Nillumbik Climate Action Team (NCAT) is a group of volunteers living in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, who are committed to promoting and leading more effective action to ensure a safer climate for us all.
We know that the sooner we transition away from burning fossil fuels, and reduce our consumption of earth’s limited resources, the better chance we have of limiting the worst effects of climate change.
We have the solutions, we just need the political and social will to make it happen.
That’s why we advocate, educate and collaborate with our local community, and seek to influence decision makers at all levels, to take faster and more effective action to stop further climate damage.
We believe that every one of us can help to create a better, safer future by doing what we can, with what we’ve got, wherever we are in our circumstances.
What do we want ?
- No new fossil fuel approvals or developments.
- Transition to new cleaner energy sources as quickly as possible.
- Real zero, not net zero! No more greenwashing and delay.
- More support for communities to prepare for and adapt to a disrupted climate.
- Fairness and equity in the transition to a low carbon economy.
- Stop cutting down native forest and have much better protection for the natural world.
What do we do?
Advocate
We seek to influence decision makers where we can, by:
- Lobbying council to declare a climate emergency (2022) and to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (2025)
- Preparing submissions and delivering presentations to local government, including for 2023-2024 financial year, submissions on Urban Tree Canopy Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy, Integrated Transport Strategy
- Meeting with local federal, state and local representatives to advocate on climate issues.
- Preparing submissions to state and federal government, including for 2023-2024 financial year, submissions on the Duty of Care Bill, Nature Positive Bill, and Regulation of Political Lobbying
- Organising actions in conjunction with other climate and environment advocacy groups outside MPs’ offices to protest against fossil projects and environmental issues.
Educate
We work to build community knowledge and awareness of climate risks, by:
- Distributing a monthly newsletter on issues relating to climate and environment to our database of more than 800 supporters
- Hosting a monthly Climate Café (Feb – Nov), an informal social event with expert speakers on a range of climate related issues
- Holding a stall at the local Eltham farmers market each month, to disseminate information about events and activities and engage in conversations with local people about the issues.
- Organising and delivering events such as the Nillumbik Climate Month speaker series in March 2024 at Edendale Community Farm
- Providing online forums for political candidates at local, state and federal elections to give voters an opportunity to learn about candidate’s climate goals and aspirations, if elected.
- Researching, preparing and disseminating climate scorecards during local, state and federal elections to help inform voters of candidates’ positions on climate issues.
Collaborate
We work with local, state and national community and advocacy groups, including:
- Edendale Community Environment Farm, hosting local film and discussion nights on topics of environmental and climate interest, hosting speaker events, and supporting the establishment of a new local repair café.
- Supporting awareness raising and advocacy initiatives with local, state and national groups including: CEN (Clean Energy Nillumbik), Nillumbio, CANA, Beyond Gas Network, Australian Conservation Foundation
- Co-hosting book/author events with Eltham Bookshop on books with a climate or environment theme.
- NCAT is a member of the climate peak bodies Victorian Climate Action Network (VCAN) and Climate Action Network Australia (CANA).
Independence
NCAT is a non-partisan organisation powered by community support. NCAT does not receive donations from any political party or associated entities. Members and supporters are active in the community and act on their own behalf in a variety of ways.
At election times (local, state and federal), NCAT facilitates elector understanding of candidates’ positions on climate related policy. All candidates are invited to candidate forums where they have an opportunity to state their policies and positions and respond to elector questions.
We do not require our committee, volunteers or supporters to disclose their political affiliations, and people involved in NCAT, including committee members, will support individual candidates in their personal capacity.
Governance
Nillumbik Climate Action Team (NCAT) is an incorporated, not-for-profit community organisation. The NCAT committee has overall responsibility for the activities of the group, including financial management and reporting obligations.
Typically, committee members are not members of a political party. However, membership of a political party would not preclude a person from joining the NCAT committee, so long as they commit to the NCAT principle of non-partisanship when volunteering with us.
At present, none of our committee members is a member of a political party.
-Committee (as at August 2025)
As an incorporated association NCAT is required to have a Committee which has overall responsibility for the activities of the association, including its financial management and reporting obligations.
The committee generally meets monthly (mostly online via Zoom, occasionally in person or as events require) and takes responsibility for organising initiatives and activities.
The Committee is elected each year at the Annual General Meeting. If you are interested in joining the Committee, we welcome you. Please get in touch to discuss.
Current NCAT Committee members:
President – Mitzi Tuke
Secretary – Elizabeth Doig
Treasurer – Angela Davies
Committee Members –
Jill Kellow, Virginia Ruchel
We welcome new members. Membership is free and you can be on the committee or simply be a member.
As a small volunteer not-for-profit organisation, donations are always welcome to help us cover our event, website and promotion related costs.
We thank all our generous supporters for their donations over the past few years, and welcome all support towards our ongoing operation.
Inc. No. A0117198L
ABN 65 285 152 738
Australia’s climate has warmed by more than 1.5 degrees since 1910 and we are already experiencing varying impacts across the country.
Victoria is projected to become hotter and experience more extreme weather events such as drought, storms, floods and bushfires.
This means greater risk to the many systems that support our current high standard of living including health, food supply, property and infrastructure, not to mention damage to our natural environment.
In Nillumbik, we are very aware of bushfire risk and as a community highly value our green-wedge values and beautiful natural environment.
We’d love to see you at our events and actions, and as a subscriber to our monthly newsletter.
Join us to help protect our environment, quality of life, and everything we love, from the disruption and damage that is happening and will become worse from our heating climate.
Get in touch
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Nillumbik Climate Action Team 