Planning for Resilience

Resilience is our community’s ability to bounce back from tough times, adapt to change and grow stronger.

It’s about more than just responding to emergencies – it’s about building the foundations to withstand stress, recover quickly and thrive together in the face of uncertainty.

We are developing a Resilience Strategy to help our community prepare for and respond to future challenges. This strategy will set out actionable ways we can support each other during tough times and create a connected, prepared and adaptable Sutherland Shire.

When we talk about resilience, we often group the challenges our community faces as either shocks or stresses:

  • Shocks are sudden, sharp events that can have big impacts on a community – such as heatwaves, floods and pandemics.
  • Stresses are the ongoing issues that impact on our daily lives and make it more difficult to cope when times are tough – like cost of living and availability of transport.

When we understand the shocks and stresses people face in our area, we can plan ahead and help ensure everyone gets the support they need.

Have your say

Our initial consultation took place between 7 July and 10 August 2025. This was the first step in developing Sutherland Shire’s inaugural Resilience Strategy — and it’s just the beginning, with much more to come.

We are continuing to work with our local community and stakeholders to build a strategy that reflects our shared priorities. As part of this, we’re planning a series of deliberative workshops with a representative group of community members to explore some of the deeper issues around resilience in more detail.

You may also see us at other local events and locations over the coming months, as we continue conversations and gather ideas to shape a stronger, more connected, and more resilient future for Sutherland Shire.

Next steps

We’ll continue working with our community and key stakeholders in the months ahead to shape the draft Resilience Strategy together.

All feedback and comments received will be reviewed and considered throughout the process, and we’ll provide updates on what we’ve heard on this page.

Once the draft strategy is complete, it will be placed on public exhibition in 2026, giving you another opportunity to share your feedback before it is finalised. Following this, the strategy will be reported back to Council for final adoption.

Resilience is our community’s ability to bounce back from tough times, adapt to change and grow stronger.

It’s about more than just responding to emergencies – it’s about building the foundations to withstand stress, recover quickly and thrive together in the face of uncertainty.

We are developing a Resilience Strategy to help our community prepare for and respond to future challenges. This strategy will set out actionable ways we can support each other during tough times and create a connected, prepared and adaptable Sutherland Shire.

When we talk about resilience, we often group the challenges our community faces as either shocks or stresses:

  • Shocks are sudden, sharp events that can have big impacts on a community – such as heatwaves, floods and pandemics.
  • Stresses are the ongoing issues that impact on our daily lives and make it more difficult to cope when times are tough – like cost of living and availability of transport.

When we understand the shocks and stresses people face in our area, we can plan ahead and help ensure everyone gets the support they need.

Have your say

Our initial consultation took place between 7 July and 10 August 2025. This was the first step in developing Sutherland Shire’s inaugural Resilience Strategy — and it’s just the beginning, with much more to come.

We are continuing to work with our local community and stakeholders to build a strategy that reflects our shared priorities. As part of this, we’re planning a series of deliberative workshops with a representative group of community members to explore some of the deeper issues around resilience in more detail.

You may also see us at other local events and locations over the coming months, as we continue conversations and gather ideas to shape a stronger, more connected, and more resilient future for Sutherland Shire.

Next steps

We’ll continue working with our community and key stakeholders in the months ahead to shape the draft Resilience Strategy together.

All feedback and comments received will be reviewed and considered throughout the process, and we’ll provide updates on what we’ve heard on this page.

Once the draft strategy is complete, it will be placed on public exhibition in 2026, giving you another opportunity to share your feedback before it is finalised. Following this, the strategy will be reported back to Council for final adoption.

  • Engagement history

    We recently completed the first stage of consultation to develop a Resilience Strategy for Sutherland Shire. There’s more to come, so stay tuned.

    The insights and lived experiences of our local community are central to shaping a strategy that reflects the real needs of Sutherland Shire. Feedback received will help guide the priorities and actions that build a more resilient future for everyone.

    Click here to see the closed survey.

    You were also able to share your general thoughts by:


    We also held a series of pop-up info stalls:

    • Saturday 19 July 2025, 8:00am – 1:00pm at Shire Farmers Market, Sutherland
    • Saturday 26 July 2025, 11:00am – 1:00pm at Cronulla Plaza, Cronulla


    These sessions were a chance to ask questions, share ideas and learn more about how we’re planning for a stronger, more resilient future together.

    We are now reviewing all feedback from the survey and continuing to work with our local community and stakeholders to build a strategy that reflects our shared priorities.

Page last updated: 04 Dec 2025, 11:54 AM