Hot city, Cool people: Rising Heat in Sydney
Description
Mark Extreme Heat Awareness Day with us in Parramatta!
Summers in Sydney are getting longer, hotter and more extreme.
Extreme Heat Awareness Day is dedicated to having a national conversation on the health impacts of rising temperatures in Sydney.
Hot City, Cool People isn't just a talk.
Expect expert insights and community voices coming together to rethink community resilience and climate justice in Sydney. There will be delicious snacks, crafting and ways to take community action on the night.
Register now for a powerful evening bringing together elite sport, the arts, community leadership, and public health at the peak of summer heat.
Register and save the date!
Speakers include
Award winning author Winnie Dunn
AFLW player, Project and Engagement Director at FrontRunners and Board Director at Footy for Climate Nicola Barr
Midfielder and emerging leader for the GWS GIANTS Tom Green
Chair of Public Health for the Australian Medical Association and GP Dr. Michael Bonning
Paediatrician and Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Cybele Dey
Chair of the Hills Doctors Association and Asian Australians for Climate Solutions and Western Sydney GP Dr. Kim Loo
Scroll down to the 'Lineup' section of this page and select 'show more' for full speaker bios.
For more information on Extreme Heat Awareness Day and how to get involved, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media (facebook & instagram).
This event is being brought to you by Sweltering Cities in partnership with the Hills Doctors Association, Dr. Kim Loo and Sydney Alliance
Lineup
Winnie Dunn
Winnie Dunn is a Tongan-Australian writer from Mount Druitt. She is the general manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the editor of several acclaimed anthologies, including Brownface (Cordite, 2018), Sweatshop Women (Sweatshop, 2019), Straight-Up Islander (SBS, 2020) and Another Australia (Affirm Press, 2022). Winnie's debut novel, Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette 2024) won the 2025 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists Award and the 2025 Creative Australia Kathleen Mitchell Award. Dirt Poor Islanders was also shortlisted for two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
Nicola Barr
Nicola Barr was the No.1 AFLW draft pick and current St Kilda FC player, where she's recently moved after nine seasons with the GWS GIANTS. She is Project and Engagement Director at FrontRunners and a Board Director at Footy for Climate, working at the intersection of sport and climate. Nicola has completed a Graduate Certificate in Sustainability at the University of Sydney.
Tom Green
Tom brings a perspective shaped by stepping into leadership at the elite level of the AFL as midfielder for the GWS GIANTS
Dr. Michael Bonning
Dr Michael Bonning is the Chair of Public Health for the Australian Medical Association and advocates for better community health through climate safety, food quality and security, health literacy and immunisation. He works as a GP in the inner west and was formerly a director of beyondblue. He started his climate awareness journey with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition almost 20 years ago.
Dr. Cybele Dey
Dr Cybele Dey is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who works at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Australia. She is a Conjoint Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales. Dr Dey is dual qualified as a paediatrician. She has worked as a doctor in child and adolescent psychiatry for over 20 years. She is a member of Doctors for the Environment, Australia, Chair of the DEA Mental Health Special Interest Group and on the executive of the Planetary Health and Mental Health Advisory Group of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. Dr Dey is currently involved in research into climate change impacts on mental health and is the lead author of a recent paper on hot weather and youth suicidality, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. She has co-authored two textbook chapters and multiple papers and presentations on climate change and mental health in children and adolescents at local and national levels.
Dr. Kim Loo
Dr. Kim Loo is a General Practitioner and sits on multiple boards and councils, including Chairing the Hills Doctors Association and Asian Australians for Climate Solutions. Dr. Loo believes in actively supporting the transition to a sustainable, clean-energy economy and works to bring a health-focus to politicians and businesses on the matter of heat and climate change.
Agenda
- 6:00 pm - 6:20 pm
Doors open - Parramatta Town Hall Foyer
Sign in to the event on arrival at Parramatta Town Hall and explore books, merch and action stalls! Be sure to pick up a snack as you make your way through to the main hall
- 6:25 pm - 6:45 pm
Program opens
Aunty Pat Field will ground us in place and Dr. Kim Loo and Emma Bacon (Executive Director of Sweltering Cities) will open the program
- 6:45 pm - 7:30 pm
Panel discussion - heat health, sport and community
Moderator - Nicola Barr joined by Dr Michael Bonning, Dr Cybele Dey, Tom Green, Tracey Greenaway
- 7:30 pm - 7:35 pm
Introduction to keynote
Joseph Sikulu will be introducing keynote speaker and award winning author: Winnie Dunn
- 7:35 pm - 7:55 pm
Keynote address: Winnie Dunn
- 7:55 pm - 8:05 pm
Noqu Vanua Youth Choir
- 8:05 pm - 8:30 pm
Whats next? Working together for a safer, more resilient Sydney
- 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm
End of program to doors close
Program closes at 8:30pm, hang around for chat or look at stalls again before doors close at 9pm
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
