Frequently asked questions

How do I sign up to be a member council?

Becoming a member is easy and free. All we need is a letter from your Mayor or Shire President to our CEO Amanda McKenzie confirming your participation.

Your letter must acknowledge that you will:

Within 6 months, identify 5 Cities Power Partnership pledges that your council will commit to achieve
Complete our annual online survey that provides us an update on how your pledges are progressing
Nominate a point of contact within your council
Confirm that you’re willing to connect and collaborate with other local councils to share knowledge

Find out more

Why should my council join the Cities Power Partnership?

Local governments have a critical role to play in meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. In fact, transforming the way energy is used and generated in cities and towns worldwide has the potential to deliver 70% of the total emissions reductions needed to do it.

Joining the Cities Power Partnership presents an important opportunity for your council to join dozens of other councils across the country leading the way to a vibrant, zero emissions future. As a Cities Power Partnership member, you’ll gain access to hundreds of resources, monthly webinars, an online forum to easily share knowledge with fellow councils and much more to accelerate your climate and energy goals.

Is there a cost to join the Cities Power Partnership?

No, there is no cost to joining the program. Joining the membership and gaining access to our events, webinars, resources, emissions tracking tool and more is completely free.

What kind of councils join the Cities Power Partnership?

The power of our network is the diversity of our councils. Councils of all shapes and sizes, all political affiliations and all levels of progress towards climate change join our program. We have the smallest council all the way to the largest council in Australia.

Regardless of what differs between councils, what unites councils in the partnership is a shared vision for a zero carbon future for their communities and a willingness to take steps to create that future.

How much of a time commitment is it to be a part of the Cities Power Partnership?

How much you put into the partnership is how much you’ll get out of it.

The key time commitments we require from councils are:

making and submitting your pledges, and this process and time frame varies depending on your council
providing us with information and a quote from your mayor to put on our website
completing an annual reporting survey, where you will update us on your pledge progress.

The Annual Reporting Survey should take approximately 3 hours to complete per year. The webinars, events and other collaboration opportunities are optional however, we encourage all councils to participate in all aspects of the program as much as possible, as you’ll get the most out of it in this way.

Our council doesn’t have a sustainability or energy officer. Should we still join?

Absolutely. Our program is designed to break down the barriers to project implementation, and support councils to take action regardless of how many staff or how big of a budget you have.

Being a part of the Cities Power Partnership saves you valuable time and money, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can help you learn about the best practice projects, including what has and hasn’t worked from councils all across the country. It will also enable your staff to connect with leading sustainability officers throughout Australia and to draw on their knowledge and advice.

What if a town or city has very few clean energy projects and doesn't place a high priority on climate change? Is it still worth them joining the Cities Power Partnership?

Yes. The Cities Power Partnership welcomes all councils to the program no matter where they are on their climate journey. We recognise councils face different barriers to action, and we hope becoming a member can help break those down through our suite of program offerings.

What we do require though, is a willingness to take climate action and a commitment to the 5 climate action pledges as outlined within 6 months of becoming a member.

What if a town or city is already leading in renewable energy and sustainability, what does their city get out of joining the partnership?

Cities leading the way play a critical role in the partnership. They share their knowledge with other cities, their successes are celebrated to an audience of millions to inspire others and they will have access to resources and incentives to help them to continue to lead. Membership can also help leading cities collaborate with others to further increase the impact of their actions.

Many trailblazing cities who are already leading will have some of their existing initiatives counted towards their power partnership pledge. We also have an annual awards program to celebrate the leading achievements of our member councils.

How is the Cities Power Partnership different to other city or council climate alliances?

Our program is designed to be accessible to as many Australian councils as possible and is focussed on providing councils access to practical tools, knowledge and support. Our reporting requirements are significantly less intensive than some city networks and membership is free to any council in the country.

Where other networks and alliances focus on a specific regional area, our program connects councils of all sizes throughout Australia, enabling greater access to knowledge, case studies and resources, and providing a powerful national voice for local government.

What if my council is already part of another climate alliance or city network?

No problem. Many Cities Power Partnership member councils are also part of other networks and alliances. The actions your council is already taking as part of other networks and alliances can be included in its pledges and we work closely with other networks and alliances to ensure that our program complements and supports the actions their members are taking.

When does council need to submit its pledges?

Councils are required to submit their pledges within the first 6 months of joining the program. Feel free to get in touch with the team at [email protected] if you have any questions on how to get started.

Does council need to choose new pledges every year?

No, it’s not necessary to submit new pledges each year. We understand that many pledges take years to complete, so as long as there is progress on your current pledges there is no need to submit new ones. However, if a pledge needs to be abandoned or if a pledge is completed, then we require a new pledge to be submitted in its place.

How does Cities Power Partnership facilitate collaboration?

At the heart of the Cities Power Partnership is connection and sharing between participants. From nation-wide events to our online forum, councils have ample opportunity to connect and work together. We also hold a monthly meet and greet for council members, monthly webinars on topics you’ve told us are important, events throughout the year and an online collaboration forum.

What kind of media opportunities do member councils get?

We’re dedicated to sharing the climate success stories of local councils and communities. As part of the Climate Council, the number one climate change media communications organisation, we have significant media reach and are well placed to help councils profile their renewable energy and sustainability work.

From opportunities to be part of Climate Council report launches and joint advocacy statements to regular events and the annual Cities Power Partnership awards ceremony, we offer ample opportunity to celebrate the trailblazing work our members are spearheading.

Can the broader community nominate their town or city to be part of the Cities Power Partnership?

Yes. Nominations can easily be made through our website. This will allow you to email your council directly, informing them about the program.

How do I find out if a council is already a member of the Cities Power Partnership?

You can find a full list of Cities Power Partnership member councils on the homepage of our website.

Scroll down to the Our Member section and you will find both a list and a map version.

Join now and be part of the groundswell of local governments and communities across Australia tackling climate change.

Become a member now

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