Strategic alignment – Climate Wise Hornsby Plan 2021, Sustainable Hornsby 2040 Strategy 2021, Bushfire Management Strategy 2020 and Healthy Ageing Hornsby Strategy 2022 -2026

Community Resilience Program – climate change adaptation and mitigation

With a changing climate, the Hornsby Shire local government area is expected to experience more frequent and intense storm events, floods, fire weather and natural disasters.

Additional funding from an SRV will allow for the development of a community resilience program to focus on emission reduction, and preparedness and resilience to natural disasters. A resilient and informed community can reduce risk to life and property, and make future disasters (as best as is possible) less challenging and expensive to prepare for, respond to and recover from. The program will involve community engagement and public education on disaster risk and preparations and emissions reduction.

Bushfire risk mitigation

Bushfire is both an inevitable and essential part of our bushland shire. Many of our residents live with the direct risk of bushfire with 34% (19,804) of properties identified as being within bushfire prone land. In response, Council collaborates with many agencies to mitigate the bushfire risk in Hornsby Shire.

Further, Council has responsibility (refer to section 63, Rural Fires Act 1997) to take practicable steps to prevent the occurrence of bushfires on, and to minimise the danger of the spread of bushfires from, the 15,000 hectares of natural areas that it manages. Noting this responsibility and risk to residents, Council undertakes a range of operational bushfire management programs and activities designed to mitigate bushfire risk to adjacent properties and the community.

Additional funding from an SRV will allow:

• Bushfire mitigation activities such as managing hazard complaint response, burn preparation, fire permits
• Bushfire education
• Fire trail access and maintenance
• Asset Protection Zone funding to allow an additional 55 sites to be established during the next 5 years.

Community Development Programs (e.g. social isolation – Hello Hornsby)

The impact of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of the community has been significant. Social isolation and loneliness can be harmful to both mental and physical health. They are considered significant health and wellbeing issues in Australia because of the impact they have on peoples’ lives.

To address social isolation Council is looking to create a range of events and activities as a way of providing inclusive and accessible opportunities to all parts of our community (like the current grant-funded Hello Hornsby program). Whilst seemingly fun and simple, these sorts of opportunities would encourage greater connection within our community and an overall sense of inclusion and belonging.