Meeting papers

                                                                                      ATTACHMENT 1


        SEQCRA
                                                            SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND
                                                            CLIMATE RESILIENT ALLIANCE




     Fact Sheet             A Climate Resilient Alliance is being established in South East Queensland to formalise a
                            regional partnership between SEQ Councils to respond to climate change collaboratively.


What is a Climate Alliance?
A Climate Alliance is a membership-based partnership between Local Governments across a region dedicated to
addressing the challenges and opportunities of climate change. The formalised partnership of a Climate Alliance provides
a platform for regional collaboration on projects, knowledge sharing, and advocacy.

Background to establishment                                                                        SEQCRA's purpose is
                                                                                                  to proactively respond
In April 2021, five SEQ councils jointly received Queensland Climate Resilient Councils           to climate change and
funding to undertake a pilot project. The pilot project assessed best-practice models of            build resilience by
regional collaboration between Local Governments on climate change. From this work,                delivering consistent,
staff from 11 SEQ Councils have been working to refine the membership and governance
                                                                                                   collaborative activity
structure to deliver a dedicated Climate Resilience Alliance for SEQ that could accelerate
                                                                                                    at a scale and pace
emissions reduction, support regional transition and build climate resilience for
communities across the region.                                                                    beyond what individual
                                                                                                   councils can achieve
Purpose & Function                                                                                         alone.

A regional Climate Alliance will provide a network for knowledge sharing, a formal partnership for joint region-wide
projects and a platform for advocacy.

Regional                 Membership fees fund an Alliance Coordinator who becomes a shared resource for the region.
Coordination             This person will apply for grants and funding, and coordinate shared projects.


                         The Alliance provides an opportunity for peer learning between Council members and can offer
Knowledge                support with critical decision-making. Members form a Brains Trust, share expertise, technical
Sharing                  knowledge, best practice innovation and strategy development.


                         The Alliance enables members to work on large scale projects collaboratively to build regional
Projects                 solutions, and jointly apply for larger pools of funding to finance them.


                         Addressing legislative barriers and updating policy is key to effectively addressing climate
Advocacy                 risks and gaining strategic support. The Alliance can provide regional guidance and
                         leadership on climate change for the benefit of SEQ.

Benefits
Councils working together can achieve greater impact through joint projects and initiatives.
                                                                                                   SEQCRA Vision:
Working collaboratively can reduce costs to members through economies of scale, bulk buys,
purchasing agreements and sharing resources. Two Climate Alliances in Australia report a           SEQ is a climate
return on investment of up to 7.1 times membership fees. Other benefits include:
                                                                                                 resilient region and
   Cost savings on joint projects                   Climate risk reduction                       home to low carbon,
   Access to large pools of funding                 Regional solutions to emissions              healthy, prosperous,
   Project management support                       reduction and adaptation
                                                                                                 and environmentally
   Reduced duplication of effort                    Increased coherence and coordination
   Access to expertise and best practice            across SEQ region
                                                                                                      sustainable
   Collaborative leverage of councils' capacities   Consistent regional climate messaging           communities.
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