When it comes to the impacts of climate change, we see our community as Australia’s metaphorical canary in the coalmine. Our community is experiencing the early impacts of a climate change and serves as an early indicator of what other communities are likely to experience in the future.  

In this blog we call on our Yarra Ranges councilor candidates to consider the concerns of our community on key issues exacerbated by climate change.

The housing situation in the Yarra Ranges, particularly in the Dandenong Ranges, has become increasingly dire, exacerbated by a confluence of factors including rising homeownership rates, a booming short-term rental market, climate-related disasters, and family separations following the COVID-19 pandemic.

MotHs will continue advocating for solutions that keep families close, strengthen community ties, and ensure that the Yarra Ranges remains not just a tourist destination, but a home for its long-term residents.

MotHs has applied for grant funding through the Xero Beautiful Business Fund to help develop programs and awareness in our community to stop family violence from being the shameful crisis it is. Even if we are not successful with this grant round, we hope that this video will spark conversations and opportunities. To our wonderful network of friends, researchers, and orgnanisations, please hear our call to action and join us in making a difference in our community.

Every year, Mums of the Hills, Inc (MotHs) conducts a survey to ensure we are advocating on the issues that matter most to our community and to deepen our understanding of the people we support.

These insights have highlighted the need for ongoing targeted support and resources to address these pressing community issues.

Three years ago, the dual challenges of COVID-19 lockdowns and impending storms created an objective conflict with opposing threats and guidelines creating uncertainty as to the best course of action. Today MotHs again observes the effects of conflicting emergency warnings on residents, hampering their ability to make prudent, well-informed decisions.

While storms, flash flooding, and bushfires have long been familiar to the hills, their intensity and frequency are on the rise. Our families now face heightened vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, evident in events like the devastating 2021 storms that led to a monumental loss of trees (approximately 25,000). This loss may have contributed to the increased number and severity of landslides on our roads this week, as the weakened soil, no longer supported by tree roots, inevitably succumbed to the immense volume of rainwater that fell on Sunday and Monday.