INQ304

TitleLong
Review of the Bushfire Act
Year
InquiryType
DisasterType
State

Recommendations for this Inquiry

INQ-ref REC-UID CODE SubCode SrcNUM Recommendation
INQ304 REC304-2405 A - Responsibility 24 - Govt responsibility Recommendation 1

Retain the Bushfires Council as a Ministerial advisory body.

INQ304 REC304-2420 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 16

Enshrine the broader fire management principles, including coordination, strategic planning, mitigation, monitoring and control within the Act.

INQ304 REC304-2419 A - Responsibility 28 - Personal responsibility Recommendation 15

Further define the principle of landholder responsibility for fire management and strengthen its fundamental place in the Act. This should include a clear requirement for landholders to prevent fire on their land from spreading to neighbouring properties.

INQ304 REC304-2418 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 14

Amend the object to provide for ‘The mitigation, management, and suppression of bushfires’. Definitions of these terms should be included in the Act, and should include clarification that bushfire suppression can include emergency response activities in certain circumstances

INQ304 REC304-2417 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 13

Amend the Act title to ‘Bushfires Management Act’. 

INQ304 REC304-2416 B - Preparedness 4 - Fire season preparation Recommendation 12

Establish a capacity to prescribe bushfire management arrangements for individual properties based on bushfire risk assessment.

INQ304 REC304-2415 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 11

Define formal bushfire management regimes for areas with different bushfire management requirements and define bushfire management responsibilities in those areas.

INQ304 REC304-2414 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 10

Clarify and streamline the allocation of powers to Bushfires NT staff and volunteers involved in bushfire management operations, using a system of delegation through a chain of command similar to the arrangements described in the NT Fire and Emergency Act.

INQ304 REC304-2414 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 10

Clarify and streamline the allocation of powers to Bushfires NT staff and volunteers involved in bushfire management operations, using a system of delegation through a chain of command similar to the arrangements described in the NT Fire and Emergency Act.

INQ304 REC304-2413 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 9

Authorise the Director of Bushfires NT to intervene in volunteer brigade affairs where necessary to maintain an effective fire management capacity in a brigade area.

INQ304 REC304-2412 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 8

Maintain independence of volunteer brigades as community-based organisations and clarify the status and role of volunteers within the chain of command.

INQ304 REC304-2411 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 7

Create new seasonal paid positions to coordinate and support groups of volunteer brigades.

INQ304 REC304-2410 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 6

Authorise Bushfires NT to establish volunteer bushfire brigades and to give authority to volunteer firefighters to take part in fire suppression and mitigation operations.

INQ304 REC304-2409 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 5

Formalise and clearly define the powers and duties of Bushfires NT personnel, including volunteers, thereby clarifying Bushfires NT’s role in bushfire management in the Northern Territory.

INQ304 REC304-2408 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 4

Introduce clear Terms of Reference for the Bushfires Council and Regional Bushfires Committees, and introduce a requirement for the Minister to consider advice and recommendations from the Council.

INQ304 REC304-2407 B - Preparedness 39 - Disaster Risk Management Recommendation 3

Discontinue the automatic allocation of Fire Warden powers to Council and Committee members and substitute an option for members to be appointed as Fire Wardens.

INQ304 REC304-2406 E - Agency Organisation 12 - EM agency and authority Recommendation 2

Retain the Regional Bushfires Committees as regional planning and consultative bodies tasked with monitoring, reviewing and making recommendations on fire management in a Fire Control Region.

INQ304 REC304-2421 E - Agency Organisation 32 - Doctrine, standards, and reform Recommendation 17

Include a detailed description of the role, responsibility and accountability of
- key stakeholders groups as described in this section;
- key host agency and Bushfires NT staff;
- Volunteer Bushfires Brigades; and
- key personnel within those organisations.