Trent McCarthy was first elected to Darebin City Council in 2008 on a climate action platform. Since then, Trent has led the development of Darebin’s climate and environment policies, including proposing the world’s first government-level climate emergency declaration on 5 December 2016.
There are now over 1,350 government jurisdictions around the world, including 88 in Australia, that have declared climate emergencies. Trent is currently developing Climate Emergency Australia, a network of councils and other groups calling for urgent action by all levels of government.
Trent is also the co-founder of Darebin’s Solar Saver program, which is installing quality solar with no upfront costs on 4,000 buildings in four years and has a focus on low-income households. Alongside this, Trent has championed the development of the Local Government Power Purchase Agreement (LGPPA), which is rapidly switching the electricity consumption of 48 Victorian councils from fossil fuels to renewables.
As chair of Victoria’s 31 Local Learning and Employment Networks (VicLLENs), Trent is passionate about developing the resilience and leadership of young people through creating meaningful partnerships between schools, industries and communities. As co-founder of the Whitelion Bail Out, Trent has helped inspire over 1,000 business and community leaders to walk in the shoes of young people who are homeless, at risk or in the justice system, raising over $8 million in the past 14 years.
Trent currently serves on the boards of the Melbourne Innovation Centre, Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action, Coburg High School, Darebin Nature Trust and Climate Emergency Darebin. Trent was previously vice president of the Victorian Local Governance Association, grant advisor to the Foundation for Young Australians and support officer to the Country Fire Authority Board and Chairman.
As a third generation game show winner, former comedian and comedy writer / director, Trent believes in the power of stories and humour to change hearts and minds and build community resilience. Trent is the proud parent of two primary school student strikers and coach of the mighty Darebin Falcons U11’s girls soccer team.