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.

On 17 October 2017 the Senate granted an extension of time to report until 27 March 2018​.

On 13 February 2018 the Senate granted an extension of time to report until ​27 June 2018​.

On 25 June 2018, the Senate granted an extension of time to report until 13 August 2018.