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framework, supports health and emergency services, and collaborates with local government to build
resilience and adaptive capacity. Local government promotes community awareness, administers
legislation and drives the development of adaptation plans.
The legislative and policy framework for climate change adaptation emanates from Australia’s obligations
under the Kyoto Protocol. A National Climate Change Adaptation Framework coupled with the Clean
Energy Futures Plan and Clean Energy Act 2011 articulates the Commonwealth’s policy for adaptation.
The State Government’s policy framework is established principally through the
Climate Change and
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act 2007
and recently released Climate Change Adaptation
Framework.
Local government’s policy framework is expressed through relevant plans and strategies, and
responsibility for implementing vulnerability assessments and developing climate change adaptation
plans.
Major barriers to climate change adaptation include market failures, regulatory environment, governance
and institutional arrangements (including legal), stakeholder behaviours, and information barriers.
Recommendations
x
Develop a structured model to assist the gathering and collation of government and commercial
data. New structures set up under the Climate Change Adaptation Framework such as Regional
Committees need to be used to facilitate more ready access to information and sharing of resources
to fund projects and monitoring.
x
Preliminary information reconnaissance or audits should be undertaken prior to embarking upon any
additional regional profiles. This would assist in understanding the custodians of the data and the
data limitations thereby allowing a suitable regional profile to be scoped and a strategy developed to
access data. Particular data sets that reside within Government could provide insight into key
vulnerabilities. Such data, including stamp duties, land tax, valuation data etc, should be made
accessible subject to appropriate measures.
x
Improve mapping of current assets, physical threats and vulnerable assets, highlighting no go zones,
and develop climate change risk overlays. Develop visualisation tools, which are valuable for
assisting communication of risks to decision-makers and the community. Relevant government
agencies develop and distribute appropriate information/mapping for use in land use planning
documents (i.e. Planning Strategy, Development Plans and Plans for new significant growth areas).
x
Resources need to be allocated to undertake important modelling and related studies. This relates
to the development of coastal Digital Elevation Models, flood studies, urban heat analysis, and more
detailed social and economic impact analysis.
x
Develop guidelines for the collection and management of data on a regular basis, to improve its
quality and consistency across jurisdictions. This would include standards for data collection,
modelling methodologies, scale and tolerances, and roles of organisations in relation to relevant
information sets.
x
In relation to information held by private asset owners, engage with the business community to
facilitate access of necessary data.
