Right now, the Victorian government is inviting you to make a submission to their Inquiry into Climate Resilience.
This parliamentary inquiry will shape how Victoria responds to increasingly extreme storms, floods, heatwaves and fires. And by making a submission you can make sure they have real people’s stories front of mind, that they know this is an urgent priority, and that their response is fair and led by the community.
The Inquiry is accepting video, audio and written submissions, but we are encouraging video submissions so the Inquiry hears lots of short personal stories from people across Victoria.
Submission are due by Friday June 28.
Scroll down to see our submission tips, instructions for how and where to upload your submission, and two examples of video submissions.
The consequences of the climate crisis are being felt in so many ways, and your story doesn’t have to be a dramatic one about fires or flooding. For example, what do you have to do on high fire danger days? How do heatwaves affect you? Are your local emergency services properly resourced?
You could also talk about someone in your family, or the risks faced by your broader community, or what you are most worried about given the increasing risks and what you have seen happen in other communities.
The most important thing is to make your submission personal and specific to you and your local region. Also make sure you include key details like your name, location and the solutions you want to see implemented by the Victorian government.
1. Introduce yourself: I am [name] and I live in [location]
2. Share why you think the Inquiry is important
3. What are your personal experiences of and/or concerns about climate impacts?
4. In your community, who is at risk and needs to be considered in climate adaptation plans?
5. What does your community need to be prepared? Share some local resilience and adaptation needs or initiatives
6. What are your 1 or 2 clear requests for the Victorian Government to do?
In addition to anything specific to your community, we’re also asking that you call for;
• A permanent Victorian Climate Change Adaptation Fund to support community-led efforts to adapt and prepare for extreme weather.
• Emergency response and climate resilience planning that is led by communities most affected and most at risk.
For more information about different types of climate impacts and what to cover in your submission, check out this awesome guide from our mates at Friends of the Earth’s Act on Climate collective.
For written submissions: Simply head to the Victorian parliament website and use their online form >> https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/climateresilience
For video and audio submissions: You will need to use our online form here and upload your file using the link provided. We will then forward it on to the inquiry on your behalf. Unfortunately it is necessary to use our form because the government website is not able to accept video or audio files.
Upload a video or audio submission here
This is the first time the Victorian Government has accepted video and audio submissions for an inquiry, so here are two examples of video submissions to help you get started. There is no ‘right’ way to make a submission, these are just to help get you started.