Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you to Senator Crossin for the question. It is a very good question because, of course, this nation has an expansive coastline that faces very severe risks from climate change. Over the weekend, on Saturday, I released a new report mapping the impacts of climate change on Australia’s coastal communities. The report, Climate change risks to Australia’s coast, is the first continental scale mapping of residential buildings at risk from climate change. It paints a picture of the widespread impacts of climate change on Australia’s coastlines and the risks posed to buildings located in the coastal zone. It details the risk to coastal infrastructure, services and industry in Australia as a result of climate change. It demonstrates that many coastal communities are vulnerable to impacts such as sea inundation and erosion. Between 157,000 and 247,600 existing residential buildings will be at risk from sea inundation by 2100 under a sea level rise scenario of 1.1 metres. The value of residential buildings in the Northern Territory which was identified, was between $23½ million and $57.7 million.