Inquiry Search
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC321-4201 | 10 - Infrastructure | We recommend that DELWP improves the Powerline Bushfire Safety Program's transparency by publicly reporting on activities, costs and risk-reduction outcomes. |
REC321-4202 | 10 - Infrastructure | We recommend that DELWP investigates incentives and advises government on options to accelerate burying and insulating the remaining high-voltage bare-wire powerlines in the 33 highest risk areas. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC319-4190 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Humanitarian relief: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions work with the Municipal Association of Victoria and councils to build contingencies into emergency relief centre planning to ensure places of shelter are inclusive, recognise diversity and are better placed to support all displaced people in circumstances of: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC318-4180 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Victoria Police – in collaboration with the community and the emergency management sector – reflect on events of the 2019–20 fire season to review and enhance evacuation plans and processes with consideration of: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC297-1261 | 28 - Personal responsibility | That heightened awareness and action is needed by communities when BoM issues flood watches and related warnings. Councils and SES need to facilitate this. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC286-2084 | 10 - Infrastructure | Establish emergency services ICT redundancy arrangements for damage loss of communications infrastructure. |
REC286-2026 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Identify facilities that can be used as cool spaces during heatwaves and establish linkages between operators and emergency management organisations |
REC286-2031 | 10 - Infrastructure | Improve information about electricity demand during heatwaves. |
REC286-1472 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Develop flood evacuation plans for at risk communities. |
REC286-1454 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Review coastal inundation evacuation and response plans. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC264-1085 | 10 - Infrastructure | GDF Suez establish enhanced back-up power supply arrangements that do not depend wholly on mains power, to: • ensure that the Emergency Command Centre can continue to operate if mains power is lost; and • ensure that the reticulated fre services water system can operate with minimal disruption if mains power is lost. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC262-1490 | 10 - Infrastructure | That the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority critically reviews: |
REC262-1489 | 10 - Infrastructure | That the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority reclassifies its State Emergency Communications Centres as critical national infrastructure. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC247-0888 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That arrangements are made and appropriate pre-planning occurs to effectively implement the policy on evacuation. |
REC247-0899 | 18 - Access to fire ground | That appropriate plans are made to mobilise resources quickly to re-open roads affected by emergencies. |
REC247-0857 | 2 - Emergency powers | That the Tasmania Emergency Management Plan enable, and all organisations with a role in emergency management activate, emergency plans at lower threshold events to practice their arrangements and achieve a ‘hot start’ in escalating events. |
REC247-0887 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That qualifying the evacuation authority in section 47 of the Fire Service Act 1979 be considered — by exempting those people with a pecuniary interest in a property from a directed evacuation where it is reasonable for them to remain. |
REC247-0885 | 18 - Access to fire ground | That arrangements are made for and appropriate pre-planning occurs to effectively implement the policy on road closures and traffic management. |
REC247-0856 | 2 - Emergency powers | That the Government reconsider the current position on emergency declarations in the Emergency Management Act 2006 and the Act is amended to provide: • a graduated scale of emergency declarations; • the ability to make a declaration when an emergency has occurred, is occurring or is about to occur; • the ability for the State Controller (or whatever the person in overall control of response and recovery operations is called) to make one or more declarations; • a declaration to enable access to all emergency powers. |
REC247-0886 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That a state-level policy on evacuations be developed in the emergency management plans, including specific requirements for vulnerable people and guidelines for its implementation. |
REC247-0884 | 18 - Access to fire ground | That Tasmania Police reviews its Emergency Traffic Management Points policy; and develops a multi-agency policy in the emergency management plans for road closures and traffic management, including clarity in decision making, coordination and sufficient operational flexibility. |
REC247-0901 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That evacuation centres and other centres have plans and arrangements for electrical power redundancy. |
REC247-0890 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That decisions to open Community Fire Refuges and evacuation centres be coordinated with Tasmania Police. |
REC247-0904 | 10 - Infrastructure | That the Department of Infrastructure Energy and Resources consult Aurora Energy on the use of wooden poles for overhead infrastructure with a view to mitigating the risk in bushfires. |
REC247-0889 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That Tasmania Police be identified as the lead agency on evacuations. |
REC247-0906 | 18 - Access to fire ground | That emergency management plans recognise the need to provide priority access to areas of emergency operations for critical infrastructure providers. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC199-0444 | 2 - Emergency powers | the state, as a matter of urgency, develop a multi-agency Incident Control Team capability to be readily available for statewide deployment to establish incident control or to relieve functioning control structures. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC195-0335 | 10 - Infrastructure | Energy Safe Victoria ensures that the standards for vegetation clearance around power lines consider the impact of fire on electrical infrastructure and the risk of loss of electricity supply to the community. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC181-0155 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | The State introduce a comprehensive approach to evacuation, so that this option is planned, considered and implemented when it is likely to offer a higher level of protection than other contingency options. The approach should: ■ encourage individuals—especially vulnerable people—to relocate early; ■ include consideration of plans for assisted evacuation of vulnerable people; ■ include consideration of plans for assisted evacuation of vulnerable people. |
REC181-0178 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State (through Energy Safe Victoria) require distribution businesses to change their asset inspection standards and procedures to require that all SWER lines and all 22-kilovolt feeders in areas of high bushfire risk are inspected at least every three years. |
REC181-0183 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State (through Energy Safe Victoria) require distribution businesses to do the following: ■ fit spreaders to any lines with a history of clashing or the potential to do so; ■ fit or retrofit all spans that are more than 300 metres long with vibration dampers as soon as is reasonably practicable. |
REC181-0154 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | The State introduce a comprehensive approach to shelter options that includes the following: ■ developing standards for community refuges as a matter of priority and replacing the 2005 Fire Refuges in Victoria: Policy and Practice; ■ designating community refuges—particularly in areas of very high risk—where other bushfire safety options are limited; ■ working with municipal councils to ensure that appropriate criteria are used for bushfire shelters, so that people are not discouraged from using a bushfire shelter if there is no better option available; ■ acknowledging personal shelters around their homes as a fallback option for individuals. |
REC181-0177 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State amend the Regulations under Victoria’s Electricity Safety Act 1998 and otherwise take such steps as may be required to give effect to the following: ■ the progressive replacement of all SWER (single-wire earth return) power lines in Victoria with aerial bundled cable, underground cabling or other technology that delivers greatly reduced bushfire risk. The replacement program should be completed in the areas of highest bushfire risk within 10 years and should continue in areas of lower bushfire risk as the lines reach the end of their engineering lives; ■ the progressive replacement of all 22-kilovolt distribution feeders with aerial bundled cable, underground cabling or other technology that delivers greatly reduced bushfire risk as the feeders reach the end of their engineering lives. Priority should be given to distribution feeders in the areas of highest bushfire risk. |
REC181-0151 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | The State revise its bushfire safety policy. While adopting the national Prepare. Act. Survive. framework in Victoria, the policy should do the following: ■ enhance the role of warnings—including providing for timely and informative advice about the predicted passage of a fire and the actions to be taken by people in areas potentially in its path; ■ emphasise that all fires are different in ways that require an awareness of fire conditions, local circumstances and personal capacity; ■ recognise that the heightened risk on the worst days demands a different response; ■ retain those elements of the existing bushfire policy that have proved effective; ■ strengthen the range of options available in the face of fire, including community refuges, bushfire shelters and evacuation; ■ ensure that local solutions are tailored and known to communities through local bushfire planning; ■ improve advice on the nature of fire and house defendability, taking account of broader landscape risks. |
REC181-0182 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State (through Energy Safe Victoria) require distribution businesses to do the following: ■ disable the reclose function on the automatic circuit reclosers on all SWER lines for the six weeks of greatest risk in every fire season; ■ adjust the reclose function on the automatic circuit reclosers on all 22-kilovolt feeders on all total fire ban days to permit only one reclose attempt before lockout. |
REC181-0180 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State amend the regulatory framework for electricity safety to require that distribution businesses adopt, as part of their management plans, measures to reduce the risks posed by hazard trees—that is, trees that are outside the clearance zone but that could come into contact with an electric power line having regard to foreseeable local conditions. |
REC181-0169 | 18 - Access to fire ground | The Country Fire Authority provide to all CFA volunteers an identification card or similar to facilitate their passage through roadblocks established in accordance with the 2009 Guidelines for the Operation of Traffic Management Points during Wildfires. |
REC181-0184 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State amend the regulatory framework for electricity safety to strengthen Energy Safe Victoria’s mandate in relation to the prevention and mitigation of electricity-caused bushfires and to require it to fulfil that mandate. |
REC181-0204 | 2 - Emergency powers | The State amend the Country Fire Authority Act 1958 to enable the Chief Officer to delegate the power to issue fire prevention notices. |
REC181-0179 | 10 - Infrastructure | The State (through Energy Safe Victoria) require distribution businesses to review and modify their current practices, standards and procedures for the training and auditing of asset inspectors to ensure that registered training organisations provide adequate theoretical and practical training for asset inspectors. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC156-3516 | 28 - Personal responsibility | All Victorians should: |
REC156-3500 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, in partnership with Telstra, consider technological solutions to streamline the handover process for Triple Zero calls. |
REC156-3494 | 10 - Infrastructure | Energy Safe Victoria finalise the development of the passport system to improve interstate mutual aid arrangements allowing operator access to qualified interstate power restoration personnel. |
REC156-3487 | 10 - Infrastructure | Electricity distribution businesses develop and implement alternative arrangements for monitoring fallen powerlines. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC104-2220 | 2 - Emergency powers | That CFA should not be given the power to direct Forest Industry Brigades to engage in fire prevention and suppression activities off their land and that decision should remain the responsibility of the plantation company. |
REC104-2291 | 28 - Personal responsibility | That after each fire season, measures of the effectiveness of aerial firefighting be collated, analysed and used for the assessment of the State Aircraft Fleet composition and the adequacy of Training and Accreditation programs. |
REC104-2251 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That Victoria Police ensure all police members understand the Victorian legislation in relation to evacuation, and that any decision to recommend evacuation remains with the Incident Controller. |
REC104-2223 | 10 - Infrastructure | That Government review legislation for utilities operating within the State to ensure their involvement in regional fire preparedness and mitigation planning. |
REC104-2203 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | That CFA further develops the information supporting the decision to stay or go, to incorporate a better understanding of both the likely consequences of leaving home at inappropriate times, and the conditions and |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC016_3943 | 10 - Infrastructure | It is recommended that a more constant, running revision of the main and sprinkler system be maintained in future so that the service which it is intended to convey shall be closely and efficiently available to all parts of the berms and faces. It is emphasized that the reticulation system in the berms is fixed and stationary, whereas the faces are continually receding as their surfaces are scraped away by the dredges. |
REC016_3951 | 10 - Infrastructure | It is recommended that the State Electricity Commission adopt a policy of conciliation and good will towards its closer neighbours. It is not suggested that its policy has been essentially otherwise. In future that policy can best be assured of success by time conferring of material benefit upon its neighbours at some monetary cost to the Commission. It is suggested, with conviction, that it would prove to be of great advantage to time Commission if it were to take an active part in the clearing and bettering of its neighbours’ scrub and timber country at time cost of the Commission. The settler whose land is fully cleared and in production, or who knows that his land will be cleared for him, has no incentive to burn illegally or carelessly. If this suggestion should he adopted, it would be necessary that it should be carried out in all cases in accordance with the settler’s convenience, that he himself should take an active part in the operations, and that he should be left, not with a financial obligation, but with a definite material advantage. |
REC016_3944 | 10 - Infrastructure | It is recommended that the water pressure be improved so that a greater volume and jet may be available for the suppression of fires on the faces and also for the purpose of wetting the berms more widely and thoroughly when necessary. It is suggested that there should be variable control of the pressure so that production need not be adversely affected in times of normal danger. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC004-3999 | 10 - Infrastructure | That, in view of the fact that along many of the lines, between the road-bed and the fences, there are numbers of dry inflammable stumps, which, when they catch fire, are very difficult to extinguish, and that the surface of the ground surrounding these stumps is usually chipped by the permanent-way men every summer, thus causing considerable expense without removing the risk of fire, the Railway Department should remove this source of danger, by grabbing them out and burning them as early as may be found practicable. |