State and Territory

Sport and Recreation

• Environmental Sustainability, opens in a new tab, ACT Government, Sport and Recreation, (accessed 8 January 2026). Sport and recreation and the environment are intrinsically linked. Our natural and built environment provides the places and spaces for people to be active - from sportsgrounds, parks, courts and swimming pools to mountains, rivers and lakes. But to protect our sporting environments - both now and in the future - we must act to reduce our collective impact on the environment and adapt to the increasingly evident climate change happening around us.

Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment

• Heat, humanity, and the hockey stick: Climate change and sport in Canberra, opens in a new tab, Professor Kate Auty, Caitlin Roy, Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, (website version updated February 2020). To promote sustainable climate-ready practices, to stay competitive and to continue to engage the community for health, social, cultural and other co-benefits, the sport sector – including government, industry, and the volunteer cohort – will need to lead, adapt, adjust, and harness industry influence.
  • Heat, humanity, and the hockey stick: Climate change and sport in Canberra, opens in a new tab [Published report], Professor Kate Auty, Caitlin Roy, Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, (September 2019). The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is listed as being consulted on the report.

NSW Office of Sport

• Sun, heat and air quality, opens in a new tab, (accessed 8 January 2026). As part of protecting your club members and as part of standard risk management planning, it is recommended that State Sporting Organisations, associations and/or clubs consider developing heat and hazardous air quality policy or inclusion of specific heat and hazardous air quality statements and guidelines in their existing risk management or weather policies. While there are links to a number of expert resources on this webpage that you can turn to for more information, sporting organisations should consult with their National or State Sporting Organisations and/or associations in the first instance for more information as they may already have policies in place. Further, sporting organisations should seek out specialist advice from human health experts when developing their heat and hazardous air policies.

Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing

• Planning for Facilities, opens in a new tab, Government of South Australia, Office for Recreation Sport and Racing, (July 2018). The Recreation and Sport Facility Design and Recreation and Sport Facility Management guides both include some basic considerations and tips relating to environmental sustainability of facilities.

Department for Environment and Water (DEW)

• Trend and condition report cards, opens in a new tab, (2023). The 2023 report cards assess and summarise the current condition of South Australia’s environment, track trends over time, and evaluate the reliability of the underpinning data and information. Organised under five key themes—Climate, Biodiversity, Water, Land, and Liveability—each report card provides a snapshot of an environmental indicator, supported by detailed technical information.
• South Australian climate projections viewer, opens in a new tab, (accessed 8 January 2026). South Australia’s interactive climate projection maps display the projected changes to weather variables across the state for a range of future time periods, in a regional and grid view. By clicking on the map to select an individual grid cell or region, the table below the map is updated with the average projected changes for all time periods for the climate variable and scenario selected.

Sport and Recreation

• Environmentally Sustainable Design, opens in a new tab [Factsheet], Sport and Recreation Victoria, (2024). The construction and operation of infrastructure can have a significant direct and indirect impact on the environment. Including Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) principles and initiatives in the design and development of infrastructure can reduce operation costs and environmental impacts while increasing building resilience. This information sheet includes links to further information on a range of ESD initiatives that you may wish to consider in the design and development of your project.
• Future Proofing Community Sport and Recreation Facilities: A roadmap for climate change management for the sport and recreation facilities sector, opens in a new tab, Sports Environment Alliance/Victorian Government, (2020). In future proofing our places of play, there are two key areas of opportunity: built environment and stakeholder engagement. How we design, build and then engage stakeholders to behave in alignment with how we operate our places of play must be focused on protecting our clean future. The roadmap will support your place of play to be nimble and resilient to climate change though commitment, mitigation and adaptation to our ever changing environmental conditions.

Vicsport

• Hot Weather Resources, opens in a new tab, Vicsport, Sport and Recreation Victoria, (2019). Resources on this page can assist sport organisations to mitigate the risks of exertional heat illness during hot weather. The resources are relevant for state sport associations, regional sports assemblies, local governments, clubs, leagues and associations.
• Healthy Sport: Ultraviolet (UV) Protection, opens in a new tab, Vicsport, (accessed 8 January 2025). Sporting organisations can make it easier for their players, volunteers, spectators and community to adopt UV protection measures by encouraging good UV protection behaviour, promoting and creating awareness around the risk of harmful UV exposure, and then adopting UV protection strategies within their clubs to ensure the best measures are taken to minimise the risk of UV exposure.

Victorian Institute of Sport

• Climate Action Plan 2025-2030+, opens in a new tab, Victorian Institute of Sport, (2025). Developed to address the growing concerns about climate change and its impact on sports and athletes, the plan has been created by the VIS Sustainability Squad. In 2025, we will take the first steps to implement the plan and deliver the key action points that will enable the VIS to be at the forefront of the sport and recreation sector’s journey to net‑zero.

Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport

• Environmental Sustainability Pack, opens in a new tab, WA Government, (November 2012). Provides information on environmental issues facing sporting organisations and clubs within Western Australia and aims to equip them with the tools and skills necessary to reduce their environmental impact.