Rising sea levels are one of the most certain of the impacts of sea level rise and yet this certainty has not translated into effective adaptation strategies to sea level rise through clear directions for coastal policy in Australia.

This research analyses media discourse of coastal policies in NSW over a decade from 2004 to 2014.  During this time several coastal towns became hotspots for coastal erosion, including Lake Cathie, Old Bar, Wooli, Byron Bay, and Kingscliff. For some communities this meant they also became hotspots of debate over potential options for local and state government response to coastal erosion. As well as including major coastal erosion events this period also includes changes in State government policy on sea level rise with sea level rise benchmarks introduced in 2009 and then abandoned in 2012 and local government instead permitted to determine their own projections.

Analysis of the media discourse during this decade sheds light on community perceptions of sea level rise - and of potential responses to sea level rise, social construction of risk, and sense of place and identity.  This research highlights themes that are important for the community and will provide guidance for local governments considering sea level rise related policy in framing relevant issues.