Climate change modelling indicates that as Victoria becomes drier and warmer, weather-related hazards are likely to occur more often and potentially be more severe.

Examples of such hazards include heatwaves, severe winds, storms, maximum temperature thresholds and concurrent and/or compounding events.

Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2017 sets a target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and provides a clear signal to all sectors of the Victorian economy regarding the need for significant and sustained action to reduce emissions.

All links in the table below will open in a new window.
Publish year Assurance activity Summary Organisation
2021 Preparing for the era of disasters (External link) An Era of Disasters will increasingly stretch emergency services, diminish community resilience and escalate economic costs and losses of life and have profound implications for food security in our immediate region, with cascading impacts that will undermine Australia’s national security. This report recommends the Australian government and the state and local governments need to begin preparing now for the unprecedented scale of these emerging challenges. Australian Strategic Policy Institute
2021 Inquiry into ecosystem decline in Victoria (External link) This report covers a very broad range of issues facing the serious decline of Victoria’s ecosystems including population growth and spread, and climate change. The report makes 74 recommendations to address the range of problems associated with Victoria’s declining ecosystem including Traditional Owner land and fire management practices, and flora and fauna recovery after major bushfires. Parliament of Victoria
2021 Victoria’s water in a changing climate (External link) A report that allows for a better understanding of how Victoria’s climate and hydrology are changing through a mix of historic observations and future projections, and, most importantly, how this will impact the state’s water resources in the short and long term. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
2022 Inquiry into renewable energy in Victoria (External link) An inquiry into the Victorian Government’s emission reduction and renewable energy targets, the Committee made 24 findings and 32
recommendations. The committee reported on governance and policy structures, and also found that the developing renewable energy sector creates a good source of employment and that there will be significant economic benefits in transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Parliament of Victoria
2022 Annual report on drinking water quality in Victoria 2020-21 (External link) A summary of Victoria's drinking water quality performance, including vulnerabilities, lessons/mitigation, and addressing future risk, the report recognises the ongoing efforts made by water agencies in delivering high-quality drinking water to Victorians and the department’s regulatory role in achieving this outcome, along with protecting public health. Department of Health
2022 Inquiry into environmental infrastructure for growing populations (External link) A report into the current and future arrangements to secure environmental infrastructure - particularly parks and open space - for a growing population in Melbourne and across regional centres, its recommendations include addressing particular environmental infrastructure challenges such as climate change, bushfires and natural disasters. Parliament of Victoria
2022 Australia State of the Environment 2021 (External link) An assessment of the changing condition of our natural environment across 12 themes: air quality, Antarctica, biodiversity, climate, coasts, extreme events, heritage, Indigenous, inland water, land, marine and urban. A committee of independent scientists and environmental experts authored the thematic chapters and contributed to the Overview report and were supported an Australian Government taskforce. Independent
2022 The Cost of Extreme Weather 2022 (External link) A research report that estimates direct costs from extreme weather events are to grow by 5.13 per cent each year and reach $35.24 billion by 2050, directly costing Australian households an average of $2,509.16 every year. The report concludes that if we are to mitigate the rising costs of extreme weather, the federal government should focus more on resilience and future-proofing Independent
2022 The great deluge: Australia's new era of unnatural disasters (External link) A report that examines the record-breaking rainfall and floods seen in large parts of Eastern Australia in 2022 and how these climate-fuelled extreme weather events can overwhelm emergency services and devastate communities. It calls for all levels of government to speed up their emission reductions and disaster preparation efforts. Independent
2022 Government climate action: leading policies and programs in Australia (External link) An analysis of targets, policies and programs announced by Australian, State and Territory governments, with a focus on policies introduced since the 2021 report on state and territory climate action. Independent