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April 11th, 2013 
COMMUNITY organisations are not well prepared to deal with the impact of climate change and extreme weather, new research reveals.
The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) has commissioned research finding small and medium-sized organisations are at risk of permanent closure as a result of major damage to physical infrastructure caused by events like heatwaves, drought, bushfires and floods.
“To date the community sector has been overlooked in the climate change adaptation policy settings,” says the report, which is titled Extreme Weather, Climate Change and the Community Sector.
A barrier to adaptation is a lack of financial resources, it says.
The report recommends the federal government set up a community services sector adaptation fund.
It also calls for greater flexibility for service delivery contracts to enable community organisations like child welfare centres, family support services and crisis accommodation facilities to help with disaster response and recovery efforts.
Affordable, sector-specific insurance packages should be developed, the report says.
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