Heatwaves kill more Australians than fire, flood and storms, and have significant impacts on our infrastructure, economy, environments and social wellbeing. Climate change and urban heat drive chronic heat impacts such as increased cost-of-living and reduced quality-of-life.

These issues are particularly pronounced in Western Sydney due to our local geography, community demographics and the region’s rapid urbanisation.

WSROC councils and communities are already experiencing major heat impacts and have identified heat as a regional priority. For 10 years, WSROC has advocated for better recognition of heat in legislation and policy including:

Addressing urban heat in the planning system

Despite its known impacts, heat is not formally recognised in the NSW planning system. WSROC has led advocacy efforts to ensure state planning policies seek to minimise the build-up of urban heat islands. Addressing urban heat is particularly important in the Western Sydney region where development is rapid and heat impacts are already significant.

Delay in addressing this issue will not only miss opportunities for widescale heat resilient design, but lock-in significant future costs for government, industry and communities, including increased energy use (leading to pressures to the energy grid), costs to the health system, as well as costly future retrofits.  WSROC councils’ proposed changes to NSW Planning system include (in order of priority):

1. Include urban heat controls in the Sustainable Buildings SEPP.
2. Prepare formal urban heat guidance.
3. Ensure urban heat considerations are secured in a Ministerial Direction.
4. Work with the Australian and NSW Governments to ensure that NatHERS and BASIX use future climate files.
5. Initiate amendments to integrate urban heat clauses into key SEPPs including:

• Precincts SEPPs
• Exempt and Complying and Development SEPP
• Standard Instrument LEP
• Apartment Design Guide (under the Housing SEPP)

Heat safe housing

The thermal performance of housing is currently addressed in the National Construction Code’s NatHERs and NSW BASIX. However, these assessments use energy efficiency as a proxy for thermal comfort. This focus on energy efficiency means that homes are only tested with the air-conditioning running. This is problematic as many households cannot afford to run air-conditioning, and even where they can, events like heatwaves and summer storms may mean energy supply is disrupted when it is most needed. Further, NatHERs and BASIX use outdated climate files and assumptions which prevent homes from being designed to perform in future climates.

Improved emergency arrangements for heatwave

Emergency arrangements for heatwave are far less mature than for fire, storm or flood. WSROC has been advocating to ensure that arrangements for heatwave include a focus on prevention and preparedness, as well as safety needs and support for those most at risk.

Recognition of heatwave as a natural disaster

Heatwave is not recognized as an eligible disaster under the National Disaster Funding Arrangements. While Sydney has not yet experienced a heatwave disaster, as seen in other parts of the world (including widespread outages, infrastructure breakdown and mass casualties) it is important that policy and funding mechanisms are in place to ensure timely response in the event of a heatwave disaster.

Further information

● Federal Election Issues Brief (2025)

● Report: Greater Sydney Heat Smart City Plan (2024)

● Brief: Heat and the Planning System: A case for change in NSW (2024)

● Submission: NSW Inquiry into the Planning System and the Impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Communities (2023)

● NSW Election Issues Brief (2023)

● Report: Future Proofing Residential Development in Western Sydney (2022).

● Report: Heat Smart Resilience Framework (2021

● Submission: Consultation on a National Urban Policy for Australia (2024)