Climate Emergency is being declared in Australia similarly to many other jurisdictions across the world (actions known as Climate emergency declaration). One such jurisdiction in Australia, Darebin City Council, was the first one in the world to declare a climate emergency in 2016. This page lists all known climate emergency declarations within Australian jurisdictions across all three levels of government in Australia (Local, State, and Federal).

Federal There is currently no declaration of a climate emergency at the Federal level in Australia, although there have been multiple motions moved to declare one.

In October 2019, the Australian Labor Party supported the Australian Greens Party's motion to declare a climate emergency. The motion was additionally supported by crossbenchers Zali Steggall, Helen Haines, and Andrew Wilkie, as well as Centre Alliance. However, the proposition failed with members of the Morrison Government and some crossbenchers voting against it.

State/Territory

The Australian Capital Territory is the first and only territory to have declared a climate emergency. The South Australian Parliament voted for a climate emergency in the upper house and lower house in South Australia.

+ States/Territories That Have Declared a Climate Emergency State/Territory Declared a Climate Emergency Date Australian Capital Territory Labor/Green Coalition Government voted for a climate emergency on 16 May 2019 New South Wales N/A Northern Territory N/A Queensland N/A South Australia Upper House of SA Parliament voted for a climate emergency in 2019. The climate emergency motion passed the lower house in 2022 Tasmania N/A Victoria N/A Western Australia N/A

Local Government

In June 2019, Councillor Trent McCarthy of the City of Darebin brought together councillors and parliamentarians in Australia and around the world in online link-ups to facilitate collaboration between councils and governments which have declared a climate emergency. Following these link-ups and a successful motion at the National General Assembly of Local Government, McCarthy announced the formation of Climate Emergency Australia, a new network of Australian governments and councils advocating for an emergency response to climate change.

Local government has been the most active level of government in declaring a climate emergency in Australia. Currently, every state in Australia has at least one local government jurisdiction that has declared a climate emergency. Only two capital city local governments have not declared a climate emergency: the City of Perth, which has not yet voted on a climate emergency declaration, and the City of Brisbane, which has voted against a motion to declare a climate emergency. Below is a list of local governments, showing which have declared a climate emergency, which have voted against a climate emergency, and which have not voted on a climate emergency.

New South Wales

36 of 128 local government jurisdictions in NSW have declared a climate emergency, the highest number of any state, although Victoria has the highest percentage of councils that have declared a climate emergency.

Council Climate Emergency Declared Date Albury City Council March 2022 Armidale Regional Council 23 October 2019 Ballina Shire Council 29 November 2019 Ballina Shire was the 72nd Council in Australia to declare a climate emergency Balranald Shire Council N/A Bathurst Regional Council N/A Bayside Council N/A Bega Valley Shire Council 28 August 2019 Bellingen Shire Council 27 March 2019 Berrigan Shire Council N/A Blacktown City Council 26 February 2020 Bland Shire Council N/A Blayney Shire N/A Blue Mountains City Council 26 February 2020 Bogan Shire Council N/A Bourke Shire Council N/A Brewarrina Shire Council N/A Broken Hill City Council 25 September 2019 Burwood Council N/A Byron Shire Council 18 October 2018 Cabonne Council N/A Camden Council N/A Campbelltown, City of N/A Canada Bay, City of 17 September 2019 Sydney, City of 24 June 2019 Canterbury-Bankstown, City of 27 August 2019 Carrathool Shire Council N/A Central Coast Council 26 August 2019 Central Darling Shire Council N/A Cessnock City Council N/A Clarence Valley Council 23 April 2019 Cobar Shire Council N/A Coffs Harbour, City of On the 10 October 2019, Coffs Harbour City Council voted against declaring a climate emergency. Coolamon Shire Council N/A Coonamble Shire Council N/A Cowra Shire Council N/A Cumberland County N/A Dubbo Regional Council N/A Dungog Shire Council N/A Edward River Council N/A Eurobodalla Shire Council N/A Fairfield City Council N/A Federation Council N/A Forbes Shire Council N/A Georges River Council N/A Gilgandra Shire Council N/A Glen Innes Severn Council 26 September 2019 Goulburn Mulwaree Council N/A Greater Hume Shire Council N/A Griffith, City of N/A Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council N/A Gunnedah Shire Council N/A Gwydir Shire Council N/A Port Macquarie-Hastings Council 17 March 2021 Hawkesbury City Council 12 March 2019 Hay Shire Council N/A Hilltops Council N/A Hornsby Shire N/A Hunter's Hill, Municipality of 24 February 2020 Inner West Council 14 May 2019 Inverell Shire Council N/A Junee Shire Council N/A Kempsey Shire Council N/A Kiama, Municipality of 17 December 2019 Ku-ring-gai Council N/A Kyogle Council N/A Lachlan Shire Council N/A Lake Macquarie City Council N/A Lane Cove Council 16 September 2019 Leeton Shire Council N/A Lismore, City of 13 August 2019 Lithgow, City of N/A Liverpool City Council N/A Liverpool Plains Shire Council N/A Lockhart Shire Council N/A Maitland City Council N/A Mid-Coast Council 23 October 2019 Mid-Western Regional Council N/A Moree Plains Shire Council N/A Mosman Municipal Council 12 November 2019 Murray River Council N/A Murrumbidgee Council N/A Muswellbrook Shire Council N/A Nambucca Valley Council N/A Narrabri Shire Council N/A Narrandera Shire Council N/A Narromine Shire Council N/A City of Newcastle 28 May 2019 North Sydney Council 22 July 2019 Northern Beaches Council 27 August 2019 Oberon Council N/A Orange, City of N/A Parkes Shire Council N/A Parramatta, City of N/A Penrith City Council N/A Port Macquarie-Hastings Council On 15 February 2022, the previous declaration of 18 March 2021 was rescinded. Port Stephens Council N/A Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council N/A Randwick, City of 30 April 2019 Richmond Valley Council N/A Ryde, City of 28 May 2019 Shellharbour City Council N/A Shoalhaven City Council N/A Singleton Council N/A Snowy Monaro Regional Council N/A Snowy Valleys Council N/A Strathfield Municipal Council N/A Sutherland Shire Council N/A Tamworth Regional Council N/A Temora Shire Council N/A Tenterfield Shire Council N/A The Hills Shire Council N/A Tweed Shire Council 19 September 2019 Upper Hunter Shire Council 25 February 2019 Upper Lachlan Shire Council N/A Uralla Shire Council N/A Wagga Wagga City Council N/A Walcha Council N/A Walgett Shire Council N/A Warren Shire Council N/A Warrumbungle Shire Council N/A Waverley Council 10 December 2019 Weddin Shire Council N/A Wentworth Shire Council N/A Willoughby, City of 17 October 2019 Wingecarribee Shire Council 12 February 2020 Wollondilly Shire Council N/A Wollongong City Council 12 August 2019 Woollahra, Municipality of 9 September 2019 Yass Valley Council N/A

Northern Territory

Only one local government jurisdiction in the Northern Territory has declared a climate emergency, and that is the City of Darwin. Council Climate Emergency Declared Date Alice Springs, Town of N/A Alyangula N/A Barkly Regional Council N/A Belyuen Shire Community Government Council N/A Central Desert Regional Council N/A Coomalie Shire Community Government Council N/A Darwin, City of Darwin was the first local government jurisdiction in the Northern Territory to declare a climate emergency, on 30 July 2019. Northern Territory Rates Act Area (East Arm) N/A East Arnhem Regional Council N/A Katherine, Town of N/A Litchfield Municipality N/A MacDonnell Regional Council N/A Nhulunbuy Corporation N/A Palmerston, City of N/A Roper Gulf Regional Council N/A Tiwi Islands Regional Council N/A Unincorporated Top End Region (Finnis-Mary) N/A Victoria Daly Regional Council N/A Wagait Shire Council N/A West Arnhem Regional Council N/A West Daly Regional Council N/A Yulara N/A

Queensland

Two councils have declared a climate emergency in Queensland: Noosa Council and Sunshine Coast Council. Brisbane City Council voted against a climate emergency, one of only two capital city zones in Australia that have not declared a climate emergency. Council Climate Emergency Declared Date Aurukun Shire Council N/A Balonne Shire Council N/A Banana Shire Council N/A Barcaldine Regional Council N/A Barcoo Shire Council N/A Blackall-Tambo Regional Council N/A Boulia Shire Council N/A Brisbane City Council Voted against climate emergency on 31 July 2019 Bulloo Shire Council N/A Bundaberg Regional Council N/A Burdekin Shire Council N/A Burke Shire Council N/A Cairns Regional Council N/A Carpentaria Shire Council N/A Cassowary Coast Regional Council N/A Central Highlands Regional Council N/A Charters Towers Regional Council N/A Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Cloncurry Shire Council N/A Cook Shire Council N/A Croydon Shire Council N/A Diamantina Shire Council N/A Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Douglas, Shire of N/A Etheridge Shire Council N/A Flinders Shire Council N/A Fraser Coast Regional Council N/A Gladstone Regional Council N/A Gold Coast City Council N/A Goondiwindi Regional Council N/A Gympie Regional Council N/A Hinchinbrook Shire Council N/A Hope Vale, Aboriginal Shire of N/A Ipswich City Council N/A Isaac Regional Council N/A Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Livingstone, Shire of N/A Lockhart River, Aboriginal Shire of N/A Lockyer Valley Regional Council N/A Logan City Council N/A Longreach Regional Council N/A Mackay Regional Council N/A Mapoon, Aboriginal Shire of N/A Maranoa Regional Council N/A Mareeba, Shire of N/A McKinlay Shire Council N/A Moreton Bay Regional Council N/A Mornington Shire Council N/A Mount Isa City Council N/A Murweh Shire Council N/A Napranum Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Noosa Shire Council 18 July 2019 North Burnett Regional Council N/A Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council N/A Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Paroo Shire Council N/A Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Quilpie Shire Council N/A Redland City Council N/A Richmond Shire Council N/A Rockhampton Regional Council N/A Scenic Rim Regional Council N/A Somerset Regional Council N/A South Burnett Regional Council N/A Southern Downs Regional Council N/A Sunshine Coast Council November 2021 Tablelands Regional Council N/A Toowoomba Regional Council N/A Torres Shire Council N/A Torres Strait Island Regional Council N/A Townsville City Council N/A Western Downs Regional Council N/A Whitsunday Regional Council N/A Winton Shire Council N/A Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council N/A Yarrabah, Aboriginal Shire of N/A

South Australia

16 of the 67 local government jurisdictions in South Australia have declared a climate emergency, the Town of Gawler being the first.