Ask your MP to advocate for climate resilience

This climate briefing was submitted by our fellow climate activists at Friends of the Earth. If you or your organisation would like to submit a climate briefing about one of your campaigns, or work with us to write one, please email us at [email protected]

CLIMATE BRIEFING
Climate impacts and disasters are costing the Victorian Government billions and escalating social problems. Funding adaptation now will save lives, reduce recovery costs, and ease pressure on our health system and economy from climate impacts. Send your Victorian MPs a copy of Act on Climate's VIC Climate Resilience Inquiry Analysed: The leading concerns & adaptation solutions and ask them to support a permanent Victorian Community Climate Adaptation Fund (VCCAF).

Background/Context

Climate impacts are here now. Victorian communities want and need to adapt to these locked-in climate impacts. Increased action to adapt to climate change is vital to protect Victorians from these climate impacts. Victoria is at the forefront of emissions reduction, but it is falling behind on climate adaptation, despite the risks of not investing in preparedness being clear.

The Victorian Government’s implementation and funding of climate adaptation is haphazard, disparate and disproportionate to what is required. Increased investment in climate adaptation by the Victorian Government was the number one action called for in the submissions to its Inquiry into Climate Resilience. This was strongly appealed for in submissions by councils, organisations, and community members alike, with 83.75% of submissions saying more funding is essential. 

The Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Climate Resilience took a much-needed look into the preparedness of communities facing climate disasters across the state. Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s Act on Climate (AoC) collective has been ensuring community members' voices are heard through this Inquiry - both their concerns, and the solutions they want to see enacted.

Data from Resilience Inquiry submissions - the most mentioned climate impacts of concern and the most popular climate adaptation solutions put forward - has been published in AoC’s latest report: VIC Climate Resilience Inquiry Analysed: The leading concerns & adaptation solutions. It shares how Victorian communities can and want to adapt, as well as inspiring examples of what community-led climate adaptation looks like. AoC is asking people to email a copy of this report to their State MP and asking them to advocate for increased funding of climate adaptation and the climate adaptation solutions communities are calling for. 

Where the Victorian Government is falling behind on climate adaptation:

  • While Victoria has Adaptation Action Plans (AAPs) in place, the implementation and funding of these plans is haphazard, disparate and disproportionate to what is required.

  • The state has not released a public climate change risk assessment, falling behind other states that have done so and are creating clear investments and pathways to climate adaptation.

  • There is a lack of transparency around climate risks and no public reporting on overall adaptation progress in Victoria, despite a Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) Framework being published in 2018.

  • There is no whole-of-Government position on critical risks and adaptation priorities, leading to a disparate, uncoordinated approach, there are no documented owners or delivery timelines for specific actions in the AAPs, and limited funding is provided to support implementation.

As noted by many submissions to the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into Climate Resilience, the Government needs to lead on climate adaptation by providing guidance through certainty, consistency, clarity around responsibility, and an integrated response.

The Victorian Government has been called on in Climate Resilience Inquiry submissions to:

  • publicly release a Victorian climate risk assessment in order to provide consistent, up to date data on the risks climate impacts pose to Victorians - transparency and clarity around forthcoming impacts is vital for Victorians to prepare

  • provide education and information on climate impacts and risks to communities, as well as training as required

  • update legislation, policies and standards to ensure all development and building, new and upgrades, takes into account climate risk to infrastructure and individuals

  • ensure ongoing and adequate funding of, and investment in, climate adaptation.

Climate adaptation is woefully underfunded in Victoria. The Government’s existing approach prioritises funding for repair and recovery after climate disasters have already occurred. And, no dedicated resources or funding have been allocated for its Adaptation Action Plans. Where funding has been provided for climate adaptation, it has often been provided in the form of once-off, competitive, and oversubscribed grants.

The funding of climate adaptation needs to be adequate according to the risk to life and quality of life facing Victorians, as well as the monetary risk facing Victoria. Adequately funding adaptation now will save on the future costs of responding. $1 invested in risk reduction is estimated to save $2-$11 in recovery and reconstruction, while only responding is likely to cost 11 times more (CSIRO, Climate and Disaster Resilience).

The Victorian Government 2024-25 budget revealed that we're paying $7.3 billion in recovery payments for natural disasters that hit the country in the past few years (up $3.9 billion since December 2023). The impacts of sea level rise coupled with storm surges alone are estimated to cost

the state of Victoria $442 billion by 2100 and would hit more than 80,000 properties (ABC News). In 2022, heatwave events were already costing Victoria on average $87 million each year. By 2030, they are predicted to cost the Victorian economy $179 million per year (State Government of Victoria DELWP, The economic impact of heatwaves on Victoria).

It is clear that funding climate adaptation now will better protect Victorians as well as reduce future costs. Implementing resilience measures would save governments and households at least $19 billion to 2050, while climate damage in Victoria is estimated to cost nearly $1 trillion by 2100 without action to reduce emissions and adapt.

Climate impacts and disasters are costing the Victorian Government billions and escalating social problems. Funding adaptation now will save lives, reduce recovery costs, and ease pressure on our health system and economy from climate impacts.

Why is this important?

  • Victoria is one of the most vulnerable states in the world - it is in the top 5% of highest risk states globally, according to the Cross Dependency Initiative’s (XDI) Gross Domestic Climate Risk. This analysis also identified a 74% increase in damage to property in Victoria from 1990 to 2050.

  • Victorian communities are currently not climate resilient. They critically need support and resources to prepare for, and adapt to, the climate impacts threatening their lives, livelihoods, and the built environments in which these are situated. More frequent disasters and longer climate impact events are undermining the ability of individuals, communities and the environment to cope and recover.

  • Victorians' lives, food supply, health (mental and physical), source of income, cost of living, access to healthcare, housing, transportation, and recreational activities are all at risk.

  • Climate change is a major threat to human health and puts tremendous pressure on health systems.

  • A lack of adaptation to climate change is causing food insecurity and other cost of living issues, as well as homelessness. Water scarcity and drought puts pressure on agriculture, raising prices for consumers. Recent research has shown that disasters (e.g., floods, bushfires and droughts) contributed to 19% of the severe food insecurity experienced by over 2 million Australian households.

Who to contact: 

CLICK HERE TO LOG YOUR CONTACT WITH MPs

Desired outcomes: 

Resources & further reading:

Actions you can take:

1. Email your MP and relevant ministers

OR

  • Use and personalise the template below 

If you need some help getting started with your email, here is an example. 

Please don’t copy it exactly - personalise it and tailor it to the MP you are writing to. 

In addition, when writing to a Minister or Shadow Minister, start by saying that you’re writing to them in their role as Minister for xxxx, otherwise they will probably just forward your email to your local MP.

[MP name]

[Member for …. or  Minister for ….]

Dear…..

(personal first sentence - who you are and why you care)

As someone in your constituency who is concerned about adapting to now unavoidable climate impacts, I'm reaching out to share with you a new report by Friends of the Earth Melbourne’s Act on Climate (AoC) collective on the Victorian Government Inquiry into Climate Resilience.

With climate impacts being here now, I am anxious about my community not being prepared. I want to see climate adaptation being prioritised and adequately funded to keep my community and all Victorians as safe as possible.

The Inquiry into Climate Resilience took a much-needed look into the preparedness of communities. Its findings are vital to protect those most at risk, raise awareness of prevalent concerns and highlight the adaptation solutions people want to see funded and urgently enacted.

Data from Resilience Inquiry submissions has been published in AoC’s latest report: VIC Climate Resilience Inquiry Analysed: The leading concerns & adaptation solutions.

Please read this report to hear how Victorian communities can and want to adapt, and to learn about inspiring examples of what community-led climate adaptation looks like.

And, please advocate for the implementation of the climate adaptation solutions called for. 

More being invested in climate adaptation by the Victorian Government was the number one action called for. This was strongly appealed for in submissions by councils, community and other organisations, and community members alike.

AoC has been calling on the Victorian Government to establish a permanent Victorian Community Climate Adaptation Fund (VCCAF). Investing in this fund would reduce costs to the Government and Victorians by keeping people, Country and infrastructure safe from the risks presented by locked-in climate impacts.

I also implore you to support AoC’s proposal for a VCCAF. The Government’s investment in climate adaptation needs to be larger and ongoing to enable the immediate and extensive adaptations to prepare for now unavoidable climate impacts. It must follow a forward-thinking approach to climate impacts and back local solutions that empower and safeguard communities.

I urge you to commit to taking steps to ensure climate adaptation is enabled through adequate and ongoing funding.

Will you help keep your neighbours, constituents and all Victorians safe by amplifying this call for increased funding from all corners of the state and all corners of society?

I look forward to your response

Sincerely

Name

Address

Phone

[required if you want a response]

2. Call your MP

Here is a suggested script to get you started:

Hi, my name is ….. and I’m a voter in [your electorate].

I’d like to speak to …..[name of MP]

(Staffer will probably say: I’m sorry they’re not available, can I take a message?)

Yes, thank you! Would you please pass on my message and tell them I’m worried about….

[use 2-3 points from the briefing or email example]

And ask them to ….

[use 2-3 points from the briefing or email example]

Thank you!

3. Visit or deliver report

Email your MP’s electorate office to ask for a meeting and follow up with a phone call a few days later. Get help on how to do this under the Democracy and Governance heading on Climate for Change’s Climate briefings webpage.

Download and print a booklet version of AoC’s VIC Climate Resilience Inquiry Analysed: The leading concerns & adaptation solutions report to take with you and leave with your MP here: AoC Resilience Inquiry Report - FINAL_compressed - Booklet.pdf

Download and print MP pledge posters MPs can pose for a photo with here: MP meeting posters

If you are unable to set up a meeting, you can just drop off a copy of the report for your MP.

If you do set up a meeting or go to your local MP’s office, please take a photo and share it with us by emailing [email protected] and share it on your social media tagging your MP.

4. Share on social media

Share these actions on social media and with others in local networks to get more people to take the above actions.

You’ll find social media tiles/images to share here: Social Media tiles

The Google folder also includes a folder with a flyer and poster you can use: Email Action Flyers / Poster

Links to share:

Thank you for helping our campaign to keep Victorians safe from locked-in climate impacts!

(submitted May 2025)

 

 Fast facts on climate:

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "CLIMATE" AND "WEATHER"?

Is it climate, or weather?

People often confuse the terms ‘climate’ and ‘weather’, but they’re not the same thing. Weather is the short term, day-to-day state of the atmosphere. It includes things like temperature, rainfall, wind speed, humidity and sunshine - all of which can change rapidly from one hour or day to the next. On the other hand, climate is the long-term average of weather patterns and averages in a specific area, usually measured over a period of 30 years or more. Climate helps us understand broader environmental trends and shifts, such as global warming or changing rainfall patterns, while weather helps us decide what to wear each day.

Climate for Change · ABN 25 774 689 267 · Registered Association A0060135Y, 1 Tripovich Street, Brunswick, Victoria 3056, Australia · Naarm, Kulin Nation
View our privacy policy


Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia, whose sovereignty was never ceded. We acknowledge that Indigenous peoples around the world are at the forefront of climate change, both in experiencing its effects and leading solutions for change. We pay our sincerest respects to all Elders, past and present.

If you are a facilitator, sign in with Facebook, Twitter or email.
Created with NationBuilder
using a public theme by cStreet