Heat resilience champions from across Greater Sydney gathered for the Heat Smart Sydney Forum on the 10^th of November; 12 months on from the launch of the Heat Smart City Plan.

The event was attended by 95 representatives from local, state and federal government, as well as industry and the community sectors – all of whom have been working towards delivery of the Heat Smart City Plan.

Critical updates were provided by Taskforce co-chairs Kerry Robinson OAM (Blacktown City Council), and Emma Whale (NSW Reconstruction Authority), as well as Taskforce Secretariat WSROC and Resilient Sydney. Other critical partners to report back to the group included:

• Ausgrid
• Australian Red Cross
• Green Building Council of Australia
• Net Zero Commission
• NSW Ambulance
• NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)
• NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
• NSW Premier’s Department
• Sweltering Cities

The forum also shone a spotlight on the issue of heat and homelessness. Jon Swain, Manager of Homelessness at the City of Sydney, shared insights gathered during his Churchill Scholarship to the United States and provided considerations for Sydney to address.

Over the past 12 months, the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce has managed to progress 30 of 40 City Plan recommendations. This is despite many recommendations not having dedicated funding or resourcing. Key outcomes since the Heat Smart City Plan’s launch include:

• Review of NSW Heatwave Emergency Subplan and appointment of NSW’s first combat agency for heatwave, NSW Ambulance.
• NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure released first formal guidance on urban cooling – Cooler Places Hub.
• NSW Premier’s Department has drafted a Cool Places Guidelines to inform local heatwave response.
• The Powerhouse Museum worked with Taskforce members to deliver the 50C Climate, Heat and Resilience Program across nine Western Sydney high schools.
• Sweltering Cities has commenced development of a Community Advisory Committee to inform heat resilience actions moving forward.
• NSW Health has built on its Beat the Heat resources including targeted campaigns and multi-lingual resources.
• Australian DCCEEW released its National Climate Risk Assessment and listed the Heat Smart City Plan as a key commitment under the National Adaptation Plan.
• Committee for Sydney released economic report Burning Money
• NSW Reconstruction Authority co-chairs the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce and is integrating heatwave into Disaster Adaptation Planning via dedicated risk assessments and other resources.

After celebrating progress, attendees got to work discussing how the Taskforce stakeholders could support one another to overcome barriers and deliver greater collective action in 2026 and beyond.