Community-led Responses to Climate Change: Discovering conditions for equity and social justice

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The compounding impacts of climate change has called attention to the importance of community resilience requiring us to rethink how diverse communities are supported to respond.

The Menzies Foundation, in collaboration with Collaboration for Impact and Jesuit Social Services, is delighted to announce the release of the report titled “Community-led Responses to Climate Change: Discovering Conditions for Equity and Social Justice.” This comprehensive report explores the critical role of community leadership in addressing the multifaceted impacts of climate change, particularly focusing on issues of social justice and equity.

"This report underscores the importance of community leadership in tackling the dual challenges of climate change and social inequity. It provides a roadmap for empowering communities to lead the way in creating resilient and just responses to climate impacts."

 Liz Gillies, CEO, Menzies Foundation Tweet

Key Findings

Climate Justice and Community Leadership: The report emphasises that climate change disproportionately affects marginalised communities. It highlights how community leadership can effectively address these disparities by promoting social justice and equity.

Enabling Conditions for Community-led Action: The study identifies strong social infrastructure, social capital, community governance, and resource flows as essential enablers for effective community-led responses to climate change.

Barriers to Community-led Action: Despite the benefits of community leadership, the report outlines several systemic barriers, including lack of collaborative structures, unrecognised community knowledge, restrictive government timelines, and institutional inequities.

Opportunities for Improvement: The report presents three broad opportunities to support community-led action:

  • Establishing collective learning systems at multiple scales. 
  • Piloting new models of sustainable and flexible investment in community-led approaches.
  • Supporting the establishment of collaborative governance structures.

"These findings highlight the critical importance of community-led responses to climate change and how, by shifting power and sharing decision making with communities, our collective responses will be more inclusive, equitable and effective."

Anna Powell, CEO, Collaboration for Impact Tweet

This report is the culmination of extensive desktop research and interviews conducted as part of the Climate Discovery Project aiming to explore how climate change perpetuates inequity, document conditions that strengthen community capacity, and examine systemic interventions promoting equity and community leadership.

Click Here to Access the Report

Calling all systems change thinkers and doers across Australia, the collaboration partners welcome your feedback. By addressing the identified barriers and enhancing the enablers, there is an opportunity to build ecosystems that support climate justice and achieve equitable systems change. 

Menzies Foundation
Through a systemic approach, the Foundation explores the culture infrastructure and capability platform to build resilience and new ways of thinking to inform the development of governance and capital flows to support the agency and autonomy of communities to flourish. This work is supported by an incubation process which leverages multiple expertise and perspectives to surface innovative solutions, trial, and test new approaches, and sense make and iterate in deep partnership with communities to drive impact.

Collaboration for Impact
Collaboration for Impact (CFI) is a globally recognised field builder for collaborative systems change. We believe the complex causes of inequity in Australia are most effectively addressed through collaboration across diverse stakeholders in ways that shifts power and centres decision making of people with lived experience. For over 10 years, CFI has incubated and amplified innovations for collaborative systems change.

Jesuit Social Services
With over 45 years of experience, Jesuit Social Services works to build strong, cohesive, and vibrant communities. The Centre for Just Places, established in 2021, focuses on place-based approaches to address social and ecological justice issues.

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Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

Natasha is driven by a profound passion for both creativity and analytics, a synergy that fosters authentic storytelling in the digital realm with both innovation and integrity. 

Throughout her career, she has consistently integrated the overarching marketing and communications narrative with the emotional connections of audiences. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in Society and the Individual from Flinders University, furthering her exploration of human behaviour and the critical importance of connectedness between organisations, individuals, and communities.

LinkedIn | natasha.eskinja@menziesfoundation.org.au

Sarah Jenkins

Strategic Communications Manager

Sarah has more than 18 years’ experience in communications and marketing leadership across a range of sectors.

Communications strategy and organisational growth is a continuing theme in Sarah’s career. Most recently, she leads the development of a Leadership Movement, evaluated by Menzies Viral Co-efficient Model; a contribution to the NFP. 

Sarah’s early career centred around best practice in marketing and communications which later culminated into the establishment of her very own agency. This work extensively spanned across PR, traditional media, event management, strategy, digital marketing, graphic design and business development consultancy. 

In 2019, Sarah joined the lean and robust team at the Menzies Foundation. She has since crafted the Foundation’s narrative and communication strategy. The development of this strategic communications platform is essential for ‘movement building’ and requires a strong strategic, management and communication skills set. Sarah has brought so much to this important work, which sits at the forefront of communication practice. 

Sarah continues to contribute to the NFP sector through her commitment to Purpose; as she reflects on her own leadership, builds her own leadership capability and contributes to the greater good. 

LinkedIn | sarah.jenkins@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0401 880 071

Rohan Martyres

Director, Strategy and Partnerships

Rohan has 15 years’ experience in facilitating cross-sector collaborations to address complex social and health challenges.  He has worked with the World Economic Forum in Australia, led an international conflict resolution field team in Nepal, and directed a 10-year £40m initiative to reduce health inequity in London.

Most recently, Rohan was Major Grants Development Manager at the Ian Potter Foundation.  He refined the foundation’s major grants strategy, and co-developed a series of large scale initiatives, including joint philanthropic-government funding for a new national organization to support place-based approaches across Australia.

Rohan has held several non-executive roles, including with an international NGO and with London Funders, the peak body of independent foundations in London.  He holds several qualifications including a graduate degree in innovation and strategy from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

When Rohan isn’t exploring Melbourne’s creeks with his partner and 6yo daughter, he’s working on his currently weak Australian accent (after 15 years in the UK).

LinkedIn | rohan.martyres@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0404 505 954

Trudy Morrison

Operations Manager

A marketing and communications specialist with over 20 years experience in government, corporate and consumer marketing, Trudy brings her adaptive and organisational project management skills to the Menzies Foundation team. 

With a BA degree in Public Relations, Trudy began her career with the City of Melbourne and in magazine publishing, before moving into marketing communications consulting. She has worked in strategic marketing leadership roles with retail brands and enjoys juggling many projects and tasks simultaneously. Her skills were further enhanced when managing her own communications business representing industries across private education, financial services, aviation, government and the health industry. 

Trudy is passionate about leadership and all people being encouraged to reach their full potential through research and educational initiatives and opportunities throughout Australia. A skilled and accomplished writer and editor Trudy is enthusiastic about bringing her variety of skills to the Menzies Foundation team. 

LinkedIn | trudy.morrison@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0402 361 878

Liz Gillies

Chief Executive Officer

Liz Gillies has had over 25 years experience in a range of fields focused on initiatives for social impact. She has held roles in multiple sectors and academia.

In 2018, Liz was appointed CEO of the Menzies Foundation which aspires to build a leadership movement that supports Australians to pivot to purpose, build their leadership capability and contribute to the ‘greater good’.

Liz joined the Melbourne Business School in 2009 and was instrumental in establishing the Asia Pacific Social Impact Centre (APSIC) and The Centre for Ethical Leadership. In November 2011 she was appointed as research fellow to lead a partnership focused on strategic philanthropy which culminated in the release of the reports: Philanthropy: Towards a Better Practice Model (2018) and the Philanthropy: The Continued Journey to Real Impact and better Practice (2021).

Liz has extensive governance experience, having served on the Board of the Publish Galleries Association of Victoria, Social Firms Australia, Uniting Care Community Options, United Way Australia and the Development Committee of the Towards a Just Society Foundation. She is currently on the Philanthropy Reference Group of Barmal Bijiril and a Director of Philanthropy Australia.

LinkedIn | liz.gillies@menziesfoundation.org.au | 0416 112 703

Natasha Eskinja

Digital Communications Coordinator

Natasha is driven by a profound passion for both creativity and analytics, a synergy that fosters authentic storytelling in the digital realm with both innovation and integrity. 

Throughout her career, she has consistently integrated the overarching marketing and communications narrative with the emotional connections of audiences. She is currently pursuing a Certificate in Society and the Individual from Flinders University, furthering her exploration of human behaviour and the critical importance of connectedness between organisations, individuals, and communities.

natasha.eskinja@menziesfoundation.org.au