Wagga councillor Richard Foley leads rescission charge over net zero emissions roadmap

The rescission motion, cosigned by councillors Michael Henderson and Tim Koschel, delays the exhibition period for the Net Zero Emissions 2050 Roadmap endorsed at the council's July 17 ordinary meeting.

Councillors were split on the inclusion of a preamble in the motion to clarify the document would not be used to underpin any new charges to business or individuals, proposed by Cr Foley.

Deputy mayor Jenny McKinnon led the charge during the meeting against the proposed amendment, which was defeated when mayor Dallas Tout used his casting vote.

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Cr Foley said changes to the motion were necessary to make it clear from the outset council were not going to force anyone to do anything.

"Councillor McKinnon says there's nothing in it that tells people we're going to do XYZ thing. Well, I think there's no harm in saying you're not going to do it," he said.

"As a council, it's not our job to enforce regulatory approaches to net zero.

"This is what they're doing in some councils in the UK ... we're not the city of London, we're not anywhere near as polluting as any of them."

Cr Tout said it was more appropriate to discuss community concerns after they'd been made clear during the exhibition period.

"The whole intent of community consultation and public feedback is so the councils are then aware of what the entire community think," he said.

"I was of the opinion last night to wait for submissions from the public. Obviously now there's been discussion and it's out in a public forum.

"We'll have quite the volume of conversation, I'd say."

Cr McKinnon agreed with the mayor, adding she might be willing to support an additional preamble in the motion or document if it was supported by the community.

Some members of the local business community are already expressing concerns about what the net zero roadmap might mean for business.

President of the Wagga Branch of the Liberal Party Robert Sinclair, who was at the Monday meeting, said it was inappropriate for council to be weighing in on matters like climate change in the first place.

He said smaller organisations like councils were not equipped to process the volumes of information required to put together a policy like this.

"It's great to have aspirational goals, but we have to make sure we bring the community along," he said.

"We have to be careful with any unintended consequences that could hurt people's jobs, hurt business, and damage prosperity in this country.

"My experience has been that local government rarely understand or appreciate how the free market works ... you don't bureaucratise common sense and logic."

The rescission motion will be raised at the next council meeting on August 7.

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