The Community Sector Risk Register s an online resource designed by ACOSS and Climate Risk Pty. Ltd. to help community organisations find and address risks from climate change.

The Risk Register is a list of climate change and extreme weather risks relevant to CSOs based on ACOSS research and from sharing knowledge with the utilities and local government sectors.

The registers focus on the risks to organisations and their clients arising from extreme weather events, and so are good source of information for organisations wanting to identify risks arising from natural disasters in particular.

The Community Sector Risk Register categorises risks according to four areas of activity common to the majority of community organisations: client and community (front-line services); policy and advocacy; service continuity and administration; and governance and finance. Each of these spheres of activity contains a number of sub-spheres, which enable a more detailed classification and identification of risks. The risk classification system is presented in Table 1. Some examples of the specific risks included in each sphere and sub-sphere of activity are provided in Table 2.

To make the online list more accessible, relevant risks can be found by searching by hazard (e.g. bushfire or heat), or area of operation (e.g. client and community or service continuity and administration).

Or by selecting a number of relevant filters (e.g. assets and severe wind/storm events – including cyclones and tornadoes).

Each Risk has its own code number, title and description. A risk could be caused by more than one hazard or be relevant to more than one area of operation; these links are also noted.

You will find the link to the Community Sector Risk Register in the Further Information section below. When you go to the site you will need to create a log in which make take up to 24 hours to activate. Once you’ve registered, you will receive an email with your log-in details and further instructions on how to use the resources. The site also includes a glossary that defines technical terms that you might not be familiar with.

The video below provides a brief introduction to how to use the registers to identify the risks your organisation might face from a range of natural disasters and other climate change hazards.