28th of November 2024, 9:54am
Parliament of Victoria | Legislative Council
Motion 773 DAVID ETTERSHANK — To move —
That this House notes that —
- the Bureau of Meteorology predicts that the summer of 2024 will be the hottest summer on record;
- due to the effects of climate change, heatwaves in Victoria are becoming more frequent, longer in duration and of greater intensity;
- the western suburbs of Melbourne are drier and hotter by an average of five, and up to 13 degrees, compared to the rest of Melbourne;
- urban development and the rapid increase in large-scale infrastructure projects have resulted in more heat-absorbing hard surfaces and reduced tree canopy, exacerbating the ‘urban heat island’ effect in the western suburbs;
- hospital admissions during heatwaves are significantly higher for communities who live in disadvantaged areas, which includes many areas in the west, with people from low socio-economic backgrounds, seniors, and those with cardiovascular diseases particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat;
- residents of the western suburbs deserve the sort of access to green spaces and thermal retreats that other parts of Melbourne take for granted;
and calls on the Government to invest in local council re-greening and heat mitigation initiatives to combat the dangerous ‘urban heat island’ effects in the western suburbs.
[Notice given on 28 November 2024 — Listed for 1 day].
