Local governments across Australia are working to strengthen and protect: a clean and safe environment; access to opportunity and services; human rights; strong and accessible institutions; inclusive economies; diverse and supportive communities; and our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage.
In doing so, local governments are contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Australia has agreed, with 192 other United Nations Member States, to work towards achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030 – in Australia and around the world. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are closely aligned with Australian values and ambitions and are not just about government. They’re being embraced by the business sector, civil society, the education sector, communities, families and individuals.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop launched Australia’s first report on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in June. The report, which was presented to the United Nations in New York in July, recognises the important contribution of Australia’s local governments.
Perth’s Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council has integrated the Sustainable Development Goals into its Regional Environment Strategy 2016 – 2020 and identified the seven goals that are most relevant to the environment in its region. The City of Melbourne has mapped its strategies and plans against the Sustainable Development Goals, resulting in a recommendation to align future strategy development with the goals to guide a more integrated approach to the city’s work.
The City of Fremantle’s adoption of the One Planet Fremantle Strategy, and its sustainability principles, aligns with several of the Sustainable Development Goals. Bathurst Council’s Sustainable Schools Grants encourage primary and pre-school school students within the Bathurst region to undertake sustainability or environmental projects – in support of a number of the goals.
Australia’s 1600 council-run public libraries have identified10 Sustainable Development Goals which best reflect their role in the community. The Australian Library and Information Association’s Australian libraries support the Sustainable Development Goals shows how local library programs feed into the SDGs and generate data to help local governments benchmark their performance.
Learn more about how Australians are contributing to the SDGs by visiting www.sdgs.org.au. Think about contributing a case study of your own.
Include SDG icons on relevant web, social media or print products (download here – select “For Use by Non-UN Entities”).
Contact Nikki Jordan from the City of Melbourne's Sustainability Integration team (Nikki.Jordan@melbourne.vic.gov.au) to find out more about how City of Melbourne mapped its work against the SDGs.
For questions about DFAT’s approach to the SDGs email 2030Agenda@dfat.gov.au