Resilient South Pilot – Incorporating Climate Risk into Asset Management
Making proactive, responsible decisions to deliver and manage climate-ready council assets and services, supporting a safe and connected and thriving resilient southern region.Resilient Asset Management Project pilot mission statement
Project summary
The Resilient Asset Management Program (RAMP) is designed to help local government better understand and manage the impacts of climate change on community assets.
The project is a collaborative initiative of four councils:
- City of Holdfast Bay
- City of Marion
- City of Mitcham
- City of Onkaparinga.
The pilot explored practical ways to integrate climate risk into everyday asset management, supported by funding from the Local Government Research & Development Scheme, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Fund, and in‑kind support from CSIRO.
How the pilot supported councils
The pilot has worked to strengthen councils’ ability to plan for climate impacts by:
- developing risk scenarios and conducting workshops to build a shared understanding of climate hazards and asset vulnerabilities
- creating a regional geoportal that allows councils to explore climate risk and asset exposure spatially
- undertaking detailed climate risk assessments across key asset classes, including roads, buildings, stormwater, bridges and open space
- producing the Regional Asset Resilience Plan, which sets out long‑term actions needed to embed climate considerations into governance, planning and investment
- piloting tools, data and methods to support climate‑informed decision making.
Key outcomes
1. Shared tools, knowledge and capability
The pilot significantly improved understanding of how climate change affects council assets. It also showed what approaches, tools and data are available to manage those risks. Staff now have clearer visibility of relevant hazards, potential vulnerabilities and emerging approaches to resilience.
2. Strong collaboration
A cross‑council working group brought together staff from multiple disciplines. This built a consistent understanding, shared language and strong professional relationships. This collaboration delivered efficiencies, reduced duplication, and elevated the region’s leadership in climate‑resilient asset management.
3. Consistent climate data and spatial tools
Councils now share a common base of climate information, including NARCLIM data and flood mapping, made accessible through the RAMP geoportal and progressively integrated into council GIS systems.
4. Long‑term integration underway
Climate risk is now being incorporated into risk registers, Asset Management Plans and (over time, as they cycle) Long Term Financial Plans. These are long‑horizon processes, and councils recognise that this integration will occur iteratively over several years.
5. Significant future cost savings
By working together and building a shared foundation, councils have reduced duplication and laid the groundwork to avoid costly mistakes in the future. Particularly in the areas of investment in vulnerable assets or in asset renewal approaches not suited to projected climate conditions.
Project evaluation
An independent evaluation concluded that the RAMP Pilot was partially successful. Integrating climate risk into asset management is a multi‑year organisational change process, not a quick technical exercise.
The evaluation found that:
- the pilot was highly valuable for building shared understanding and elevating climate risk as a core issue in asset management
- the pilot catalysed work that would not have happened otherwise, securing funding and driving regional collaboration
- the pilot’s original goals were too ambitious for a time-limited project, and some deliverables, particularly detailed, ready‑to‑use tools for all councils, were not achievable in the timeframe
- councils vary in their asset management maturity, meaning a single, region‑wide solution is neither realistic nor desirable
- embedding climate risk into asset systems requires tailored change management, sustained internal leadership, and ongoing resourcing.
Despite these challenges, the pilot laid the essential groundwork for long‑term change. It positioned the region as a national leader in climate‑resilient asset management.
Project continuation
The RAMP project was a starting point, and the working group is expected to continue supporting councils. The working group will also continue to raise awareness of the importance of including climate risks in asset management.
This next phase shifts the emphasis from early awareness‑building to producing tools, examples and insights that support consistent, climate‑ready asset management practices across South Australia.