Hazard resilience and climate change
Our communities are vulnerable to a number of natural hazards. A history of settlement on floodplains and cultural associations to areas close to the coast has exacerbated our vulnerability to the risk of climate change and existing natural hazards.
Inadequate identification and controls have resulted in a greater exposure to risk from the effects of natural hazards and climate change.
Existing infrastructure due to its location is at risk of hazard events, impacting on the health, safety and resilience of our communities.
Key issues are addressed by:
- New natural hazard provisions to control the development of land affected by hazards such as flooding.
- New provisions that promote the use of natural buffers and adaptive management to improve community resilience.
- National and regional direction places more emphasis on a precautionary approach when dealing with land affected by natural hazards.