The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria – in collaboration with the community and emergency management sector – develop comprehensive operational recovery guidelines that include:
- coordination arrangement for recovery activities across all tiers of emergency management
- pre-emergency and post-emergency recovery roles and responsibilities of the sector at the state, regional and municipal levels
- community recovery roles and responsibilities
- methods to provide logistical and financial support to impacted communities
- consideration of how to support community-led initiatives
- tools and approaches to share knowledge across councils and community service organisations
- how to consider and plan for long-term recovery needs.
EMV, working with BRV, will develop operational recovery guidelines to pilot with key partners and local government through the 2020–21 fire season.
Emergency Recovery Resource Portal
IGEM’s 2021 progress report provided an overview of EMV’s initial approach to this action as approved by the Emergency Management Commissioner (EMC) – the development of an online platform to provide recovery guidance for communities and the sector – and its work to develop the portal with community and sector partners.
IGEM noted the potential benefits of this approach, but also that it risked leaving some key issues identified in the Phase 1 report unaddressed in relation to the lack of clarity on recovery planning and coordination arrangements.
In October 2021 EMV updated SCRC that it had received $500,000 of budget supplementation funding for development of the portal and received SCRC approval to revise the due date of these actions to February 2022.
In December 2021 the government launched the Emergency Recovery Resource Portal (External link). The portal provides a central point of access to key recovery resources and guidance for the disaster recovery workforce, as well as resources for communities and agencies supporting recovery in Victoria.
Management of the portal transitioned to BRV in June 2022. A multi-agency management group provides ongoing oversight of the portal, including identifying new content for inclusion and potential enhancements.
Operational Recovery Guidance
EMV advised that the establishment of ERV and its accountability for state and regional recovery coordination requires that new guidance be developed to outline operational recovery arrangements and how these integrate with response and relief coordination accountabilities.
EMV advised that a new Relief and Recovery Coordination Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be developed to provide guidance on the new operational coordination arrangements and support role clarity ahead of the 2022–23 summer season. Feedback on draft guidance will be sought from the sector and the SOP will complement the recovery guidance already available on the Emergency Recovery Resource Portal.
For more information on the establishment of ERV refer to section 2.4 of IGEM's 2022 progress report.
IGEM observations
IGEM observes that operational recovery guidelines were not developed in time to pilot with key partners and local government for the 2020–21 fire season. Given the renewed focus on developing the guidelines in line with the wording of 10YOR Actions 5.3 and 5.4, IGEM will provide a further update on these in its next progress report.
Although the due date for these two actions is February 2022, IGEM notes EMV’s advice that the development and maintenance of the guidance will rest with ERV once established.