The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (or the single entity referenced in Recommendation 4) – in conjunction with legislated fuel management organisations – develop a common set of objectives, metrics and reporting requirements for fuel management that form part of a compulsory regime that enables the Victorian Government to report publicly on a holistic fuel management program.
The reporting requirements should:
a) apply to all organisations with a legislated role in fuel management; across public and private land (all land tenures); and at all levels – state, regional and municipal
b) include residual risk where appropriate – however, complementary metrics should be developed if residual risk cannot be determined.
DELWP will engage with legislated fuel managers to identify additional existing data that can be incorporated into the 2020–21 fuel management report.
The identification of existing additional data on fuel management was undertaken as part of DELWP's response to Action 3.5.
DELWP engaged a consultant to undertake reviews of the fuel management Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework and the annual Fuel Management Report. DELWP provided IGEM with copies of the consultant’s reviews in July 2021.
IGEM notes that DELWP, CFA and Parks Victoria fuel managers were engaged through the review process to develop a stocktake of data that is currently collected and determine whether it is included in the annual Fuel Management Report. Stakeholders were also asked to identify data that is not currently collected but may be useful for future reporting.