Development of a CHAS

Strategic planning is essential to support local governments and communities prepare for and mitigate the risks posed by coastal hazards such as erosion, flooding, and sea-level rise.

QCoast2100 recognises that local governments along the Queensland coast are at different stages in their strategic planning. Each local government’s circumstances and context is unique, and the CHAS reflects this.

A Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS) provides a structured framework for identifying risks, assessing vulnerable areas, and implementing long-term solutions to reduce the impact of these hazards.

The CHAS is an eight-phase process that equips local governments with the tools needed to assess coastal risks and implement sustainable, long-term solutions. This structured framework ensures informed decision-making while minimising the impacts of coastal hazards on communities, infrastructure, and the environment.

 

Each phase of a CHAS involves key steps that deliver essential information for councils to create effective adaptation measures. These steps adhere to the Minimum Standards & Guidelines (MS&G) to support consistency across the process. The CHAS follows a structured process, yet there is built-in flexibility to account for the unique challenges and local contexts of different councils, to enable tailored solutions to local coastal hazards.

Under Round 1 funding, the QCoast2100 program supported 31 coastal councils to assess coastal hazard risks and develop a CHAS.

In addition to the CHAS projects, six First Nations councils also have received funded support to create Coastal Hazard Studies tailored to their specific challenges, cultural considerations, and environmental conditions. Whilst not a full eight-phase CHAS, these studies align with key elements of the QCoast2100 MS&G. They primarily focus on Phases 1–4 that establish a foundational understanding of coastal hazards, facilitate community engagement, assess risks, and determine the need for further action.