Background to the project
The Liveable & Just Toolkit is the culmination of a project to explore how local governments across Victoria are responding to the social and equity impacts of climate change.
In June 2009 the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) and
Melbourne University’s McCaughey Centre travelled across the state to hear directly from local governments about issues of priority, success stories, challenges, and lessons learned in addressing the social and equity impacts of climate change. Workshops covered crucial issues such as heatwaves and bushfires, rising costs of water, energy and transport, physical and mental health, and the heightened vulnerability of groups such as the mentally ill, homeless, aged, and infants.
What does the toolkit offer?
In response to workshop outcomes and recommendations, the Liveable & Just Toolkit provides a practical framework to help integrate responses to the social and equity impacts of climate change across council activities. It also presents ideas and suggestions for local government to respond to climate change in ways that simultaneously promote social justice.
Regional Workshops: May-June 2011
The VLGA delivered a series of workshops in regional Victoria in May and June, sponsored by mecu Ltd and hosted by local governments and regional cities. The workshops enabled participants to use the toolkit to build on existing organisational and community strengths in addressing a range of climate-related social and equity impacts.
Download toolkit here
Who is the toolkit for?
The toolkit is designed for use by those in roles of varying seniority within the local government sphere and across a range of council activities including sustainability, health and wellbeing, economic and community development, and planning. The toolkit will also be highly relevant to community organisations working alongside or in direct partnership with local governments.
The Liveable & Just project took earnest note of the diversity of issues facing the 79 local government areas across Victoria. The toolkit is therefore relevant to communities facing different sets of issues, and contains information for local governments at different stages of response to the social and equity impacts of climate change.
How to get the most out of the toolkit
The toolkit is organised so that users can ‘pick and choose’ from the information and practical ideas of greatest relevance to their communities. Links to further resources are provided throughout the toolkit so that more information can be located with ease.
Project Partners
Liveable & Just is a joint project of the Victorian Local Governance Association, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The project was funded by the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Fund under the Victorian Local Sustainability Accord.
The toolkit was prepared by project consultants at the
McCaughey Centre: VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing,
Melbourne School of Population Health, University of Melbourne.