Premier's Climate Change Council

Premier's Climate Change Council
Agency overview
FormedFebruary 2008[1]
JurisdictionGovernment of South Australia
Headquarters81-95 Waymouth Street, Adelaide, South Australia
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyDepartment for Environment and Water
WebsitePremier's Climate Change Council

The Premier's Climate Change Council is a South Australian state government body within the Department for Environment and Water. It was established in 2008 and as of 2025 is chaired by Martin Haese. The Council provides independent advice to the Minister responsible for climate change about matters related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change adaptation.

History

The Premier's Climate Change Council was established by the Government of South Australia under the Climate Change and Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Act 2007.

The inaugural council was created in February 2008,[3] under the Rann government. The Council's membership represents the business community, the environment and conservation sector, the scientific community and state and local governments.[4]

In 2013, Michelle Lensink MLC questioned the efficacy of the Premier's Climate Change Council, and asked the Minister for the environment, Ian Hunter about the absence of the Council's 2011-12 annual report from the Council's website.[5] In 2013, the Council published South Australia’s Climate Change Vision: Pathways to 2050 to advise Premier Jay Weatherill and his government on future planning and policy directions for the state.[4][6][7]

In 2018, prominent South Australian businessman Martin Haese was appointed as chair, beginning the role in 2019.[3][8]

In 2019 the Council supported the development of the Blue Carbon Strategy for South Australia,[9] to help mitigate climate change by protecting the state's blue carbon sinks, including seagrass meadows, saltmarshes, and mangroves.

The Council also supports the implementation of the recommendations of the 2024 Statewide Climate Change Risk and Opportunity Assessment, which was released in January 2026.[10]

Role

The role of the council is to "provide independent advice to the Minister about matters associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change. The Council also takes a leadership role in consulting with and disseminating information to sectors of the community about issues associated with climate change".[11] The primary role of the Council as stated on the government website is to provide independent advice to the Minister for Environment and Water on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.[3]

Membership

Selection criteria

The Act requires the appointment of seven to ten persons by the Minister from state and local government, the business community, the environment and conservation sector, the scientific community, and from other sectors of the South Australian community. The appointment process must take account of: an individual person’s knowledge of and expertise in the subject matter; consultation with the Local Government Association of South Australia and the Conservation Council of South Australia; and must ensure the minimal representation of both genders.[11][3]

Membership as of 2025

As of 2025 the membership of the Premier's Climate Change Council comprises:[1]

Former members

References

  1. ^ a b Premier’s Climate Change Council Department for Environment and Water. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  2. ^ Record number of women in new Ministry. Press release, Government of South Australia, 19 September 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Premier's Climate Change Council". Department for Environment and Water. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2024. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h South Australia's climate change vision - Pathways to 2050 (PDF). Adelaide, South Australia: Premier's Climate Change Council, Government of South Australia. 2013. p. 4. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Premier's Climate Change Council". Michelle Lensink. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  6. ^ "MEDIA RELEASE: Time for all parties to get real on climate change". Our Backyard SA. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Vision to help guide South Australia's Climate Change action" (PDF). Government of South Australia. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. ^ State Govt appoints Martin Haese to key climate change role InDaily, 19 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  9. ^ New plan to protect and restore SA’s coastal environments SA Department for Environment and Water, 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  10. ^ Karakulak, Helen (2 January 2026). SA on track for net zero despite 'catastrophic' forecasts InDaily. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  11. ^ a b "CLIMATE CHANGE AND GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACT 2007 (NO 22 OF 2007) - SECT 9". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Premier's Climate Change Council Annual Report, 1 February – 30 June 2008" (PDF). SA Department for Environment and Water. Government of South Australia. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Mark Parnell MLC in Parliament". markparnell.org.au. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Premier's Climate Change Council Annual Report, 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009" (PDF). Department for Environment and Water. Government of South Australia. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Premier's Climate Change Council Annual Report, 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010" (PDF). Department for Environment and Water. Government of South Australia. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
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