Climate change adaptation policy development has been taking place for almost a decade, but thorough analysis of adaptation policy across Australia is yet to be achieved. This talk presents the findings of a PhD thesis that explains variation in the identification of vulnerability in Australian climate change adaptation plans (CCAPs). It asks: how can we explain the variation in the prioritisation of socio-political concerns in CCAPs developed by local governments across Australia? The research shows that a general indistinct remit within local government contributes to a variety of problem definitions regarding climate change across councils that result in variation in identification and prioritisation of socio-political concerns. This presentation presents the findings of a personally collated database of 97 climate change adaptation plans (CCAPs) from across Australia. CCAPs are categorised as either biophysical impacts-based or socio-political inclusive. Surveys and interviews were conducted to examine this variation, with specific attention paid to the inclusion of vulnerable groups and mental health in adaptation planning. Variation in the inclusion of and approaches to education and community consultation was also examined. The research is located at the intersection of the vulnerability literature, public policy, and the politics of climate change adaptation planning.