Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources. The attestation should include specific reference to, but not limited to: Application of best practice communication and engagement approaches before, during and after prolonged power outages including:
a. Inclusive design of customer service systems such as outage trackers and interactive voice response (IVR) systems with regular monitoring, evaluation, and feedback from customers with lived experience of vulnerability.
b. Capacity of customer service systems to meet surge demand and back-up continuity plans if these services fail.
c. Capability to provide on-the-ground support to communities during emergencies.

The Committee recommends that clearer demarcation of climate data and sharing responsibilities between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and state and territory and local governments be established to facilitate adequate warning and risk mitigation.

Review and update Part 3, Annex C, of the SEMP ‘Public Information and Warnings’ to: a) clarify the role and responsibilities of the Public Information Functional Support Group and control agencies in relation to public information b) define requirements and processes for liaising with the community, including holding community meetings

That the SES in collaboration with MFS Communications Centre (Comcen) investigate and implement options to reduce the number of calls coming into the Comcen, (particularly on 132500). Options could include better utilisation of the available options on the Interactive Voice Recording and community education to increase community resilience.