Department of Health

Municipal public health and wellbeing planning and climate change

Key messages

  • Councils are ideally placed to develop, lead and implement local policies to influence many determinants of health.
  • Climate change is a leading threat to public health and wellbeing.
  • Councils are required to ‘have regard to climate change’ when preparing municipal public health and wellbeing plans.
  • Guidance is available to support councils in addressing climate change and its impacts on health through their municipal public health and wellbeing plans.

Local government legislative obligations

Under the Climate Change Act 2017, councils are required to ‘have regard to climate change’ when preparing a municipal public health and wellbeing plan (MPHWP).

Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, councils are required to prepare a four-year municipal public health and wellbeing plan within 12 months after each general election of the council and are required to have regard to the state public health and wellbeing plan when preparing a MPHWP.

The Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2023-27 recognises that climate change is a leading threat to health and wellbeing and tackling climate change and its impact on health is included as 1 of 10 key focus areas in the plan.

Tackling climate change and its impacts on health through municipal public health and wellbeing planning

Guidance to support councils in addressing climate change and its impacts on health through their municipal public health and wellbeing plans.

Reviewed 07 November 2024

Health.vic

In this topic

Contact details

Climate and Health Team, Community and Public Health Division

50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone 1300 761 874
Climate.PublicHealth@health.vic.gov.au
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