Season change, climate change and government change - 5 April 2023

Published on 06 April 2023

As we welcome the change of season into Autumn, the evenings get shorter and there’s a new crispness in the air. The weather remains warm, there’s been some spectacular downpours, the grass is still growing like anything, and I’ve been thinking about climate change.

We are all affected by the impacts of climate change, particularly in coastal communities – from rising sea levels to warming ocean temperatures, acidification of our oceans and extreme weather events – and it’s natural to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge before us. The threat of despair, and even depression, looms large.

In fact, the challenges are so great, that we cannot afford to succumb to negative emotions. Really, the only way to face these issues is to find hope in the face of adversity and look for opportunities to thrive in a changing climate.

While climate change is a global issue, it is very much felt here in our own LGA, on a local level. Local government – your council – is therefore at the frontline of adaptation.

That is why I am heartened by the Australian Coastal Councils Association's (ACCA) unwavering optimism and dedication to the preservation of our coastal environments.

Myself (as a former board member) and Councillor Renkema-Lang (as a current board member) attended last week’s National Forum on Coastal Hazards, where a wide spread of Australia’s coastal local government bodies were represented. The three-day forum was held at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle, and we attended alongside academics, council planning staff and industry representatives.

One of the biggest challenges facing us is, how can we ensure there’s a consistent national approach and one that ensures smaller coastal councils like ours are properly equipped to respond.

We’re pleased that the Federal Government responded to the ACCA’s call for the establishment of a Disaster Ready fund with $200m invested initially, which is a good start. But with nearly 36,000km of coastline and 231 local government areas to cover, we desperately need the states and territories to contribute as well.

The forum heard about programs to protect, adapt and rehabilitate coastlines, including sand re-nourishment and the construction of artificial reefs for nature-based coastal resilience.

Delegates also had the opportunity to see first-hand projects being undertaken in Western Australia to protect and repair beaches and coastline.

We are advocating for a national commitment to finding innovative solutions encompassing broad adaptation responses to climate change and increased risk of inundation and erosion in the coastal zone.

I left the conference feeling confident that we, as a nation, can find ways to overcome, mitigate and even solve some of the challenges we face on our coastline.

I’m pleased to see our Council is moving forward with Stage 3 of our Coastal Management Plan, which we’ll be asking for your views on soon.

I returned to Kiama to find confirmation that Gareth Ward has been re-elected as our State representative to the NSW Parliament. Congratulations Gareth, and to all that ran such a close race.

Kiama Council looks forward to continuing our productive working relationship with our local and Illawarra-district members of Parliament, and to engaging with the new Labor Government in Macquarie Street. As I have outlined above, there is certainly plenty of work to do!