2026 SECCCA Leaders Forum: From Risk to Resilience in a changing climate

9am for 9.30am start - with time to connect with colleagues with tea and coffee and light refreshments from 9am to 9.30am and 11.30am to 12noon.

The SECCCA Leaders Forum is the premier local government event on climate and energy resilience in South East Melbourne, bringing together mayors, councillors and council executives with state and federal MPs, stakeholders and project partners, and promoting the cross-sector collaboration needed to meet the growing challenges we face.

With flooding, coastal erosion and other climate impacts placing increasing pressure on communities and public assets, councils face difficult decisions about how to adapt within constrained budgets. This year’s theme, From Risk to Resilience in a Changing Climate, will explore the practical lessons and insights emerging that will enable councils and their partners to develop a clear picture of the true scale and cost of protecting their communities and the pathways to long-term solutions.

The Forum will consider the importance of shared data and evidence and the benefit of building collaborative frameworks and tools to leverage public funding to access the investment required for a resilient future. This includes:

• The growing physical and financial risks facing councils and the communities they serve.

• Effective ways to plan for more resilient infrastructure and a climate-prepared built environment.

• The partnerships, funding models and policy settings needed to support long-term adaptation.

The Forum will also draw on SECCCA’s Climate Risk Leadership Program, the Financing Flood Resilient Infrastructure (FFRI) project and BriefEzy to show what a regional response can look like in practice. This work is helping councils better understand risk, explore ways to fund resilient infrastructure and make more sustainable decisions about the facilities they build. It provides a basis for our member councils to lead the conversation about the investment and decisions South East Melbourne needs.

About SECCCA:

SECCCA is an alliance of local governments in South East Melbourne, who collectively manage over $2.2 billion in annual revenue and $26.7 billion in assets. Our purpose is to accelerate climate and energy resilience across our region, and ensure a vibrant future for South East Melbourne.

SECCCA's local government areas are home to more than 1.5 million Victorians, from a diverse mix of metropolitan, peri-urban, coastal and rural communities. SECCCA's councils span one-third of Victoria's coastline, account for more than 45% of our state's manufacturing activity, and produce a combined $85 billion in Gross Regional Product each year.

In 2026, SECCCA celebrated 22 years of evidence-based project delivery and advocacy for South East Melbourne.