Inquiry Search
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC327-4347 | 36 - Volunteers | By December 2023, the Rural Fire Service should: develop a strategy to ensure that local brigade volunteers are adequate in numbers and appropriately trained to operate fleet appliances in the RFS Districts where they are required. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC326-4342 | 24 - Govt responsibility | To promote integrity and transparency, the Department of Regional NSW should ensure that for all future grant programs it: ensures staff declare conflicts of interest prior to the commencement of a grants stream, and that these conflicts of interest are recorded and managed. |
REC326-4343 | 24 - Govt responsibility | To promote integrity and transparency, the Department of Regional NSW should ensure that for all future grant programs it: ensures a communications plan is in place, including the communication of guidelines to potential applicants. |
REC326-4344 | 24 - Govt responsibility | To promote integrity and transparency, the Department of Regional NSW should ensure that for all future grant programs it: establishes and follows guidelines that align with relevant good practice guidance including accountabilities, key assessment steps and clear assessment criteria. |
REC326-4340 | 24 - Govt responsibility | To promote integrity and transparency, the Department of Regional NSW should ensure that for all future grant programs it: documents all key decisions and approvals in line with record keeping obligations. |
REC326-4341 | 24 - Govt responsibility | To promote integrity and transparency, the Department of Regional NSW should ensure that for all future grant programs it: ensures regular monitoring is in place as part of funding deeds. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC324-4315 | 36 - Volunteers | The Community First Responders Program: That, to better coordinate community efforts to save life and property during a disaster, Government create a ‘Community First Responders Program’, funding appropriate community equipment and training, particularly in high-risk catchments along the east coast of NSW. This training would be delivered by combat and/or other appropriate government agencies. This program could support and empower community led initiatives such as disaster response, evacuation centres and the provision of services such as psychological first aid. |
REC324-4294 | 34 - Local knowledge | Environment: That, to maximise protection for the environment in and around floodplains, Government, working with local communities especially Indigenous communities, the NSWRA, other agencies and local councils ensure Indigenous voices are well heard in land use planning and natural resource management by: |
REC324-4310 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | Task Force Hawk: That, to ensure disaster readiness, Government establish a high-level Government standing committee, Task Force ‘Hawk’, comprising key Cabinet Ministers, Secretaries and Commissioners that meets, trains and exercises to ensure Government is prepared to respond to any emergency. Task Force ‘Hawk’ should resonate with the community in difficult times to ensure the highest level of confidence in Government’s response. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC323-4265 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the NSW Government work with First Nations peoples to support Aboriginal organisations in their capacity to operate and respond in times of natural disasters. |
REC323-4287 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the NSW State Emergency Service, in partnership with the Bureau of Meteorology, investigate ways in which local communities and local media with local knowledge can play a stronger role in flood predictions and warnings. |
REC323-4275 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the NSW Government, in partnership with community groups, including First Nations groups, develop initiatives to build community resilience, particularly in regions at high risk of future natural disaster events. |
REC323-4276 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the NSW Government ensure that community groups, both existing and emerging, including First Nations groups, are well integrated into disaster recovery, by incorporating them into state recovery plans and engaging with them in between and in the lead up to natural disasters. |
REC319-4199 | 24 - Govt responsibility | Relief and recovery capability: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria and the entity referred to in Recommendation 13, or otherwise responsible government department – in collaboration with the relevant relief and recovery organisations: |
REC323-4264 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the NSW Government work in partnership with key Aboriginal stakeholders, including the Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council, to prioritise the rebuild of Cabbage Tree Island, and ensure a safe and resourced evacuation plan is in place. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC315-3810 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That, to ensure updated resource-sharing arrangements are in place, the NSW and Victorian Governments progress and finalise a multi-agency Memorandum of Understanding before the 2020-21 fire season commences. |
REC315-3842 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That, in order to prioritise early suppression and keep fires small: |
REC315-3840 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | That, in order to ensure firefighter sustenance is of sufficient volume and quality, the NSW RFS reviews food standards and procedures in consultation with volunteers. The review should include catering service standards, including food safety, as well as the viability of sourcing commercial contracts and providing 12-hour food packs to firefighters. |
REC315-3839 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | That, to ensure firefighters can access mental health support through GPs, Government work with the Commonwealth Government to: |
REC315-3838 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | That, in order to ensure all NSW RFS members can access the mental health support they need, the NSW RFS expands in-house mental health support for members. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC302-2399 | 24 - Govt responsibility | Implement a fully integrated civilianised single call and dispatch centre, that includes a redundancy option outside the Sydney CBD, which will adopt an agnostic approach to deploy the quickest most suitable resource to an emergency. Such a centre should be managed by either a non uniformed public servant staffed organisation like the Office for Emergency Management, or the NSW Police Force |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC292-2380 | 24 - Govt responsibility | I recommend that the New South Wales Police Force, in conjunction with NSW Health, establish a Fixated Threat Assessment Centre to identify and gather information about fixated persons, assess the risks they pose, and attempt to mitigate such risks through early intervention. |
REC292-2379 | 24 - Govt responsibility | I recommend that the Premier of New South Wales consider whether the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 should be amended to ensure that there is appropriate access to health related information available to ASIO (consistent with recommendation 12 of the report of the Martin Place Siege Joint Commonwealth—New South Wales review) |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC280-1393 | 36 - Volunteers | That the NSW Rural Fire Service formally recognise the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association as a legitimate advocacy organisation representing volunteer bush fire fighters, and duly consult with it on policy and operational matters. |
REC280-1392 | 36 - Volunteers | That the NSW Rural Fire Service, in order to ensure greater respect for volunteer fire fighters’ knowledge and experience in the management of fires: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC279-1230 | 36 - Volunteers | Volunteer Retention: By April 2015, develop strategies and resources to improve volunteer retention, including: a) induction and development of leaders b) health checks for units to identify and address areas for improvement c) pathways for volunteers to take on greater responsibility d) consultation and communication e) recognition for volunteers and their employers |
REC279-1228 | 36 - Volunteers | Volunteer Workforce Plan: By December 2014, develop a volunteer workforce plan to focus resources for recruitment and retention on areas of greatest need. The plan should be based on regional capability plans that assess in a consistent way: a) how many volunteers they have and need b) the gaps and risks around volunteer numbers, skills and training |
REC279-1227 | 36 - Volunteers | Improve Analysis and Reporting: By December 2014, improve analysis and reporting on management information about volunteers, including: a) numbers, contribution, skills, profile, availability and turnover b) reasons for joining and leaving c) gaps in data completeness and quality This should enable SES to demonstrate an improvement in the completeness and accuracy of management information by April 2015 |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC267-1154 | 36 - Volunteers | Coordination of Volunteer Support |
REC267-1151 | 24 - Govt responsibility | Government Communications Coordination |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC261-1507 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the NSW Government consider enabling the default position during catastrophic and extreme fire danger periods to be the same as for section 44 fires, so that fire control centres have the same systems and resources ready to deploy should a fire break out. |
REC261-1510 | 36 - Volunteers | That the NSW Rural Fire Service formally recognise the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association as a legitimate advocacy organisation representing volunteer bush fire fighters, and duly consult with it on policy and operational matters. |
REC261-1509 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the NSW Rural Fire Service, in order to ensure greater respect for volunteer fire fighters’ knowledge and experience in the management of fires: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC260-1055 | 34 - Local knowledge | That the Rural Fire Service together with other land managers develop a program whereby local stakeholders come together regularly (every 2 months during non-fire season and monthly during the fire season) to share intelligence and to consider hazard and incident management measures for implementation. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC129-3627 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | We recommend that NSW Health continue with its good work and continue to develop and test its surveillance systems for early detection of infectious diseases. |
REC129-3624 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | We recommend that NSW Health continue with its good work and formally establish and oversight a comprehensive program of training, testing and evaluation of plans at the state, area and facility level. |
REC129-3623 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | We recommend that NSW Health continue with its good work and apply the lessons learnt from Exercise Cumpston to further improve preparedness for major infectious disease emergencies. |
REC129-3628 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | We recommend that NSW Health continue with its good work and continue to develop and test the capability of its contact tracing system to deal with a public health emergency. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC128-3606 | 24 - Govt responsibility | That the Department of Primary Industries address the forthcoming potential shortage of veterinary pathologists and agronomists within its testing facilities by positive recruitment actions over the next five years such as offering scholarships or training existing professional staff to develop skills in pathology. |
REC128-3600 | 34 - Local knowledge | The Department of Primary Industries continue to consult local community about emergency planning and sites for disposal to retain confidence in the event of a genuine emergency. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC121-3702 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | Random alcohol testing should be continued. |
REC121-3741 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The operation of the train doors should have an override facility whereby the train driver or the guard can override an internal passenger emergency door release system if the door release is interfered with when there is no emergency. There should be an alarm, together with an intercom, in the train guard’s compartment so that, if a passenger attempts to initiate an emergency door release, there is an appropriate delay during which time an alarm sounds in the train guard’s compartment and the guard can then, after first attempting to speak via the intercom to the person concerned, if necessary, override the door release, and make an appropriate announcement over the intercom system in the train. |
REC121-3720 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The New South Wales Government should make the necessary arrangements with the Australian Government, including any necessary legislation, for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to have the power to investigate all rail accidents occurring on the New South Wales rail network the investigation of which may advance the knowledge of the causes of rail accidents in Australia. |
REC121-3754 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The RailCorp Board should ensure that RailCorp has an adequate and integrated safety management system, including adequate systems for risk assessment, clearly defined safety responsibilities and accountabilities for persons holding management positions, and specific performance criteria against which evaluations can be made of safety performance and accountability for safety performance of all managers. |
REC121-3734 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | RailCorp should integrate its management of occupational health and safety into its overall safety management. |
REC121-3682 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All new rolling stock should be designed to be compatible with at least level 2 automatic train protection discussed in chapter 7 of this report. |
REC121-3740 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The internal passenger emergency door release should be fitted with a facility which prevents it from operating unless the train is stationary. |
REC121-3711 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The ITSRR should establish an electronic document control system to enable effective and reliable information to be gathered for monitoring the safety of the New South Wales rail system. |
REC121-3749 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All new rolling stock must be designed with an area of the roof through which emergency services personnel can access a rail car without encountering wiring or other equipment. That access point must be clearly marked with words such as “emergency services cut here”. |
REC121-3733 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | RailCorp’s approach to occupational health and safety should be proactive and involve the systematic analysis of all current hazards, risks and controls and an assessment of their adequacy to reduce the risk of injury to, or death of, employees to an acceptable level. |
REC121-3767 | 24 - Govt responsibility | All accredited rail organisations should be required to re-apply every three years to ITSRR for accreditation. |
REC121-3681 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | RailCorp should progressively implement, within a reasonable time, level 2 automatic train protection with the features identified in chapter 8 of this report. |
REC121-3739 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All passenger trains operating in New South Wales must be fitted with external emergency door releases which do not require any special key or other equipment to operate. |
REC121-3709 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | RailCorp should provide access to electronic versions of safety documentation for all operational staff at their workplace. |
REC121-3748 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All new rail cars must have appropriate signage and lighting identifying escape routes in the case of emergency. |
REC121-3732 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | If ITSRR accepts such a plan as an appropriate response to the existing weak safety culture, ITSRR should approve it and monitor the effectiveness of the plan. |
REC121-3764 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The ITSRR should not grant accreditation to any rail organisation unless it has an integrated safety management system in accordance with any safety management system regulation and the guidelines published from time to time by ITSRR. |
REC121-3680 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All trains must be fitted with a minimum of two independent engineering defences to minimise the risk of derailment or collision in the event of train driver incapacitation. |
REC121-3738 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All passenger trains must be fitted with an internal passenger emergency door release. |
REC121-3707 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The safety document management system should provide for the distribution of electronic versions of safety documentation to relevant staff. |
REC121-3747 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All trains should have windows available through which passengers can escape. |
REC121-3731 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | RailCorp should develop a plan to be submitted to ITSRR to address the deficiencies in the safety culture of RailCorp, including: |
REC121-3759 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | A Safety Reform Program Director (hereafter referred to as SRPD), reporting directly to the Chief Executive of RailCorp, should be retained to manage, as head of a Safety Reform Program Office, any safety reform program being undertaken by RailCorp. The SRPD should work with the Chief Executive and senior management to ensure the implementation of an integrated safety management system and the cultural change required. The SRPD must have qualifications suitable for recognition by the Australian Institute of Project Management as a master program director. He or she should report to and be under the control of the Chief Executive, to ensure that the accountability of the Chief Executive is not reduced. The SRPD should co-ordinate and integrate any existing rail safety reform programs and, in consultation with and with the authority of the Chief Executive he or she should: |
REC121-3673 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | Regular field training exercises should be conducted by RailCorp with the emergency services to ensure that the incident command system and rail displan are able to be fully implemented as quickly as possible and are reviewed and improved. |
REC121-3737 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | There must be a minimum of two independent methods of self-initiated emergency escape for passengers from all trains at all times. |
REC121-3706 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | RailCorp should establish a comprehensive safety document management system. |
REC121-3743 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | All passenger trains operating in New South Wales must have the external emergency door release clearly marked with the words “Emergency Door Release”. |
REC121-3721 | 24 - Govt responsibility | The ITSRR should ensure that OTSI, as a division of ITSRR, co-operates and assists the ATSB in the conduct of any independent investigation by the ATSB of any rail accident or incident in New South Wales. |
REC121-3755 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | The RailCorp Board should require a full review of the safety competence of RailCorp managers to ensure that each has the ability to bring about those safety reforms recommended in this report which are applicable to his or her position. |
REC121-3735 | 29 - Operational Health and Safety | Risk assessments of occupational health and safety issues by RailCorp should include an analysis of broader public safety risks and not be confined to narrow occupational health and safety issues. |