How to make a great submission to the Climate Resilience Inquiry

The Victorian Greens have successfully secured an Inquiry into Climate Resilience - and now we need your help.

This inquiry is an important opportunity for you to tell the government how climate change is impacting you.

Your voice is powerful. If you are concerned about climate impacts, have experienced climate disasters, or have ideas on what is needed for a safer future, please put in a submission.

What will the inquiry do?

This inquiry will be led by the Victorian Parliament’s Environment and Planning Committee, so will focus mainly on Victoria’s ‘built environment and infrastructure’ - things like new and existing buildings, insurance, the planning system, housing, transport, local government, energy grids, green spaces and waterways, and more. You can read the full terms of reference here.

The inquiry is accepting public submissions until 28 June 2024, followed by hearings.

How can I help?

Right now, Victorian Labor is making the climate crisis worse by supporting new coal and gas. But stories from community members like you can help bring home the reality: climate change is already happening, and already harming our community. We need urgent action.

Making a submission to the inquiry is a powerful way for you to tell the Victorian Labor Government they need to act to protect our community against the impacts of climate change.

The idea of making a submission may sound daunting, but it’s a simple process. You can submit in text, audio or video format, on behalf of an organisation, or as an individual.

What should I say in my submission?

Your submission doesn’t need to be long or detailed. Just think about your own personal experience, and what you and your community members care about.

Do you struggle through heatwaves in a poorly insulated rental house? Is your favourite beach being washed away by rising seas? Do you risk heatstroke every time you have to wait at a bus stop with no shelter? Have you been affected by climate-fuelled disasters like bushfires or floods? The government should know about it.

You might consider questions like:

What particular risks are facing the place where you live, or the people you know? How do these risks look different for different people in the community?
How can we improve our built environment and infrastructure to be more resilient to climate impacts? What barriers are currently stopping us from doing this?
What do you need your government to do to mitigate climate risk, and to manage disasters when they happen?

For more ideas to get the creative juices flowing, check out Friends of the Earth’s fantastic submission guide here.

How do I submit?

You can make your submission here. You can type directly into the submission form, and/or upload up to 3 attachments (images, documents, audio or video files).
The submission form will also ask you to:

Fill in your personal details
Rate environmental themes from 1-10 in order of their importance to you, and add any that you think are missing
Tick the box(es) that best describe your interest in the inquiry (student, concerned citizen, academic, etc)
Indicate whether you are interested in appearing before the committee hearings to talk about your submission (Note: this is absolutely not required, but if you can do it, it’s really important! Send us an email on office@ellensandell.com and we’ll help you get ready.)

MAKE A SUBMISSION TO THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE INQUIRY HERE

Need more info or support? Friends of the Earth of an excellent guide on how to make a submission here. Or send an email to office@ellensandell.com and we'll be able to help you out.