Flood education: That, to build disaster resilience in future generations as floods and other natural disasters are a fact of Australian life, the Department of Education should design, implement and deliver an evidence-based, targeted education campaign (like sun exposure) in schools (new disaster curriculum).

Compound mental helath studies: That, to inform Government policies and programs for mental health and disasters, Government commission a longitudinal study on the effect of consecutive disasters on community mental health.

Climate and weather research: That, to enable effective mitigation and adaptation measures in response to changing climate risks, Government establish NSW as a world centre of disaster research and technology development. This should include:
• maintaining and enhancing climate and weather research capability in NSW through establishing a long-term research funding network/partnership (the NSW Climate Extremes Network – NCEN –modelled on other successful research networks such as NSSN) with the state’s universities, coordinated and led through the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes (with funding renewed based on performance every 5 years) to ensure leading-edge climate change research and modelling capabilities are available to government agencies and NSW businesses and communities. The funding will enable NCEN to hire researchers and build training programs for students and researchers to enrich the research environment, and the impact of the research in decision making within NSW
• commissioning further research and technology development (through NCEN working as appropriate with the Bureau of Meteorology, Natural Hazards Research Australia, CSIRO and research organisations worldwide, as well as the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes) to understand the weather patterns conducive to extreme rainfall (including more detailed rainfall event attribution studies) with a view to increasing rainfall forecasting accuracy in time and location.

That at the start of each fire season, based on advice from the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee, Government provide a public statement with an evaluation of the likely fire season risk and the effectiveness of the planning and preparation for the upcoming season. This should be based on sophisticated monitoring of the key risk factors and signals for an extreme fire season. It should form the basis for clear public communication about these risks on a regional basis and the actions that Government proposes in preparation.

That, in order to capture and understand the impacts of bush fire smoke better, Government invest in operational air quality forecasting and alert systems, and public health research and policy development. This would involve investment to:
- develop a comprehensive system of forecasting and alerts for air quality incidents and all pollutants of concern, including but not limited to bush fire smoke, ozone and dust, and which is ideally nationally consistent
- investigate further the health impacts of bush fire smoke, based on improved data collection and including research on the long-term health impacts of poor air quality as a result of sustained exposure to severe bush fire smoke, particularly for vulnerable and at- risk segments of the community (children, elderly, firefighters, etc).

That, in order to improve understanding of optimal hazard reduction techniques and their application in the landscape:
a) Government extend the recently introduced program of mitigation crews so that hazard reduction activities can be undertaken when conditions are optimal (throughout the week and potentially at night)
b) all fire authorities review prescribed burning techniques and their implementation, and
commission further research into optimal prescribed burning regimes and techniques. This should include research to understand critical thresholds that, when breached, may render fuel treatment ineffective (i.e. fuel moisture thresholds), and the short, medium and long-term outcomes of hazard reduction burning regimes
c) Government commission research into a range of other hazard reduction techniques to understand better the cost versus benefit and effectiveness of different practices in various circumstances, including grazing.

That Government establish NSW as a major world centre of bush fire research, and technology development and commercialisation. This should include:
a) establishing a Bush Fire Technology Fund, modelled on the Medical Devices Fund, to assist with the rapid development of technologies and services to sense, fight, mop up after and protect from bush fires
b) commissioning further research into extreme fire behaviour and building up the research and research training capacity in this field. This will improve our ability to understand, model and predict the likelihood of extreme fire behaviour in the landscape and enable targeting of fire fighting resources to areas where fires are likely to become most damaging.

That, in order to ensure people can access clear information on cross-border fires, the NSW RFS:
a) incorporate information on fires in neighbouring states and territories into Fires Near Me NSW
b) collaborate with other states and territories to develop a national app as part of the Australian Warning System being developed through the AFAC Warnings Group.

That, in order to improve bush fire planning and protection of road infrastructure and to ensure communities, freight movers and fire fighting agencies have appropriate access and egress in a bush fire event, Government, working with local government as needed:
- develop a formal bush fire risk assessment process for all State roads and bridges, to
identify:
* ‘high-risk’ communities where access and egress in the event of a fire will be
affected, for example rural communities connected by a single road surrounded by bushland, and ensure community bush fire planning processes (i.e. Bush Fire Risk Management Plans (BFRMPs) or Community Protection Plans) include plans to ‘leave early’ or enforce mandatory evacuation orders
* how waterways can be integrated better into the transport network as evacuation routes or places of shelter when road and rail transport is unavailable – waterways should be included in regional emergency management plans
* route options for rapid identification of needed road closures in the event of fire
* key sections of the State’s road network for future upgrade to ensure whole corridors
are resilient to fire impacts, regardless of who manages the asset
- audit, through the NSW RFS Audit Unit (to be established) the inclusion of critical road
infrastructure in BFRMPs prepared by Bush Fire Management Committees (ensuring that appropriate transport representation is provided to BFMCs) and Local Emergency Management Committees across the State.
In support of these measures, it will be critical that the community is given early warning of bush fire events and has ample time to evacuate prior to or during an emergency.

That Government commission further research on the potential risks and benefits of backburning during severe, extreme and catastrophic conditions and/or in particular terrain, and that the NSW RFS use this research to inform future backburning protocols and training.

Collate data and research the impact of bushfires upon communities, firefighters and animals (both native and domestic) to identify appropriate medium and long-term welfare and support requirements.

That SES and Tasmania Fire Service share resources and align their community education programs and adopt an all-hazards approach to awareness.

That all councils include an easily identifiable website link for the public to locate their Municipal Emergency Management Plan and community safety information.

Develop practical policy outcomes to support resilience (e.g. the 72- hour model) and promote this broadly to community through media, awareness campaigns, policies etc. Research should be undertaken to gain insight into the types of messaging and activities that have the most impact on sustained behaviour change within the community before committing to a particular model.

I recommend that the New South Wales Police Force evaluate whether the use of noise-attenuation devices should be mandated when explosive distraction devices are used.

The Committee finds that on the evidence presented, the State Fire Commission introduces key performance indicators reporting in relation to its work in community engagement to measure its success in program delivery and community engagement.

The Committee finds that on the evidence presented, that the State Fire Commission should assess whether community engagement programs of the State Fire Services and State Emergency should be centralised.

The Tasmanian fire agencies review: • their pre-season engagement with groups such as (but not limited to) environmental groups who might beneft from a greater understanding of fire management tactics, in order to inform them of and receive feedback on intended approaches to firefghting and fire management the work of the Public Information Section at incident management, regional and State level, to develop an increased appreciation of what information management might be most appropriate to serve the public interest in understanding the progress of the incident and to identify ways of providing surge capacity to resource effective information management in protracted and signifcant incidents.

Develop and implement a targeted community flood awareness program.

Quantify the effect of heatwaves on vulnerable people.

Improve community educational information.

Investigate usefulness of satellite data for PPRR (prevention, preparedness, response, recovery) planning.

Continue the Bushfire Ready Neighbourhoods Program.

Develop a community education strategy for when to call 000, 131 444, and 132 500.

Improve understanding of the weather systems that cause storm surge events to improve predictability and warnings.

Develop and deliver earthquake hazard awareness products.

Improve knowledge and understanding of the effect heatwaves coinciding with other hazard events have on the effectiveness and capability of response and recovery capabilities

Increase understanding of the Puysegur Trench dynamics to improve certainty around the likelihood and magnitude of future Tsunamis.

Up-skill isolated communities in emergency PPRR skills.

Develop coastal inundation education materials that meet the needs of exposed communities.

Develop capacity to utilise the new high-resolution satellite products now available.

Enhance the community development program.

Introduce child-centred household level disaster risk reduction strategies in school programs.

Conduct research into changes of owners’ and occupiers stated and revealed risk tolerance and preference for treatment measures before and after natural hazard events.

Develop and implement a community storm safe awareness program.

Expand the existing Fire Ready Schools Program with enhanced support and incorporate other sites used by vulnerable groups.

Deliver Flood Studies.

Investigate the potential effectiveness of economic and financial mechanisms to manage the risk appetites of land owners.

Include heatwave in existing preparedness programs.

Continue the Community Bushfire Protection Program with a renewed focus on vulnerable groups.

Improve understanding of how coastal inundation events interact with riverine flood events.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns.

Improving Community Preparedness and Resilience
Noting work ongoing to improve the quality of planning at LEMC level, communities should
be encouraged and assisted where possible to make simple assessments of their risks and
take simple measures to support themselves in the immediate time after an event. This may
include identifying potential isolations and preparing supplies of food and water; backup communications options; proposing possible community meeting places and / or identifying
community members who may be able to assist others.

Media Engagement Consideration should be given on future recovery operations to adopting a more structured approach to media engagement, with regular media briefings undertaken at a frequency dependent upon the phase of the recovery activities and the level of media interest. These briefings could be conducted at different locations around the region, if appropriate, and would provide the opportunity for communication of key messages and provide journalists with the opportunity to ask questions regarding the recovery. This could be complemented by media coverage of community engagement visits. For all recovery operations,
consideration should be given to the identification and secondment of a dedicated media
advisor to manage the media messaging.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns.

That recovery policy incorporates the need for regular public meetings which give access to officials and representatives of agencies, as required

That where, in the future a similar process for land clearing is adopted, the rationale and process is better explained and widely promulgated.

That Tasmania Fire Service promotes a structured approach to research across Australia, to provide a shared understanding and the capacity to benchmark and judge performance.

That the State Emergency Management Committee develops and coordinates a whole-of-government community resilience strategy for emergencies in a form that can be practically implemented, as a priority.

That fire agencies continue to develop their predictive modelling capability for use in actively managing fires.

That a bushfire community education and information strategy be professionally developed and coordinated across the fire authorities by Tasmania Fire Service.

That Tasmania Fire Service supports the relevant authorities to continue developing methodologies to forecast and simulate fire risk.

That emergency management plans specifically include processes for effectively engaging with local communities and using community resources, including volunteers.

TFS make their community education and safety material available to the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Tasmania.

Ensure the SES has the long-term capacity to plan and exercise for the full range of flood events in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley

Develop a comprehensive road evacuation network model for floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain to inform evacuation capacity assessments and strategic transport and land use planning, and to assist with the real-time operational management of evacuation during floods.

Clarify roles, responsibilities and consider funding options for post-event collection of data and flood intelligence.

Develop mechanisms and arrangements to promote and provide greater access to flood risk information.

Monitor, investigate and address community response to flood warnings

Undertake, coordinate and evaluate community education programs on flood risk and response.

Develop and maintain a comprehensive flood model and flood modelling framework for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

That Bush Fire Risk Management Plans be posted on the NSW Rural Fire Service website.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop a strategy to better inform the community and NSW Rural Fire Service members about the NSW bush fire management system and its components.

That Bush Fire Risk Management Plans be tabled at Local Emergency Management Committees for comment.

SERCon consider a review of existing community-based educational programs, with a view to informing the community
on flood recovery.

That the Minister for Emergency Services and the South Australian Country Fire Service implement programs to develop in the minds of citizens a heightened awareness of bushfire risk, and in particular to encourage citizens to listen for radio announcements relating to the progression of a fire during the course of a bushfire incident

That the Minister for Emergency Services cause independent scientific or other research to be undertaken to establish means by which risk of bushfires, as created by continuous cropping, minimum tillage, direct drilling seeding practices and the retention of cropping stubble across the landscape, can be minimised.

That the Minister for Emergency Services in conjunction with the South Australian Country Fire Service conduct tuition courses to be made available to the general public to enable members of the public to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to implement their preparation and planning for bushfires

That the Minister for Emergency Services cause independent scientific or other research to be undertaken to identify the effects of continuous cropping, minimum tillage, direct drilling seeding practices and of the retention of cropping stubble, in respect of bushfire risk and prevention. 

That the President of the South Australian Farmers’ Federation of South Australia draws these recommendations and findings to the attention of its members and constituents

That the Department of Primary Industries should continue to raise awareness among producers of OJD risks and the operation of Sheep Health Statements.
On the basis of the evidence before it the Committee finds there is a high level of acceptance by producers of the exclusion zone system. However, despite major improvements to the management of OJD since the completion of the original program, it is clear from evidence presented during this inquiry that considerable resentment remains among producers. The Committee emphasises the importance of the Government continuing to build levels of trust with producers and to improve communication to maximise the effectiveness of the new Program and, indirectly, the effectiveness of other disease programs.

That the Department of Primary Industries and Rural Lands Protection Boards employ outreach activities to alert these small producers to their responsibilities and improve their awareness of animal and plant pests and diseases.

The Committee recommends that the Native Vegetation Council continue to seek mechanisms to interact with, and educate the individual farmer and landholder with respect to the Native Vegetation Act, its regulations and exemptions.

The Committee recommends that the government undertake public education programs to increase the awareness of the community to bushfires, the role fire plays in ecosystems and what steps they should take to minimise the impact of a fire.