Inquiry Search
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC325-4331 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends Queensland Fire and Emergency Services conduct annual exercises with every local disaster management group and district disaster management group to confirm the process for developing, approving and issuing of an Emergency Alert, including the use of pre-formatted polygons and messages. Upon completion of the initial statewide exercise, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services will furnish an exercise evaluation report to the Office of the Inspector-General of Emergency Management by 1 November 2023. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC322-4235 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Inspector-General Emergency Management recommends the Department of Environment and Science review the resourcing model to ensure surge capacity is available to support incident management functions during response operations. This includes processes to request assistance from other departments and entities with responsibilities for fire and incident management. |
REC322-4243 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Inspector-General Emergency Management recommends the Department of Environment and Science identify opportunities to increase Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service’s capability in incident management and multi-agency fire response, through exercising plans and procedures in collaboration with other stakeholders, including disaster and fire management groups at all levels. |
REC322-4242 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Inspector-General Emergency Management recommends the Department of Environment and Science review the format and delivery of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service annual fire refresher training to include a scenario-based exercise. |
REC322-4245 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Inspector-General Emergency Management recommends the Department of Environment and Science establish pre-determined financial delegations and authority for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Incident Controllers. |
REC322-4251 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Inspector-General Emergency Management recommends Queensland Fire and Emergency Services facilitate an annual state level exercise of the Queensland Bushfire Plan that includes all relevant stakeholders and land managers. The exercise should focus on roles, responsibilities, interagency arrangements and handover arrangements between agencies and land managers. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC317-4121 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | Australian, state and territory governments should work together to develop a program for national level recovery exercises, building on the work currently underway through the Community Outcomes and Recovery Subcommittee of the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. |
REC317-4071 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | Australian, state and territory governments should conduct multi-agency, national-level exercises, not limited to cross-border jurisdictions. These exercises should, at a minimum: |
REC317-4115 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Australian Building Codes Board, working with other bodies as appropriate, should: |
REC317-4114 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | State, territory and local governments should be required to consider present and future natural disaster risk when making land-use planning decisions for new developments. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC311-2493 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | To increase shared understanding of risks and enhance capability integration and collaborative planning, both Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) participate in the exercising of the Paradise Dam Emergency Action Plan. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC308-2459 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Significant effort should be invested to provide disaster decision-makers at every level with a shared understanding of risks, the situation, and capability, so that they can agree on the best decisions for the communities they serve. |
REC308-2466 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | Exercising should focus on vertical integration and include all levels of the system. A strategic program of exercises should be developed and implemented. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC307-2444 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | All disaster management groups should run an exercise that has full involvement of a hazard-specific primary agency in the next 12 months and regularly thereafter. |
REC307-2446 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Coordinated arrangements for liaison officer deployment should be considered and documented by disaster management groups across the full spectrum of risk identified for their area of responsibility, and not rely on a singular inflexible approach. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC291-1239 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The State Government to establish an arrangement to develop a ‘network’ of Western Australian State Government agency personnel who can be called upon for bushfire and emergency incident management capability within Western Australia. The arrangement will be led by the State Emergency Management Committee and modelled on systems used by the Department of Parks and Wildlife. |
REC291-1240 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Departments of Parks and Wildlife and Fire and Emergency Services to adopt the policy that all bushfire Level 3 Incident Management Teams in the Perth Hills and the South West will be integrated and pre-formed from the start of the 2016/17 fire season with substantial involvement of both the Departments of Parks and Wildlife and Fire and Emergency Services personnel on all teams. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC290-1214 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Flexible pre‐formed multi‐ agency IMTs |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC277-1164 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Establish multi-agency preformed IMTs: An effective IMT for large and complex fire incidents requires the capacity and expertise of multiple agencies. Establishing multi-agency preformed IMTs will have three main benefits: adequate IMT resources can be deployed with ease • strong working relationships will be built between IMT members • common approaches to incident management and fire response can be embedded. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC271-1533 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | State Disaster Coordination Centre considers requesting a representative from critical infrastructure owners be present as a liaison officer in the State Disaster Coordination Centre during activations for events that may impact on their assets. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC265-1109 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Future appointments to the role of Incident Controller should be limited to one for the entire duration of the incident, with nominated Deputy Incident Controllers to assist or ‘take charge’ in the Incident Controller’s absence. This measure will provide for a single point of responsibility and control for the incident and assist with any subsequent review or enquiry. If it is not possible to implement this proposal for liability reasons, the number of Incident Controllers should nevertheless be reduced to the minimum. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC257-1555 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The lines of responsibility be made clearer and some individual, perhaps the Regional Environmental Officer, or agency be given overarching responsibility to ensure recommended works related to bushfire mitigation on Defence Estate are carried out in accordance with the Bushfire Management Plan which the Manual for Fire Protection Engineering directs be prepared. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC256-1570 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | All governments should put in place best-practice institutional and governance arrangements for the provision of public infrastructure, including road infrastructure. These should include: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC254-1587 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | WA adopts a culture of joint IMTs in future. At Regional and State levels, DFES and DEC maintain standing contributions. |
REC254-1585 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | DFES and Local Government Bushfire Brigades ensure that only those with the required AIIMS competence have the authority to manage Level 1 incidents, noting they may not be Fire Control Officers. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC241-0999 | 28 - Personal responsibility | That on all land where fuel load creates a fire risk, the owner shall be responsible for the construction and maintenance of effective firebreaks. Failure to provide effective and accessible firebreaks will result in the cost of firebreak construction to control a wildfire on this land being debited to the land owner |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC239-2723 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | That the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service examine alternative contractual arrangements with building owners which would reduce the need for physical attendance at alarm activations. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC233-1602 | 28 - Personal responsibility | Individuals without a mobile phone who are concerned about access to Triple Zero during a prolonged telecommunications outage could consider purchasing a low cost mobile phone with a charger to keep at home for use during such outages. Since mobile phones do not require SIM cards to make emergency calls (‘000’ and ‘112’), there will be no ongoing costs. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC232-2824 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Australian Department of Health and Ageing consult with members of the general public or representatives of health consumers in the pandemic planning process, including in pandemic exercises designed to test the ability of government to respond to a pandemic event. Consumer involvement should include testing the ability of any communication strategy designed to inform and engage consumers about a pandemic event. |
REC232-2822 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Australian Government test Australia’s ability to respond to a widespread outbreak of infectious disease other than influenza, by undertaking a pandemic exercise across the relevant Commonwealth, state and territory government agencies. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC229-2842 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The committee recommends that building codes incorporate mitigation measures that take into account foreseeable risks from extreme weather events. |
REC229-2841 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The committee recommends that credible and reliable flood mapping activities and the development of other information that would best inform landowners or prospective landowners of potential risks from extreme weather events are prioritised and used to inform land use planning laws. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC226-0550 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Greater investment in training on specific functions within the AIIMS structure will improve the support provided to the Incident Controller. |
REC226-0574 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Clear direction to divisional and sector commanders and a common communications platform enables maximum return to be gained from the application of tactical resources and this rests on good incident action planning, and good command and control. |
REC226-0557 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | An intensive exercise/training program should be developed and maintained across agencies to identify and establish a pool of current Incident Controllers who are capable of managing a Level 3 incident. |
REC226-0587 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | To be effective, multi-agency IMTs will need to be exercised regularly and supported by sound and comprehensive doctrine. |
REC226-0565 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Contingency planning is a critical function in the early stages of an escalating incident, and should provide the foundation of an IAP. |
REC226-0573 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Strategic direction seeks to identify and resource those areas of tactical action that offer the greatest advantage. |
REC226-0556 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Within the AIIMS IMT doctrine the roles of the Incident Controller and Deputy Incident Controllers should be defined and well-practiced. |
REC226-0586 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | At Level 3, the available fire management expertise should be applied overwhelmingly to the fire management aspects of emergency management, possibly in incident control, and certainly in situations planning and operations roles. |
REC226-0564 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The expected scenario, with a view to the worst-case scenario should provide the basis for an IAP. |
REC226-0572 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Contingency planning before the fire may have supported the IMT in recognising and seizing strategic opportunities earlier. |
REC226-0555 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The state should identify the number of fully trained, experienced and accredited Level 3 Incident Controllers required to be available at any time and establish a process for identification of suitable personnel, ongoing training and accreditation. |
REC226-0585 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | DEC’s fire management expertise should be augmented by multi-agency IMTs that incorporate the expertise of other agencies and in fast developing situations the appropriate decisions will need to be made early. |
REC226-0563 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Procedures to relocate IMTs need to be established in doctrine and exercised to ensure continuity of control. |
REC226-0570 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Logistics and resource officers in IMTs need to collaborate and establish full awareness and control over the available resources. |
REC226-0554 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | For incidents of this complexity, effective control in the critical phase (first 24-36 hours of the fire) requires an appropriately resourced IMT. |
REC226-0584 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Reporting and control should be through the incident chain of command and not through agency chains of command |
REC226-0562 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Opportunities be sought to utilise local government representatives in other areas of the IMT particularly in public information or other community related functions. |
REC226-0567 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | IMTs need to establish early and effective liaison with Local Governments. |
REC226-0551 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | As presently implemented, the AIIMS planning role is under-developed and provides insufficient support to the Incident Controller. |
REC226-0575 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | In multi-agency responses the culture, training and equipment characteristics of each of the agencies should be considered in their employment. |
REC226-0558 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Predetermined locations for Level 3 IMTs should be reviewed and adequately resourced with necessary communications and IT capacity. |
REC226-0566 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Incident Controllers should be supported by a planning function that combines experienced weather forecasters, fire behaviour experts and local knowledge. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC225-0538 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | WA adopts a culture of joint IMTs in future. At Regional and State levels, DFES and DEC maintain standing contributions. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC222-1861 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Ministers for Health, Emergency Services, Environment and Police provide additional funds to their agencies so that a detailed exercise is held on a regular basis based on a disaster that will create the worst outcome for the State. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC210-0629 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should include in the model flood planning controls a requirement that councils have a flood overlay map in their planning schemes. The map should identify the areas of the council region: • that are known not to be affected by flood • that are affected by flood and on which councils impose planning controls (there may be subsets in each area to which different planning controls attach) • for which there is no flood information available to council. |
REC210-0652 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should review the code for development applications for prescribed tidal work in the Coastal Protection and Management Regulation 2003 to consider whether the design and construction standards should be made more stringent than the existing standards. |
REC210-0682 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Environment and Resource Management should review the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual to determine whether it requires updating or improvement, in particular, to reflect the current law and to take into account insights gained from the 2010/2011 floods. |
REC210-0613 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Councils should ensure that areas for which there has been no assessment of the likelihood of flooding are indicated on a map and that, as part of the development assessment process for these, there is at least some enquiry into whether a site proposed for development could be subject to flooding. |
REC210-0636 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider allowing councils to amend a planning scheme to update existing flood mapping information by way of the minor amendment process, provided that adequate public consultation has occurred. |
REC210-0659 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consult with councils to formulate a definition of ‘levee’ to identify what should be regulated. |
REC210-0694 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider whether there should be a legislative requirement that customer dedicated assets be built at or above the applicable defined flood level and if so, the Queensland Government should consider which legislation should contain such a requirement. |
REC210-0724 | 28 - Personal responsibility | Councils should consider making available to business owners locality specific information that would assist them to develop evacuation plans for commercial premises, for example, any evacuation sub-plan created under Emergency Management Queensland’s disaster evacuation guidelines. |
REC210-0623 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Community Safety should put in place administrative arrangements which ensure it can readily ascertain whether its comments are being reflected in council planning schemes. If the Department of Community Safety becomes aware that its comments are not being adequately addressed, it should take steps to follow this up with the Department of Local Government and Planning. |
REC210-0642 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require the impact of flood on commercial property to be minimised. |
REC210-0672 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The proposed new part of the Queensland Development Code, Mandatory Part 3.5 ‘Construction of buildings in flood hazard areas’, should be amended so that the performance requirement relating to building design and construction (Performance Requirement P1) for building on a lot will only be triggered where the council has: • designated part of its area as a natural hazard management area (flood) under section 13 of the Building Regulation 2006, and • either: – declared a height to be the expected flood level under section 13 of the Building Regulation 2006, or – adopted a highest recorded flood level for the lot, and • either: – declared a velocity to be the expected maximum velocity of flood water for the area in which the lot is located, or – designated the area in which the lot is located an inactive flow or backwater area. |
REC210-0628 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft model flood planning controls, using a similar format and structure to that in the Queensland Planning Provisions, that councils can adapt for local conditions. The Queensland Government should require these controls to be reflected in new planning schemes. This may be achieved by including the controls in either: • a state planning policy dealing with flood, with an accompanying amendment to the Sustainable Planning Act 2009, or • the Queensland Planning Provisions. The Queensland Government should consult councils to determine which of the two state planning instruments is the more appropriate to include the model flood planning controls. |
REC210-0649 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require that: a. the manufacture or storage of bulk hazardous materials (as defined in State Planning Policy 1/03) take place above a certain flood level, determined following an appropriate risk based assessment, or b. structures on land susceptible to flooding and used for the manufacture or storage of bulk hazardous materials (as defined in State Planning Policy 1/03) be designed to prevent the intrusion of floodwaters. |
REC210-0677 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Authorities responsible for the management of sewerage infrastructure should conduct a review of their existing infrastructure to identify electrical infrastructure that may be vulnerable to inundation and perform risk and cost/benefit assessments to determine if it should be relocated to a higher level. |
REC210-0612 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | For non-urban areas or areas where limited development is expected to occur councils should consider, on a risk basis, what level of information about flood risk is required for the area, and undertake the highest ranked of the following options which is appropriate to that need and within the capacities (financial and technical) of the council: a. a map showing ‘zones of risk’ (at least three) derived from information about the likelihood and behaviour of flooding b. a map showing the extent of floods of a range of likelihoods (at least three) c. a flood map based on historic flood levels that have been subjected to a flood frequency analysis to estimate the annual exceedance probability of the selected historical flood d. a historic flood map without flood frequency analysis e. the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Interim Floodplain Assessment Overlay as a way to determine those areas for which further flood studies are required, or f. the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Interim Floodplain Assessment Overlay (preferably refined using local flood information) as a trigger for development assessment. |
REC210-0635 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider amending the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 to expressly provide either a power to remake or a power to extend a temporary local planning instrument containing interim flood regulation for a further limited period. The power to remake or extend should: a. permit the modification of the temporary local planning instrument to the extent required to ensure its provisions remain relevant, having regard to any requirement that may have been introduced or any information that may have become available while the original temporary local planning instrument was in force b. be contingent on the Minister’s being satisfied that the circumstances listed in section 105 of the Sustainable Planning Act continue to exist and that there are proper grounds for the failure to make a permanent scheme amendment while the original temporary local planning instrument was in force. |
REC210-0658 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consult with councils to determine an effective method for the regulation of the construction of levees in Queensland. In particular, the Queensland Government should consider: • requiring a development permit for the construction of a levee by designating levees as assessable development in the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009, or • requiring, by way of a state planning policy or mandatory provision in the Queensland Planning Provisions, that councils nominate the construction of a levee as assessable development in their planning schemes. |
REC210-0691 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | If the Queensland Government does not include such assessment criteria in the model flood planning controls, councils should include assessment criteria in their planning schemes that require critical infrastructure in assessable substation developments is built to remain operational during and immediately after a flood of a particular magnitude. That magnitude should be determined by an appropriate risk assessment. |
REC210-0723 | 28 - Personal responsibility | Councils should support and encourage business owners to develop private flood evacuation plans by providing the following to business owners in areas known to be affected by flood: • information about the benefits of evacuation plans • contact details of relevant council and emergency service personnel for inclusion in evacuation plans. |
REC210-0622 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | If, as part of a state interest review process, the Department of Local Government and Planning decides that no condition should be imposed requiring a council’s proposed planning scheme to incorporate the effect of the Department of Community Safety’s comments about State Planning Policy 1/03: Mitigating the Adverse Impacts of Flood, Bushfire and Landslide, it should advise the Department of Community Safety of the reasons for its decision. |
REC210-0640 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require community infrastructure (including the types of community infrastructure which are identified in the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 and which the community needs to continue functioning, notwithstanding flood) to be located and designed to function effectively during and immediately after a flood of a specified level of risk. |
REC210-0666 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft a model planning scheme policy to be included in the model flood planning controls that sets out the information to be provided in development applications in relation to stormwater and flooding. The policy should specify: • the type of models and maps to be provided • the substantive information required to be shown in the development application • how the assumptions and methodologies used in preparing the models and maps should be presented • the form in which the information on stormwater and flooding is to be presented in the application. |
REC210-0679 | 28 - Personal responsibility | If the Queensland Development Code is amended to include provisions requiring homeowners to install sewage reflux valves, the Queensland Government should develop and make available to homeowners appropriate guidance material to assist them in meeting their responsibilities to maintain reflux valves. |
REC210-0627 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider amending the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 to require that consideration be given to the risk of flooding in the preparation or revision of a regional plan. |
REC210-0647 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Environment and Resource Management should ensure that, when applications for a material change of use for an environmentally relevant activity are approved by the department, the details of those activities, including their nature and location, are provided to the council within whose area the activity will be conducted. |
REC210-0676 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Authorities responsible for the construction of sewerage infrastructure should, when embarking on new works, undertake risk and cost/benefit assessments to determine the level at which electrical infrastructure that may be vulnerable to inundation should be placed. |
REC210-0634 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | If the Queensland Government does not include such a policy in the model flood planning controls, councils should include in their planning schemes a planning scheme policy that: • for development proposed on land susceptible to flooding, outlines what additional information an applicant should provide to the assessment manager as a part of the development application, or • for development proposed on land where potential for flooding is unknown requires an applicant to provide: – as part of the development application, information to enable an assessment of whether the subject land is susceptible to flooding, and – upon a determination the subject land is susceptible to flooding, more detailed information to allow an assessment of the flood risk. |
REC210-0657 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Levees should be regulated. |
REC210-0690 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require critical infrastructure in assessable substation developments is built to remain operational during and immediately after a flood of a particular magnitude. That magnitude should be determined by an appropriate risk assessment. |
REC210-0611 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | For urban areas or areas where development is expected to occur: a. councils with the requisite resources should develop a flood map which shows ‘zones of risk’ (at least three) derived from information about the likelihood and behaviour of flooding b. councils without the requisite resources to produce a flood behaviour map should develop a flood map which shows the extent of floods of a range of likelihoods (at least three). |
REC210-0621 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should: a. narrow the definition of ‘development commitment’ in State Planning Policy 1/03: Mitigating the Adverse Impacts of Flood, Bushfire and Landslide to ensure more development applications are assessed for compatibility with flood, and b. investigate whether the compensation provisions of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 act as a deterrent to the inclusion of flood controls in a planning scheme and consider whether they ought be amended. |
REC210-0639 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider extending the application of a state planning policy dealing with flood to the types of community infrastructure which are identified in the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 and which the community needs to continue functioning, notwithstanding flood. |
REC210-0662 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that address: • the prospect of isolation or hindered evacuation • the impact of isolation or hindered evacuation. |
REC210-0626 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Councils should consider using the limited development (constrained land) zone in their planning schemes for areas that have a very high flood risk. |
REC210-0646 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Environment and Resource Management should amend the template assessment report used to assess applications for a material change of use for environmentally relevant activities so that it prompts departmental officers to give specific consideration, as part of the assessment process, to the risk of flooding at the site where the activity is proposed to occur. |
REC210-0675 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider including in the criteria in the Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater Code a requirement that the risk of leakage from private on-site sewerage systems during floods be minimised. |
REC210-0633 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should include in the model flood planning controls a model planning scheme policy that: • for development proposed on land susceptible to flooding, outlines what additional information an applicant should provide to the assessment manager as part of the development application, or • for development proposed on land where the potential for flooding is unknown, requires an applicant to provide: – as part of the development application, information to enable an assessment of whether the subject land is susceptible to flooding, and – upon a determination the subject land is susceptible to flooding, more detailed information, to allow an assessment of the flood risk. |
REC210-0656 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider amending the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 so that operational work or plumbing or drainage work (including maintenance and repair work) carried out by or on behalf of a public sector entity authorised under a state law to carry out the work is not exempt development under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 if the development has the potential to reduce floodplain storage. |
REC210-0685 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | In assessing and determining development applications for material change of use in areas susceptible to flood, councils should consider whether the new developments locate essential services infrastructure above basement level, or, alternatively, whether essential services infrastructure located at basement level can be constructed so that it can continue to function during a flood. |
REC210-0617 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider implementing a mechanism by which prospective purchasers of property are alerted to the issue of flood risk. To that end, the Queensland Government should consider consulting the Real Estate Institute of Queensland and the Law Society of Queensland as to the appropriateness of amending standard contract conditions so as to include a ‘subject to flood search’ condition, or other means of achieving the same objective. |
REC210-0638 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Coordinator-General should amend the guideline for preparing an ‘initial advice statement’ for a significant project under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 so that it specifically requires an applicant to consider and provide information about the project’s flood risk. |
REC210-0661 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | There should be a common set of considerations in the decision whether to approve an application to build a levee, including: • the impacts of the proposed levee on the catchment as a whole • the benefits of the proposed levee to the individual or entity applying to build the levee and to any nearby community as a whole • any adverse impacts on other landholders, including the risk of levee failure • the implications of the proposed levee for land planning and emergency management procedures • whether any structural, land planning or emergency management measures can be taken to mitigate the adverse impacts of the proposed levee. |
REC210-0625 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should change Temporary State Planning Policy 2/11: Planning for stronger more resilient floodplains to remove the possibility of councils’ using the interim floodplain assessment overlay mapping and Model Code as part of a permanent amendment to their existing planning scheme or as part of a new planning scheme. |
REC210-0645 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Department of Environment and Resource Management should amend its information sheet about applications for a material change of use for environmentally relevant activities so that applicants are prompted to include information (if any) about the risk of flooding at the site where the activity is proposed to occur. |
REC210-0674 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider amending the ‘Limitation’ section of the proposed new part of the Queensland Development Code, Mandatory Part 3.5 ‘Construction of buildings in flood hazard areas’, to allow for the possible application of ‘acceptable solution A1’ to a building located on a lot if: • it is reasonable to expect the part of the lot on which the building work is proposed to be subjected to a maximum velocity of less than 1.5 metres per second, or • the part of the lot on which the building work is proposed is located in an inactive flow or backwater area. |
REC210-0631 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should include in the model flood planning controls a model flood overlay code that consolidates assessment criteria relating to flood. |
REC210-0654 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider drafting assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls which require that works in a floodplain: • do not reduce on-site flood storage capacity • counteract any changes the works will cause to flood behaviour of all floods up to and including the applicable defined flood event by measures taken within the subject site (for example, use of compensatory works, detention basins or other engineering mechanisms) • do not change the flood characteristics outside the subject site in ways that result in: – loss of flood storage – loss of/changes to flow paths – acceleration or retardation of flows, or – any reduction in flood warning times elsewhere on the floodplain. |
REC210-0684 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Councils should consider amending their planning schemes to include provisions directed to consideration of the flood resilience of basements as a factor in determining the appropriateness of a material change of use. |
REC210-0616 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Councils that do not currently do so should consider offering an online database which allows the public to conduct a search on a parcel of land to find development approvals relevant to that parcel of land. |
REC210-0637 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should consider amending the Urban Land Development Authority Act 2007, the South Bank Corporation Act 1989, the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 insofar as it governs state development areas, and other legislation which establishes alternative planning systems that operate independently of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009, to require that: • any planning scheme, interim or otherwise, appropriately reflects any state planning policy with respect to flood • flood risk be considered in the assessment of any development application. |
REC210-0660 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | There should be a consistent process for the determination of applications to build levees. That process should include: • consulting landholders who may be affected by the proposed levee • obtaining or commissioning appropriate hydrological and hydraulic studies to assess the impacts of the proposed levee. |
REC210-0697 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Queensland Rail and QR National should continue to investigate opportunities for increasing the flood resilience of their networks, including raising the height of critical equipment. |
REC210-0624 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should ensure that the circumstances in which the Department of Community Safety is to consult the Department of Environment and Resource Management about a planning scheme’s flood modelling and flood mapping are clear. |
REC210-0644 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Queensland Government should ensure that the criteria under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 that apply to the assessment of development applications for material change of use for environmentally relevant activities include consideration of the risk of flooding at the site on which the activity is proposed to occur. |
REC210-0673 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The proposed new part of the Queensland Development Code, Mandatory Part 3.5 ‘Construction of buildings in flood hazard areas’, should be amended so that the performance requirements about utilities and sanitary drains (Performance Requirement P2 and P3) for building on a lot will only be triggered where the council has: • designated part of its area as a natural hazard management area (flood) under section 13 of the Building Regulation 2006, and • either: – declared a height to be the expected flood level under section 13 of the Building Regulation 2006, or – adopted a highest recorded flood level for the lot. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC205-1901 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Council of Australian Governments’ Building Ministers’ Forum should provide formal direction to the Australian Building Codes Board to: |
REC205-1900 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | As a priority, state and territory governments should ensure that land-use planning systems are sufficiently flexible to enable a risk management approach to incorporating climate change risks into planning decisions at the state, territory, regional and local government levels. Consideration should be given to: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC204-1919 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Tourism WA must give specific regard as to whether land use approvals need to be sought, particularly from Department of Regional Development and Lands, when conducting due diligence for event sponsorship proposals that require sign off by both departments. |
REC204-1918 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Department of Regional Development and Lands and Department of Environment and Conservation should consider how their respective land use approval processes can incorporate the input of Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) as part of risk assessments for high risk events and adventure sport activities. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC203-0300 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Reporting and control should be through the incident chain of command, and not through agency chain of command. |
REC203-0294 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Opportunities should be sought to embed other local government representatives in other areas of the IMT particularly in public information. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC201-0248 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | To provide Level 3 IC‘s (and FESA) with a level of confidence and to maintain currency across the pool of accredited IC‘s, regular exercising of IC‘s and Level 3 IMT‘s is required. |
REC201-0258 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | FESA should review the size of the existing pre-formed IMT to include additional Information and Planning officers and increased resourcing of scribes and management support for all Level 3 incidents. |
REC201-0255 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | FESA and DEC need to appoint accredited Level 3 IC‘s based on experience, competency and currency. |
REC201-0254 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | FESA should continue to develop with DEC and Local Government a number of rostered pre-formed IMT‘s available throughout the fire season, regardless of predicted weather. |
REC201-0247 | 28 - Personal responsibility | Local residents must take a degree of shared responsibility to prepare their properties by reducing the risk of bushfire around their properties and planning for a bushfire emergency. |
REC201-0253 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Review the command function of the MROC for Level 3 incidents when the SOC is activated. |
REC201-0251 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | All responding crews and the incident command appointments should adopt a ‘Size Up‘ reporting format. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC200-1706 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority and the Department of Environment and Conservation ensure that their Incident Controllers identify critical infrastructure as part of their initial assessment and preparation of Incident Action Plans when attending major incidents. |
REC200-0346 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority work in partnership with the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia to develop a package of information for new residents moving into bushfire prone areas, and a process to ensure this information is provided through real estate agents. |
REC200-0340 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The State Government transfer responsibility for declaring bushfire prone areas from local government to the Western Australian Planning Commission. The Western Australian Planning Commission should urgently assess those areas that should be declared bushfire prone. |
REC200-0391 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Interagency Bushfire Management Committee develop a consistent program of education, training (including media), testing and review of Level 3 Incident Controllers. This should include provision for a formal review of the performance of individual Level 3 Incident Controllers after every incident. |
REC200-0366 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority and the Department of Environment and Conservation ensure that their Incident Controllers identify critical infrastructure as part of their initial assessment and preparation of Incident Action Plans when attending major incidents. |
REC200-0377 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The State Government mandate that the title deeds for relevant properties be amended to indicate if the property is in a declared bushfire prone area. |
REC200-0376 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | State and locals governments: a) recognise that regardless of future declarations of bushfire prone areas, the existing planning and building problems in the Perth Hills related to bushfire risk will persist; b) urge residents in these areas to retrofit their homes and evaporative air conditioners in compliance with AS 3959 - 2009; c) examine options to retrospectively bring these areas into compliance with Planning for Bushfire Protection Guidelines. |
REC200-1726 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | Emergency service agencies undertake more consultation and joint exercising involving the Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the Department of Environment, the Western Australian Police, the Department for Child Protection, local governments and volunteers – including Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades. |
REC200-1707 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | Main Roads Western Australia undertake more frequent examinations of its bridges located in areas prone to bushfire and ensure that the risk posed to loss of infrastructure in a fire is understood by local authorities. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC183-0114 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Higher level DEC guidance to Level 3 Incident Controllers could be improved by introducing a more explicit and robust process of questioning, engagement, monitoring and oversight of Level 3 Incident Controllers. |
REC183-0113 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | A summary Incident Action Plan could allow the Incident Controller to more quickly appreciate the situation and articulate a plan early in an incident. |
REC183-0112 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | DEC’s incident management capability could be enhanced by: – Appointing a Deputy Incident Controller for every Level 3 IMT. – Establishing a fast response “short” IMT capability for each Level 3 IMT. – Establish clear triggers to initiate sending in a “short” IMT to a fire. – Including FESA officers in pre-formed Level 3 IMT’s. – Establishing additional pre-formed Level 3 IMT’s with FESA. – Where appropriate, appointing a local Bush Fire Brigade officer as Deputy Operations Officer. |
REC183-0111 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Conducting a pre-fire season exercise for each Pre-Formed Incident Management Team could be used to “re-accrediting” each team on an annual basis. |
REC183-0109 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | It is sensible that, in considering planning development proposals on land adjacent to the DEC estate, that development authorities invite comment from DEC on the fire management consequences of development proposals. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC182-0131 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | FESA establishes a dedicated intelligence function in Incident Management Teams for major bushfires and ensure this function is appropriately supported with threat based tools and systems. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC176-0142 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Commonwealth consult with local, state and territory government planning authorities on the development and dissemination of a house loss risk index for households in Australia's highest risk bushfire areas. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC173-0104 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | That FESA assess the cost and other implications of proposed changes to bushfire prone zone declarations which would allow the whole State to be declared bushfire prone. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC172-0006 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Prior to the bushfire season, potential IMG members, many of whom are members of the Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) should be made aware of, and possibly exercise, their role as an IMG member. |
REC172-0035 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | At Level 3 incidents the Information Services Unit should be adequately resourced with information technology and at least 6 persons, all of whom are very experienced and capable in dealing with the information demands of a Level 3 incident. |
REC172-0005 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Potential IMG membership should be identified in local hazard management plans. The information needs to be kept current. The contact details for each member should be recorded. These plans and contact details need to be available to any IMT mobilised to deal with an incident within the jurisdiction. This means access to this information via internet and storage and maintenance at a centralised facility managed by FESA. |
REC172-0010 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | The responsibilities and obligations for an OAM and OAMG (when established) needs to clarified and codified in Westplan Bushfire with regard to • Provision of information to participating organisations about the progress and potential of an incident; • Dealing with information disseminated to the public; and • Sourcing, coordinating and prioritising resources required by incidents within the Operations Area. There is lack of clarity in current arrangements concerning the role of the agency undertaking control operations e.g. DEC or a local govt and the transfer of these responsibilities to an OAMG when established. |
REC172-0004 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | A formal IMG meeting should be convened as early as possible at initiating incidents with potential. At the very least early advice to potential IMG members should be made that a meeting is likely to be convened. The initial IMG should include all IMG representatives to ensure comprehensive briefing, agency specific situational awareness and issue identification. |
REC172-0009 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | When an OAMG is established, a formal declaration of its establishment needs to be transmitted to all organisation/agencies involved. The declaration should clearly establish the reporting arrangements for Incident Controllers to the OAM as described in Westplan Bushfire. |
REC172-0008 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Potential OAMG membership should be identified in DEMC protocols and local hazard management plans. The information needs to be kept current. The contact details for each member should be recorded. These plans and contact details need to be available to any IMT mobilised to deal with an incident within the jurisdiction. This means access to this information via internet and storage and maintenance at a centralised facility managed by FESA.] |
REC172-0007 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | A formal OAMG meeting should be convened as early as possible for incidents with the potential to be Level 3 incidents. At the very least early advice to potential OAMG members should be made on days that exhibit extreme fire weather and other high ignition risk factors that a meeting is likely to be convened. The initial OAMG should include all OAMG representatives identified by LEMAC and DEMAC for each area to ensure comprehensive briefing, agency specific situational awareness and issue identification. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC171-0067 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | That to the extent it has not already done so, DEC take action to ensure that in future cases relevant weather forecast information, particularly information as to significant wind changes, is promptly transmitted through the Incident Management Team and made available to persons with field operation responsibility. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC145-3222 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that the Australian Government: |
REC145-3215 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that the Building Code of Australia, including cyclone building codes, be revised with the objective of increasing resilience to climate change. |
REC145-3214 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that the Australian Government consider the benefits of adopting a nationally consistent sea level rise planning benchmark and, if so, whether this be done on a statutory basis or otherwise. The outcomes of this consideration should then be included as part of the action plan for the proposed Intergovernmental Agreement on the Coastal Zone. |
REC145-3213 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee notes the Council of Australian Governments initiative (through the Local Government and Planning Ministers Council) to develop state-specific climate change planning policies by mid 2011, to inform local governments and regional planning responses to climate change. The Committee recommends that the Australian Government ensure that the outcomes of this initiative are included as part of the action plan under the proposed new Intergovernmental Agreement on the Coastal Zone. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC117-3636 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The ANAO recommends that the Attorney-General’s Department, in conjunction with the National Counter-Terrorism Committee’s exercise management advisers, explore options for the incorporation of more contemporary and varied testing and training aids in the National Capability Development Exercise Programme. |
REC117-3634 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The ANAO recommends that the Attorney-General’s Department, in consultation with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the National Counter- Terrorism Committee, pursue the adoption of a more strategic approach to determining the National Capability Development Exercise Programme so that: |
REC117-3639 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The ANAO recommends that the Attorney-General’s Department, in consultation with the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, strengthens the reporting on the National Capability Development Exercise Programme through: |
REC117-3638 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The ANAO recommends that the Attorney-General’s Department, in consultation with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the National Counter-Terrorism Committee: |
REC117-3637 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The ANAO recommends that the Attorney-General’s Department, in consultation with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, pursue a more strategic and systematic approach to the measurement of performance via the National Capability Development Exercise Programme by: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC116-2129 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Working Group recommends that Emergency Management Australia and the jurisdictions through the AEMC develop a three year rolling national exercise strategy aimed at testing the response and recovery aspects of large scale disasters. |
REC116-2115 | 41 - Emergency Management exercises | The Working Group recommends that the results of the scenario modeling be presented to the Australian Emergency Management Committee (AEMC) upon completion, and that AEMC form Sub Working Groups of State/Territory emergency management representatives as appropriate to be tasked with considering response and recovery capability (both state/territory and national) against the identified consequences. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC113-3902 | 14 - Incident Mgt Teams | Government should: establish a State-wide command structure across volunteer Bush Fire Brigades for fighting major bushfires, to more effectively manage the coordination of personnel and resources |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
REC098-2133 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth seeks to ensure that the Council of Australian Governments resolve when asset protection zones will be located on private land and when on public land and gain assurances that adequate maintenance of zones will be enforced. |
REC098-2178 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that Standards Australia review the clarity of AS3959–1999: Construction of buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas to ensure that all relevant stakeholders can interpret and apply the Standard in the way it is intended. |
REC098-2176 | 1 - Land-use and building regs | The Committee recommends that Standards Australia incorporate building maintenance into AS3959–1999: Construction of buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas, perhaps renaming it as AS3959–1999: Construction and maintenance of buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas. |