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Still rebuilding after floods, Tweed Shire the latest council to call on big polluters to pay for climate damage

Climate Media Centre

July 17

Tweed Shire Council has unanimously passed a motion calling for a National Climate Compensation Fund, to support a safer and more resilient community in the face of worsening extreme weather fuelled by pollution. 

The motion, which asks the Federal Government to investigate ways the coal, oil and gas corporations could help fund disaster relief, mitigation and adaptation, passed unanimously Thursday, and adds to a chorus of voices calling for change. 

The vote comes just weeks after local government leaders from across the country unanimously supported the climate compensation motion at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly in Canberra.

Councillor Nola Firth, Tweed Shire Council, who moved the motion, said:  "In our shire in recent years climate change weather events have taken a huge financial and emotional toll. We have borne Cyclone Alfred uprooting hundreds of trees and extensively damaging infrastructure.

"The 2022 flood cost, just in the Tweed, was $257 million with an almost $3 million shortfall being paid for out of Council's own budget. This financial loss is occurring in a situation where it is well established that NSW councils are already under significant financial stress."

The insured costs of climate disasters are now twelve times higher than twenty years ago, while local government revenue has grown only three times over the same period.

The Climate Compensation Fund seeks to address this imbalance giving councils the resources to manage climate damage and help their communities thrive. 

MJ Johnston, Tweed Shire resident, said: 

"I was living at my mum's house in Pottsville when we were flooded in 2022. Thankfully, we were safe, but many people around us weren't. Friends lost their homes, and one of my family members had to be evacuated in the middle of the night from the caravan park. After the flood, I spent months helping rebuild my uncle's caravan just so he had somewhere to live. Even now, years later, many people are still traumatised every time heavy rain is forecast.

"The science is clear that pollution from the largest emitters is making climate disasters more severe, including floods, and communities like ours are paying the price. I believe those who contribute to the damage should contribute to fixing it, instead of ordinary families who are already grappling with a cost-of-living crisis while rebuilding their homes, their communities and their lives."

Cr Nola Firth and MJ Johnston outside Tweed Shire Council

The vote makes Tweed Shire the eighth in a growing number of councils across Australia – including the City of Sydney, Byron Shire, City of Parramatta, City of Newcastle and City of Hobart – calling on the Federal Government to make big polluters contribute to fixing the harm their pollution causes, rather than leaving councils, ratepayers and households to foot the bill. 

Jess Miller, Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, whose motion sparked the national push, said:

"The speed at which councils are picking up this motion tells you everything about how much pressure local governments are under. When councils from the inner city to regional NSW are all saying the same thing, it's not politics, it's accounting. The costs of more frequent and more severe climate impacts are mounting on council budgets, and something has to change.

"What began as a City of Sydney motion is now a national call. Communities shouldn't be left to carry the costs of climate disasters on their own, the polluters driving them should pay their share."

Australia’s councils maintain almost half a trillion dollars in community infrastructure, including around 75 per cent of the nation’s roads. More than 80 per cent of councils were affected by climate disasters between 2019 and 2023.

Fires, floods and cyclones are estimated to cost Australia $38 billion each year, with annual costs projected to rise to $73 billion by 2060.

MEDIA CONTACT: Laura Corrigan, Climate Media Centre – 0423 690 152 – [email protected]

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BACKGROUND

  • Tweed Shire Council passed the motion, Notice of Motion, Cr Nola Firth, More funding needed for Council to manage climate change impacts, at its Council Meeting on Thursday unanimously. 

  • The 2022 flood cost the Tweed Shire $257 million, with an almost $3 million ($2,749,939) shortfall paid from Council's own budget. Cyclone Alfred cost the Tweed $75 million, with a shortfall of over $2 million ($2,376,765) paid from Council's own (ratepayer-funded) budget (Tweed Shire Council Notice of Motion).

  • The motion calls on the Australian Government to establish a National Climate Compensation Fund supporting households, communities and councils with climate adaptation, resilience and disaster recovery.

  • It calls for the fund to be financed through a Climate Pollution Levy on major coal, gas and oil export corporations.

  • The motion calls for a dedicated funding stream for local councils and sustained funding to allow councils to plan and deliver climate resilience measures with greater certainty.

  • The City of Sydney's motion for National Climate Adaptation Funding and Accountability for Australian Cities was unanimously adopted at the ALGA National General Assembly in Canberra on 24 June 2026.