A clash over the definition of a climate emergency was left to the audience to articulate, while council candidates outlined their vision for Benalla’s future at a local government candidate’s forum.
The Benalla All-Blacks clubrooms were full to capacity on Tuesday, October 8, as the community had an opportunity to meet candidates for this month’s local government elections.
There were three apologies, with Puna Gunaratne, Bernie Hearn and Peter Davis unable to attend.
The remaining 12 candidates took the opportunity to introduce themselves before answering a series of pre-arranged questions.
In attendance were Philip Murphy, Mark Jones, Nathan Tolliday, Jillian Merkel, Annette Borradale, Vincent Branigan, Justin King, Suzie Pearce, Philip Hauptmann, Gail O’Brien David Blore and Kevin Smith.
A question on if Benalla Rural City should formally declare a climate emergency split the candidates.
Mr Smith, Mr Blore, Ms O’Brien and Ms Borradale were in favour. Mr Murphy, Mr Jones and Ms Merkel were not.
Mr Tolliday, Mr Branigan, Mr King, Ms Pearce and Mr Hauptman were undecided.
Mr Jones spoke to the audience to explain his stance.
“The obligation to do something (to take environmental concerns on board in local government decisions) doesn’t mean you have to go racing out declaring a climate emergency,” Mr Jones said.
“When you say no to something like this, everybody looks at you and says you’re a naysayer.
“We’ve just built an entire farm that is completely off the grid. We live off the grid.
“But I think it’s the responsibility of individuals to do what they choose, to try and address what they believe is occurring.”
Mr Murphy also spoke on his objection, before Mr King and Mr Branigan explained why they were ‘on the fence’.
“Climate change is real, we only need to look at the ferocity of the storms we’ve experienced over the last couple of years...” Mr Branigan said.
“We’ve farmed at Swanpool for five generations. My grandfather died 50 years ago.
“He wouldn’t recognise the climate that we’re farming now.
“Signing a climate emergency, or getting up and pledging it, that’s fine. But we need to actually action. We need to be more sustainable.”
Ms Merkel then spoke, asking Mr Branigan, as someone who would declare a climate emergency, what his definition of a climate emergency was, but apologised when he reminded her he was one of the undecided candidates.
Ms Merkel then asked the same question of other candidates and the audience.
It was the audience that offered a response.
“I would say, from a council lens a climate emergency is whenever council makes a decision it is having a lens which is the climate, and how that (the decision) is going to impact us in the future,” one audience member said.
“For example, when you’re looking at housing, it’s how can we apply the kind of change to housing (sic). And it’s getting rid of black rooves, it’s increasing vegetation so we don’t cook in the future.
“It’s essentially just putting a lens, when you make a decision, it’s saying how (will) the future impacts of climate change impact this decision.”
Ms Merkel was asked if she would like to respond, but she declined.
There were other areas where candidates disagreed, although on most topics raised the majority seemed to be looking for the same goal, if not having a different route to get there.
It would be impossible to list every candidate's introduction, questions and responses into one article, so the Ensign encourages the community to head to Benalla Ensign @ Facebook where you can view the forum in its entirety.