Environmental Initiatives
The Strategic Planning & Environment office is part of Planning Services and is responsible for supervising and coordinating the City's strategic planning and environment based functions.
The Strategic Planning team facilitates projects that establish the City's planning framework, whilst generally providing input into planning matters that will influence the City's future growth and development. The Environment team undertakes implementation of the City's environmental initiatives, facilitates projects that result in the City's ecological footprint being reduced and provides environmental advice to both the Council and community.
Some of the City's more prominent Environmental Projects are listed below:
- State of Environment Reporting and Environmental Action Plan
- Lake Richmond Management Plan Download
- Greenhouse Reduction Initiatives
- ClimateWise
- Water Campaign
- Local Biodiversity Strategy
- Greening Plan
- Biodiversity Grants
- Urban Wetland Study
- Environmental Education
The Council is committed to ongoing State of Environment (SoE) Reporting and Environmental Action Plans. This type of reporting establishes priority environmental issues within Rockingham, gives a measure of the state of the environment (as it effects each issue) and the pressure that the issue is under. The EAP provides an action plan for the City to address these issues.
State of the Environment Reporting is an internationally and nationally recognised tool for monitoring the effects of human activities on the condition of the environment and informing the public about the environment and issues that will be open for public comment include:
- Inland Waters
- Coastal Waters
- Bushland
- Atmosphere
- Land Management
- Waste
- Energy
- Noise
- Heritage and
- Coastal Foreshore
The City is currently looking for community members to take part in the review process of the State of the Environment Report 2008/2009.
A Community Consultation Forum will be held on Tuesday 20 October 2009 from 6.30pm - 8.30pm in the Reception Room at the City of Rockingham Administration Building.
There is also an independently run online forum where community members can comment on, and discuss, SoE and EAP issues. 'Talk Back Rockingham' community forum website is available at: http://www.talkbackrockingham.net.au/rockingham-city from the 30th September 2009.
Residents who would like to obtain a copy of the summary report, outlining the current key priority environmental issues, can download it below, or pick up a copy in the City of Rockingham Administration Building or in all public libraries in Rockingham.
Copies of the current Summary Report and previous reports from 2005 and 2007 can be downloaded here:
Download 2009 State of Environment Summary Report.
Download 2006/2007 State of Environment Summary Report.
Download 2004/2005 State of Environment Report.
If you would like to participate in the Public Consultation forum, please contact the City's Strategic Planning and Environment Services on 9528 0436 or email
The City is a member of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign, coordinated by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). This Programme assists the City to adopt policies and implement quantifiable measures to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and enhance urban liveability and sustainability. The Campaign is based on a performance framework structured around five milestones that the City has successfully achieved.
In May 2005, the City achieved 'CCP Plus', being the final step after the five milestones are reached.
Through the CCP Programme, the Council focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at both a corporate level (within the City's operations) and across the community.
At a corporate level, the Council had undertaken a number of measures to reduce its energy use, including the purchase of Earth Friendly Power, the installation of efficient lighting devices, ongoing energy audits, a feasibility study into solar heating of the Aqua Jetty and the examination of renewable energy options such as wind power.
Photo by Alan & Dianne Page - www.waratahsoftware.com.au
The City also employs a TravelSmart Officer who works with the community and corporate sector to provide information, motivation and support to reduce reliance on cars while promoting walking, cycling and the use of public transport.
The Council participates in the 'Climatewise' Programme (www.climatewise.net.au) with the City of Canning, City of Cockburn, City of Fremantle, Town of East Fremantle and Town of Kwinana, with the support of the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC).
The 'Climatewise' Programme includes 'Living Smart' which was awarded the Australian Eureka Prize for Sustainability Education. 'Living Smart' is a series of facilitated workshops that provide practical tips and advice on how to live sustainably around the home. The effectiveness of 'Living Smart' is evidenced by the Department for Planning & Infrastructure trialing the Programme on a suburb-wide basis in Joondalup and Mandurah.
The Council also remains at the forefront of renewable energy technologies and supports Murdoch University's Structured Workplace Learning Programme by engaging Renewable Energy Engineering Students, through an internship, to continue research initiatives for the Rockingham community.
In April 2006, the Council received an ICLEI award for its unique partnership with Murdoch University and its dedication to reducing greenhouse gases.
The City is a member of the 'Water Campaign' also coordinated by ICLEI who assist the City to quantify and qualify water resource use, develop local water action plans, set targets, implement local water action plans and track and report goal-achievement.
The 'Water Campaign' runs on a milestone basis, in the same manner as the CCP Programme. Currently the City has completed Milestone One which involved the undertaking of an inventory of current water use practices throughout the organisation and identifying areas in which changes can be made.
The City is currently working towards Milestones Two and Three which essentially involves the creation of an Action Plan to reduce water consumption and increase water quality for the City.
Biological diversity is the variety of all life forms - plants, animals, microorganisms, the genes these life forms contain and the ecosystems of which they form a part.
It includes the terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments. The Local Biodiversity Strategy is intended to provide direction to Council's various Programmes and projects to ensure the protection of biodiversity at the local level.
The Strategy is implemented through the Greening Plan, preparation of management plans, and incentives to protect locally significant native vegetation on private landholdings.
The City's Greening Plan identifies remnant vegetation and proposes a strategic network of green links or corridors across the City where protection of existing vegetation or revegetation should be a priority. As part of the implementation of the Greening Plan, the Council undertook a vegetation survey of its reserves containing native vegetation. The survey resulted in an endorsed Council document titled 'Vegetation Survey and Prioritisation of the City of Rockingham Reserves', which prioritised reserves for vegetation retention, protection and management.
Under its Local Biodiversity Strategy and local policies, the Council continues to consider the protection of native vegetation through its ongoing assessment of development applications.
The Council maintains a close relationship with State Government agencies to protect regionally significant vegetation across the City, protected by the Rockingham Lakes Regional Park system or the State Government's Bush Forever strategy.
The Council has offered Biodiversity Grants to private landowners since 2003 to assist with conservation of private bushland. These grants have proved popular with approximately $40,000 in grant monies awarded to successful applicants. The grants provide funds to private landowners to implement measures (fencing, re-vegetation, etc) to protect bushland on their properties. Schools may be eligible for up to $3,000 to assist in undertaking works on the school grounds or adjacent reserves that results in the protection of biodiversity. It is the Council's practice to only provide grants to schools once all landowner grants have been awarded, funds permitting.
The City is also trialing other means and processes that may increase the 'take-up' of the Biodiversity Grants.
Download Biodiversity Grant Application Form
To compliment this Programme, the Council has joined the Swan Catchment Council's Wetland Watch Programme. Wetland Watch awards grants to landowners wishing to undertake conservation projects on properties that contain wetlands.
The City recently completed a review and update of the 'City of Rockingham Urban Wetland and Drainage Swale Study 2005', which examines the various man-made wetlands or predominantly dry drainage swales that collect stormwater.
The purpose of the review was to compare collected data with past data and provide information that will help with the ongoing management of existing urban wetlands, identify design guideline requirements for future urban wetlands and prioritise management actions.
The Study identified 38 additional wetlands, compared to the 2005 study, bringing the total number of urban wetlands in the City to 111. Out of these wetlands, 33 were identified as having one or more management issues. The Study recommends management priorities and proposes a future monitoring programme for those wetlands that have had ongoing water quality issues.
The Strategic Planning & Environment office has commenced an Education Programme that is aimed at raising awareness of environmental issues. The Programme involves City Officers visiting primary schools in the district and conducting environment based lessons with the students. Community and school education is seen as an important means by which to positively influence matters of an environmental nature.
The areas in which this environmental education is focused are:
- Water
- Plants
- Waste
- Energy
- Soil
Collaboration is occurring with the Waste Education Programme currently being coordinated at the Millar Road Landfill Facility and the Ribbons of Blue Coordinator to promote wetland education. Ribbons of Blue is an environmental education network aimed at increasing community awareness and understanding about local water quality. The Programme aims to encourage community members to take action for a better environment.
