Queensland urged to treat heatwaves as planning hazard amid rising urban temperatures

Conservation organisations and planning experts are lobbying Queensland to recognise extreme heat as a natural hazard in its planning framework, pointing out that heatwaves kill more people than any other disaster. Government data shows the state’s average temperature has risen 1.5°C since 1910, with future scenarios predicting sharp increases in heat-related deaths. Critics say current legislation offers no mandates for developers to curb heat, and the new draft State Planning Policy, now open for comment, lists urban heat-island mitigation as a priority.

Figures such as Nicole Bennetts of the Planning Institute of Australia and Crystal Falknau of the North Queensland Conservation Council stress the need for design standards that address invisible heat risks, while architect James Davidson calls for updates to the National Construction Code to enable passive cooling solutions. Minister Jarrod Bleijie acknowledged the policy has not been revised since 2016 and previously omitted heat considerations.