This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Climate, energy & environment
A suitably qualified Commonwealth department, agency or authorityThe Commonwealth body appointed to assess risks, monitor plans and advise the minister. would oversee the framework.
Zali Steggall (Independent), who introduced the bill, said Australia needed to replace a piecemeal response to disasters with long-term, public planning. She said disasters were costing Australia $38 billion a year, with that figure expected to double by 2060, while household costs from extreme weather were projected to rise from about $888 a year to $2,500 by 2050. She also said each $1 invested in resilienceThe ability to withstand and recover from climate impacts. could save up to $11 in recovery costs, while only 13 per cent of the disaster budget was being spent on resilienceThe ability to withstand and recover from climate impacts. and adaptation.
Australia already had government work under way on adaptation, including engagement on a National Adaptation PlanThe government's plan for managing identified risks, including an explanation of how its proposed work will be funded., but climate impacts were becoming more visible: in 2025, Cyclone Alfred, severe drought, damaging floods, ocean heatwaves and deadly algal blooms were cited alongside wider risks to communities and the economy. Against that backdrop, independent MP Zali Steggall introduced a bill to replace a piecemeal, reactive approach with regular national risk assessments and long-term adaptation planning, but the bill was later removed from the Notice Paper.
The evidence pack does not contain criticism of the bill from an opposing speaker. The included speeches support it: Zali Steggall urged MPs to debate and pass it, while Sophie Scamps (Independent) called its risk assessments, adaptation planning and progress tracking basic, commonsense steps.
Zali Steggall MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from some crossbench members.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
211 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
A suitably qualified Commonwealth department, agency or authorityThe Commonwealth body appointed to assess risks, monitor plans and advise the minister. would oversee the framework. It would assess climate risks, coordinate adaptation work, advise the minister and help design or manage funding programs that prepare homes, businesses and communities for climate impacts.
Decisions made under the framework would have to consider whether action is effective, efficient and fair. Decision-makers would also have to use the best available evidence, act cautiously where serious harm is possible, coordinate their work, protect public finances and support cooperation within Australia and internationally.
The authorityThe Commonwealth body appointed to assess risks, monitor plans and advise the minister. would have to complete the first national climate risk assessment by 31 December 2025 and another at least every five years. It would examine risks to the economy, workers, health, housing, infrastructure, agriculture, nature, culture and society under several possible global emissions paths.
Each risk assessment would identify Australia's most significant threats, who could face or bear their costs, and whether insurance is available and affordable. The assessment and its supporting evidence would be published online, after personal information is removed where privacy laws require it.
Within one year after an assessment is published, the climate change minister would have to make or update a national adaptation planThe government's plan for managing identified risks, including an explanation of how its proposed work will be funded.. The plan would set objectives, policies, deadlines, ways to measure progress and how the proposed work would be funded. For the first plan, if the minister did not follow the authorityThe Commonwealth body appointed to assess risks, monitor plans and advise the minister.'s advice, the accompanying explanation would have to give reasons.
The minister would have to give each national adaptation planThe government's plan for managing identified risks, including an explanation of how its proposed work will be funded. to the authorityThe Commonwealth body appointed to assess risks, monitor plans and advise the minister., which would publish it online as soon as practicable. The minister would also have to take all reasonable steps to keep a plan in force and achieve its objectives.
The authorityThe Commonwealth body appointed to assess risks, monitor plans and advise the minister. would report every year on whether the adaptation plan was being put into practice and working. The minister would have three months to prepare a response and would have to table it in each house of Parliament within 15 sitting days after receiving the progress report.
Each federal budget would have to estimate climate-related spending and its return over the budget year and following three financial years. It would also estimate the cost of climate change to the Australian economy through to 2050.
Climate-related advice, reports and assessments from the Office of National Intelligence would have to be released publicly as soon as practicable, including material prepared before the law began. Personal information could first be removed where privacy laws require it.
New federal bills and certain government-made rules would need a statement assessing whether they consider climate change and fit with adaptation and resilienceThe ability to withstand and recover from climate impacts. measures. These statements would not bind courts, and failing to provide one would not invalidate the resulting law or rule.
14 Appointment of the Authority (1) The Minister must, by notifiable instrument, appoint a Commonwealth entity to be the Authority. (2) An entity must not be appointed under subsection (1) unless the Minister is satisfied that the entity has, or has access to, appropriate qualifications, knowledge, skills or experience, including the following: (a) understanding of climate change mitigation and adaptation; (b) expertise in climate science and climate risk scenario analysis for both physical and transition risks; (c) experience working in or with local and central government; (d) knowledgClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
9 Principle of effective, efficient, equitable and early action A decision, policy, program or process relating to performing functions or duties, or exercising powers, under this Act must have regard to the following principles: (a) effectiveness in adapting to climate change impacts; (b) efficiency in doing so consistently with Australia’s financial, economic, health, environmental, industry, community, human rights and foreign policy objectives; (c) equity in regard to Australia’s current and future households, business, workers, communities and rural and regional Australia, taking intoClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
16 Authority must complete assessment (1) The Authority must prepare and give to the Minister a national climate change risk assessment: (a) for the first assessment—no later than 31 December 2025; and (b) for later assessments—no later than 5 years after the day on which the Authority published the previous assessment under section 17. (2) A national climate change risk assessment must: (a) assess, along multiple global emissions pathway scenarios, the risks from the current and future effects of climate change to Australia’s: (i) economy; and (ii) workers; and (iii) society; and (ivClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
(b) identify the most significant risks to Australia, based on the nature of the risks, their severity, probability and cost; and (c) for any of those costs, identify which entities are to be impacted by and should bear responsibility for those costs; and (d) assess the availability and cost of insurance related to those risks and make appropriate recommendations; and (e) assess the need for coordinated responses to those risks in the next 5 year period. Note: For paragraph (c), the entities who are to accept responsibility for costs could include one of the levels of government, householdClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
19 Minister must determine national adaptation plan (1) If the Authority gives to the Minister a national climate change risk assessment, the Minister must, by legislative instrument, determine a national adaptation plan in response to that assessment no later than one year after the Authority publishes the assessment under section 17. (a) the Authority gives to the Minister a national climate change risk assessment; and (b) a national adaptation plan is already in force; the Minister must, by legislative instrument, amend the national adaptation plan, or determine a new national adaptatioClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
20 National adaptation plan to be made publicly available etc. (1) If the Minister makes a legislative instrument under section 19, the Minister must give a copy of the legislative instrument to the Authority as soon as practicable after the instrument is made. (2) As soon as practicable after the Authority receives a copy of a legislative instrument under subsection (1), the Authority must publish the instrument on the Authority’s website. 21 Implementing national adaptation plan The Minister must take all reasonable steps to ensure that Australia’s objectives set out in the current natioClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
22 Progress reports Progress reports (1) For each national adaptation plan, the Authority must provide the Minister with an annual progress report that evaluates the implementation of the adaptation plan and its effectiveness. (2) Each progress report must include: (a) an assessment of the progress made towards implementing the strategies, policies, and proposals included in the plan; and (b) an assessment of the degree to which the objectives of the plan have been achieved and how well the plan responds to the most significant risks posed by climate change; and (c) an identification ofClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
23 Costs of climate change to be included in budget economic and fiscal outlook report In addition to the matters set out in section 12 of the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998, that Act is taken to set out that the budget economic and fiscal outlook report for a budget year must also include a written estimate (worked out in accordance with rules made for the purposes of this section) of the following matters: (a) the net cost of expenditure on the impacts of climate change and adaptation and mitigation measures for the budget year and the following 3 financial years, including planning coClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
24 ONI reports, assessments and advice about climate change to be publicly released (1) This section applies if the Office of National Intelligence gives or prepares any advice, report or assessment under the Office of National Intelligence Act 2018 in relation to climate change, including: (a) the impacts of climate change; or (b) climate change risks; (c) climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. (2) Despite any other provision of that Act or any other law, a copy of the advice, report or assessment must be made publicly available as soon as practicable after it is given or preClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
25 Statements of consideration and compatibility in relation to legislation (1) A member of Parliament who proposes to introduce a Bill for an Act into a House of the Parliament must cause a statement of consideration and compatibility to be prepared in respect of that Bill. (2) A member of Parliament who introduces a Bill for an Act into a House of the Parliament, or another member acting on his or her behalf, must cause the statement of consideration and compatibility prepared under subsection (1) to be presented to the House. (3) A statement of compatibility must include an assessment ofClimate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) introduced text
Context
Australia already had government work under way on adaptation, including engagement on a National Adaptation PlanThe government's plan for managing identified risks, including an explanation of how its proposed work will be funded., but climate impacts were becoming more visible: in 2025, Cyclone Alfred, severe drought, damaging floods, ocean heatwaves and deadly algal blooms were cited alongside wider risks to communities and the economy. Against that backdrop, independent MP Zali Steggall introduced a bill to replace a piecemeal, reactive approach with regular national risk assessments and long-term adaptation planning, but the bill was later removed from the Notice Paper.
Government adaptation planning was already under way
Treasury's engagement summary recorded work on an Australian taxonomy and said the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water was developing a National Adaptation PlanThe government's plan for managing identified risks, including an explanation of how its proposed work will be funded. for release in 2024.
Treasury ↗Cyclone Alfred, drought, floods and reef damage expose mounting climate risks
A 25 August 2025 parliamentary speech cited Cyclone Alfred, South Australian drought, New South Wales floods, ocean heatwaves causing mass reef bleaching and deadly algal blooms as signs of worsening climate impacts.
Hansard ↗Zali Steggall MP introduces the adaptation bill
Zali Steggall MP formally presented the bill, which sought to establish recurring national climate risk assessments and adaptation plans.
Parliamentary timeline ↗The bill is removed from the Notice Paper
The parliamentary record states that the bill was removed from the Notice Paper under standing order 42, ending its recorded parliamentary consideration.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The evidence pack does not contain criticism of the bill from an opposing speaker. The included speeches support it: Zali Steggall urged MPs to debate and pass it, while Sophie Scamps (Independent) called its risk assessments, adaptation planning and progress tracking basic, commonsense steps.
Because the pack contains only speeches from two Independent supporters, it cannot establish whether other parties or MPs raised objections elsewhere.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Zali Steggall urges Parliament to pass the bill, arguing that independent climate risk assessments and a fully funded national adaptation planThe government's plan for managing identified risks, including an explanation of how its proposed work will be funded. are needed to protect communities and the economy from escalating climate impacts.
Read in Hansard ↗Scamps strongly supports the bill, arguing that its risk assessments, adaptation planning, progress tracking and climate scrutiny of new legislation are essential to embed resilienceThe ability to withstand and recover from climate impacts. across government decision-making.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
2 speakers · 2 support
“I urge the government and all the new MPs who have come into this place to urge for the debate and support this Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation) Bill 2025.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“Implementing the member for Warringah's framework would embed climate resilience into the DNA of our decision-making across all sectors and levels of government, and in the strongest terms possible I commend this bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42)
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
