Climate Change Policy

All of our state policy principles and aims should be read alongside our relevant federal policy principles and aims, as well as our state campaigns and federal campaigns.

Principles

  1. Human-induced climate change poses one of the greatest threats to our world in human history and requires urgent local, national and global action.
  2. We are already experiencing dangerous impacts of climate change; urgent, deep, and broad action is required to avoid catastrophic impacts.
  3. The amount of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere necessitates urgent emission reduction and drawdown of greenhouse gases as well as prompt adaptation to climate change.
  4. Early action to reduce greenhouse emissions is cheaper and fairer than delayed action.
  5. Governments must ensure that organisations responsible for pollution pay for the costs of mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts.
  6. Climate change policy should be based on the best available science.
  7. Climate change policy should inform and frame all other policies.
  8. Victoria must take responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the goods and resources it consumes and exports.
  9. Victoria is one of the world’s largest per-capita emitters of greenhouse gases with a large percentage due to the burning of brown coal.
  10. The lack of effective global (or Australian) climate action must not prevent Victoria from taking immediate and comprehensive measures.
  11. Offset schemes must be carefully controlled to avoid them undermining emissions reduction efforts or being used for greenwashing or fraud.
  12. Climate action should prioritise proven solutions such as large-scale reforestation over unproven or harmful technologies that prolong fossil fuel use.
  13. Climate change adaptation and mitigation measures should not discriminate or treat anyone unfairly on any basis including gender, age, race, ethnicity, vulnerability, religion, disability, sexual orientation or membership of a minority group.

Aims

Mitigation

  1. To achieve net zero or negative total greenhouse gas emissions across all areas of human activity – including via the removal of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, in a way that is environmentally responsible and socially fair.
  2. Development and implementation of a detailed plan to end Victoria’s reliance on fossil fuels by shifting to, and beyond, a zero greenhouse gas emission economy.
  3. Position Victoria – through appropriate investment in technological innovation – to benefit from the new jobs, skills, technologies and markets available in a zero greenhouse gas emission economy.
  4. Provide transitional support for all regions, businesses and communities adversely affected by measures that reduce climate change.
  5. Support place-based adaptation and mitigation initiatives which engage the community in identifying local challenges and co-designing solutions.
  6. Regulation of the phasing out of existing coal-fired power stations and the banning of new fossil-fuel based power stations.
  7. A ban on the exploration and development of new fossil fuel resources including but not limited to coal seam gas and other forms of unconventional gas.
  8. Complementary mitigation measures developed and implemented in collaboration with other governments where possible
  9. Support for elevating sustainability requirements for buildings and construction.
  10. Where practical, support nature-based responses to climate change, such as increasing canopy cover, and planting mangroves to reduce storm damage to coastal areas.
  11. Assistance to the agriculture and forestry sectors to reduce emissions from ruminant livestock production and land clearing and other sources.
  12. Maximise effective and sustainable carbon farming, bio-sequestration and other drawdown methods.
  13. Victoria’s stationary energy sector affords realistic opportunities for emission reduction that are low cost, and with high impact. As well, other sectors need to reduce emissions including but not limited to transport, industrial processes, agriculture and forestry.

Adaptation

  1. Government support for adaptive actions to protect the environment and key public assets, and to manage major public risks.
  2. The implementation, through public and private action, of Victoria’s climate change adaptation action plan, and ongoing review with community and expert involvement.
  3. Assisting the agriculture sector to adjust to reduced water availability and to make itself more energy self-sufficient.
  4. Ensuring that planning regulations allow for expected impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, storm surges and other extreme weather events.
  5. Implement adaptation measures that take account of those groups disproportionately impacted by climate change and resulting disasters and emergencies.

Further reading 

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Climate Change Policy as adopted by members on 4 October 2025