Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Like many communities across Australia, people in Wentworth are passionate about climate action. They realise the environmental imperative to decarbonise and they know that, if they get the transition right, there is a massive economic opportunity. So people in my community are keen to do their bit. The problem is they often don't know where to get started, and, when they do, they're frustrated that state, federal and local policies don't seem to work very well together.

It was this desire to accelerate community action on climate, to listen to people's concerns and to get different levels of government to work together that led us to convene Wentworth's first ever Climate Summit last weekend. Hosted at the magnificently restored Bondi Pavilion, the summit brought together Labor, Liberal and Independent state MPs, our three local councils—again Labor and Liberal—as well as business and community groups to help educate, inform and empower the Wentworth community to take action on climate.

With more than 500 attendees and 40 stallholders, the summit enabled people to explore the technologies, products and lifestyle changes—all of which are available today—that can save them money on their energy bills and get Wentworth to net zero. We heard from energy experts who are using the power of Australian wind and sunshine to electrify entire suburbs of our country. We heard from young people who are driving climate action in their classrooms and in their communities. We heard from local businesses who are at the forefront of clean tech revolution, from rollable solar to zero-emissions water. We heard from community groups who are bringing people together across traditional party lines to support a raft of local initiatives. And we heard from Wentworth residents, like Nick from Bondi who shared his experiences of how households can save money and reduce emissions through energy efficiency and electrification and also shared the practical challenges of trying to truly electrify and decarbonise your house.

Tackling climate change is a complex problem and can only be done through cross-stakeholder, multipartisan and—absolutely crucially—community collaboration. I'm honoured to have had the opportunity to get those conversations going in Wentworth, and I want to thank all those who made it possible: in particular, the mayors and state MPs—Paula, Susan, Dylan, Gabrielle, Marjorie and Alex—who came together so constructively to support this event; Suzanne, Anthony and Alejandra from Waverley Council; Michelle from Woollahra council and Peter from Randwick City Council; John, Nicolette and Wayne from the Smart Energy Council; and finally to my amazing team—who've helped make this event a success—and the amazing volunteers, in particular, Eliana, Brooke, Maria, Nick, Martin, Tina and Kath.

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