Communities for Climate Compensation
50 signatures reached
To: Inner West Council, Australian LGAs (2026)
Make Big Polluters Pay Their Fair Share: Inner West Council
We support big coal, oil and gas corporations paying their fair share for the costs of climate change. Local councils and residents shouldn’t be left holding the bill while corporations pocket the profits.
Communities like ours are already paying the price of climate change through:
- Higher home and personal insurance premiums
- Rising air conditioning and health costs
- Increasing disaster recovery bills due to escalating damage to roads, stormwater drains, parks and infrastructure
Regional areas are suffering more frequent and higher intensity floods and bushfires.
Local councils are on the frontline, responsible for roads, drainage, community facilities and emergency response – but right now the costs of disasters are rising faster than council revenue. We call on Inner West Council to pass a Polluter Pays motion to support a Climate Compensation Fund which would help support community for increasing - climate-induced - costs of:
- SES and other emergency services
- Floods on stormwater drains, parks and roads/infrastructure
- Mitigating urban heat effects
- Maintenance of ovals
Meanwhile, big coal, oil and gas corporations are making billions exporting Australia’s resources, often while paying no tax and pocketing huge government subsidies.
Council should formally call on the Australian Federal Government to:
- Establish a Climate Compensation Fund, paid for by a levy on major coal, oil and gas export corporations – not by ratepayers and taxpayers;
- Earmark funds for local councils to cover their rising costs of climate adaptation, disaster recovery and resilience;
- Provide sustained, legislated funding so councils can plan for the future with certainty; and
- Prioritise protecting ratepayers and taxpayers from bearing the escalating costs of climate damage.
The “Polluter Pays” principle is simple – if you make a mess, you should clean it up.
Why is this important?
A Climate Compensation Fund could help pay for:
🚨Disaster response and preparedness
😌 Insurance relief for disaster-hit communities
🚨Disaster response and preparedness
😌 Insurance relief for disaster-hit communities
🏠 Flood-proofed homes
🏛️ Upgraded community halls and evacuation centres
🌳 Shaded streets and cool public spaces
🚒 Well-resourced emergency services
✨ An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Climate Self Determination Fund
✨ An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Climate Self Determination Fund
👷 Support for a just transition for workers and their families
➕ And much more…
Delivery plans
This petition will be delivered to Inner West Council who will be encouraged to table it as part of a successful Polluter Pays motion.
➕ And much more…
Delivery plans
This petition will be delivered to Inner West Council who will be encouraged to table it as part of a successful Polluter Pays motion.