SLR responds to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water consultation on Draft National Climate Scenario Guidance.

To support Australia’s move toward a climate-resilient future, SLR submitted a response to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water’s (DCCEEW) consultation on the Draft National Climate Scenario Guidance in December 2025.

SLR supports this guidance and sees it as a valuable tool for climate scenario analysis, helping to strengthen resilience planning for uncertain climate futures.

Our submission did, however, highlight opportunities to enhance the guidance for greater usefulness to its intended audience and ensure it supports practical, credible scenario planning across sectors.

We look forward to ongoing collaboration with DCCEEW as the guidance and related resources are finalised, and we are eager to help develop tools that support organisations in preparing for climate-related risks and opportunities.

To help create practical and effective guidance, our submission included several key recommendations and insights based on our experience with climate scenario analysis, including:

1. Link to mandatory reporting

The Australian Sustainability Reporting Standard (ASRS) will drive the use of this guidance. It would help to clarify how the guidance supports compliance with AASB S2 standards.

2. Flexibility in scenario selection

The guidance should stay flexible and explore both low- and high-emissions scenarios that fit each organisation’s situation, along with practical examples.

3. Sector-specific insights

Adding advice on sector-specific scenarios would make the guidance more useful, since each industry faces its own unique risks and planning needs.

4. Connecting scenarios to resilience

More detailed guidance on using scenarios to assess resilience and inform adaptation planning is needed. This could include methods to evaluate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity across multiple time frames.

5. Support for new users

The guidance is helpful for experienced practitioners, but not enough for beginners. SLR recommends creating a support system with step-by-step resources.