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. |
REC321-4214 | 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. |
REC321-4205 | 26 - Research | We recommend that DELWP in partnership with Parks Victoria, Country Fire Authority, Fire Rescue Victoria and councils as appropriate, collect empirical evidence after bushfire events to assess the effectiveness of different fuel management treatments, including planned burning, mulching, slashing and mineral earth breaks, and build an evidence base to the effectiveness of these treatments. |
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. |
REC321-4206 | 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. |
REC321-4210 | 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. |
REC321-4211 | 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. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC299-1340 | 26 - Research | That any such pilot program ought to be managed by the relevant indigenous organisations, with support provided by DELWP and its partner agencies and the development and the evaluation of any pilot program should be overseen by an independent and reputable academic or research institution. |
REC299-1339 | 26 - Research | That Government provide support in the form of funding for the Return to the Firestick project, and that a formal pilot scheme be established where data can be collected, collated and analysed and the effectiveness of this approach be compared against current burning practices. |
REC299-1346 | 26 - Research | DELWP and its partner agencies, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, should undertake research into the specific effects on health of people affected by planned burns and the information should be made public. The study should include the direct impact of smoke on affected populations and impacts on water, food supplies and livestock. |
REC299-1345 | 36 - Volunteers | That issues of animal welfare be given a higher practical priority in the planned burning process on the ground, including: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC263-1093 | 36 - Volunteers | VICSES should: review and improve data quality around volunteer numbers and skills |
REC263-1091 | 36 - Volunteers | CFA and VICSES should: develop recruitment and retention strategies to guide these activities centrally, regionally and at the district, brigade and unit level, so that approaches are consistent with the organisations’ strategic goals |
REC263-1090 | 36 - Volunteers | CFA and VICSES should: improve their central and regional oversight of volunteer workforce management by strategically using the available information, such as volunteer demographic data, Brigade Operational Skills Profiles and ERAS-e profiles, and developing new information, such as risk assessment, to increase their awareness of: x x actual and required volunteer numbers the gaps and risks around volunteer capability and capacity |
REC263-1098 | 36 - Volunteers | VicSES should: improve ERAS-e profiles to reflect volunteer activity and availability |
REC263-1096 | 36 - Volunteers | CFA should: develop exit surveys and associated management reports based on meaningful analysis as a way to better inform it about the reasons that volunteers leave |
REC263-1094 | 36 - Volunteers | CFA and VICSES should: evaluate volunteer support systems and processes |
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 |
REC250-0794 | 24 - Govt responsibility | Rural Finance Corporation (Department of Treasury and Finance) and Regional Development Victoria should coordinate any future disaster relief and recovery programs for businesses. |
REC250-0793 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Premier and Cabinet should develop clear guidelines for departments in designing community disaster relief and recovery programs. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
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: |
REC228-1618 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Emergency Services Agency, the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate should strengthen across-Government delivery of major projects in the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan and Regional Fire Management Plans by collectively: |
REC228-1610 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Emergency Services Agency should annually review fire management zones and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate should subsequently update the Regional Fire Management Plans. |
REC228-1605 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Justice and Community Safety Directorate should continue to review its strategic and accountability indicators and the Territory and Municipal Services Directorate should commence a review of its strategic and accountability indicators. The directorates should consult to develop complementary measures which better assess their bushfire management activities. |
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. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC217-1827 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The role of flood risk management planning rests with CMAs and Melbourne Water (under the Water Act 1989), and is a shared responsibility with local government. Shared responsibilities for flood risk management planning and implementation will be consistently reflected in government policy. |
REC217-1810 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Where a levee has been identified as low priority, and beneficiaries are not willing to contribute to its maintenance, public authorities will inform levee beneficiaries that they will not fund the repair of their levee following a flood event. |
REC217-1839 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The state government accept recommendations 25 to 28, inclusive, of the Victorian Floods Review. |
REC217-1817 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The current technical guidelines for the construction of levee systems will be reviewed. A revised Levee Design, Construction and Maintenance technical guidelines will include guidelines for the construction of both priority public levees, and private levees on private land, such as ring levees, which protect key assets. These guidelines will be made available to all rural councils, who will make landowners constructing new levees on their property aware of the principles and specifications contained in the guidelines and encourage construction based on them. |
REC217-1824 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Victorian Government to implement the recommendations of the Victorian Floods Review in relation to the development and implementation of appropriate flood mitigation and protection strategies for essential services. |
REC217-1809 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | All priority public levees not currently the subject of approved schemes, will become subject to approved schemes under Division 5, Part 10 of the Water Act 1989. Such schemes will articulate an agreed set of terms, including: |
REC217-1836 | 26 - Research | Flood studies will be undertaken to determine the flood extent on the basis of a greater than 1 in 100 ARI, where appropriate: |
REC217-1815 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | A regular inspection and maintenance regime will be undertaken for all high priority levees managed by a public authority. All such levees will be inspected by the relevant public authority on an annual basis, and after a flood event. All levees will have a regular maintenance schedule. |
REC217-1823 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Victorian Government should work with the New South Wales Government and the Murray Darling Basin Authority to establish an appropriate floodplain management committee and to develop a floodplain management strategy for the Murray River. The strategy will define priority regions for the development of floodplain management plans, address ways of improving the management of all levees on the Murray River, and seek agreement in relation to improved approvals processes, levee heights and maintenance regimes. |
REC217-1808 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The revised Victoria Flood Management Strategy should provide a strategic framework for the management and ongoing maintenance of Victoria’s levees. The Victoria Flood Management Strategy will provide criteria for a consistent statewide approach to the prioritisation of the state’s levees for future management and investment: |
REC217-1835 | 24 - Govt responsibility | Within the jurisdiction of Melbourne Water, it shares with local councils the responsibility to manage local drainage systems as outlined under the Water Act 1989 and the Local Government Act 1989 respectively: |
REC217-1813 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Sustainability and Environment will develop guidelines for streamlining the permitting system for conducting works on levees for incorporation in the revised Victoria Flood Management Strategy, in order for maintenance on all levees to occur more quickly. The guidelines will outline circumstances in which exemptions from current approval processes are appropriate. Councils will be permitted to obtain exemptions within their planning schemes for: |
REC217-1822 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The state government will work with Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water and stakeholders to determine ongoing ownership and associated responsibilities for redundant channel infrastructure in the Wimmera and the Mallee. |
REC217-1807 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | A revised Victoria Flood Management Strategy is needed and should clearly articulate the principles, roles and responsibilities for the ownership, management and ongoing maintenance of Victoria’s levees. Neither land tenure nor prior government involvement will dictate ownership of public levees: |
REC217-1832 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The revised Victoria Flood Management Strategy should clearly identify authorities and assign responsibilities for stream blockage and debris removal in waterways posing a high risk to public infrastructure both during and after a flood: |
REC217-1812 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Streamlined processes to enable access to levees for the purposes of conducting works, including maintenance, must be implemented. Where a levee is managed by a public authority as part of a formal scheme, and is sited on either private land, or on a mixture of public and private land, access to private land for works will be negotiated as part of any scheme agreement. Where a levee is sited on public land, but is not managed by a public authority, local beneficiaries willing to conduct maintenance will be given access to do so, provided: |
REC217-1846 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The state government should implement the recommendations of the Victorian Floods Review in relation to the creation of resilience committees and resilience plans, with responsible authorities. |
REC217-1821 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Where flood investigations show positive and cost effective outcomes, infrastructure providers, such as VicRoads, will consider enhancing their infrastructure to act as levees. Any development of this nature will require collaboration with, and the approval of, the relevant floodplain authorities. |
REC217-1831 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Significant modification of waterways in urban or rural areas will only be considered after the completion of a flood risk management process, undertaken in consultation with members of the community. |
REC217-1811 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Responsible authorities will identify low priority levees for potential removal, and have them removed when funding becomes available. |
REC217-1843 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The state government implement the Victorian Floods Review recommendation 10 in relation to the datums used to describe river and stream heights. |
REC217-1818 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Sustainability and Environment to review ownership of Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water’s Yarriambiack Creek levee, with a view to the appointment of a more suitable public managing authority/authorities. |
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. |
REC179-2980 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Human Services should work with regions and partner agencies at the state level to create consistent, streamlined impact assessment processes and systems. |
REC179-2979 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Human Services should communicate strategic priorities to achieve state and regional level alignment in building recovery capacity and capability. |
REC179-2983 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Human Services should work with the State Emergency Recovery Planning Committee, regions, and other partners to facilitate understanding and ownership of roles and responsibilities for common recovery services. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC169-2994 | 24 - Govt responsibility | Representatives of lead departments should obtain necessary security clearances so appropriate officers can access information relevant to their sectors. |
REC169-2993 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Premier and Cabinet should clarify the requirements in relation to establishing Security and Continuity Networks in designated sectors, so that there is a shared understanding of those requirements. |
REC169-2992 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Premier and Cabinet should identify risks arising from the joined-up nature of the approach to protecting essential services and critical infrastructure, and to assist departments and agencies to develop associated risk management arrangements at the whole-of-government level. |
REC169-2991 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Premier and Cabinet should provide definitive guidance on identifying essential services for declaration to better inform relevant departments in discharging their responsibilities under Part 6 of the Act. |
REC169-2990 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Premier and Cabinet should clarify the roles and responsibilities of departments and agencies under Part 6 of the Act and CIP framework to reduce confusion and gaps. |
REC169-2995 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Department of Premier and Cabinet, in consultation with Victoria Police, should develop clear guidance to distinguish between declared essential services and critical infrastructure to assist departments, Victoria Police and industry in implementing Part 6 of the Act and the CIP framework more effectively. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC155-3480 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | That the Integrated Fire Management Planning framework establish zones in the interface between public and private land in which bushfire risk management is the shared responsibility of the Victorian Government and private landholders. |
REC155-3474 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Victorian Government consider all available means, consistent with conservation values, for substantially increasing the access of apiarists to the public land estate. |
REC155-3473 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Victorian Government expedite the implementation of its 2006 election commitment to provide four wheel drive clubs with access to management vehicle only tracks. |
REC155-3472 | 26 - Research | That the Department of Sustainability and Environment and its partner agencies conduct or commission research, and a possible trial study, to determine the potential of thinning and other silvicultural practices – whether alone or in combination with prescribed burning – as a means of reducing fuel loads and as a bushfire management strategy in Victoria’s forests. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC154-3461 | 24 - Govt responsibility | DPI should develop an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Human Services that capitalises on and strengthens the current good working relationship to support joint forward planning and risk management and mitigates against relationship failure in the event of leadership change. The MOU should clarify: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC144-3386 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Committee considers that the ACT Government should table in the ACT Legislative Assembly the cost-benefit analysis and business plan for Fairbairn as a central site for emergency services in the ACT. |
REC144-3382 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Committee recommends that responsibility for oversighting the progress of the implementation of agreed recommendations of the Coroner be undertaken by a truly independent body and not by the Bushfire Council. |
REC144-3393 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that the responsibility for land management issues lie within a single portfolio, specifically the Minister for Territory and Municipal Services. |
REC144-3390 | 24 - Govt responsibility | If the ACT Government decides to proceed with the site as the emergency services headquarters, that it accord a high priority to the finalisation of the site preparations for the ESA at Fairbairn as a matter of urgency. |
REC144-3389 | 24 - Govt responsibility | If the Auditor-General does not undertake a review in the near future, the Committee recommends that the ACT Government make a public announcement about the future accommodation plans for the Emergency Services Agency and its component parts so that both the ESA and the ACT public are informed about current proposals and timeframes. |
REC144-3388 | 24 - Govt responsibility | If the Auditor-General does not undertake a review in the near future, the Committee recommends that the ACT Government re-investigate the suitability of the Fairbairn site as a proposed centralised accommodation facility for emergency services. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC126-1994 | 8 - Communications and warnings | That the Emergnecy Services Agency publicise and demonstrate the use of the Standard Emergency Warning Signal and provide to the community adequate explanation of the application of the signal. This should occur at least annually, in conjunction with any pre-summer fire awareness initiatives |
REC126-2006 | 24 - Govt responsibility | I recommend that, as appropriate, the ACT cooperate with the Commonwealth in the implementation of the committee's recommendations and, in particular, give careful consideration to adoption of the following recommendations: |
REC126-1962 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That, because of the small jurisdiction of the ACT (equivalent to one fire district in NSW) the ACT Government consider all possible options for the provision of fire services to the ACT, among them: |
REC126-1985 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Emergency Services Agency, with the suport of the ACT Government, seek to establish with the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and the NSW Rural Fire Service a protocol that will provide for the establishment of a joint incident management team as part of unified control arrangements based on adoption of the following principles: |
REC126-2002 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | That consideration be given when building to the positioning of outbuildings around residential structures such that their potential impact on the main structure is reduced |
REC126-1948 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Emergency Services Agency be removed from the Department of Justice and Community Safety and transformed into an independent statutory authority reporting directly to the responsible Minister. Note in this regard that Mr McLeod made a similar recommendation, and I endorse it unequivocally. Placing the agency within a government department puts unnecessary layers of bureaucracy between the agency and the responsible Minister, and the bureaucrats concerned usually have no special knowledge of or experience in emergency management, regardless of their seniority in the bureaucracy |
REC126-1984 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Emergency Services Agency, with the support of the ACT Government, develop a single, new memorandum of understanding with the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and the NSW Rural Fire Service, providing for liaison and joint operations as soon as it becomes apparent to whichever jurisdiction is managing a fire that the fire will probably affect the other jurisdiction. Joint operations should not be limited to when an incident occurs on both sides of the border, as is the current arrangement |
REC126-2000 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | That the ACT Government consider taking measures to implement the provisions of Australian Standard 3959, Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas, for the ACT urban area |
REC126-1942 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the ACT Attorney-General and the ACT Government - in consulation with the Chief Justice of the ACT and the ACT Chief Magistrate - take legislative action that would have the effect of funds being directly appropriated annually to the courts, preferable along the lines of the Commonwealth model as it applies to the High Court of Australia, the Federal Court of Australia, the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court. Alternatively, the funds could be appropriated in accordance with the South Australian model, which has a seperate Courts Administartion Authority. |
REC126-1982 | 8 - Communications and warnings | That the Australian Federal Police and the Emergency Services Agency agree on a policy on community safety and evacuation during bushfires, based on the Australasian Fire Authorities Council position outlined in its paper Community Safety and Evacuation during Bushfires. Community education programs should incorporate advice on this, including the ‘stay or go’ policy |
REC126-1998 | 8 - Communications and warnings | That a system of public warnings that uses grid references shown on the maps in the Canberra telephone directory be adopted |
REC126-2012 | 24 - Govt responsibility | If they are willing and available to participate, that the taskforce's membership include Mr Phil Cheney, Mr Tony Bartlett, Mr Val Jeffery and Mr John Lowe |
REC126-1979 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the policy and practice just recommended be the subject of a memorandum of understanding between the Emergency Services Agency and the Department of Territory and Municipal Services (previously the Department of Urban Services) or other relevant department or agency, so as to ensure that the land management agency on whose land a fire starts has responsibility to respond immediately to that fire in accordance with the applicable standards for weight of response. Further, the land management agency should be responsible for efforts to suppress fire until such time as it becomes clear that the suppression task is beyond capacity of the agency, at which point the ACT Rural Fire Service should assume direct responsibility for coordinating the ongoing response |
REC126-1997 | 8 - Communications and warnings | That the Emergency Services Agency conduct investigations - and liase with emergency services agencies in other jurisdicions - in order to ascertain what technologies exist and are effective for use in disseminating warnings and associated information to the community of the ACT |
REC126-2009 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That a taskforce be established to give effect to the recommendations in this report |
REC126-1976 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Emergency Services Agency have authority over the land management agencies and other landholders in order to implement preparedness and prevention measures – including fuel-reduction works where there are failures in compliance |
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. |
REC112-3911 | 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. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC061-3408 | 24 - Govt responsibility | It is inappropriate for an emergency services provider to develop its own standards, core objectives and functions. The Committee recommends that these be the responsibility of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. |
REC061-3250 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Committee recommends that the Bureau of Emergency Services Telecommunications Centre extend its services as a commercial venture to smaller government agencies who could not develop such a dedicated system. |
REC061-3242 | 24 - Govt responsibility | It is inappropriate for an emergency services provider to develop its own standards, core objectives and functions. The Committee recommends that these be the responsibility of the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. |
REC061-3415 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The Committee recommends that the Bureau of Emergency Services Telecommunications Centre extend its services as a commercial venture to smaller government agencies who could not develop such a dedicated system. |