Sweltering Cities was proud to partner with Tabiea, a joint Nature Conservation Council NSW and Arab Council Australia campaign empowering Arabic-speaking communities in Western Sydney to engage with climate change, to host The Heat is On Forum in July 2026.
Taking place in Fairfield East, Western Sydney, over 70 community members attended the event. It was a surprisingly warm winter’s day, reminding us that the best time to get prepared for extreme heat is now! We enjoyed some yummy food, brainstormed in small groups, and heard from experts, including a session by Australian Red Cross on practical ways to make our homes more heat-safe.
Thank you to everyone who came along to this lively community event in Western Sydney, designed for shared storytelling, awareness raising, and exploring practical solutions for heat resilience.
The Forum began with hearing from speakers, including:
- Hassan Moussa, CEO of Arab Council Australia, set the scene by reflecting on the death toll from recent European heatwaves.
- Dr David Saliba MP, Member for Fairfield, spoke about the impacts of extreme heat in Western Sydney.
- Sanaa Shah, Senior Community Campaigner at Sweltering Cities, shared examples of national heat advocacy campaigns.
- Tracey Greenaway, Senior Project Officer at Australian Red Cross, provided practical guidance on how individuals and communities can prepare for extreme heat
- Bud Moses, Community Organiser at Tabiea, shared Tabiea’s work engaging Arabic- peaking communities across Western Sydney on climate and nature.
- The closing address was delivered by Jamal Hamdan, Chairperson of Arab Council Australia, emphasising the value of this forum to the community.
The second half of the Forum featured small group discussions about the ways heat impacts their live, naming a few practical solutions needed to keep safe during extreme heat, and more broadly, how to ensure our communities are heat-resilient. Participants shared and noted their responses in the language that was most comfortable for them. These notes were then translated to English.
Some reflections from the discussions included:
“Provide information in different languages so that everyone in the community can understand how to stay safe during extreme heat.”
“Learn from countries that are already experiencing severe heat by sharing knowledge, strategies, and best practices for managing extreme temperatures.”
“Hot weather makes cooking more difficult and increases the need to keep kitchens well ventilated.”
“Encourage people to follow heat safety advice, stay hydrated, and look after vulnerable people such as older adults, children, and those with medical conditions.”
Heatwave Check In – Arabic Translated
A key theme that emerged during the Forum was the importance of checking in on those who may be more vulnerable to heat-health illnesses. Translated posters form our Heatwave Check-In guide were shared at the event, outlining why heatwave check-ins are important and who to check-in on. Thank you to the Arab Council of Australia for translating these materials.
