Council
9 July, 2026
Shaping a decade of environmental action
MOYNE Shire Council endorsed its 10-year Environment and Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2036 despite opposition to the motion which raised eyebrows.
The strategy was developed in response to the emerging environmental crisis, subsequent policy and legislative requirements and community expectation in areas including biodiversity, waste and circular economy, climate resilience, sustainable land use, water security and reducing council’s operational emissions.
The strategy includes an action matrix which forms a general framework for councils’ environmental management and sustainability practices over the next decade.
Deputy mayor councillor Myra Murrihy said the strategy and action plan also includes a community feedback report containing all 248 submissions received during consultation process.
“We asked the community for their views and they responded with a significant number of contributions that we were grateful to receive,” she said.
“Publishing the feedback shows we have listened and are committed to being open about the process.
“Protecting our natural environment is central to Moyne’s future as our landscapes, waterways and biodiversity shape our identity, support agriculture and underpin community wellbeing.
“The strategy is stronger because of our community’s contribution, and I thank everyone who took the time to provide their feedback.
“It has resulted in a clear set of priorities and actions for us to work towards over the next decade.”
An advisory committee of community members and councillors guided its development along with engagement during the 2025–2029 Council Plan process and a six-week public consultation period.
“This is one that I am quite passionate about, being one of the councillors that has sat on this committee alongside councillor (Jordan) Lockett,” councillor Lisa Ryan said as mover.
“We had 248 community engagement submissions which speaks to our community’s interests in local environmental efforts.
“The strategy strengthens council’s ability to attract external grant funding tied to environmental and sustainability criteria, which is crucial as there is a shortage of funds in local government.
“The strategy ties into our Council Plan, which we adopted at the beginning of our term, and is 14 years in the making – so it’s exciting to get to this point.”
Councillor Karen Foster seconded, saying it was a positive result for the future direction of the shire.
“I think we all have our part to play in responding to the evolving environmental crisis that’s unfolding around us,” she said.
“Some might say we’re a little late to this particular party but I’m really proud of our proactive approach now and the leadership we’re providing here.”
Councillor Lloyd Ross signalled his disapproval of the recommendation, saying all he could think about was the television series Days of our Lives and turning the TV on in 10 years’ time to find there has been no outcomes.
Councillor Susan Taylor said her concern was not the individual actions within the document, but the overall strategic direction.
“Before council adopts a strategy I do believe elected councils should have had the opportunity to explicitly consider some fundamental governance questions,” she said.
“What is council’s role, what outcomes are we seeking, how do we prioritise finite resources and where do we draw the boundaries of council’s responsibilities?
“I don’t believe that we have had that discussion – instead, we’ve been presented with a completed strategy that assumes answers to those questions.”
Mayor councillor Jordan Lockett said he disagreed with Cr Taylor’s comments as the document had been before councillors on numerous occasions.
“Myself and Cr Ryan sit on that committee, and it’s come back to workshop a few times to be able to discuss at any point,” he said.
“We have an exceptionally diverse group that have worked very well covering all of the aspects for the environment of the shire.”
Cr Ryan hit out at councillors not asking questions throughout the process, only to turn around and cite a lack of discussion when attempting to vote down motions in public meetings.
“I just want to reiterate we had ample time to ask multiple questions during multiple workshops,” she said.
“This has come to us more than half a dozen times since the beginning of our term when the committee first came about, the draft came to us, the community consultation came to us – we had every chance and every opportunity to ask questions and have changes made to the strategy.”
The recommendation was passed 4-3 with councillors Jim Doukas, Susan Taylor and Lloyd Ross voting against.
The strategy, action plan and community feedback report are available on council’s website, and on Engage Moyne at engage.moyne.vic.gov.au/environment-and-sustainability-strategy.