Congratulations to the Snowy Valleys Council for hosting the Climate Change Forum in Batlow this morning.

Key themes that emerged across the forum included:

• The need for council to develop a climate change risk assessment, which would be incorporate into planning, specifically focusing on health action plans for heat emergencies in particular

• The threats and changes that face agriculture - especially temperate fruits

• The importance of the proper management of ground cover

• The increased risk of fire as a danger to the Softwoods industry

• The significant resources available through the NSW Government AdaptNSW website.

I would like to share a big thank you to the presenters and panelists including Professor Peter Waterman, Professor Max Finlayson, Mel Hillery from OEH, Bindi Vanzella, Dr Geoff Pritchard, Michael Gooden (RLLS), Peter Crowe (Softwoods Working Group), Matt Christensen (SVC), Kevin Dodds and Steve Thomson.