On 9 May 2017, the Senate referred the following matters to the Environment and Communications References Committee for inquiry and report by 23 November 2017:

The current and future impacts of climate change on housing, buildings and infrastructure, accounting for the full range of projected climate scenarios, having regard to matters, including:

1. recent and projected changes in sea level rises, and storm surge intensity;
2. recent and projected changes in temperature and precipitation;
3. recent and projected changes in extreme weather, including heatwaves, bushfires, floods, and cyclones;
4. recent and projected changes in natural coastal defence systems including coral reefs, kelp and mangrove forests;
5. the impact of these changes on the vulnerability of infrastructure in coastal areas;
6. the impact of these changes on water supply and sewage treatment systems;
7. the impact of these changes on transportation, including railways, roads and airports;
8. the impact of these changes on energy infrastructure, including generators and transmission and distribution lines;
9. the impact of these changes on health, education and social services infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and aged care;
10. the impact of these changes on private and public housing;
11. the impact of these changes on public recreation and tourism facilities;
12. the impact on financing and insurance arrangements for housing, buildings and infrastructure;
13. the adequacy of current state and Commonwealth policies to assess, plan and implement adaptation plans and improved resilience of infrastructure; and
14. any other related matters.

The closing date for submissions is 16 August 2017.