Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131975
regionaldevelopment In coastal areas there are three options to manage the risks: • Defend by building sea walls (which is not so viable given the length of Australia's coastline). • Adapt by building structures that can withstand extreme weather events, with building codes dictating that houses are to be built, for example, higher from the ground in preparation for floods. • Retreat, which means stepping back from the coast in areas that are at high risk of floods, storms and rising sea levels. "We might need to look at relocating existing coastal developments over time, or not putting new developments on the coast in the future. Some flood-prone land shouldn't be built on," advises Professor Norman. "Climate change is real and it's happening. We need to be planning for it. The financial cost of not addressing it is becoming greater, and we'll be rebuilding communities and putting more people at risk – a scenario we don't want," she adds. Aside from housing, public infrastructure should also be considered in coastal disaster planning. "If you conserve the buildings but have a road system that is completely inundated and there is no access, you have a real problem," Professor Norman says. "There are a few airports around Australia that are potentially vulnerable too." According to Professor Norman, critical planning for coastal areas means ensuring there is a connection between the emergency management sector and local government. Regional Australia also needs access to the skills required to make decisions about risk management (rather than Canberra making the decisions), she says. Alan Stokes says there have been some attempts to deal with concerns about rising sea levels and climate change, but following a change of government from Labor to Liberal in Queensland and NSW, there has been a relaxing of coastal planning policies. "They have backed away from benchmark figures regarding sea level rise and are leaving it up to local councils to decide what risk it plays. It puts the councils in a dangerous position and potentially exposes them to legal risk if properties and residents [in their municipalities] are impacted in the future," he says. Like Professor Norman, Stokes is pushing for more of a coordinated forum for the three levels of government to act together in planning for and responding to these issues. 70 Fast Fact Labor's $37.4-billion National Broadband Network (NBN) is the most ambitious infrastructure project in Australia's history.