THE Mornington Peninsula with its 190-kilometre coastline - about 10 per cent of Victoria's total - is likely to be hit hard by climate change.

A report released last week by the Federal Government reinforces fears about the problems that will be faced by coastal communities as sea levels rise, threatening thousands of homes and businesses.

The report warns that more frequent and severe storm surges would see 18percent of the Western Port region "likely to be affected by inundation or overland flow paths".

"It is estimated that 18,000 [Western Port] properties, valued at almost $2billion, are vulnerable to flood events," the report states.

Compiled by the all-party House of Representatives Climate Change, Environment, Water and the Arts Committee, the report notes that a one-metre rise in sea level would, in places, lead to the shoreline receding 50 to 100 metres.

The report tabled in Federal Parliament — Managing our Coastal Zone in a Changing Climate: the Time to Act is Now — commends the Victorian Government's coastal strategy but casts doubt on local councils' ability to "meet the costs of risk management and reduction measures on their own".

Among its many recommendations, Victoria's coastal strategy states planners should "ensure that new developments are located and designed so that they can be appropriately protected from inundation by storm tides or combined storm tides and stormwater; landslides; coastal erosion; sand drift; and avoid development within primary sand dunes and in low-lying coastal areas".

The strategy calls on planners to factor in an 80-centimetre sea level rise by 2100 "and allow for the combined effects of tides, storm surges, coastal processes and local conditions".

In a submission to the climate change committee, Professor Bruce Thom of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists said: "We will reach tipping points in each and every coastal community around our coast as sea level continues to rise. Each tipping point needs to be assessed in relation to the nation's capacity to pay. When will barrages be needed at Port Phillip? And when will levees, pumps and seawalls be demanded by property owners at risk of inundation or erosion?"