Strengthening community
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Who is at risk, and how are we identifying vulnerable populations?
What can I do?
There are a number of ways to reduce your exposure to heat stress and seek relief during a heat wave. It’s especially important to be aware of the impact of heat on the health of friends, neighbours or relatives who are elderly, have existing chronic health conditions, as well as babies and young children. For further advice visit the Better Health website which has advice in a number of languages and formats.
Power blackouts frequently coincide with heat wave events due to the excess demand on the network during these times. This can exacerbate heat stress as residents can’t use their fans and air conditioners to keep cool. It can also prevent you from carrying out normal activities within your home. For information on how to prepare for a power outage and what to do if one occurs in your area please visit this Guide to Power Outages.
How are councils responding?
Heat stress is one of the most significant issues for our populations in the regions, towns and cities of Victoria. It is particularly severe in areas without significant tree cover, in the inland regions and in the north of the state. Built-up environments also trap heat over night and raise the urban temperature profile. In addition to biological heat stress, heat waves increase risk through the potential for power outages which have been associated with recent heat wave events.Anyone can suffer from heat-related illness, but those most at risk are:
- People over 65 years, particularly those living alone or without air conditioning
- Babies and young children
- Pregnant and nursing mothers
- People with a pre-existing medical condition, especially with heart disease, high blood pressure or lung disease.
- People on medications for mental illness.
All councils have heat wave plans that identify the issue as it relates to their services and residents, including who is at risk and ways to alert the community. Councils are actively identifying which residents receiving council services may be more vulnerable to heat wave impacts and they are delivering programs to reduce exposure and increase resilience to heat wave events.
All councils also maintain a list of residents who are highly vulnerable under all circumstances due to severe chronic illness or limited mobility.
Councils in bushfire zones keep a list of vulnerable residents in bushfire risk areas to identify residents who may require assistance during an emergency.
Solar Savers
Solar Savers ran as a pilot project, supporting the installation of solar PV systems on pension households, between May 2017 and June 2019. Solar Savers is a partnership between not-for-profit greenhouse alliances and local councils, funded by the Victorian Government through a New Energy Jobs Fund grant. Solar Savers has been delivered across 22 participating councils, and was led by the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA) in partnership with the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) and the Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (NAGA).
The project aimed to:
- assist low income households to overcome the upfront financial barriers to solar, by offering affordable loan options;
- assist low income households to save money, through reduced energy bills;
- reduce emissions; and
- stay cool in heatwaves.
Pension households are potentially at-risk of heat stress. The Heat Health Plan for Victoria identifies:
- People over the age of 65, particularly those living alone (who may be in receipt of an aged pension) as potentially at-risk to heat; and
- People with particular health conditions, and people taking certain medications (who may be in receipt of a disability support pension) as potentially at-risk to heat.
Pension households are also typically home throughout the daytime. Through a solar system, they can take advantage of the free electricity being generated to cool their homes while the sun is shining.
The Solar Savers program supported the installation of 434 solar systems. An evaluation of the program found that:
- From a sample of the meter data from participating households, these households used an average of 35% less electricity, year on year;
- Almost half (49%) of participants surveyed in 2019 stated they will use their solar system to help stay a comfortable temperature in their home, by making greater use of their heating and cooling appliances.
A key finding from the pilot project was that many households face barriers to installing solar. For this reason, the Solar Savers program will continue to support pension households to install solar, and will also offer a solar bulk-buy program to all residents of participating councils, regardless of socio-economic status.
Solar Savers in Maroondah - Going solar an easy decision for Dianne
Dianne, a pensioner living in Maroondah, always thought that solar PV was a great idea. However, she didn’t have the spare money to afford it, and didn’t know which companies to trust.
When she found out about council’s Solar Savers program she jumped at the opportunity to get solar with no upfront costs and support from council. Because council explained how the program worked and had done the research on which solar system to get, Dianne felt like solar it was ‘handed to her on a platter’. With Solar Savers, the decision to get solar panels was an easy one.
Dianne found the solar installers polite and helpful. They answered all her questions and tidied up after themselves. Dianne is looking forward to seeing how the panels save her money off her electricity bill. Most of all, though, she just wants to do her bit to help the environment.
Dianne’s advice for anyone thinking about installing solar through the Solar Savers program?
‘Do it!’Golden Opportunities
Bayside City Council supported local aged care businesses to understand their energy consumption and efficiency opportunities through their Golden Opportunities program. Regis Aged Care took part in the Council-led program last year, sparking successful applications for Sustainability Victoria grants.
The company completed energy audits at its Brighton and Sandringham aged care homes.
These audits identified opportunities to reduce energy use and save money while improving the comfort for elderly residents. Along with installing an energy efficient car park exhaust system, timers have been installed for kitchen catering and the lighting will be upgraded to LEDs at both aged care homes. The energy saved is equivalent to the annual use of 32 average Bayside homes. Council encourages all local residents and businesses to avoid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency, as a first step to reducing environmental impact.
City of Whittlesea’s Urban Tree Canopy Project
This project collected and analysed data on urban tree canopy cover to support changes to the Whittlesea Planning Scheme, ensuring that more canopy trees are delivered as part of new residential development in certain zones. The urban tree canopy cover project was awarded ‘Best Planning Ideas - Small Project’ at the Victorian Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) 2019 Awards for Planning Excellence, where it was recognised for being delivered in-house by Council staff and for delivering an innovative, replicable and low-cost approach to determine urban tree canopy coverage at the neighbourhood level.
The project used LiDAR to benchmark tree canopy coverage in 2009 and measure the change in tree canopy cover over time using 2017 ArcGIS aerial imagery. The results of the urban tree canopy coverage project clearly linked the loss of urban tree canopy cover between 2009 and 2017 in the established suburbs of City of Whittlesea, to infill development. This provided strong evidence to support changes to General Residential Zone Schedules 4 and 5 requiring a canopy tree in front and rear setbacks of medium density development via Planning Scheme Amendment C200 (Housing Diversity & Design Policy & Schedules). The changes support implementation of the City of Whittlesea’s Housing Diversity Strategy 2013-2033, and is an important adaptation strategy to assist community resilience to climate change.
Moonee Valley City Council Heat Wave Monitoring Project
Moonee Valley City Council implemented a Heat Wave Monitoring Project to coordinate a well-planned approach to improve quality of life and reduction in the associated negative health and wellbeing impacts of Flemington Housing Estate residents, who experience distress during hot days, especially during heat waves due to existing building design of the housing estate. Evidence for the project was captured through in-home recording of temperature during summer months, with a focus on heat wave periods. The data showed that the heat made it difficult for many residents to sleep, that running an air conditioner did not necessarily improve sleep in many situations, that hotter weather prevented residents from cooking meals at home, and there were several reports of residents finding the conditions too hot to stay in their homes and where they instead needed to seek relief in places outside their home.
This data has been used for advocacy for improved tenant rights and infrastructure and the development of a Heat Wave Action Plan.
The project also employed a project officer from the local housing estate community to help promote the project and awareness of the issue within the housing estate, and to establish relationships and resilience within the community. This community employment model encouraged greater resident ownership of the project and provided training and skills development back to local residents.
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How are critical services to vulnerable populations impacted by extreme weather events?
What can I do?
Prepare yourself for heat waves this summer and support elderly relatives and neighbours during heat waves.
How are councils responding?
Councils have recorded very minor council-side disruptions to Home and Community Care service delivery for food and personal care services during heat wave events. The few cancellations that do occur are quickly rescheduled in accordance with council processes.
During and immediately after a heat wave event some councils observe a higher rate of client side cancellations from Home and Community Care clients. This is due to an increased rate of hospitalisations with elderly clients being more susceptible to the heat.
Many councils support vulnerable Home and Community Care clients by notifying them of heat wave events and monitoring their condition during a heat wave.
Minor changes to normal services during heat waves
Brimbank City Council reported very minor changes to normal services during heat waves (less than one percent). During heatwave periods, staff were sent to deliver services outside of the hottest periods to ensure service delivery and meet OHS requirements for staff, and priority services such as food and personal care are prioritised.
Melton City Council and Brimbank City Council
Melton City Council and Brimbank City Council are examples of two councils in our region that are using their Home and Community Care client register to identify clients at risk to heat stress during heat wave events and have implemented a ‘check-in’ system with vulnerable clients during these events to ensure they are safe.
Hobsons Bay City Council
Hobsons Bay City Council reported no council side cancellations by staff during the 2014 heat wave event.
Spike in cancellation rates
Hobsons Bay City Council observed a spike in cancellation rates by clients half way through the 2014 heat wave and up to six days following the heat wave.
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When and why do residents seek relief during severe weather events?
What can I do?
Experience shows that those who plan and prepare for emergencies can reduce the impact of the emergency, and can recover quicker afterwards.
Be prepared with your own Home Emergency Plan so you know what to do in the event of extreme weather, have a plan for where to go, and who you can contact for information and support, if required.
Emergency information
For up to date incidents and warnings, please visit VicEmergency. Please use more than one source for emergency information and warnings. Additional sources suggested by VicEmergency include: ABC local radio, or other emergency broadcasters including radio or SKY News, downloading the VicEmergency app or following VicEmergency on Facebook or Twitter
The VicEmergency site also contains information on emergency relief and recovery.
How are councils responding?
All councils have emergency management plans and work with partner agencies such as VIC SES on information provision, training, planning and preparation. The municipal emergency management plans guide the response of councils in line with the severity of each event. This assessment determines whether councils will operate relief centres during emergency events, including extreme weather events such as severe flooding, storms or bushfire. These emergency relief centres may either provide information to residents on where to seek relief, or may directly provide support and shelter. These centres are not activated during a heat wave.
Residents often seek relief from heat waves at Council managed centres such as pools and libraries. However this may lead to overcrowded and unpleasant conditions and it may be preferable to avoid these places and seek alternatives such as following advice to stay cool in your home, or if you don’t have a way to stay cool, instead go to a friend or relative’s house which has cooling, or attend a large air conditioned shopping centre.
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How prepared do communities feel they are for extreme weather events,
and what changes have they made to cope with climate change?
What can I do?
The Australian Red Cross have developed Climate-Ready Communities: A Guide to Getting Started (2017). They have developed steps and recommended actions to help you and your community prepare for climate change. To understand the impacts of climate change for your region, the Victorian Government have developed a Climate-Ready Factsheet for Victoria (2016) and have released detailed projections in partnership with CSIRO (2019) on a local scale.
Emergency information
For up to date incidents and warnings, please visit VicEmergency. Please use more than one source for emergency information and warnings. Additional sources suggested by VicEmergency include: ABC local radio, or other emergency broadcasters including radio or SKY News, downloading the VicEmergency app or following VicEmergency on Facebook or Twitter
The VicEmergency site also contains information on emergency preparedness, and relief and recovery.
How are councils responding?
Councils are adapting their services and community infrastructure to reduce the vulnerability of their residents to the impacts of climate change. Councils outlined their priorities for supporting their local communities to act on climate change through the Inquiry into Tackling Climate Change in Victorian Communities (2019).
Many councils submitted individual submissions, as well as joint submissions through their relevant networks and alliances. To find out more about actions and priorities for your region highlighted through this Parliamentary Inquiry, please follow the links below.
- Western Alliance for Greenhouse Action
- Northern Alliance for Greenhouse Action
- Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action
- South East Councils Climate Change Alliance
- Goulburn Broken Greenhouse Alliance
- Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance
- Wimmera Mallee Sustainability Alliance
- Gippsland Climate Change Network
Refuge
Refuge at Arts House is a series of compelling events where art meets emergency, preparing the community for climate crisis. Refuge drops us in the hot zone of different climate-related disasters.
Flood, heat, pandemic and displacement: this five-year project offers us new ways to rally as a community and prepare for climatic events. Refuge proposes new ways to embed equity, access, dignity and hope in our response to catastrophe through a creative approach. In 2016 and 2017 North Melbourne Town Hall was transformed into a relief centre for 24 hours for a flood event and heatwave event respectively. In 2018, Refuge examined a pandemic event and what happens when the risk of contagion means you would never bring people together.
Mackie Rd Sustainability Hub
The Sustainability Hub is a councillor driven initiative to help provide the community with demonstrations and information on how they can be more sustainable in their own home. The Sustainability Hub will provide the opportunity to increase our capacity to provide ongoing education to encourage our community to take on a safe and sustainable lifestyle, and to consider renewable energy and develop strategies to adapt to changing climates. Demonstrations on site include energy efficient features, solar panels and batteries, Gardens for Wildlife gardening and water efficiency activities with supporting interpretive signage and fact sheets. There will also be information sessions offered including energy reduction, sustainable gardening, compost and vegetable garden workshops. These actions will create positive environmental change in Monash and assist us with meeting community and Council expectations. The Monash Sustainability Hub is located at the Wellington Reserve Community Centre in Mackie Road, Mulgrave and developed in partnership with the Mackie Road Neighbourhood House and its tenants.
Green shoots
Green shoots is our overarching community engagement program to deliver on our strategic commitments, increase awareness of biodiversity corridors and the value of trees. The idea behind Green Shoots is to grow new knowledge, people, plants, locations, connections and partnerships aimed at current and future generations and in keeping with Monash’s garden city aspirations. Green Shoots connects all generations and cultural and social groups in Monash to our local natural environment, encouraging residents to take a positive, collective responsibility towards stewardship of these important spaces. The Green Shoots program has been gaining traction in the community and is working towards bringing Council’s Green City reputation to life through increased community engagement in biodiversity improvement and awareness programs. Examples include the instalment of two new bush kinder spaces in two sporting reserves, and an expanded Gardens for Wildlife program to include volunteer garden mentors to support residents to create their own indigenous gardens.
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How are councils addressing climate change from a resource,
management and legislative perspective?
What can I do?
Residents can find out further information about how their governments are preparing for climate change and increasing resilience at state government, agency and local government level. Former Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said resilience to him is “a real opportunity to change the way we see communities participate in emergency management, and particularly what individual communities can do to improve their resilience.” Local communities can further support government by increasing their resilience through community strengthening initiatives and by becoming prepared.
If you would like to contact your Council about their specific climate change adaptation approach, please find the relevant contact information on this page.
How are councils responding?
Councils have included climate change in their Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans, and are beginning to review their emergency management strategies and processes to consider future climate change projections. Councils have started to form strong partnerships in the areas of resilience and emergency management and have also been preparing climate adaptation strategies to build internal staff capacity to respond.
City of Melbourne - The Inner Melbourne Climate Adaptation Network
The Inner Melbourne Climate Adaptation Network has helped bring together a range of government, business and community stakeholders who play vital roles in addressing climate change risks in Melbourne. The network ensures sharing of knowledge and better coordination across neighbouring councils, large landholders and service providers.
Maribyrnong City Council
Many councils such as Maribyrnong City Council, have taken climate change considerations into account, such as heatwave and storm event implications for planning, preparedness, response and recovery activities when reviewing and updating council policies such as the the Municipal Emergency Management Plan (including Flood Plan, Fire Plan, Relief and Recovery Plan) and the Community Emergency Risk Assessment process. This includes internal communications and notifications to 'at risk' groups and the readiness of community facilities to respond.
Wyndham City’s Climate Change Adaption Strategy
Wyndham City Council is one of many councils in our region to prepare an adaptation strategy to guide the city’s response to climate change impacts across its service delivery and operations.