Inquiry Search
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC321-4213 | 3 - Biodiversity | We recommend that DELWP improves the effectiveness, consistency and transparency of its environmental and cultural values checks by: - finalising its review of operational values checking processes and committing to an implementation plan - clarifying and formalising principles and procedures, making them publicly available where possible - improving capability and capacity among staff responsible for carrying out values checks, for example through training - developing a long-term program of work and investment to improve the quality, consistency and comprehensiveness of underlying datasets - increasing alignment in regard to values checks between agencies carrying out fuel management. |
REC321-4204 | 4 - Fire season preparation | We recommend that DEWLP and CFA (in consultation with FRV) in partnership with councils, provide advice to government in line with the Safer Together: A new approach to reducing the risk of bushfire in Victoria policy on options to better resource the assessment of risk on private land, its treatment and activities to enforce compliance of land owners with risk-reduction treatments. |
REC321-4214 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | We recommend that DELWP determines which elements of different regional planning approaches are the most effective and implements these across the state. |
REC321-4206 | 3 - Biodiversity | We recommend that DELWP conducts more effective ecosystem resilience monitoring by: - setting a target for regions on the quantity of ecosystem resilience monitoring assessments that they should complete annually - setting an outcomes-level target that defines desirable values for key ecosystem resilience metrics - reporting publicly against all of the metrics in its Measuring Ecosystem Resilience in Strategic Bushfire Management Planning policy in its fuel management reports. |
REC321-4215 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | We recommend that DELWP develops more holistic bushfire-management planning that focuses on the best mix of risk treatments rather than planned burning alone. |
REC321-4210 | 3 - Biodiversity | We recommend that CFA (in consultation with FRV) improves its values checks by providing ongoing state-wide support to regional vegetation management officers and leveraging any relevant systems or capabilities from DELWP to conduct values checks through guidance, training and ongoing funding. |
REC321-4217 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | We recommend that DELWP in partnership with Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria develops, implements and publicly reports on a holistic suite of performance metrics to demonstrate: - the impact that planned burning has on public and private land on bushfire risk - the impact that planned burning has on public and private land on ecosystem resilience - the impact that non-burn fuel management activities have on public and private land on bushfire risk - the impact that its activities at local and regional levels have on bushfire risk - the cost-effectiveness of its fuel management activities on public and private land. |
REC321-4211 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | We recommend that CFA (in consultation with FRV) improves planning on private land to ensure risk assessments and plans are conducted consistently across public and private land to address state-wide bushfire risk based on where and how they can most effectively reduce risk. |
REC321-4201 | 10 - Infrastructure | We recommend that DELWP improves the Powerline Bushfire Safety Program's transparency by publicly reporting on activities, costs and risk-reduction outcomes. |
REC321-4212 | 34 - Local knowledge | We recommend that DELWP increases its collaboration with Victorian Traditional Owner groups to facilitate the reintroduction of cultural burning and ensure effective support for these practices across all of its regions. |
REC321-4202 | 10 - Infrastructure | We recommend that DELWP investigates incentives and advises government on options to accelerate burying and insulating the remaining high-voltage bare-wire powerlines in the 33 highest risk areas. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC274-1412 | 20 - Role of police | That Victoria Police assesses and where practical addresses limitations to available data and trials the use of response times for internal performance measurement. |
REC274-1408 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That the Department of Health & Human Services uses Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority Computer Aided Dispatch data to report ambulance emergency response time performance. |
REC274-1404 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | That the Department of Health & Human Services and the Department of Justice & Regulation, in consultation with their portfolio emergency service agencies that have response time measures, determine relevant targets for these. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC264-1089 | 8 - Communications and warnings | GDF Suez improve its crisis management communication strategy for the Hazelwood mine in line with international best practice. |
REC264-1085 | 10 - Infrastructure | GDF Suez establish enhanced back-up power supply arrangements that do not depend wholly on mains power, to: • ensure that the Emergency Command Centre can continue to operate if mains power is lost; and • ensure that the reticulated fre services water system can operate with minimal disruption if mains power is lost. |
REC264-1082 | 8 - Communications and warnings | The State review and revise its communication strategy, to: • needed for effective and rapid public communications during an emergency; and ensure all emergency response agencies have, or have access to, the capability and resources • ensure, where appropriate, that private operators of essential infrastructure are included in the coordination of public communications during an emergency concerning that infrastructure. |
REC264-1073 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | The State establish, for any future incident, integrated incident management teams with GDF Suez and other Victorian essential industry providers, to: • essential industry providers; and require that emergency services personnel work with GDF Suez and other appropriate • implement the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC263-1095 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | CFA and VICSES should: explore further opportunities to collaborate with each other. |
REC263-1092 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | CFA and VICSES should: implement risk management processes within regions, districts, brigades and units to understand and manage the local risks associated with their volunteer workforces |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC262-1486 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That Emergency Management Victoria novates the head contract for the StateNet Mobile Radio network to the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority. |
REC262-1485 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That Victoria Police implements the recommendations relating to protective services officers in the Service Demand and Dispatcher Capacity Analysis dated September 2013 and: |
REC262-1491 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That Emergency Management Victoria expedites the expansion of the Rural Mobile Radio network to all emergency services organisations. |
REC262-1484 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That Ambulance Victoria: |
REC262-1490 | 10 - Infrastructure | That the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority critically reviews: |
REC262-1483 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority includes Victoria State Emergency Service vehicle capability details in the Computer Aided Dispatch database. |
REC262-1489 | 10 - Infrastructure | That the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority reclassifies its State Emergency Communications Centres as critical national infrastructure. |
REC262-1482 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | That Emergency Management Victoria be responsible for facilitating the interoperability of all organisations involved in emergency response, including the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority and Ambulance Victoria. |
REC262-1487 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | That the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, assisted by the Inspector-General for Emergency Management and responder agencies, improves the process for changing call-taking and dispatch procedures by comprehensively appraising the costs, benefits and operational impacts of these changes and agreeing a plan for their implementation with all affected agencies. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC250-0792 | 8 - Communications and warnings | The Department of Human Services should develop an improved model for communication for future disasters that provides a single point of information and contact for disaster affected communities |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC228-1622 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | The Emergency Services Agency and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate should continue to improve working arrangements between the ACT Rural Fire Service Parks Brigade and the ACT Rural Fire Service headquarters, by: |
REC228-1619 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Territory and Municipal Services Directorate, in consultation with the Emergency Services Agency, should improve its management of Land Management Agreements, with respect to rural leaseholders’ fire management responsibilities, by: |
REC228-1628 | 8 - Communications and warnings | The Emergency Services Agency should develop and test administrative procedures for the communications systems used for the distribution of public warning and emergency alerts. |
REC228-1625 | 4 - Fire season preparation | The Emergency Services Agency and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate should improve information capture and sharing by: |
REC228-1623 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | The Emergency Services Agency and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate should develop and routinely review a strategic bushfire capability for the ACT. The contribution of ACT Fire and Rescue (including the Community Fire Units) and the ACT Rural Fire Service (including Parks Brigade) should be explicitly stated. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC199-0418 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | the state develop an efficient process to ensure that, during flood events, temporary construction of flood mitigation works, such as levees, is controlled so as not to unacceptably impact on flood intelligence. |
REC199-0451 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | the state ensure, as a matter of priority, that the State Control Centre is able to function as a fit for purpose, multi-agency emergency management centre. Necessary works to achieve this outcome should have an overarching focus on the implementation of common agency systems and processes to the fullest extent possible. |
REC199-0435 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state put in place appropriate measures to inform the community of the intended purpose of the Emergency Alert warning system. |
REC199-0485 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | the state: • adopt a strategy to expedite incorporation of updated flood mapping or modelling into planning schemes • reconsider in what circumstances the ‘1 in 100 year event’ is the appropriate design event • actively support the Australian Building Code Board in its development of a new national standard for residential buildings in flood prone areas. Until such time as any new standard is incorporated into Victorian law, provide advice to householders about appropriate building materials for flood prone areas and ways that houses can be designed or adapted to mitigate flood risk; and • retain the ability of a Catchment Management Authority to require a council to refuse a planning permit or impose particular conditions when the Catchment Management Authority considers the flooding risk to be unacceptable. |
REC199-0440 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state actively pursue the use of social media as part of its emergency warning and public information system. |
REC199-0413 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | the state clarify the role of intelligence cell staff (for example, hydrologists and/or Catchment Management Authority) who are utilised in Incident Control Centres during flood events |
REC199-0449 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | the state ensure that interoperable information management practices are developed and implemented by emergency management agencies. Common systems should be utilised to the fullest extent possible. |
REC199-0434 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state require that agencies operate in compliance with the guidelines of the Victorian Warning Protocol to ensure efficacy of warning messages. |
REC199-0471 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state and the commonwealth, during a flood event, make information available on providers who have capacity to accommodate patients and residents who require evacuation. |
REC199-0439 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state review its Memoranda of Understanding with official emergency broadcasters to take account of increased usage of internet based information, including social media and the ability to broadcast community meetings |
REC199-0410 | 17 - Assets and technology | the state take the necessary measures to upgrade existing manual stream and rain gauges and ensure that all future gauges provide a seamless transfer of data from the gauges to the Bureau of Meteorology. |
REC199-0447 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | the state ensure that common and interoperable resource management systems are developed and implemented by emergency management agencies. Common systems should be utilised to the fullest extent possible. |
REC199-0433 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state develop and implement standards for Emergency Alert to ensure consistent use, training and application by accredited operators within agencies across ‘all hazards’. |
REC199-0458 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | the state ensure: • a common, functional and accessible system be introduced to enable effective Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre and Incident Control Centre communications • a regime of regular Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre exercising is introduced with oversight by an appropriate independent body. Such exercising should include testing of systems utilised for Incident Control Centre and Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre communications • those required to perform Emergency Management Liaison Officer roles have undertaken appropriate training; and • resource requesting arrangements are clarified and documented so that control and coordination functions do not overlap. |
REC199-0438 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state investigate the ability to refine the Flood and Storm Information Line to enable it to receive as well as provide information. |
REC199-0402 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state develop a flood warning system for each basin and location with community input and make relevant documents publicly available. Each warning system should include key performance indicators. |
REC199-0446 | 7 - Inter-agency communication | the state commit to securing effective multi-agency interoperable communications as a high level priority and that all future communications projects and upgrades incorporate compliance provisions mandating interoperability requirements. |
REC199-0432 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state develop and implement a single web portal as a means of providing emergency information to communities and local government on an ‘all hazards’ basis, including the information referred to in recommendations 74, 89 and 92. |
REC199-0453 | 20 - Role of police | Victoria Police revise coordinator arrangements to ensure: • a coordinator presence is maintained at the place where incident control is being exercised • effective control is established and is maintained until the response phase has concluded • key control roles may be performed by personnel from agencies other than the designated control agency • that the timely compilation and distribution of an appropriate Incident Action Plan is recognised as a fundamental component of establishing effective control • those performing the coordinator role at an Incident Control Centre be suitably trained, skilled and experienced in emergency management and where possible possess a degree of local knowledge of the relevant area; and • that the revised coordinator arrangements are reflected within the State Emergency Response Plan |
REC199-0437 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state engage with local government to ensure emergency services’ public information and warnings reflect the community demographic. |
REC199-0444 | 2 - Emergency powers | the state, as a matter of urgency, develop a multi-agency Incident Control Team capability to be readily available for statewide deployment to establish incident control or to relieve functioning control structures. |
REC199-0421 | 34 - Local knowledge | the state take the necessary measures to require that local knowledge is considered in flood risk planning, including verification of flood maps and flood response plans. |
REC199-0452 | 17 - Assets and technology | the state ensure that any new systems and equipment purchased by state emergency management agencies are interoperable with other relevant agencies to the fullest extent possible. This should involve the state establishing a procurement gateway process with input from the Emergency Services Commissioner. |
REC199-0436 | 8 - Communications and warnings | the state develop a standard approach to the provision of emergency warnings and information in formats – spoken and written – that recognise diverse community needs, including language and disability |
REC199-0492 | 34 - Local knowledge | the state comprehensively pursue the objective of achieving (where possible) the priority outcomes of the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience and the imperative of shared responsibility, in particular by: • requiring that local knowledge is considered as a critical component of all phases of emergency management • involving local communities in the development and ownership of community resilience plans based on an ‘all hazards’ approach and tailored for the specific needs of each community • encouraging local communities to form resilience committees to develop and administer community resilience plans • nominating Victoria Police as the lead agency in initiating the strategy to develop community resilience committees; and • requiring emergency service agencies to consult and engage with local community resilience committees in the preparation, planning, response and recovery phases of emergency management. |
REC199-0441 | 4 - Fire season preparation | the state undertake further trials to explore the opportunity for greater use of social media as a credible source of information to and from the public during an emergency |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC179-2981 | 8 - Communications and warnings | The Department of Human Services should complete work on emergency communication and information management issues. |
REC179-2976 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Department of Human Services should regularly test recovery plans with partner agencies. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC154-3462 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | DPI should formalise the approach and framework for evaluating simulation exercises and response to Emergency Animal Disease incidents with guidelines to define the nature of the review process. This should include: |
REC154-3459 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | To improve response preparedness, DPI should clearly link the selection of simulation exercises to the risk management framework to target coverage of high risks. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC132-3597 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | Investigate engaging with other agencies involved in emergency management including SES, VicRoads, VicPolice, OESC and DHS to establish a single united emergency information line for Victoria that can be used to provide information to the public from all agencies involved. |
REC132-3594 | 8 - Communications and warnings | Need for scripting of messages by fire agency representatives when promoting VBIL services via radio, TV and newspapers. |
REC132-3590 | 8 - Communications and warnings | Investigate procedures for updating the Victoria Bushfire Information Line (VBIL) Integrated Voice Response recorded message system to allow recording of permanent bushfire safety, and incident-specific, messages, accessible when the VBIL is experiencing high call volumes during large and/or numerous significant incidents |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC125-3897 | 17 - Assets and technology | That agencies assess the cost-effectiveness of establishing a dedicated and proven asset management information system which is integrated with the other information systems used to manage drainage assets. |
REC125-3891 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | That Melbourne Water and councils explore opportunities for working collaboratively to address the management of flooding risks with a view to optimising the efficient and effective use of their flood mitigation resources. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC112-3928 | 3 - Biodiversity | That DPI formalises agreements within the Regional Services and Agriculture Division to ensure that plant health information is included in extension programs. |
REC112-3921 | 17 - Assets and technology | That the recommendations of the 2000 DPI report into the reference collection’s storage facility be implemented, to secure the collection in a purpose-built facility. |
REC112-3920 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | That better use be made of Primary Industries Research Victoria's (PIRVIC) facilities by strengthening links with relevant groups of expertise, such as the Forest Science Centre. |
REC112-3911 | 3 - Biodiversity | That DPI develops a consistent process to identify, assess and prioritise potential plant pest and disease threats, and aligns it with prioritisation processes used at the national level by Plant Health Australia. |
REC112-3933 | 15 - Inter-service cooperation | That DPI formalises agreements between divisions and groups that allow staff to be involved in incursion responses and reflects this requirement in individual duty statements. |