That the NSW Government investigate the establishment of a centralised source for all government held planning data accessible to all councils across New South Wales, including:
- flood, coastal inundation and fire
- biodiversity
- climate modelling
- any other relevant data.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government include detailed data on progress against the EPSDD BOP for that financial year in either the EPSDD or JACS Annual Reports that breaks down the data by:
- The overarching type or class of activity (e.g. fuel management, access management, infrastructure, training, audit and monitoring);
- Activity (e.g. grazing, physical removal, prescribed burning, etc);
- The area (hectares), length (kilometres) or number of activities, courses or projects actually completed, as relevant, together with the planned number; and
- The percentage of completion for each over-arching activity class/type and activity.

Distribution businesses to inform DEECA of properties with defect notices to support community recovery planning. DEECA work with peak bodies representing registered electrical contractors to ensure coordinated community recovery planning.

Victorian Government design and implement an Extended Loss of Supply Support Payment Scheme (ELOSS Payment) which requires distribution businesses to financially support customers during prolonged power outages. This will address community feedback about the Victorian Government Prolonged Power Outage Payment (PPOP) Elements of ELOSS are to include:.
a. Timely and daily customer payments after 72 hours up to a per customer maximum amount.
b. Distribution businesses to administer and fund ELOSS up to a maximum amount.
This recommendation should be implemented by June 2025

As part of its review of the Energy Retail Code of Practice, the ESC should include requirements for energy retailers to collect the phone and email contact details of customers and others in the household for the purpose of sharing with distributors to facilitate information about power outages. Retailers should be required to check data quality and share with distribution businesses regularly.

The committee recommends that the Australian Climate Service and the National Emergency Management Agency work with all levels of government and industry to establish and maintain a national disaster risk map and database, covering all types of natural disasters in Australia, which is accessible to the public.

Recovery Arrangements - shore-up recovery structures and systems to better streamline and sustain arrangements during transition by:
4.1 Increasing awareness of the Cairns Local Recovery Plan and associated arrangements - including the LDMG processes that support the transition from response to recovery, the span of authority for these operations (LDC/LRC; IMT or CRC BAU), and processes for the allocation of adequate resoucing - via training and functional exercises
4.2 Reviewing operational resources and information systems that support recovery processes to ensure they are up to date and accessible

That the Victorian Government fund floodplain managers to develop maps modelling scenarios demonstrating the impact on landholders of specified levee breeches.

That the Victorian Government develop a strategic rescue plan in areas at high risk of flooding, so that they have appropriate resources and expertise for rescues during a crisis event. This plan should include consideration of procurement, expansion of reserve caches and processes for rapid deployment of resources.

That the Victorian Government recognise caravan parks as essential businesses in disaster-prone areas as providers of housing and emergency support and ensure support is available (including grants) under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to caravan park operators, including those operating on Crown Land.

That the Victorian Government work with floodplain management authorities and climate scientists to understand how flood modelling can be used to better predict the impact of climate change on flooding and update its flood management policies in line with this understanding.

That the Victorian Government review its framework for providing housing support following an environmental disaster. In particular, the Government should assess the application system to ensure that genuinely affected households are provided support in a timelier manner and to mitigate the risk of fraudulent claims.

That the Victorian Government provide Victorians with access to appropriate data contained within the FloodZoom platform

That the Victorian Government plan and resource recovery hubs (including online access) sufficiently to fulfil their role in long-term community recovery and resilience building.

That Melbourne Water and other floodplain management authorities review flood models every five years and update the models at least every 10 years and after the occurrence of a major flood.

In line with Recommendation 58, that the Victorian Government, working with local councils, investigate options for emergency funding arrangements to assist operating Emergency Relief Centres and include these arrangements in statewide operating guidelines.

That the Victorian Government provide long-term funding contracts for mental health services in flood-affected regions, with a focus to securing dedicated mental health professionals and effective service delivery in communities impacted by natural disasters.

That the Victorian Government ensure that future flood mitigation efforts include updated and rigorous hydraulic modelling before implementation, ensuring the effectiveness of compensatory measures. Additionally, these strategies should undergo independent peer review to validate their expected performance.

That the Victorian Government increase funding to Shepparton and Echuca and Moama Search and Rescue squads to ensure optimal response capabilities in future emergencies.

To assist with ongoing clean-up of flood-affected areas following disasters, that the Victorian Government establish a dedicated financial support program for local businesses involved in debris removal and restoration efforts. This should include reimbursement mechanisms for businesses, such as earthmoving companies, that contributed equipment and personnel to the clean-up but suffered significant financial losses doing so.

That the National Climate Service Improve access and usability of climate information by making Commonwealth-funded products free and open-source by default.

That the Australian Government establish an appropriate data solution (e.g. a data platform) to publish climate and hazard data; enable federated data curation including for domain data; support access for a broad range of data providers and public; create data insights and publish information as needed.

That the National Climate Service establish and grow a knowledge brokering service that assists users to find the data, information and advice needed to resolve their climate questions and understand the uncertainty inherent in climate models.

That the Australian Government develop a long-term national strategy and funding approach for computational infrastructure and data storage for climate data and modelling.

That the National Climate Service 5.2 establish a portal for climate information, products and services sourced from across a range of quality assured providers that:
5.2.1. gradually builds over time a library of open-source climate information products and services
5.2.2. provides publicly available, up-to-date climate information for Australia (including states and territory regions and coastal zones, Australia’s oceanic Exclusive Economic Zone and external territories)
5.2.3. presents information in easy-to-understand ways with a variety of formats for download and visualisation
5.2.4. includes external, reputable information from up-to-date sources domestically and around the world, including from other national and transnational climate services.

That the National Climate Service develop robust quality assurance processes for data, tools, information and services provided by the National Climate Service and made available on the climate information portal.

That the National Climate Service conduct a gap analysis of Australia’s climate data and information needs and user literacy and refresh this regularly.

That the National Climate Service promote data standards to integrate and connect data from different fields, aligned with international best practice.

That the Australian Government require, and fund as necessary, the responsible agencies to uplift natural hazard data inputs to a level required by the National Climate Service and the National Emergency Management Agency, with co-ordination of data for emergency management (e.g. hazard extent mapping, forecasting and tracking of historical events) to be managed by National Emergency Management Agency and hazard projections to be co-ordinated by the National Climate Service.

That the Australian Government require the National Emergency Management Agency make its data and products opensource and accessible to government and the public wherever possible.

That the Australian Government signal to partners and suppliers that the National Climate Service is open to collaborating and data sharing

That the Australian Government require all publicly funded climate models to be published on the National Computing Infrastructure with minimal restrictions, to encourage wide reuse and scientific scrutiny.

The Committee recommends the Australian Government and Insurance Council of Australia explore measures to facilitate the exchange of substantiated information about the resilience of a property to insurers, including new mitigation measures undertaken through state-based grant and loan programs.

The Committee recommends that the General Insurance Code Governance Committee publish aggregate data on code breaches by clause, individual insurer, and brand.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government continue to work with the insurance industry through the Hazards Insurance Partnership to collate:
- data contained in the National Flood Information Database, and
- household-level data held by insurers (de-identified where appropriate).

The Committee recommends the Insurance Council of Australia in consultation with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and state, territory and local governments:
- Develop guidance for policyholders on the actions they can take to clean up their properties following a natural disaster.
- Include in the guidance any actions policyholders should take to document damage to their properties, such as taking photos to assist with their claim.
- Obtain a commitment from insurers that they will have regard for the guidance when assessing claims.
- Distribute the guidance as soon as possible to disaster-impacted local government areas.
- Make the guidance part of information distributed by insurers when a natural disaster occurs, including making the guidance available at recovery hubs in hard copy form.
- Develop debris cleanup guidance for councils.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government ultimately move towards a national, centralised, public-facing portal containing flood risk data at the household level for:
- all households and small businesses across Australia, and
- all land being considered for release for development and all land that has been released for development, but not yet developed.
Agencies tasked with developing the portal should reflect upon governments’ past efforts to develop similar portals and lessons learnt. The portal should be easily accessible, user friendly and display high-quality flood risk information in a way that is readily understandable to communities. That before data is released on such a portal for existing properties (residential and small business), that the entity creating the flood study release that data through a staged process involving appropriate community consultation and engagement.

The Committee recommends that all large insurers commit to having a physical presence at major emergency hubs in affected communities as soon as possible following a natural disaster.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to ensure flood maps are produced to a high standard across the nation, regardless of the size of the local government area producing the modelling. This may require:
- increased funding for local government areas and water authorities, and
- the development of agreed standards to ensure that flood mapping is completed to at least an agreed minimum standard.
That, over time, this higher quality flood modelling be made freely accessible to homeowners and the general public along with easy to understand information about flood risk exposures at each property. This may be best undertaken in the first instance by local councils and/or water authorities responsible for generating the flood modelling, consistent with Recommendation 3 of the Actuaries Institute’s Funding for Flood Costs report (August 2023).

The Committee recommends that a new service be offered to support vulnerable cash settlement recipients to project manage rebuilds and major repairs. This could be similar to the Service Navigator role in Queensland’s Resilient Homes Fund.

The Committee recommends the Australian Securities and Investments Commission consider seeking data from insurers on their performance based on the metrics recommended in Recommendation 51:
- Quarterly, for business-as-usual operations
- Monthly, for each declared event.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the General Insurance Code Governance Committee share data so that it is possible to evaluate breaches of the General Insurance Code of Practice in the context of an insurers’ overall claims profile.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government establish a national asset register to improve the efficiency of the deployment of resources in the aftermath of a disaster. The Government should consider whether it is feasible to include not only federal and state government assets, but also suitable local community, private sector and non-government organisation assets.

The Commonwealth should streamline nationally consistent standardised measures, focused on response and short-term recovery that can be delivered quickly following a disaster event. The standardised measures should:
- Ensure a nationally consistent activation process/decision making framework that is based on impact, consequence and need.
- Create certainty and speed for pre-determined funding.
- Clearly state the eligible activities, their relevant domain/s and the conditions under which the measure can be activated.
- Adopt streamlined audit and assurance, as well as monitoring and evaluation requirements consistent with the Outcomes Policy.

The Commonwealth should prioritise its data coordination efforts, including the provision of timely decision relevant information to assist decision makers to manage their risks and satisfy their disaster management objectives.
- Relevant data includes disaster risk information, climate hazard impact, capability and capacity information and vulnerability data.
-The data provided should be in a format that is usable by decision makers across all levels of government.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government ensure that future releases of modelling are provided well in advance of key dates in the ongoing roll-out of the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with state, territory and local governments and road agencies, including Austroads and the National Transport Research Organisation, to address existing road asset data gaps by developing a comprehensive understanding of the road network condition and standardised road asset dataset, with agreement on the following:
- a common definition of road asset data
- a consistent format across road asset data collection and storage.

For future emergency response programs, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water develop requirements for service provider reporting that enables output and outcome data to be compared or aggregated to provide assessment of progress at the program level.

Melbourne Water should adopt forecasting tools which enable forecasts to be made within a total of no more than 60 minutes.

Melbourne Water should ensure that their rating curves, which represent the relationships between river levels and corresponding river flows, extend also to rare and extreme flood events and have been derived using established bestpractice.

Melbourne Water should have a protocol that enables flood forecasting at intervals at less than two hours when prudent to do so by reason of the responsiveness of the catchment for significant events.

Melbourne Water needs to ensure that rainfall runoff and flood models are calibrated to observed flood information.

Melbourne Water should immediately update the Mid Maribyrnong flood model with a modern two dimensional flood model developed in accordance with Melbourne Water guidelines and use this model to set new design flood levels.

Melbourne Water should review their flood models every five years and update them at least every 10 years and after the occurrence of a major flood.

Melbourne Water should commission an independent expert review and audit of their forecasting system with the aim of identifying areas where forecast accuracy, warning times and model run times could be improved.

Melbourne Water should use the hydraulic model being developed (expected to become available in April 2024) to determine (and be subjected to independent peer review) the impact of the Flemington Floodwall and the efficacy of the associated downstream compensatory works.

The type and level of relief provided to insurers in an Extraordinary Catastrophe should be considered, as should the consequences for fair and efficient claims handling. This includes:
- The timing of the relief – before the event, in the immediate aftermath and up to 12 months following the event.
- Factors other than timeframes that could be subject to relief.
- The minimum commitments insurers are expected to meet; for example, prioritising vulnerable customers, supporting policyholders with emergency situations, including temporary accommodation, and communication standards.

ICA data capture To provide greater transparency on the industry’s response to catastrophes, the ICA should develop a data dictionary to enhance industry-wide reporting and investigate the feasibility of extending data capture to other claim outcome measures such as closure rates, quality and complaints.

Insurers should improve data capture, modelling and reporting to assist with identifying and mitigating against factors that impact their ability to progress claims in response to a catastrophe, including bottlenecks (e.g. hydrology reports).

That the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning develop an Emergency Relief strategy.

That the term ‘Emergency Supply’ be changed to ‘Emergency Relief’ in the State Disaster Management Plan.

Transition initiatives: That, to improve the community’s experience during immediate disaster recovery phase, Government through the SEOCON, NSWRA, DCS/Service NSW and other state agencies as required provide greater support (financial, health [including mental health], temporary accommodation, administrative and other support services) to affected communities by:
• minimising the number of times a person is required to relive their trauma by providing evidence or narrative of their disaster impact (for the purposes of accessing relief and support services). This includes consistent and effective referral pathways and follow up mechanisms
• looking at information sharing arrangements with the Australian Government to streamline grant identification and delivery
• partnering with affected communities and individuals to navigate and access support as soon as possible during or immediately following disaster events
• where possible, merging evacuation and recovery centres for the first 30 days post disaster. Where co location is not possible, DCS/Service NSW must have a representative present at both evacuation and recovery centres.
The Inquiry notes that clear transition initiatives are required dependent on the phase of recovery and lead agency associated – for example, the transition between the SEOCON (including DCS/Service NSW) in the immediate recovery phase to the NSWRA for the longer-term recovery. Functions that may require transition include, but are not limited to, administering grants and funding, and managing infrastructure and housing projects.

Housing , especially social housing: That, to ease housing stress in flood prone areas and ensure new development is resilient and community-centred, Government pursue a multi-pronged, decadal strategy through:
• ensuring flood-displaced residents in emergency housing who have no safe return to home options are re-homed in more permanent settlements where community can be re-established, and that emergency housing clusters do not take on de facto permanency
• providing authoritative advice on how to reclaim and restore flood damaged houses affected by mould. This includes providing detailed advice on who is at risk from living in mould-infected houses (the immunocompromised and those with lung damage plus certain other groups) and what constitutes safe living conditions for this group
• ensuring building standards are adopted for build back after floods so that new housing stock is as flood proof and flood recoverable as possible
• investing additional state, Commonwealth and private sector monies to grow the stock of social and affordable housing
• accelerating investment by the community housing and private sectors in new social and affordable housing projects through a Government run co-contribution grant funding program
• planning for and encouraging collaborative public and private sector investment in innovative mixed-use developments in flood prone regional cities and towns that are built above ground level to be flood
• resilient, are centrally located, and increase housing diversity by providing smaller social, affordable and market dwellings
• the Government’s Expert Housing Advisory Panel providing advice on additional market interventions to improve rental affordability and ease vacancy shortages to reverse homelessness and take pressure off social housing waitlists
• fast-tracking the approval and servicing of new village developments beyond the current footprint of Lismore and other Northern Rivers towns on existing cleared agricultural land above the re-calculated flood planning level, ensuring all infrastructure including transport, retail, schools, public space and other community facilities are in situ prior to occupation
• fast-tracking planning approvals and the provision of enabling infrastructure to accelerate delivery of Aboriginal housing on Local Aboriginal Land Council land and lands owned by Native Title corporations that respects culture and kinship and supports stable accommodation pathways
• partnering with the development and community housing sectors to relocate flood prone social and affordable housing on the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain to new and attractive multi-use, medium density developments within the CBDs of Mount Druitt, Blacktown and other Western Sydney city centres
• under the leadership of the NSW Building Commissioner, developing a code for flood resilient, environmentally sustainable building that accounts for current and likely future supply chain disruptions and extends to modular and manufactured homes
• working with the Greater Cities Commission and regional councils to ensure future local housing strategies factor in the need for natural disaster emergency housing and promote resilient housing systems
• encouraging financial institutions and insurance companies to use pricing structures to incentivise the construction of more safely situated and resilient buildings
• supporting building industry skills growth and making building material supply chains more robust to insulate the economy from future natural disaster and other exogenous shocks
• ensuring building industry occupational health and safety regulations are enforced in the flood-affected areas rebuilding programs.

That the NSW Government address the mental health needs of local communities following the February-March 2022 floods by: • embedding within state emergency and recovery plans a strategy that provides surge capacity for mental health and social workers by: • prioritising funding for community groups that are currently providing social and mental health support to their local communities • ensuring all flood-impacted communities receive the mental health support they need to fully recover. 

That the NSW Government ensure that all emergency and recovery plans, including state plans, local emergency management plans and functional area plans, are reviewed and updated regularly and provide clarity on the role of non-government partners.

That Service NSW establish teams of assessors that can be on the ground to assess and approve grant applications. 

That the NSW Government overhaul the way in which it conducts its grants process as it frustrated applicants and further traumatised them by repeatedly re-interviewing them and making them prove that they were flooded. 

That the NSW Government develop a more proactive, rapid response to manage animal welfare following natural disasters which includes improved collaboration and communication with local veterinarians and animal welfare organisations.

That the NSW Government provide an increased level of targeted support to flood affected communities contending with widespread mould. 

We recommend that DELWP enhances bushfire modelling by: - exploring multiple bushfire modelling tools to lower the uncertainty and limitations associated with using a single modelling tool - applying more detailed fire-severity data - validating and updating fuel accumulation curves - establishing and regularly updating an archive of well-documented fire events and using this to systematically test it against a broad range of burning and fuel conditions - establishing and implementing processes to routinely review and update its underlying datasets.

Relief and recovery funding: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the entity referred to in Recommendation 13, or otherwise responsible government department, leads the development of a comprehensive, person-centred, trauma-informed recovery financial assistance system that establishes:
(a) clear and transparent overview of grant and financial assistance eligibility requirements
(b) flexibility in the timing of application processes
(c) a streamlined application process for individuals, families, businesses and community recovery groups
(d) proactive outreach from relevant government agencies to affected individuals, families, businesses and community recovery groups to facilitate and encourage receipt of financial assistance where eligible.

Relief and recovery funding: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the entity referred to in Recommendation 13, or otherwise responsible government department, works with the emergency management sector to develop a recovery funding model that enables: 
(a) timely estimation of recovery costs based on the impact of the emergency
(b) consistency in government-based recovery support for organisations, councils, communities, businesses and individuals
(c) short, medium and long-term recovery planning and resourcing
(d) immediate local recovery progress by reducing administrative funding impediments for local organisations while retaining appropriate accountability mechanisms for expenditure.

Relief and recovery capability: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions works with the entity referred to in Recommendation 13, or otherwise responsible government department and/or Municipal Association of Victoria, councils and local relief and recovery organisations to provide centralised capability development opportunities to increase local capability and capacity to plan and deliver on their relief and recovery responsibilities:
(a) for emergencies of variable scale, complexity and duration
(b) in a manner that caters to the needs of diverse communities.

Foundations of emergency management: 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 consultation with the emergency management sector – establish policies and platforms to improve operational and personal information sharing between relief and recovery organisations. These policies and platforms should enable: 
(a) timely and comprehensive sharing of data related to impacts and consequences of emergencies
(b) increased ability to provide streamlined and proactive relief and recovery support services and financial assistance to affected individuals, families, businesses and community groups.

Recovery governance: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the entity referred to in Recommendation 13, or otherwise responsible government department, work with councils, relevant recovery organisations and communities to develop clear roles and responsibilities for: 
(a) the management and coordination of recovery across the continuum of all aspects of recovery (strategy, planning, operational and ongoing) 
(b) recovery service delivery to ensure that local service delivery organisations and community networks can be quickly activated to support individuals, families, businesses and communities.

Donated good: The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria and the entity referred to in Recommendation 13, or otherwise responsible government department:
(a) coordinate the development of agreed systems, processes and partnerships that can be activated as soon as potential emergencies are anticipated to ensure greater coordination and management of donated goods
(b) incorporate public communication strategies to mitigate the donation of goods as much as possible and socialise appropriate donating channels as defined in the arrangements.

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria – in consultation with relevant agencies – develop a system to manage personnel and asset deployments to all tiers of incident management to meet the needs of the emergency and support the health and wellbeing of personnel. Where appropriate and within occupational health and safety requirements, this may include:
a) standardised shift rosters across agencies and incident management tiers
b) a single or integrated platform to allow consistent recording of shift times and locations
c) records of accreditation, qualification, training and currency. 

Australian, state and territory governments should create common information platforms and share technologies to enable collaboration in the production, analysis, access, and exchange of information, data and knowledge about climate and disaster risks. 

Australian, state and territory governments should develop consistent processes for the classification, recording and sharing of fuel load data. 

Australian, state and territory governments should create a single national scheme for the regulation of charitable fundraising. 

Australian, state and territory governments should prioritise the implementation of harmonised data governance and national data standards. 

Australian, state and territory governments should ensure greater consistency and collaboration in the collation, storage, access and provision of data on the distribution and conservation status of Australian flora and fauna. 

State and territory governments should develop and implement efficient and effective arrangements to:
(1) educate the public about the challenges associated with donated goods, for example, the storage and distribution of donated goods, and
(2) manage and coordinate donated goods to ensure offers of support are matched with need. 

Australian, state and territory governments should incorporate the principle of ‘build back better’ more broadly into the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. 

Australian, state and territory governments should agree to: 
(1) develop consistent and compatible methods and metrics to measure health impacts related to natural disasters, including mental health, and 
(2) take steps to ensure the appropriate sharing of health and mental health datasets. 

Governments should create and publish standing policy guidance on whether they will or will not assist to clean-up debris, including contaminated debris, resulting from natural hazards. 

Australian, state and territory governments should expedite the development of pre-agreed recovery programs, including those that address social needs, such as legal assistance domestic violence, and also environmental recovery. 

Australian, state and territory governments should establish a national register of fire and emergency services personnel, equipment and aerial assets. 

Australian, state and territory governments should refine arrangements to support localised planning and the delivery of appropriate mental health services following a natural disaster. 

Australian, state and territory and local governments should evaluate the effectiveness of existing financial assistance measures to inform the development of a suite of pre-effective pre-determined recovery supports. 

Australian, state and territory governments should continue to develop a greater capacity to collect and share standardised and comprehensive natural disaster impact data. 

The Australian Government, through the mechanism of the proposed standing national recovery and resilience agency, should convene regular and ongoing national forums for charities, non-government organisations and volunteer groups, with a role in natural disaster recovery, with a view to continuous improvement of coordination of recovery support. 

Emergency Plan and Recovery sub-plans should be amended to better define recovery mechanisms and responsibilities, including hand over points to recovery authorities and community engagement for the delivery of long term recovery mechanisms.

That the NSW Government, along with other Australian governments, ask AFAC to establish a national bush fire database. This database would enable:
- monitoring of trends in bush fire activity and impacts, including timing, cause, extent and intensity across all land tenures and vegetation types
- tracking trends and identifying patterns in associated weather and climate signals that contribute to severe bush fires
- evaluation of the cost and effectiveness of risk mitigation efforts, including hazard reduction, and fire suppression activities so we have a better understanding of what works.

That, in order to ensure people only need to tell their story once to access government agency support following an emergency, Resilience NSW and Service NSW jointly design an inclusive, person-centred approach to information collection at evacuation centres. This should be supported by an opt-in scheme enabling personal information to be shared between NSW government agencies, local councils and non-governmental organisations administering support services for disaster-affected people.

That, as part of the spatial technology acceleration program, Government support deployment of remote sensing and picture processing technologies to monitor and audit how well Asset Protection Zones and defendable space are being maintained, especially around towns.

That, in order to improve capability to detect ignitions and monitor accurately all fire edge intensity and progression automatically across the State in near real time, Government establish a spatial technology acceleration program to maximise the information available from the various remote sensing technologies currently in use and to plan for inclusion of new remote sensing systems that can sense precisely and rapidly through heavy smoke, cloud, fog and dust. This will require work within the State and with partners nationally and internationally.

Documenting disaster recovery risks in agency risk registers, along with controls and treatment plans. 

Assessing the availability and skillsets of the resources needed to respond to a major disaster recovery event.

Developing detailed recovery procedures.

Recovery plans at all levels should include transition arrangements. They should be implemented during recovery. The arrangements should:
a. allow for the fluid and overlapping nature of phases of disaster management.
b. show the process to identify conditions for the transition from response and relief activities to recovery, and from recovery to business as usual. Operational plans should set out the conditions.
c. contain protocols for a formal and documented handover of responsibilities and issues.
d. set out how transitions will be clearly communicated to all stakeholders.

There remains a need to maximise the effect of all offers of assistance to recovering communities. This recommendation presents an opportunity to resolve any outstanding aspects of Recommendation 4 and Actions in Response from the Cyclone Debbie Review Action Plan:
The Queensland Offers of Assistance Policy, particularly for corporate donations, should be updated and exercised prior to the next season.

The basic capacity needs of each functional recovery group and how this can be scaled up should be identified. Plans for functional recovery groups should reflect this in clear statements for every level of the system, for all relevant entities about their required function, role and responsibilities during recovery.

State Government agencies with key roles and responsibilities around disaster recovery provide increased support in the development of recovery at the local level (pre-event). 

The ability to share, analyse, interrogate and display information from disparate entities should be progressed as a matter of some urgency.

That agencies undertaking flood studies adopt a standardised approach, based on Australia Handbook 7, maintain public ownership of underlying data sets to support future modelling, and ensure open access to these studies.

That SES uploads current flood studies and plans to the Common Operating Platform as a flood plan layer and that councils, subject to resolving licence restrictions, arrange to have appropriate access.

That BoM and the Flood Warning Consultative Committee, in consultation with gauge owners, review flood gauges and develop a program to update data used to support hydrologic modelling. This should include reviewing gauge maintenance before and after floods.

Subject to funding, that the Flood Warning Consultative Committee investigates the hydrological matters and advice received during this Review and detailed in this Report in Sections 4.1.9 and 4.1.11.

That the Flood Warning Consultative Committee considers the merits of delineating the Ouse River as a separate catchment from the Derwent River Basin.

That Government:
• undertakes a comprehensive assessment of flood mapping in Tasmania with a view to identifying data gaps, quality and currency, and works collaboratively with councils to identify funding to improve current statewide flood data; and • explores the feasibility of undertaking a comprehensive flood mapping of Tasmania, using LiDAR or other contemporary technology, with the objective of identifying which parts of our State are, and are not, prone to riverine flooding.

Conduct a review into South Australia’s arrangements for relief and recovery grant, Local Government Disaster Recovery Assistance Arrangements and Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangement claims, the review should include governance coordination and criteria for provision and processing of relief/recovery grants

That the Flood Reform Task Group identify an appropriate mechanism for stakeholder agencies (including the State Emergency Service, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Meteorology and SA Water, as a minimum) to share data and information and develop plans and strategies for management of water levels in reservoirs and spill management during floods in South Australian water catchments

That SA Health, develop an emergency plan to manage an extended power outage or black system event which, in addition to the requirements outlined in recommendation 16:
a) includes a process for identification and registration of vulnerable persons in the community to ensure an effective support is provided b) enables access to pharmaceutical medicines for at risk persons c) provides for the support of individuals with equipment in their homes to support their own health e.g. oxygen equipment

That consideration and resources be given to support the implementation of recommendations in the report prepared on behalf of Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (Australian Water Environments, 2016), for flood warning classification of stream gauges and other locations.

The development of an integrated intelligence system that allows police officers secure access to all information platforms should also provide for the recording of all command decisions, the reasons for them, and the dissemination of those decisions.

Develop a statewide flood hazard map for use within the Tasmanian Planning System.

Improve beach morphology mapping to understand coastal inundation, including post-event surveys.

Make coastal mapping available to public.

Extend current tsunami maritime hazard modelling project to deliver coastal inundation modelling.

Deliver updated inundation mapping.

Impact Assessment Data Collection: The Office of Emergency Management continues to progress the Impact Assessment Data Collection Project and: · incorporate recovery schema in Rapid Impact Assessments · review procedures for collection of Rapid Impact Assessment Data · review and combine current templates into one, single template for Impact Assessment Reports that is used by all agencies · further develop Impact Assessment Guidelines for agency personnel undertaking impact assessments

Communicating in Recovery: The Office of Emergency Management: · considers the development of a communications and engagement strategy for major disaster events · progresses the development of the ‘Communicating In Recovery’ Guideline in the Local Recovery Toolkit.

Transition from Response to Recovery: That Region Emergency Management Committees meet post event to: · consider available impact data · determine the need to establish a Recovery Committee · document the rationale for the decision · advise the Office of Emergency Management of the decision.

Transition from Response to Recovery That the Office of Emergency Management, in consultation with the NSW Police Force Emergency Management Unit develops a template for handover of the Response to Recovery Phase of an emergency.

That the NSW Rural Fire Service investigate mechanisms to enhance the predictability of megafires and how this information is communicated easily to the public.

In accordance with recommendations of the BMT WBM report, the Banana Shire Council, SunWater, and the Bureau of Meteorology, under the stewardship of the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, jointly identify the requirements for a suitable gauge network for the Callide Valley to allow meaningful and timely flood warnings. The review should identify key stakeholders, examine potential funding sources and include a cost benefit analysis.

Corrections Volunteer Labour Teams
The employment of volunteer Corrections inmates in community support cleanup work was
well received by the community and should not be overlooked in future recovery operations.

VIP Visits
The value of visits by senior Government members and Vice Regal representatives to disaster
affected communities cannot be overstated. On all occasions, the visits lifted community
morale, reminding people that their welfare was important and that they were not forgotten.
Accordingly, they should be encouraged in future recovery operations, but organised in
consultation with the affected communities to ensure that they are not “over-visited”.

Transition from Response to Recovery
The management of the transition from the Response Phase of an emergency event to the
Recovery Phase is important to ensure the continuity of effective management of the event.
The NSW Recovery Plan should be amended to provide more specific requirements for
handover and (ongoing if necessary) intelligence sharing between lead combat agencies and
Recovery at the regional / local level. To support this improvement, MPES should identify and
train additional internal and/or surge staff to take up roles as Recovery Information/Liaison
Officers and pro-actively embed these officers into Incident Control Centres at a Regional and
State level. This would augment recovery operations by allowing not only information
collection and analysis but participation in decision making.
The NSW Recovery Plan should be amended to provide more specific direction on the role,
responsibilities and location of Recovery Information/Liaison Officers

Streamlining NDRRA Grants Processes
Noting the need for financial oversight in assessing NDRRA determinations, these grants are
important to the community and opportunities to streamline the approvals process should
be explored with the Commonwealth in order to minimise delays in the future.

Impact Assessment Data Sharing Project
There is a clear need to train and raise awareness amongst Local and Regional Emergency
Management Committees (LEMC / REMC), as well as community and non-government
agencies about how important impact assessment data is to recovery planning. The Impact
Assessment Data Sharing Project should continue in development, exploiting opportunities
to improve efficiency and effectiveness of response and recovery decision making.

MP Recovery Reference Group
The creation of the MP Recovery Reference Group enabled a separation of operational
recovery activities, managed by the Recovery Coordinator through the Regional Recovery
Committee, from the discussion of issues at the strategic level by elected representatives. It
also provided a forum for local MPs to raise issues directly with the Government, either via
the Chair, or directly with Ministers. Accordingly, this is a model of engagement that should
be considered for employment in future recovery operations.

Planning for Recovery Centres Recovery Centres are a proven means of providing support to affected communities. More comprehensive recovery planning is needed at local levels, including the identification of potential Recovery Centre sites in Local EM Plans to help facilitate streamlined establishment of the Centres in future events. Consideration should be given to developing a clear set of standard messaging regarding
Recovery Centres to ensure community members are aware of the Centres, the areas they
are servicing, and the support people can expect to receive at the Centres. Consideration
should also be given to the preparation of a generic Recovery Centre infrastructure
requirements statement to complement the Recovery Centre Guidelines, which would serve
as a baseline requirements document to which site specific needs could be added.

Consultation should be undertaken with agencies and organisations that are engaged in emergency welfare provision to identify more effective ways to provide a consistent message to the community that non-cash donations are not required.

Development of a template contract for the clean-up of affected properties to speed-up the process;

Consultation with the Board of the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund and other disaster appeal organisers should be undertaken to determine the potential for software development to consolidate the application and approval process, including provision of templates and application forms;

The State equip itself to undertake rapid air quality monitoring in any location in Victoria, to: • collect all relevant data, including data on PM , carbon monoxide and ozone; and 2.5 • ensure this data is used to inform decision-making within 24 hours of the incident occurring.

That the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services urgently review its policies for the provision of disaster welfare services to ensure that in the event of a bush fire emergency and the declaration of a fire under section 44 of the Rural Fires Act 1997, adequate funding and services, especially recovery centres and mental health services, are provided for an adequate length of time, with gradual transition to normal service delivery when those services are no longer required.

That the Rural Fire Service consider proposing an arrangement with the Bureau of Meteorology to deploy weather balloons specifically for the purpose of assessing atmospheric instability during periods of severe to catastrophic fire danger in locations most likely to be severely affected, for example, areas in which a very high C-Haines index reading is registered and local fires have been identified.

Alternatively, I recommend that the RFS consider developing such capacity to deploy weather balloons itself, in conjunction with mobile weather stations, for this purpose.

That prior to the commencement of any major clean-up, firm policy be established and made known to the extent to which material removal will be the responsibility of the home owner, the Council or the State led recovery effort.

That a single victim registration form be designed, which captures all relevant details required for use by any support agency both in the Response Phase at Evacuation centres and during the Recovery Phase. That such documents when completed form part of a wider database which can be accessed by all relevant agencies

Governments should task the Australia–New Zealand Emergency Management Committee with leading the development of guidelines for the collection and dissemination of natural hazard mapping, modelling and metadata. Guidelines should be developed for all hazards that need to be modelled and mapped at the local/regional level and where consistency across regions is desirable.

Governments at all levels should make new and currently held natural hazard data publicly available in accordance with open public sector information principles. When collecting new natural hazard data or undertaking modelling, all levels of government should:
• make information publicly available unless it would not be in the public interest to do so
• use private-sector providers where cost effective, and use licencing arrangements that allow for public dissemination. Where there are costs involved in obtaining intellectual property rights for existing data, governments should weigh up these costs against the public benefits of making the data freely accessible
• apply cost recovery where governments are best placed to collect or analyse specialist data for which the benefits accrue mostly to private sector users.

Regional Development Victoria should implement the recommendations from the Department of Planning and Community Development's review of the Community Recovery Fund to improve the delivery of relief and recovery programs in the future.

That suitable facilities are established from which to effectively control and coordinate immediate recovery operations.

That Tasmania Fire Service establishes suitable systems and practices for recording fire management objectives and tactics.

That the State Emergency Management Committee ensures that a program of debriefing on recovery issues is completed by all relevant agencies and organisations, and detailed plans and operating procedures are established ready for implementation.

That if a sound business case is developed, the Emergency Information Management and Sharing Project be supported.

That the state level structural arrangements for managing recovery operations are reviewed.

That police and other emergency service agencies establish and maintain effective recording systems for emergency operations.

TFS should take steps to obtain cell transmission coverage maps for LBS-based EA messages and take note of the need for training of staff to ensure that messages are drafted carefully and appropriately so as to take cell transmission coverage into account.

That Rural Fire Service Queensland develops a simple data collection system to record the activities of brigades.

The Manager of the Geographic Information Systems unit conduct an audit of the Firecom mapping system to ensure that rural Brigade and road addressing is up to date.

That the Rural Fire Service Queensland upgrades its subscription to technology for the Brigade Mapping Toolset to make it available to all Brigades who want it.

That the RFSQ central office undertake a review of Firecom procedures in relation to Rural Fire Service callouts. Each Rural Fire Service Queensland district office should also undertake a review of the Firecom data sets/callout information for their district to establish call out protocols are correct.

That the Department of Health facilitates the sharing of hospital patient outcome data with Queensland Ambulance Service to help measure the effect of pre-hospital care on patient outcomesThat the Department of Health facilitates the sharing of hospital patient outcome data with Queensland Ambulance Service to help measure the effect of pre-hospital care on patient outcomes.

That all agencies participating in these activities should, as far as legally possible, share data sets whether or not the relevance is immediately obvious.

Review the adequacy of current arrangements for infrastructure reconstruction following a major flood event in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

Develop a Hawkesbury-Nepean Flood Recovery Plan, which identifies strategies and arrangement for recovery from severe floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

I recommend that the Commonwealth prioritise completion of a hydrographic survey of Christmas Island and ensure that such a survey is completed in the near future. 

When communities are grieving there is a need to provide special forms of support to affected residents.

An early decision on relief funding enables timely responses. D CP should review their communication of relief arrangements to ensure that they are clear.

Better maps are required for urban/rural interface fires

Shire experiences in managing these traumatic events should be captured and passed into emergency management procedures.

Fuel loads on private property need to be identified and included in understanding fire behaviour in determine the contribution they make to the burn risk assessment.

Procedures to resolve issues surrounding financial assistance need to be reviewed to ensure they are as smooth, fast and transparent as possible possible. Review and streamline current financial relief procedures.

Maps prepared for prescribed burns should address the fuel type and burn history of the burn area as well as surrounding areas. Predicted rates of spread under prescribed and other conditions should recognise the complexity of coastal heathlands.

The Minister for Emergency Services ensure that a Statewide fuel load database that includes data from Western Power, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Department of Environment and Conservation be established before the 2013-14 bushfire season.

Seqwater should consider engaging a technical writer to develop completely new manuals after the operational strategies for Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams are set by the Queensland Government.

Councils should make their flood and overland flow maps and models available to applicants for development approvals, and to consultants engaged by applicants.

Councils should, resources allowing, maintain flood maps and overland flow path maps for use in development assessment. For urban areas these maps should be based on hydraulic modelling; the model should be designed to allow it to be easily updated as new information (such as information about further development) becomes available.

CS Energy should supplement physical monitoring of Splityard Creek Dam with visual monitoring by installing surveillance cameras or similar devices.

All councils should, resources allowing, map the overland flow paths of their urban areas.

Increased automation and outsourcing of observations

Early resolution and clear communication of the financial and other support measures that will be available to affected residents is an important contributor to community resilience.

The Minister for Emergency Services, with advice from the Interagency Bushfire Management Committee Fuel Load Management sub-committee, report to Parliament by May 2012 on the estimated cost of developing one fuel load information system across all lands in Western Australia, no matter who manages it. This system’s information should be readily accessible and easily understood by all stakeholders, including the public.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the Department of Environment and Conservation and local governments jointly develop a single, integrated system for fuel load assessment and management. The system should enable public access to allow members of the community to access information about the fuel load in a given locality.

The Western Australian Local Government Association explore the feasibility of local governments utilising aerial and satellite imagery to monitor firebreaks and fuel loads on private property.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority and local governments ensure that the ability to: measure and map fuel loads maintain fuel load databases draw up prescriptions for, and oversee controlled burns are included as key competencies in any future recruitment of Chief Bushfire Control Officers and Community and Emergency Services Managers.

The Department for Child Protection, the Western Australian Police and the Fire and Emergency Services Authority develop improved arrangements for communicating the loss of home and possessions to persons gathered at evacuation centres with a view to increasing privacy.

The State Government ensure that the continued development of the Fire and Emergency Service Authority’s Integrated Bushfire Risk Management System is dependent on an independent comparative assessment of its functionality and cost effectiveness against the Spatial Support System used by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

the state amend the current protocol governing National Registration and Inquiry System information collection and sharing to: • clarify the role of councils and Centrelink during and after emergencies • ensure the amended protocol is written in plain English and easily understood; and • coordinate, in conjunction with the state and federal privacy commissioners, the development of a new National Registration and Inquiry System information sharing protocol in line with the proposed National Registration and Inquiry System 6 and state or federal privacy legislation.

the state finalise the 2008 review of Victoria’s municipal assistance. This should include addressing: • the provision of upfront funding for local councils for repair of community assets • packages for early relief and recovery to be included in both the Natural Disaster Funding Arrangements and the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, including outreach packages; and • the process of reimbursement of local councils after floods.

the state take into account any outcomes from the Commonwealth Government’s flood mapping reviews in the continual development of the Victorian flood database and to incorporate into the database flood data currently held by Melbourne Water.

the state, in respect of the Rapid Impact Assessment process: • resolve which agency/ies has policy and operational responsibility for this process • define the purpose of Rapid Impact Assessment; and • review the process, in light of the 2010–11 floods, to examine options to improve the efficiency of the collection of information.

the state implement arrangements to improve the support provided to local government on disaster financing before, during and after emergency events.

the state establish standards for flood mapping to ensure they are kept contemporary and meet the purposes of landuse risk planning and emergency response. In doing so, maps should extend where appropriate to include Probable Maximum Flood, over a range of Annual Exceedence Probability levels and be explicitly linked to a stream gauge.

the state make available to the public a clear guide of who is responsible for: • clean-up and recovery of various types of infrastructure that straddle the public/private boundary; and • the policies agencies will follow in determining whether to repair infrastructure under their control.

the Department of Human Services develop proactive strategies to provide information and assistance for people applying for emergency grants.

the state ensure that regional and local flood plans incorporate all available flood mapping and intelligence, including assessments of levees and flood consequence information.

the state review the legislation and policies that set out clean-up and recovery responsibilities for infrastructure such as crossovers, culverts, drains, bridges and waterways, including consideration of: • whether the entities who are given obligations or powers to undertake clean-up works have the capacity to do so; and • the appropriateness of having different legal regimes for what is essentially the same piece of infrastructure. If the review reveals that the current responsibility matrix is inadequate, the state develop an action plan to address the identified shortcomings.

the state clarify the transition to recovery arrangements including the processes for approving and funding of essential works after transition to recovery has been formalised.

the state, in consultation with Bureau of Meteorology and Melbourne Water, take the necessary action to ensure that all flood warnings issued are linked to the geographical location of the gauge the data was derived from.

the state review the way early outreach occurs and implement changes that will ensure that there is a consistency of approach regardless of which agency undertakes the service.

the state: • ensure that the concerns raised by Victorians regarding the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements are provided to the national review, including the issues of: – betterment (what it means and how it is applied); and – the 51 per cent income rule for eligibility of businesses for grants. • establish a single point of information (such as the single web portal referred to in recommendation 33) on all emergency related financial assistance available to individuals, businesses and local government. The means of accessing this information should be widely circulated in the community.

The Fire Services develop a program that enables all communication mediums, including social media and agency websites, to be monitored in real time to provide quality assurance for outgoing messages and additional sources of information and intelligence relating to an emergency

that QFRS undertake a thorough review of Firecom’s systems, including data integrity and dispatch procedures.

The committee recommends that Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and its relevant contractors continue to monitor the wellbeing of the survivors and that counselling and support services should be provided for as long as is necessary.

The committee recommends that relevant Commonwealth agencies continue to monitor the wellbeing of their personnel and that counselling and support services should be provided for as long as necessary.

The committee recommends that the Department of Regional Australia and DIAC liaise with the Christmas Island community to explore options for a permanent memorial to be erected on the island, at a site of the residents' choosing, for the victims of the tragedy.

FESA revises its standard operating procedures to provide guidance on the format and timing of post-incident community meetings.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment conduct biodiversity mapping identifying flora, fauna and any threatened species throughout Victoria and make the results publicly available. The format used should be compatible with that used for Bushfire-prone Area mapping.

The State identify a central point of responsibility for and expertise in mapping bushfire risk to: ■ review urgently the mapping criteria at present used by the Country Fire Authority to map the Wildfire Management Overlay, to ensure that the mapping used to determine building and planning controls is based on the best available science and takes account of all relevant aspects of bushfire risk; ■ map and designate Bushfire-prone Areas for the purposes of planning and building controls, in consultation with municipal councils and fire agencies; ■ finalise the alignment of site-assessment methods for planning and building purposes, taking into account bushfire risk to human safety as well as to property.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment significantly upgrade its program of long-term data collection to monitor and model the effects of its prescribed burning programs and of bushfires on biodiversity in Victoria.

The Country Fire Authority and the Department of Sustainability and Environment improve mapping support in the following ways: ■ DSE providing mapping data free of charge to emergency response agencies; ■ greatly increasing the CFA’s ‘write’ access to FireMap for incident management team staff; ■ establishing a joint DSE–CFA training program to ensure that mapping officers in level 2 and 3 incident management teams are fully trained in using FireMap, including in producing fire prediction maps; ■ requiring before the 2010–11 fire season that FireMap be used for joint incidents.

Add an ‘Aviation’ map to the standard set of incident maps. The standard for this map will need to be developed by subject matter experts from the Air Ops group.

The SDMG lead an initiative to deal at all levels with offers of assistance and donations from the general public in the event of disasters.

Current procedures to activate disaster recovery funding arrangements be retained and processes be reinforced.

Biosecurity Victoria should enhance controls to provide assurance regarding data integrity. This process should include:
• working with local government to provide accurate and complete property data across the state
• enhancing processes for ensuring consistent notification of disease events across regions
• reviewing all processes related to the collation, input, processing, output and protection of data to improve the integrity of the system.

The Committee recommends that the National Coastal Zone Database be expanded over time to include information on environmental data and management and planning information relevant to the coastal zone.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Australian Bureau of Statistics, ensure that:
- accurate and consistent methods of measuring the numbers and the impact of tourists and other non-residents in coastal areas are undertaken to enable resources to be better matched with demand for infrastructure and services
- improved data on long-term demographic trends in coastal areas is made available to assist in coastal zone planning and management

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government establish a National Coastal Zone Database to improve access to and consistency of information relevant to coastal zone adaptation. The National Coastal Zone Database should be an online portal that allows ready access to:
- ‘first pass’ National Coastal Vulnerability Assessment data
- state and local Digital Elevation Modelling
- National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility reports
- federal Local Adaptation Pathways Program reports
- state and local coastal vulnerability assessment results

The Committee recommends that the Department of Climate Change share all data collected through vulnerability assessments undertaken as part of the Australian Government Local Adaptation Pathways Program on the proposed National Coastal Zone Database (see also recommendation 42).

That the Professional Assistance Grant is formally extended by WANDRA to include non rural businesses and that it be made available to assist with the clean up of disaster related damage to farms and businesses. (The Committee recognises that the amendments to WANDRA as of March 2007 address this recommendation).

That the newly proposed index linked limits for Personal Hardship and Distress Relief Payments as outlined in the paper “National Disaster Relief Arrangements - An Analysis and Recommendations for Personal Hardship Distress Measures” be accepted by government.

That, in line with recommendations contained in the 2004 Report to the Council of Australian Governments, greater flexibility should be introduced to WANDRA to enable damaged infrastructure to be upgraded to a more resilient standard where that is both feasible and cost-effective.

Databases with a common minimum data set complete with incident monitoring should be established for TAS Air Ambulance, TMRS and NETS missions.

That an appropriate geographic information systems capability be maintained to enable the production of fire-specific maps as the need arises and that personnel from the Emergency Services Agency and other agencies be trained in the operation of map production systems, so that 9maps can be modified to include fire-specific information as required

That the Emergency Services Agency introduce a program with land management agencies in the ACT to ensure that maps of all public and private land in the ACT are subjected to regular review and amendment as required. Maps of a scale sufficient to facilitate fire management operations should be available in printed form and maintained on an electronic database capable of modification to add relevant features during a firefighting operation

The data and information management system should be compatible with any data and information management system established by the ATSB for the designated interstate rail network, provided that the establishment of a compatible system does not reduce the amount or quality of the information obtained by ITSRR below the optimum levels which it needs to conduct trend analysis, and otherwise properly manage the safety of rail operations in New South Wales.

The ITSRR should establish a data and information management system, containing all data and information that it requires, to continually monitor the safety of the New South Wales rail system.

The Working Group recommends that States/Territories consider their ability to house large numbers of domestic pets, and where necessary, develop plans and arrangements that facilitate this need. 

The Working Group recommends that the National Recovery Coordinators Group considers the issue of emergency relief centres in the context of catastrophic disaster with a view to assisting jurisdictions to plan for the need to accommodate thousands of people following a disaster. 

The Working Group recommends that potential shortfalls in the capacity to deal with large numbers of unprotected children and other special needs groups in a catastrophic event be referred to the Disaster Recovery Sub Committee of Community Services Ministers’ Advisory Council (CSMAC) for consideration and report back. 

The Working Group recommends that jurisdictions plan for the logistics of supply and delivery of meals to large numbers of homebound persons in an attempt to identify possible ways of resolving existing shortcomings. 

That DPI upgrades the Crop Health Services diagnostic database so that it alerts PSB and PIRVIC to the receipt of samples from nearby areas with similar symptoms and can be linked to other PIRVIC diagnostic databases.

That DPI establishes a system to ensure the security of all samples at all times, but particularly during their handling and transport.

That Government review the emergency relief and financial assistance policy, and develop and communicate a predictable, consistent and equitable policy designed to assist the community to recover from emergencies, including natural disasters.

That Government acknowledge the importance of spatial information as a key element of planning, operations and program evaluation, and support the Geospatial Emergency Information Network as a means of ensuring integrated and co-ordinated information management on a whole-ofGovernment basis.

That all agencies engaged in recovery participate in community briefings prior to and during emergency events, to ensure recovery issues are reinforced and communities are informed of the processes established to assist individuals – including matters that are not the responsibility of Victoria, such as Centrelink payments.

That all emergency service agencies, CFA and DSE in particular, give greater priority to information management – especially the collection, maintenance and quality control of base data sets necessary for planning, operations and program evaluation.

That recovery is recognised as commencing at the same time as response and that recovery planning and delivery is an integral part of the operations of the Municipal Emergency Co-ordination Centres.

That DSE and CFA map all unplanned fires greater than four hectares on public and private land in order to further develop an understanding of the risk to rural Victoria from unplanned fires.

That the Victorian Government recommend to the Commonwealth Government that it reviews eligibility for those without employment who may or may not be engaged in an emergency response, and are unable to access the appropriate infrastructure to register for financial assistance.

That the State Emergency Recovery Committee explore opportunities to establish a 'one-stop shop’ approach wherever practicable following emergencies, including a single telephone number to connect a person to all agencies involved in the recovery process.

That DSE and CFA, recognising that the Bureau of Meteorology does not routinely store all variables required to produce the calculations and indices necessary for research and planning into fire occurrence and behaviour, develop appropriate systems to ensure that such current and historical information is readily available and accessible.

That VicRoads and Municipal Councils review procedures and processes to ensure that the identification and delivery of remedial works on State and Council roads following emergency events are as efficient as possible. 

That DHS, in conjunction with Local Government, Government departments and the nongovernment sector, modify recovery planning at all levels to include a case management approach supported by an appropriate information system to be activated at the time of an emergency.

That DSE institute additional routine data storage and analysis to supplement current climate records with at least daily 3 pm values for the Grassland and Forest Fire Danger Index, and Keetch-Byram Drought Index, for selected high quality stations representing a cross-section of environments throughout Victoria. 

That DPI actively promote as widely as possible within the community, the agricultural recovery service available during emergencies to ensure that all farmers are aware of the services provided.

The Committee recommends that the 1:100,000 national mapping program be accelerated to achieve an average life of no greater than 10 years with priority given to those areas most susceptible to national disasters.

The Committee recommends that Emergency Management Australia be required to participate in the development and delivery of spatial information systems as part of a national approach to emergency planning and management data. The first priority in policy development and of systems should be related to bushfire hazards.

The Committee recommends that Geoscience Australia take responsibility, in conjunction with Emergency Management Australia, for developing a national spatial data policy to coordinate the development of data systems, the collection of data and the sharing of data between all the emergency response agencies across Australia, and that both agencies participate in the development and delivery of spatial information
systems as part of a national approach to emergency planning and management data. The first priority in policy development and of systems should be related to bushfire hazards.

It is recommended that the Forests Commission recognize and provide for the efficient exercise of three major functions, namely those of Commerce, Reclamation and Rehabilitation.

Australian, state and territory governments should refine arrangements to support localised planning and the delivery of appropriate mental health services following a natural disaster.