Merri-bek City Council has been advocating to the federal and state government to advance climate resilience efforts, to protect our communities and environment.
In our submissions to the Australian Government’s National Adaptation Plan Issues Paper and the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Climate Resilience we recommended:
- Support Adaptation Funding: Provide financial assistance, grants, and incentives to support local governments, communities, and businesses in implementing climate adaptation measures, including infrastructure upgrades, disaster risk reduction and preparedness, and ecosystem restoration.
- Address Equity and Social Justice: Ensure that climate resilience policies and initiatives prioritise equity, social justice, and the needs of vulnerable populations, including First Nations communities, low-income households, and regional areas.
- Strengthen Climate Resilience Planning: Develop and implement national-level climate resilience strategies and action plans that integrate risk assessment findings and prioritise adaptation measures across sectors and regions. There should be clear linkages between Federal, State, and Local Government roles and responsibilities in climate resilience planning.
- Invest in Climate Data and Research: Increase funding for climate data collection, research, and modelling to improve understanding of climate hazards, vulnerabilities, and impacts, and support evidence-based decision-making.
- Enhance Regulatory Frameworks: Review and update regulatory frameworks to integrate climate resilience considerations into planning, development approvals, and infrastructure standards, ensuring that new investments are resilient to future climate risks.
- Promote Community –based Adaptation Approaches: Foster community engagement and capacity-building initiatives to raise awareness of climate risks, empower local communities to take action, and facilitate bottom-up approaches to adaptation planning and implementation.
- Strengthen Collaboration: Engage in collaboration and knowledge-sharing initiatives to exchange best practices, build capacity, and address transboundary climate risks effectively, especially across the three levels of government.
- Support Innovation and Technology: Invest in research, innovation, and technology development to develop climate-resilient solutions, such as advanced early warning systems, sustainable infrastructure designs, and nature-based adaptation strategies.
Read our submissions to Australian Government’s National Adaptation Plan Issues Paper and the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Climate Resilience.
Walking the talk
Merri-bek’s Climate Risk Strategy describes how Council will proactively plan for and respond to the inevitable impacts of climate change. Our Vision is that, by 2030:
- Council competently, accountably, and responsively manages climate risk, and
- Merri-bek is climate-resilient, leafy, and liveable; with
- A climate-ready and resilient community with no one left behind
