency measures in place at large water consuming facilities such as Aquatic Centres?
A.   The Aqua Jetty Aquatic Centre prepares a Water Efficiency Management plan (WEMP) for the Water Corporation every year. The Centre also takes part in a Water Corporation meter monitoring and comparison exercise with other metropolitan aquatic centres.

Q12.   Does this Council have a Waterwise Purchasing Policy that mandates Council purchase water efficient appliances and fittings above minimum standard? (eg showerheads, flow restrictors and urinals)
A.  No

Q13.   Does this Council have measures in place to ensure that all Council owned facilities are retrofitted with water efficient appliances and fittings?
A.  No

Q14.   Does this Council reuse any of its own grey water? If so, what % /how much?
A.  No

Q15.   Does this Council undertake staff education campaigns with a focus on water conservation and efficiency (indoor and outdoor)?
A.   Various staff have attended WaterWise water auditing training through the Water Corporation WaterWise Council program.

Q16.   Does this Council monitor its ‘Works Depot’ to ensure hazardous materials are managed properly and contaminants do not enter stormwater drains?
A.  

Q17.   Does this Council take any other action for water conservation? Details?
A.   Requirement for water management plans for new developments.

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