That the NSW Government consider amending the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 to make the powers to consent authorities to modify or revoke development consents in the public interest, and that if a consent authority exercises the power to revoke a development consent, that no comp

That the NSW Government consider implementing:
- all of the recommendations of the statutory review of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016
- planning instruments that provide for the retention and creation of deep soil, native tree cover and habitat in urban areas

That the NSW Government review the need for legislation amending the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 or a state environmental planning policy to consider climate change within the planning system alongside the need to deliver development outcomes, including housing diversity, suppl

That the NSW Government consider ways to improve the independence of the assessment of planning proposals and development applications, without increasing the time taken to assess such proposals.

That the NSW Government review deemed refusal appeals under section 8.17 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and consider the impacts that deemed refusal appeals have on local councils, particularly in relation to the costs incurred in defending these appeals and the strain that

That the NSW Government look into strengthening Development Control Plans so that provisions within Development Control Plans bear greater weight when considered in the Land and Environment Court and so that they can be enforced.

That the NSW Government:
- implement statutory planning controls to mitigate the urban heat island effect, either through legislation, changes to the Sustainable Buildings SEPP, and/or any other relevant instruments

That the NSW Government implement enforceable measures and progress legislative change to ensure planning authorities:
- better reach communities using ongoing access to modern tools and a central database to inform them about development proposals in their local areas and

That the NSW Government enhance land use planning processes to take into account climate change risks, including the development of clear guidelines about where homes and infrastructure should and should not be located.

That the NSW Government give effect to the right of First Nations people to self-determination and the principle of free, prior, informed and ongoing consent in the New South Wales planning system, including in relation to:
- development applications and planning proposals

That the NSW Government continue to support councils to undertake their functions in respect of addressing climate change where necessary, such as:
- assessing the need for additional funding
- making sure councils have appropriate skills to assess large and complex proposals.

That the NSW Government in partnership with local Aboriginal land councils and other Aboriginal land holders, in land claims processes to identify and activate land suitable for development and progress any necessary rezonings to enable that development and where parties agree, consider land swap

That the NSW Government develop a more comprehensive and coordinated climate adaptation framework which can be implemented at local scale which:
- integrates climate resilience and preparedness measures into all aspects of planning and development

That the NSW Government continue to work through the NSW Reconstruction Authority to develop a state policy for managed relocation in situations where this may be a viable solution for communities or specific sites.

That the NSW Government introduce a formalised governance structure at the State level to provide leadership and better assist local coastal councils with the management of catchments, funding and administrative constraints in relation to their Coastal Management Plans.

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

That the NSW Government consider implementing a system for when the Minister for Planning may request the Independent Planning Commission to conduct a public hearing for any development.

That the NSW Government seek to amend provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 relating to historical developments to:

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government focus on building morale in fire field crews through greater public recognition of their work.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government conduct technology capability planning as part of the development of the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan version 5.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government increase investment to improve morale in the fire unit, ensuring improved communication and collegiality and accountability between management and ground crew staff.

The Committee recommends that PCS continue to utilise alternative fuel load management methods and techniques when it is not safe to conduct prescribed burning, and that they be appropriately resourced and supported by the ACT Government to enable this to occur.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government more clearly explain to the ACT community the residual risk methodology and fuel load management strategy.

The Committee recommends that as part of the current review of the SBMP and development of the SBMPv5, EPSDD and the ESA review the criteria used for assessing appropriate conditions for prescribed burning.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government work with the community on bushfire preparedness and response, with a particular focus on new Canberrans and those who may not be familiar with bushfire risk and response in the local environment.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government continue to support and increase culturally-informed land management practices and cultural burns.

The Committee recommends that PCS receive adequate funding for the 2023-24 EPSDD BOP to ensure all access maintenance activities listed as Priority 1, and that these activities are completed.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government reinstate in full the Tritter program for clearing roadside vegetation.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government ensure tracks and trails are maintained, including increasing the annual funding level for maintenance of management trails from the current level of around 1% of the value of the asset, up to 2% or more, to address the increased impact of climate

The Committee recommends that PCS adopt a policy and practice that all planned prescribed burning activities be carried out to the greatest extent possible, unless there are compelling reasons relating to inappropriate weather conditions, firefighter safety or lack of resources to not carry out a

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government review senior management positions and reassess against industry standards, while reflecting on levels of experience and risk that the positions are responsible for.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government ensure PCS remains an attractive place to work for those in the fire management space through provision of opportunities for career development, with clear pathways to management, and improved training and pay conditions.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government ensure merit-based recruitment for Fire Unit staff, and conduct recruitment with a focus on fire qualifications or experience for management to ground crew positions.

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 Committee recommends that the ACT Government consider bushfire risk and response, and resourcing when considering the development of areas along the western edge.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government ensure community fire units have been established in new suburbs in the Molonglo Valley and North Gungahlin zoned as bushfire prone areas and if not what if any plans there are to establish community fire units in these areas.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government ensure that senior PCS management (Director, planning officer, operations officer, prescribed burn officer) of the PCS Fire Management Unit have on-the-ground fire-fighting experience or training.

The Committee recommends that the Multi-Hazard Advisory Council resume the Bushfire Council’s practice of providing annual reports to the Minister on bushfire preparedness ahead of every fire season.

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government work with volunteer firefighters to ensure there is a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities in relation to fire management and response.

The Committee recommends that PCS consider reviewing and streamlining the sign-off process for road maintenance contractor works and recruiting or training additional road maintenance contract managers with the appropriate skills and qualifications to assist in the delivery of the road maintenanc

The Committee recommends that the ACT Government develop a Natural Disaster Strategy that covers all aspects of health to ensure continuity of access to healthcare in the event of a natural disaster.

To support reliable electricity supply to communities impacted by prolonged power outages, a minimum service level standard should be introduced for Victorian distribution feeders, which if breached, requires remediation by the relevant distribution business.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources. The attestation should include specific reference to, but not limited to: Application of best practice communication and engagement approaches before, during and after prolonged power outages including:

To quickly address unreliable power supply to known areas at risk of prolonged power outages, by December 2024 or earlier, the Minister for Energy should apply a licence condition for AusNet to: a. Improve realiability of the specified feeders; and b.

The Victorian Government consider implementing a principle based overarching consumer duty either through legislation or relevant regulatory instruments.

AusNet annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources about the currency, completeness, maturity and implementation ability of its emergency risk management practices regarding the transmission of electricity, inclusive of assets, people, resources, governance, systems, processes and ar

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources. The attestation should include specific reference to, but not limited to: Ability to undertake rapid impact assessment at a network-wide scale during an event including integration of:

The Victorian Government advocates for stronger telecommunications service reliability outcomes from the Australian Government, and associated telecommunications reviews.

The Minister for Energy and Resources undertake an independent review of distribution businesses response to the next prolonged power outage event(s) against the recommendations and observations of the Network Outage Review with a view to identifying and removing barriers to achieving better outc

The Victorian Government to work with the Commonwealth Government and telecommunications carriers to ensure that there are appropriate arrangements, via existing services or alternatives, for communities to stay connected for 72 hours without network power supply.

The Minister for Energy and Resources undertake an independent assessment of AusNet's emergency risk management practices for its transmission network including arrangements with contractors by September 2025.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources. The attestation should include specific reference to, but not limited to: Adoption and operation of State Emergency Management Priorities including ‘make safe’.

DEECA work with distribution businesses, emergency service agencies, and peak bodies to integrate prolonged power outage preparedness into existing business and household emergency preparedness plan templates by June 2025.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources.

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.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources. The attestation should include specific reference to, but not limited to: Capability and capacity to achieve effective management of events and timely restoration of customers.

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.

Distribution businesses annually attest to the Minister for Energy and Resources.

DEECA in conjunction with Emergency Management Victoria design and run a networkwide, multi-sector emergency exercise to test implementation of lessons learnt following the 13 February event and identify and remove barriers to effective coordination and response by September 2025

The Victorian Government and energy sector work with The Energy Charter #BetterTogether Life Support Customer Initiative to support and implement in Victoria a national approach to achieve better outcomes for life support customers that meets strong standards of consumer protection.

Owners and operators of critical infrastructure should participate in Regional Emergency Management Planning Committees and ensure that they have appropriate arrangements for services to stay connected for 72 hours without network power supply – to be actioned immediately.

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

DEECA in conjunction with distribution businesses formalise mutual aid arrangements between all businesses to support effective management of prolonged power outage events to reduce time to restore outcomes for customers.

The Victorian Government amend the Emergency Management Act 2013 to:

The Victorian Government make explicit the support agency role of transmission and distribution businesses for electricity emergencies in the State Emergency Management Plan.

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that the Queensland Police Service lead the co-design of an all hazards Queensland warnings strategy.

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that the Queensland Police Service lead a review to establish a framework to clearly define the intersect between self-evacuation and emergency shelters, including but not limited to places of refuge, evacuation centres and public cyclone s

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that this review report be returned to the Office of the Inspector-General of Emergency Management to monitor, evaluate and report on progress and implementation of the recommendations that are accepted in whole or in part by government.

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that the Queensland Fire Department engage with each council and local disaster management group (LDMG) and consult with the Local Government Association of Queensland to establish protocols for:

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that the Queensland Police Service lead the establishment of a co-designed governance framework to achieve objectives that enhance the understanding of Queensland’s disaster management arrangements within all disaster management entities, g

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that for the recommendations arising from this review, the Office of the Inspector-General of Emergency Management is involved in consultation prior to the finalisation of the government action plan, to align intended actions with the inten

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that the Queensland Police Service lead and co-design a whole-of-state training and exercise strategy.

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that by October 2025 the Queensland Police Service, as part of the ‘State Disaster Management Plan (SDMP) and the Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery Disaster Management Guideline (the Guideline) Review and Renewal Program’, pro

The Inspector-General of Emergency Management recommends that the Queensland Reconstruction Authority continues to engage with councils in the development of their local resilience action plans including to identify local needs with respect to communication, connectivity, and power in suitable hu

That the NSW Government consider amending the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 to introduce a legislative requirement for exercising the state recovery arrangements as necessary.

That the NSW Government amend the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 to require a further review of the Act be undertaken once five years have passed from assent of the Act.

That section 93 of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 be amended to:
- replace the words 'the disaster to which the review relates' in subsection 93(5)(b) with the words 'the date on which the review commenced',

That the NSW Reconstruction Authority continue to work with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, NSW Treasury, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the emergency services organisations under the State Emergency and Rescue Management Act 1989 t

That the NSW Government review the functions of the NSW Reconstruction Authority under the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 to ensure alignment with and prevent conflicts between the statutory functions and responsibilities of the state's emergency services agencies.

That the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 be amended to include a requirement that the NSW Reconstruction Authority provide a report to Parliament annually, which lists all instances where the Authority has exercised its functions and powers under Parts 5 to 7 of the Act.

That the NSW Government ensure that any future review of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 also consider whether the Act should include explicit references to the following principles:

That the NSW Government consider whether the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 and/or its regulations should explicitly:
- provide for the betterment of physical infrastructure and other assets,

That the NSW Reconstruction Authority consider issuing guidelines which clarify the scope of its powers to make planning decisions under the NSW Reconstruction Authority Act 2022 and how the Authority will consider existing planning controls, environmental standards, and Aboriginal cultural herit

That the NSW Reconstruction Authority, in consultation with the Office of Local Government, consider issuing guidance on the role and responsibilities of local government with regards to the functions of the Authority.

The committee recommends that Treasury develop options for a levy on coal and gas extraction companies, based on the annual energy content they have extracted, from which the funds raised would be invested in disaster mitigation and resilience measures, and the cost of rising insurance.

The committee recommends that insurance companies in Australia be required to provide policyholders with a sufficient breakdown and explanation of insurance premium costs, including details of price changes in response to resilience and disaster mitigation measures undertaken by the policyholder.

The committee recommends that the Treasurer issue a Ministerial Direction to require the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to monitor premium prices across Australia and to publish its monitoring reports on a quarterly basis on its website.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government increase the Disaster Ready Fund to $400 million per annum for investment in disaster mitigation and resilience measures.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government pursue the abolition of general taxes on insurance through the Housing and Homelessness Ministerial Council and other relevant ministerial council arrangements.

The committee recommends that Treasury expand the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool to cover all natural disasters. The expansion should:
- take account of lessons learned from the operationalisation of the current pool; and

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

The committee recommends that the Australian Government pursue the matter of land use and planning laws, including the feasibility of prohibiting future development in high-risk areas, through the Housing and Homelessness Ministerial Council and other relevant ministerial council arrangements.

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet:
- provide stronger guidance to entities in their development and updating of entity level and relevant national level crisis management policies and plans; and

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet embed arrangements for future scenario planning into ongoing review and update arrangements for the AGCMF. These should be appropriately documented to ensure lessons are captured and can be learned.

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet:
- document a process for annual administrative updates that provides a consistent approach including ensuring appropriate records of engagement and input are maintained; and

The National Emergency Management Agency document its consideration of Crisis Arrangements Committee advice on gaps and priorities for whole-of-government exercising, as well as the annual analysis undertaken to review and update the list of identified hazards under AGCMF, to inform the developme

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet include in the Australian Government Crisis Management Handbook criteria for the publication of plans to appropriately inform stakeholders of crisis arrangements.

Recovery Arrangements - shore-up recovery structures and systems to better streamline and sustain arrangements during transition by: