Delegates at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in Canberra last week have called for a national approach to development risks in coastal areas.

They passed a resolution from the City of Port Phillip in Victoria calling for a national approach to climate risk assessments for each coastal region in the country defined by river catchment.

Port Phillip also proposed the creation of a national resource detailing likely infrastructure solutions to help coastal regions adapt to climate change and a national program to finance and implement such solutions.

The Clarence Valley Council in NSW called for the Council of Australian Governments to urgently develop a policy that clearly defines who will take legal, spatial planning and cost responsibility for the impacts of climate change in coastal regions.