The Queensland Government should legislate to oblige each owner of a referable dam to have an emergency action plan approved by the appropriate Queensland Government agency. Such plans should be reviewed periodically

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

The Queensland Government and Commonwealth Government should ensure the existence and maintenance of a repository of data of the type used in flood studies. The database should include the types of data which the expert panel specified as needed for a comprehensive flood study.

Flood maps, and property specific flooding information intended for use by the general public, should be readily interpretable and should, where necessary, be accompanied by a comprehensible explanatory note.

Councils should review their assessment processes to ensure that: • the person with primary responsibility for the assessment of the development application considers what expert input is required • where a development application is subject to comment by a number of professionals, the responsibi

The Queensland Government should refine the criteria which must be considered in assessment of applications for relaxation of environmental authority conditions, by transitional environmental program or otherwise, in response to flood.

The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service should require that each region records in writing the results of its risk assessment undertaken as part of its annual review of its special operations functional plan.

If, as part of a state interest review process, the Department of Local Government and Planning decides that no condition should be imposed requiring a council’s proposed planning scheme to incorporate the effect of the Department of Community Safety’s comments about State Planning Policy 1/03: M

The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require community infrastructure (including the types of community infrastructure which are identified in the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 and which the community needs to c

The Queensland Government should draft a model planning scheme policy to be included in the model flood planning controls that sets out the information to be provided in development applications in relation to stormwater and flooding.

Letters notifying policy-holders that their claims have been denied should, at a minimum, state the information upon which the insurer has relied in making the decision.

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

Queensland Urban Utilities should make the results of its trials on the use of caps for overflow relief gully grates available to other authorities responsible for sewerage infrastructure.

Queensland Urban Utilities, and other distributor-retailers and councils, that have identified a practice of stormwater drains being connected to sewerage infrastructure, should conduct a program of education to raise public awareness that this practice is illegal and impedes the operation of the

As far as is practicable, councils should maintain up-to-date flood information

Councils should take care when imposing conditions to ensure that each condition has purpose; standardised conditions should not be included where they have no application to the development in question.

The Queensland Government should prepare a procedural guide for officers deciding whether to grant a relaxation of environmental authority conditions, by transitional environmental program or otherwise, with guidance as to: • the meaning of each criterion • examples of the types of things that ma

Seqwater should ensure that proper support and oversight mechanisms are put in place around both the substantive and procedural aspects of drafting flood event reports.

Review Bushfires NT brigade boundaries to increase the catchment for possible volunteers and maximise the availability and allocation of equipment.

Identify where Australian Government funding is available and apply for funding for integrating weed management, controlled burning, bushfire management and carbon farming initiatives.

An equipment replacement schedule for all Bushfires NT equipment be developed.

Develop a long term forecast of volunteer requirements, by region, and then review the adequacy of volunteer operational grants, equipment and facilities to meet this forecast.

A specialist investigation be conducted, using expertise from NT Treasury, to identify more appropriate ways to optimise the use of available funding for bushfire management.

Conduct a stocktake of all PPE and implement a top up program to bring all PPE to a fully operational standard.

Maintain DNRETAS as the lead agency for all aspects of Bushfires NT’s role and maintain Bushfires NT as the lead organisation for both fire prevention and fire fighting operations in its specified districts and zones.

Regional Fire Management Plans be reviewed for all regions prior to the start of each fire season. 

That the Director Bushfires NT NOT be appointed as a member of Council.

Bushfires NT create a bushfire management strategy and emergency response procedures framework including the criteria that define the escalation and response requirements for all incidents up to and including the establishment of an EOC, applicable for all regions across the Territory.

Better alignment between divisions within DNRETAS be achieved through the development of an integrated strategy that addresses the combined objectives of weed management, land management, carbon farming and biodiversity management using fire across the Territory.

That the Bushfires Act and Regulations be reviewed and modernised after the implementation of the recommendations of this review.

Increase the emphasis on the issuing of infringement notices to reinforce the responsibilities of landholder’s in the management of bushfires in the Territory.

Continue the use of Warnings and Alerts, in various languages, and through multiple broadcast media, including Indigenous language versions to engage with all people as to the risks of bushfire.

Knowledge and skills in AIIMS and WebEOC and incident management are further developed through regular scenario planning and incident management simulation exercise.

A comprehensive pre bushfire season communications strategy, that supplements and extends the information provided on the DNRETAS website, be implemented to inform and educate landholders.

Annual property inspections assessing access and fuel loads are conducted in all peri urban areas.

Recruitment strategies, be developed, including “growing their own”, that result in the appointment and retention of skilled people to the vacant Bushfires NT positions.

Develop a continuing education program for new members of the Bushfires Council, the Regional Committees and stakeholders’ representatives, to ensure that all stakeholders clearly understand the role and processes involved in the Bushfires Council advisory function.

That a trial be commissioned to assess the most effective means of road verge management, including regional variations, for future application across the Territory.

Review the membership of the Bushfires Council, and the composition of Regional Committees to ensure that the Council and Committees have representational stakeholders.

Secondment of expertise in fire management planning and fire control from other jurisdictions, in a training capacity, be investigated in preparation for the 2012 fire season.

Professional communications and educational resources be contracted to develop an integrated communications and engagement strategy and program for implementation by Bushfires NT.

Conduct an information sharing and planning exercise between Bushfires NT and NTFRS to explore the current boundaries and the overlaps in the peri-urban areas between the NTFRS ERA and the Bushfires NT areas of responsibility for all major centres in the NT.

Increase the capacity and capability of the Alice Springs Regional Committee.

Ensure educational material is available prior to the commencement of each fire season in each region.

Spreading the message of enforcement of landholder’s obligations and responsibilities through active consultation and ultimately the issuing of infringement notices be adopted as a planned strategic intervention to promote the importance of compliance with the Bushfires Act.

That Bushfires NT, NTFRS, DLP, Weeds Branch, Parks and Wildlife, the Natural Resources Management Board, Biodiversity staff and representatives of the Volunteer Fire Brigades get together, at least annually, to coordinate planning efforts for peri-urban areas.

Information for all landholders, in appropriate cultural and language formats be developed and distributed through events and multiple media.

An evaluation be conducted into the integration of the appropriate elements of the South Australian Country Fire Service “Crimson” networking system into Bushfires NT ICT.

Arrange a forum that includes all stakeholders in large scale fire management for the purposes of aligning the various stakeholder strategies across the Territory.

Investigate the application and cost of the creation of District Coordination Officers to key high demand brigade districts.

Conduct a stocktake of all assets and equipment in all regions for Bushfires NT and Volunteer Brigades.

Prepare a formal proposal for the creation of pastoral/Indigenous Lands Fire Management Teams.

Update the Asset and Equipment Register for all assets and equipment.

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

Regular rotation of staff across other regions of the Territory to increase knowledge, skills and expertise that can be called upon to increase response effectiveness.

That the concession holder of the rail corridor be approached to formalise a Memorandum of Understanding for the maintenance of the railway corridor for the purposes of fuel load reduction.

Implement maintenance schedules for all common assets and shared equipment.

Ensure that adequate administrative personnel are available within the incident control structure to provide administrative and knowledge management support for incident management.

Review Bushfires CRC initiatives as the basis for the implementation of a recruitment drive in the Territory.

That a cost benefit analysis of an integrated ICT desktop and portable capability including iPads and iPhones for all operational personnel be conducted.

PowerWater Corporation be consulted with the intention of establishing a Memorandum Of Understanding for the maintenance of PowerWater land for the purpose of coordinated fire reduction.

The Assets and Equipment Register be reviewed prior to each fire season.

A regular program that tests fire based incidents of command, control and coordination of operational procedures using scenario planning, training simulations and coordination of emergency responses between NTFRS, NTES and NT Police be instituted.

That the Office of Environment and Heritage require Orica to engage and fund appropriate independent experts to oversee any modifications to the plant in the next major maintenance overhaul of the plant in 2016 and in any upgrades to the plant prior to that date.

That the Office of Environment and Heritage amend its operating procedures for the Environment Line to ensure that there are clear obligations to pass on information relevant to other agencies, to those agencies in a timely manner.

That, as part of the Pollution Incident Management Response Plan to be developed for Orica’s Kooragang Island site, or by another appropriate mechanism, the Office of Environment and Heritage ensure that Orica’s incident-response procedures address the need to consider all relevant factors when a

That the Premier issue clear and unambiguous guidelines to all Government Ministers specifying the timing of notifications to the public of any matters that may affect public health or safety.

That, when developing requirements concerning pollution incident response management plans pursuant to the recent legislative amendments, the Office of Environment and Hertiage include appropriate definitions as to the meaning of ‘immediately’, and when ‘material harm to the environment is caused

That OEH’s testing procedures for determining the impact of pollution incidents incorporate additional requirements for the checking and verification of results before those results are released.

That, if necessary, regulation be amended to require Health to approve any script used by any party concerned, for door knocking or other information dissemination, if Health is not the first source of information to affected residents.

Apply a consistent cost-recovery model to all services delivered to state/territory fire agencies.

Increased automation and outsourcing of observations

Upgrade to the Bureau’s supercomputing capacity:
(a) Status quo
(b) Step change
(c) Further enhancements

Explore options to obtain revenue from advertising on the Bureau’s website

Extend ICT governance arrangements to all applications and subject in-house development to rigorous approval processes.

Improved seasonal forecasting capabilities: 
(a) Improved presentation of existing products
(b) Enhanced capability – keeping pace with international standards

Formalise and standardise service levels provided to emergency services.

Explore use of social media to enhance data gathering from authorised and informal sources and to disseminate weather information

Agree clear allocation of responsibilities to state and local government for flood management, with defined boundaries on the Bureau’s role and:
(a) As a minimum:
(i) Agree national standards for operation of flood monitoring networks and vest responsibility in fewer agencies

Ensure the Bureau puts in place necessary planning and governance arrangements to develop its bid for capital funding to maintain its critical supercomputing capacity

Boost the number of frontline meteorologists to build response capacity in regional forecasting centres.

Foster private sector service providers who can offer tailored services or broadcast high quality presentation of general purpose weather information

Start a project to introduce organisational process thinking with a view to standardising processes and product specifications.

Boost the Bureau’s flood warning capacity by:
(a) Increasing the number of frontline hydrologists
(b) Upgrading the flood monitoring system

Focus leadership practices to re-orient culture away from customisation and experimentation and towards reliable, efficient and consistent documented processes

Focus the Bureau’s evolving environmental information role on natural hazards in the first instance.

Complete workforce planning project and succession plans as a matter of urgency.

Review disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

Explore options to limit forecaster intervention in site-specific web forecasts.

Centralise media services and establish protocols for media activity.

Cease or reduce the Ionospheric Prediction Service or offer it as a commercial service.

Phase out seasonal prediction development and modelling and rely on products generated elsewhere

Explore opportunities to re-phase investments in large scale projects and programs such as the Strategic Radar Enhancement Program, the NexGen Forecast and Warning System Products and the Improving Water Information Program.

Fund delivery of improved seasonal forecasting services by:
(c) Identifying potential offsets from government beneficiaries of any additional investment in seasonal forecasting services

Firm up approval processes and funding for any departures from provision of the basic product set

Lower yield options identified by the Bureau:
(a) Reduce staffing at remote observing stations
(b) Close the training facility at Broadmeadows, Victoria
(c) Consolidate forecasting functions for Northern Queensland
(d) Outsource the Bureau’s library

Review level of investment in research activities to free up budget and reduce pressure on computing capacity

Lower yield options identified by the Bureau:
(a) Reduce staffing at remote observing stations
(b) Close the training facility at Broadmeadows, Victoria
(c) Consolidate forecasting functions for Northern Queensland
(d) Outsource the Bureau’s library

Review and rebalance relative investment in long term climate modelling and medium-term seasonal outlook.

Additional frontline meteorologists and specialised centres and systems:
(a) Enhanced severe weather units
(b) National extreme weather centres
(c) Integrated all-hazards decision system
(d) Enhanced observation network