“This isn’t about ideology”: How Maroondah Council plans to cut emissions in half and save money into the future

If councils in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs don’t act now to adapt to climate change risks, their infrastructure damage bill could hit as high as $300 million per year by 2050.

Author

Matthew Sims
May 07, 2026

Maroondah Council is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2035 under a new plan that would also shrink its gas heating bills at local pools and reduce the cost burden of maintenance and fuel for its fleet.

📍 What’s the plan? The council’s Climate Adaptation Plan puts a timeline and price tag on moving council operations off fossil fuels.

  • Its main target is cutting the council’s greenhouse gas emissions to half of 2021/22 levels by 2035.

  • Measures include replacing at least 50 percent of passenger fleet vehicles with electric vehicles by 2030 and fully electrifying at least one of the council’s three aquatic centres by 2035.

🔌 Spark savings: Maroondah councillor Chris Jones said the council’s pools were its most significant consumer of gas, with the electrification of one pool set to protect a key community asset from energy insecurity.

  • 🗣️ “We're only going to do it if it actually means something to our bottom line,” said Jones. “This isn't about ideology, it's about reducing the exposure to a volatile energy market by lowering long-term operational costs.”

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👀 Following by example: In 2023, Darebin City Council completed the $63.5 million rebuild of the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre as an all-electric facility.

  • Using water reuse technology and solar power, the shift from gas to electricity has cut about 1,400 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

  • The average Australian car emits about 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, meaning this reduction equates to 560 cars being taken off the road.

♨️ Pumping prices: Many aquatic centres in eastern Melbourne still rely on gas heating, including Maroondah’s Aquanation in Ringwood, Aquahub in Croydon and Croydon Memorial Pool.

  • In its 2025/26 budget, Maroondah allocated $16.5 million to keeping its three pools running.

  • Croydon’s Aquahub pool features 770 rooftop solar panels, which cut annual energy costs by 56 percent in 2023.

  • Nearby, Yarra Ranges Council said gas use across its six pools produced about 10 percent of council emissions.

⚡ Driving down costs: While EVs can cost more upfront, charging and maintenance are significantly cheaper than petrol or diesel vehicles.

  • According to Maroondah Council, transitioning their fleet to EVs would create a saving of $5,248 per vehicle over five years.

What's Melbourne's plan as EV ownership outpaces chargers?

Recent mapping has highlighted there are about one to two chargers for every 10,000 people.

📈 Growing costs: The Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action is a collaboration of eight councils in Melbourne's east – including Boroondara, Knox, Maroondah, Monash and Whitehorse – driving regional action on climate change.

  • Executive officer Sharon MacDonnell said the average annual climate damages to eastern Melbourne councils’ infrastructure was already between $90 million and $120 million.

  • 🗣️ “Without proactive adaptation, this is projected to increase to $210 million to $300 million per year by 2050 and $400 million to $540 million per year by 2100,” MacDonnell told the Eastern Melburnian. 

⏭️ What’s next? MacDonnell said councils needed greater state and federal government support for climate adaptation projects.

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