September 4, 2024
Gippsland community calls for the Vic Government to fund Community-Led Climate Adaptation
The Victorian Government is running an Inquiry into Climate Resilience, which is looking into the preparedness of communities facing climate disasters across the state. The submissions stage of the Resilience Inquiry process is closed, and the committee undertaking the Inquiry is now conducting hearings.
The first of these hearings was in Traralgon at the Century Inn on 3 September 2024, while Gippsland was still recovering from intense storms and havoc-wrecking winds due to climate change. At the event, local councils, Gippsland environment groups, associate professors, farming representatives, and others spoke to the Legislative Council Environment and Planning Committee about local climate resilience. Concerned members of the Gippsland community went along to hear them speak.
Before going into the hearing, community members gathered outside to show support for government funding of community-led climate adaptation. They held up a banner with the words ‘Fund Community Climate Resilience’ on it. Many community members who wished to attend this hearing to show support for more funding of climate adaptation were unable to due to impacts from the recent storm surges and intense winds.
“To prepare for locked-in climate impacts, we need adequate and ongoing funding for community-led adaptation work. This funding will enable communities to fulfil their plans to build resilient communities in a changing climate and keep those most at risk safe,” Vicky Ellmore, Act on Climate Community Organiser, said.
Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s Act on Climate has been ensuring community members' voices are heard through this Inquiry, both their concerns and the solutions they want to see enacted. The collective is calling for the committee to recommend a Victorian Community Climate Adaptation Fund (VCCAF). The fund would distribute money annually to community groups that apply to undertake localised adaptation initiatives.
In their submissions to the Inquiry into Climate Resilience, people from Gippsland have shared their concerns around the unprecedented heatwaves, bushfires, storms, winds, drought, and flooding Gippsland has experienced. In addition, the isolation of people in Gippsland when power supply and communication is disrupted, the reluctance to engage in discussions about preparation and adaptation, and sea-level rise are concerning locals.
“Governments are far from ready to deal with the compounding consequences of new disasters occurring faster than we can recover from previous ones,” one Gippsland resident noted in their submission.
“While climate change poses grave dangers to us all, it is the youth of today who are at greatest long-term risk. In Gippsland, their young lives have already been impacted by heatwaves, bushfires and floods. Some have seen their homes destroyed. Many have witnessed local bushland and wildlife devastated by fire, and all live with fear and uncertainty as they face the future on a warming planet.”
In their submissions the actions and solutions Gippsland locals are calling for include:
- strengthened development planning and building regulations that take account of a changing climate,
- assistance to enable people, especially those most at risk, to retrofit their homes to cope with climate extremes,
- much greater financial support to our firefighting capabilities,
- inform, update, and better engage with people about the climate challenges ahead and ensure more conversations around climate change readiness, involving local communities in disaster preparedness plans,
- investment in training of many more young people for work that will be required to transition and adapt our communities, and
- funding for local adaptation initiatives, such as warning systems, housing insulation, emergency accommodation and support via mutual aid systems, localised power grids for isolated towns, disaster-proof safe refuges, on-ground action to manage coastline erosion.
“Communities know what climate adaptation plans and projects are most needed and relevant for them, but they are not getting the support they urgently need to implement them. They are looking to the state government for leadership and assistance to adapt to climate impacts,” said Ms Ellmore.
“While the government has undertaken adaptation planning work, this has not been sufficiently acted on and has not been backed up with ongoing funding to prepare communities for the climate impacts forecast to affect Victoria. Every step we take to help communities adapt to now unavoidable climate impacts secures a safer future and builds resilience, protecting people and Country.”
Join the call for A Community Climate Adaptation Fund for Victoria by adding your name to our petition
