Building climate resilience

5.1

Build community resilience by raising awareness of flood risks and implementing a statewide system for flood warnings and alerts

Complete

DPFEM (SES)

Building on this action, in 2019-20, SES commenced delivery of the Community Flood Planning Pilot Project. The project is scheduled for completion by October 2020. The project will provide people living and working in Railton, St Marys, and Huonville with locally specific information to assist them make informed plans about what they will do before, during and after a flood event.

SES is participating in the development of the National Warnings Framework to inform the development of a statewide flood warnings and alerts system.

Complete

5.2

Develop online resources to help communities understand their exposure to natural hazards

Complete

DPAC (OSEM)

RiskReady went live on the TasALERT website in mid-December 2019.

RiskReady was developed to provide an easy-to-use online portal that delivers property-based natural hazard information to the community in an accessible, relevant and understandable format. By providing this information, property owners can be empowered to adapt and respond to the presence and risks of natural hazards on their land.

These spatial layers are currently available on RiskReady (more hazards will be added over time):

* Landslide;

* Coastal Inundation;

* Coastal Erosion;

* Bushfire Prone Area; and

* Bushfire Impact Area.

This data is available for all local government areas in Tasmania apart from Bushfire Prone Area. This is because it is a statutory overlay produced by Tasmania Fire Service in collaboration with local government. Currently 8 local government areas have these overlays in-place. These are Hobart, Launceston, Clarence, Kingborough, Northern Midlands, George Town, Burnie and Latrobe.

Complete

5.3

Work with local government and regional bodies to embed climate change adaptation into strategic and financial decision making

Ongoing

DPAC (TCCO)

TCCO continues to support Tasmanian councils to understand and manage climate-related risks likely to affect their operations and service delivery. Following a 2018 analysis of Tasmanian local government’s climate change governance, 17 of Tasmania’s 29 councils participated in the Climate Resilient Councils project. Each council received a detailed project report that assessed how climate change is considered by their council, and suggested opportunities for further consideration of climate-related risk in council decision making.

Ongoing

5.4

Understand and manage the impacts of coastal hazards to existing settlements by identifying risks and developing management options

Ongoing

DPAC (TCCO, OSEM)

DoJ

TCCO supports Tasmania’s coastal managers to help them identify and manage coastal hazards to existing settlements and values. Four information gathering workshops with coastal managers and relevant staff from State and local governments and government business enterprises were held across the State in late 2018.

The findings from the workshops will inform the development of the Tasmanian Government’s ongoing approach to managing coastal hazards for existing settlements and values.

Ongoing

5.5

Examine the impacts of climate change on bushfire risks in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area

Complete

DPAC (TCCO)

DPIPWE

DPFEM

Completed in 2017-18.

The Tasmanian Government’s response to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project was publicly released in December 2017.

To support the implementation of the report recommendations, the Tasmanian Government allocated additional funding of $4 million over four years in the 2017-18 Budget for bushfire management in the TWWHA.

This funding is supporting the implementation of a number of the Research Project’s recommendations. This includes improving bushfire management planning, bushfire risk assessment and modelling, bushfire recovery, developing a model of fire cover, and undertaking planned burning in the TWWHA.

Complete

5.6

Work with Tasmanian Government agencies to embed climate change consideration in strategic planning, purchasing and decision making

Ongoing

DPAC (TCCO)

Treasury

The Tasmanian Government has substantial information on climate-related risks for Tasmania. A key example is the climate projections developed through the Climate Futures for Tasmania project.

TCCO will lead a 2020 review of the Climate Change (State Action) Act 2008, which will include consideration of climate-related financial and liability risks to government.

Ongoing

5.7

Mitigate risks from bushfire by delivering a targeted program of burns to reduce fuel in areas that pose the greatest risk to the Tasmanian community

Ongoing

DPIPWE

The Parks and Wildlife Service (DPIPWE) has completed 44 planned burns in 2019-20 covering 22,184 hectares. The burns have been targeted to reduce the risk of bushfires impacting on communities, as part of the Statewide Fuel Reduction Program, and also treat broad areas of vegetation in and around the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area to protect natural and cultural values.

Ongoing