Effective climate change risk management requires the integration of information on climate, its impacts, potential risks and vulnerability (IPCC 2014). Governments are an important source of climate and climate change information (Productivity Commission 2012). The New South Wales Government has recognised it has a role to provide regionally relevant climate change information that can assist businesses and the community to: better understand current climate risk; build resilience to future extreme events and hazards, and to minimise the impacts of climate change (NSW 2011).

The Office of Environment and Heritage coordinates the provision and development of information and tools to support adaptation across NSW. Management of climate change impacts and adaptation knowledge is provided through a formal knowledge management strategy (Zack 1999, Alavi 2001). The OEH Knowledge Strategy identifies ‘priority knowledge needs' through a collaborative process so that OEH can plan and prioritise the delivery of climate change impacts and adaptation knowledge, information and tools that inform effective policies and programs (OEH 2013).

This paper describes: the priority climate change impacts and adaptation knowledge needs for OEH identified by the knowledge strategy; how these needs were identified and prioritised, and the framework for delivering this knowledge to effectively meet stakeholder needs. The paper also describes how formal knowledge management has influenced a number of large climate change impacts and adaptation research programs including the NSW and ACT Regional Climate Modelling program (NARCliM), Eastern Seaboard Climate Change Initiative - East Coast Lows (ESCCI-ECL) and the NSW Adaptation Research Hub.