Skip to content Skip to footer

Community sector organisations call on incoming government to resource sector climate adaptation

Publication date: 20 October 2022

Climate change is exacerbating existing social and health inequities and disproportionately impacting people experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage. Community service and health organisations play a critical role in building resilience, but without the resources to plan and adapt the sector itself is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, posing a risk of flow-on-effects for the Victorians these organisations support.

In recognition of the urgent need to adapt and the crucial role of the community sector, Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places established the Resilience Community of Practice with seed funding from the Greater Melbourne Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.

The Community of Practice, which the Centre for Just Places coordinates, brings together over 20 metropolitan and rural organisations and 40 active members from across community health, community services, and local government, established to support strong partnerships and cross-collaborations between organisations, and re-orient systems towards climate equity.

This Victorian State Election, the Resilience Community of Practice has put forward an election platform, calling for strong climate action and urging the incoming Victorian Government to resource a range of measures to strengthen place-based climate adaptation and resilience.

Summary of our key recommendations

  • Establish a Community Sector and Community Health Climate Adaptation Fund and corresponding Action Plan to support community service and health organisations (CSHOs) to trial, implement and embed into services and programs climate change adaptation and mitigation activities.
  • Provide opportunities for professional development for CSHO staff and leadership, across climate change literacy, organisational resilience planning, and understanding the critical role that CSHOs can and do play in building community resilience.
  • Resource the establishment of a portal for sharing knowledge, practices, and lessons learned to inform best practice adaptation, including information on vulnerability (who is vulnerable, why, where, when, and how) and guidance on overcoming barriers and undertaking equitable and just action.
  • Centralise and enable public access to data and information that help CSHOs and communities to better plan for climate change, including information about social and health inequities, heat hotspots, climate risks, social infrastructure and health services.
  • Consult with CSHOs to define and strengthen pathways to inform government decision making and resource CSHOs to utilise their community connections and enable inclusion of diverse stakeholders in the development of both state and local government adaptation and health and wellbeing planning. Invest in capacity building so CSHOs are aware of these pathways for effective advocacy.

Download the Resilience Community of Practice's state election platform

Want to find out more?

Browse some of our other articles and stories

Policy submissions
Northern Territory Election Platform
Our vision for the NT - ‘a fairer, more equal and sustainable future for all Territorians’. We believe Government should be partnering with community to achieve these priorities to help ensure a fairer, more equal and sustainable future for all Territorians. For a long time, a range of systems have worked against people facing generational…
Jesuit Social Services
Policy submissions
National Adaptation Issues Paper
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Climate Adaptation Plan in Australia – National Adaptation Plan Issues Paper, led by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. We strongly support the need to establish a long-term Climate Adaptation Plan to support all Australians, particularly our most affected communities in…
Jesuit Social Services
Policy submissions
Submission to the Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023
Jesuit Social Services welcomed the opportunity to respond to the Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2023. This is an important amendment, which would require decision-makers to more explicitly consider the impact on future generations of any new legislation that has the potential to affect action on climate change. We…
Jesuit Social Services
Policy submissions
Submission in response to the Department of Social Services’ Issues Paper – A stronger, more diverse and independent community sector
Jesuit Social Services was pleased to contribute a submission in response to the Department of Social Services’ Issues Paper on the Federal Government’s election commitment for “a stronger, more diverse and independent community sector”. Our submission argues reform is needed to change the way Government works with and funds community services organisations.
Jesuit Social Services
Policy submissions
Collaborative Action Plan for climate justice in Melbourne’s west
This Collaborative Action Plan is the result of a year-long project to articulate a shared vision for climate justice in Melbourne’s west.
Jesuit Social Services
Policy submissions
Submission to inform Victoria’s emissions reduction target for 2035
Jesuit Social Services welcomed the opportunity to contribute to consultation on Victoria’s emissions reduction target for 2035. We note the importance of this consultation given that climate change is having unprecedented impacts on people and nature across every region of the globe, including Victoria. In this submission, Jesuit Social Services urges the Victorian Government to…
A young indigenous man sitting outside on a concrete ledge holding a book
Policy submissions
Federal Election 2022 platform – A blueprint for a just recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many pre-existing social and economic issues in Australia to the fore, from housing stress, to poverty, family violence, and insecure employment. As an organisation working with some of the most disadvantaged members of the community, we have witnessed firsthand the disproportionate impact of this crisis on already marginalised people and…