Implementation Tracker

Over the past 12 months, outcomes frameworks have been developed by the CFA and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV). BRV has also developed a recovery outcomes framework for the 2019-20 bushfires.

In addition, Victoria’s Resilient Recovery Strategy details the strategic approach to improving Victoria’s recovery systems, setting agreed recovery outcomes to guide recovery programs, with consideration of local community outcomes and priorities.

EMV will consult and collaborate with relevant agencies to develop a sector-wide outcomes framework to measure the effectiveness of the emergency management sector in supporting resilient communities and providing reliable, integrated and timely services. This framework will be finalised in the 2021–22 financial year.

By October 2020, EMV will release an updated Emergency Risk in Victoria report. The report will identify the highest priority risks in Victoria at a state level, inform actions and activities to be undertaken to mitigate these risks, and manage the consequences where risks cannot be mitigated.

EMV will deliver the first Victorian SEMP in September 2020, which will set out arrangements to manage the impacts of these risks before, during and after emergencies at a state level.

Guidelines to facilitate the development of Regional and Municipal Emergency Management Plans (REMPs) will be published in September and December 2020 respectively.

Using these Guidelines, EMV and sector partners will support regional emergency management planning committees to develop and endorse REMPs by December 2020 and municipal emergency management planning committees to update their existing MEMPs to align with reformed planning arrangements

By December 2023, as part of the three-year rolling program of assurance, the Municipal Emergency Management Plans (MEMPs) will be revised by local government and community representatives, using existing risk assessment processes that align with the national risk assessment guidelines and consider state and regional assessments.

In 2021, EMV will lead the development of a contemporary and systemic approach to identifying and mitigating risk across Victoria:
•    This approach will consider key drivers of change and make use of predictive forecasting tools to inform data analytics and intelligence.
•    It will establish partnerships with other jurisdictions and research organisations to establish and embed world-leading practice for risk assessment and the technological interdependence of systems and services.

The VicEmergency App and website have been designed to promote shared responsibility for all emergencies, providing platforms to share information to empower individuals to make informed decisions and better support their communities. The 'Prepare and Get Ready' section of the VicEmergency App and website detail what preparedness arrangements communities can undertake to avoid situations becoming an emergency, and what they can expect in response to one. EMV will continue to enhance this section to inform action-based community preparedness.

EMV will deliver the first Victorian SEMP in September 2020. The SEMP will clarify the roles and responsibilities of different actors with a shared responsibility for emergency management, including:
•    individuals and households
•    community groups and networks 
•    small, medium and large businesses, and the 
•    emergency management sector.
 

EMV will work with the sector to review existing community resilience and preparedness strategies and initiatives and measure their effectiveness. The review will inform a future performance framework aligned with sector outcomes developed through the response to the Review’s sector-wide outcomes.

As part of this review, EMV and sector partners will consider integrating and building on the community preparedness work of the Australian Red Cross and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework (or revised national policy) and exploring best practice from other national and international jurisdictions.

EMV will work with the sector in partnership with communities to review the Victorian Preparedness Goal by June 2022. The updated and refreshed Victorian Preparedness Goal will further promote the principles of shared responsibility and self-reliance and will be informed in part by the outcomes of the review’s risk assessment recommendation. It will also build community awareness of the capability, capacity and resilience required in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies

EMV will establish a full-time, permanent workforce for the SCC, significantly increasing the State’s standing capacity to deliver public information, intelligence, logistical support, emergency management planning, and emergency risk and consequence analysis. This will be achieved through a funding commitment of $17.06 million to support an additional 46 permanent staff based at the SCC.

EMV will lead a strategic review of Victoria’s network of Incident Control Centres and Regional Control Centres, focusing on capacity and resourcing to ensure a sustainable, effective model that is able to respond to large, concurrent and prolonged events. This includes a commitment by the Victorian Government of $1.762 million to deliver a strategic review by May 2021.

EMV will work with the sector to review the emergency management operating model and will provide a report to the Victorian Government by the end of 2021 that will identify options for a future emergency management operating model, including a recommended approach. The report will consider the use, scope and functionality of current assets, systems, processes and functions in line with the Victorian Preparedness Framework.

EMV will review the current training and accreditation program for incident management personnel, to inform an action plan that enables the building and sustainment of the sectors capability requirements into the future.

Identify resourcing, training and professional development needs to enhance leadership and operations managed by the three tiers of command and control within the state’s emergency management arrangements. This will include training and development needed to support ongoing interoperability and resource integration across the sector.

By June 2022, EMV will prepare a detailed implementation plan to enact the Victorian Government’s preferred emergency management operating model.

The future operating model will support and inform the development of a fit for purpose incident management platform identified in response to Recommendation 14 of the Inquiry Phase 1 report.

EMV will work with the sector to review and enhance the Victorian Preparedness Framework to ensure it is fit for purpose and identifies the needs of the sector. The review will consider learnings from the public health response to coronavirus (COVID-19) and recent bushfire seasons. This process will determine the service offering of the sector and potential measures to address identified gaps.

BRV will continue to coordinate and report on the Victorian Government’s implementation of the State-wide Bushfire Recovery Framework and Action Plan for communities impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires.

The Victorian Government has also developed its Economic Recovery Practice and Social Recovery Frameworks to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. All departments will continue to prioritise the delivery of initiatives that stimulate economic and social recovery.

EMV, working with BRV, will develop operational recovery guidelines to pilot with key partners and local government through the 2020–21 fire season.

EMV, working with BRV and key partners, will finalise and maintain operational recovery guidelines for all emergencies.

EMV is working with the sector to adapt its preparedness planning arrangements, including training and accreditation, to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions.

The emergency management sector is on track to deliver earlier pre-season preparedness briefings, including its State seasonal outlook, to inform briefings and training sessions across regional and municipal levels.

Ahead of this fire season, the Victorian Government will invest in sector capacity and capability through recruitment, training and accreditation of key roles. FFMVic has already started recruiting project firefighting personnel in response to the seasonal outlook, to ensure adequate time for capability development training.

Before the 2020–21 bushfire season, EMV will release an updated Emergency Risk in Victoria report, confirming the highest priority risks in Victoria.

EMV will release the first Victorian SEMP in September 2020, which will articulate Victoria’s preparedness arrangements, including the command and control structures and plans and procedures necessary to efficiently and effectively undertake emergency responses.

In the lead-up to the 2020–21 fire season, EMV will work with responder agencies to review arrangements to ensure all required plans and procedures, recruitment, briefings and training are in place and completed. This will culminate in an attestation by the EMC to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services on heightened preparedness arrangements informed by seasonal risk factors on behalf of responder agencies, to be delivered by 1 November 2020 and in subsequent years.

EMV and the sector will commence a review of Victoria’s State Bushfire Plan ahead of the 2021–22 fire season.

The State Bushfire Plan is a sub-plan of the State Emergency Response Plan (SERP) and the principal document that guides the state’s bushfire emergency arrangements.

The Plan will be reviewed against the forthcoming SEMP, which will replace the SERP in September 2020.

The attestation process will be broadened to address a wider range of emergency risks, including non-seasonal risks.

This will reinforce the requirements for the sector to be prepared to respond to any emergency event on any day of the year.

EMV released the SEMP in September 2020. The SEMP sets out the roles and responsibilities of individuals and households, as well as clarifies roles and assign responsibilities to the emergency management sector agencies, business, community groups and networks. The SEMP forms part of Victoria’s new emergency management planning arrangements, including new arrangements at regional and local levels.

As part of the development of a state-wide community led preparedness strategy in response to the community preparedness recommendation of the 10-year Review report EMV will work with the sector to ensure that the shared responsibility model in the SEMP is further progressed through the regional and municipal emergency management planning processes.

EMV and its sector partners will use the Victorian Preparedness Framework to plan and test different high-impact, plausible scenarios across the sector and with communities, to embed what shared responsibility means.

EMV and responder agencies will forge stronger partnerships with the private sector in emergency planning and response as part of the shared responsibility model, building on the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Plans and Sector Resilience Networks.

The Victorian Government will continue to invest in different communication strategies to build a common understanding of risk and what individuals, households and communities can do to act and mitigate risk (for example, seasonal campaigns, engagement through the Safer Together Program and other year-round opportunities).

The Victorian Government is reviewing State of Disaster legislation to ensure that existing powers in relation to evacuation are adequate for different emergency scenarios.
 

Victoria Police, in conjunction with sector partners, will develop and deliver training and exercising to key incident management and decision-making personnel on improved evacuation doctrine and processes.

Victoria Police will look at creating a cadre of specially trained personnel equipped to undertake evacuation and traffic management roles required in an emergency, to ensure evacuation and early departure from at-risk areas occurs seamlessly.

The Victorian Government commits to improving evacuation decision-making processes– for example, through expanded use of more sophisticated tools such as spatially based evacuation planning currently being trialled along the Great Ocean Road.

Evacuation plans for flood risk communities are being refined to reflect a possible wet spring and COVID-19 requirements.

The Victorian Government has committed to reviewing Victoria’s Code Red arrangements to ensure there is absolute clarity in relation to evacuation requirements and expectations. This work is expected to be finalised by November 2020.

Prior to the 2021–22 financial year, the Victorian Government will make sure consistent processes and communications are developed in relation to evacuations and the closure of access roads, parks and reserves.

Victoria Police, in collaboration with relevant agencies, will update the Joint Standard Operating Procedure (JSOP) for evacuations and other relevant doctrine to incorporate learnings from evacuations during the 2019-20 summer. This work will be completed in two phases (with priority actions completed before the upcoming season, followed by consideration of longer-term actions).

Victoria Police, in conjunction with responder agencies will update and enhance risk intelligence and predictive service offerings to support evacuation decision-making as it applies to evacuation planning and support the development of modelling to enhance the future development of risk-based evacuation and localised emergency management plans.

Victoria Police in conjunction with sector partners, commit to applying learnings from Exercise Praesidio - a simulated bushfire evacuation in 2019 involving the Powelltown, Three Bridges and Gilderoy communities – to improve future evacuation plans, processes and capability.

Victoria Police will work with regions, partner agencies and the community to review, enhance and further develop evacuation plans for high-risk communities including those in remote locations. A key focus will be visitors and tourists planning to travel within these locations.
 

To further strengthen evacuation plans and processes, Victoria Police commits to work with the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), land managers, fire agencies and the community to better understand and identify risks on a year-to-year basis, taking into account factors such as climate change, seasonal conditions, and previous bushfire history.

The SEMP incorporates command and control arrangement flexibility to enable a more agile response to concurrent and compounding emergencies.

EMV and agencies will confirm control arrangements in readiness for 2020–21 summer season, including the intended use and application of any area of operation, and subsequently exercise the state and regional control teams to ensure arrangements and processes are understood.

EMV and its partners will train personnel on any consequential changes to the tiers of control through the introduction of the SEMP and undertaking scenario exercises to test the respective state, regional and municipal emergency management plans.

State, regional and incident tier arrangements will be reinforced through the delivery of the Regional and Municipal Emergency Management plans to better support emergency response activities.

The revised State Bushfire Plan will inform any changes to arrangements to the existing tiers of command and control for bushfire, while improving the doctrine that supports the operation of each tier by clearly defining roles and responsibilities, supported by consistent implementation of agreed Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System structures.

The Victorian Government commits to developing community-focused communication and engagement strategies to build greater understanding of operational structures and arrangements across all phases of emergencies.

EMV will conduct a review of the introduction of the first SEMP following the 2020–21 fire season, to inform any necessary changes, prior to the 2021–22 fire season.

EMV will commence work with the sector to update shift roster and handover processes including the use and application of existing incident action planning guidance and tools, as well as creation of new tools such as standardised handover templates.

EMV will update the pre-season training content so that handover practices and processes are properly understood in state, regional and incident control centres, as well as reinforcing consistent application of incident action planning, especially during protracted and complex events.

The Real Time Monitoring and Evaluation (RTM&E) program will include examination of handover processes and incident action planning as part of the state’s Assurance and Learning Unit 2020–21 season activity. The RTM&E function monitors operational performance, systems and processes, and evaluations.

EMV will consider compliance auditing across a range of critical incident management practices, such as measuring progress towards achieving incident objectives and completing handovers, as part of the development of a sector-wide outcomes framework in response to the sector-wide outcomes recommendation in the Review report.

As part of the investment in training for the sector identified in the sector capability and capacity recommendation in the review report, the Victorian Government will ensure that Incident Management Team personnel are provided with the training, exercising and simulation experiences required to effectively perform their roles and apply these processes in an environment with increasing complexities and overlapping emergencies.

IGEM recognised the significant achievements of Victoria’s response to the 2019-20 bushfires, despite the challenges presented by the scale, extent and duration of the season. Resources were drawn from multiple agencies over an extended period, including from other jurisdictions in Australia and internationally. The complex and prolonged nature of this event and the varying industrial arrangements around shift rotations across a multitude of agencies, made information exchange and handover processes within regional and incident management centres critical.

The Victorian Government is committed to improving handover processes, particularly across different shifts and personnel changes, to facilitate more effective and consistent handover and incident management practices.

EMV will work with the sector to examine the application and constraints of resource management, with a view to developing a standing state strategic resource plan. This review will include safety management systems and processes.

EMV will as a priority, develop common incident resourcing principles to maximise deployment and resourcing, along with a fit for purpose safety management system that can integrate information from across agencies.

EMV will work with the sector to update and re-issue the multi-agency Fatigue Management Safety Fact Sheet and include fatigue management content within pre-season briefings.

As part of the development of a contemporary emergency management operating model identified in the response to the sector capability and capacity recommendation of the Review report, EMV will:

• develop sector guidelines that optimise deployment; service delivery; employee health; and wellbeing. These guidelines will seek to enhance consistency where appropriate, while supporting an agile and diverse workforce.

EMV will work with the sector to develop and implement a robust system for Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) incident management.

EMV will initiate research into interstate and international rostering and resourcing management arrangements, to identify potential improvements or alternative models to the current Victorian arrangements

EMV will, in consultation with all agencies, develop consolidated fatigue management guidance to inform multi-agency incident operations.

EMV has appointed critical roles following the response to the 2019-20 fire season. The creation of the Cross-Border and Preparedness Operations Manager and a Strategic Communications Manager are part of the first steps in addressing gaps identified.

EMV will work with climate scientists to undertake a review of emergency risks under climate scenarios across a range of hazard types to inform future capacity requirements.

EMV and sector partners have been and will continue to utilise the Victorian Preparedness Framework to assess the capability and inform capacity requirements required to plan for, withstand and recover from emergencies.

Local Government Victoria will continue its work with local government authorities to implement its Councils and Emergencies Project. This multi-year project utilises the Victorian Preparedness Framework to model capability and capacity of local government in emergency management.

The sector, supported by EMV’s leadership, commits to:

• Adapting emergency management training and accreditation programs in the lead-up to the 2020–21 fire season to maintain delivery during COVID-19 response restrictions, including eLearning and eBriefing processes. This approach will be reviewed with a view to informing the longer-term approach detailed below.

The sector, supported by EMV’s leadership, commits to:

• Commencing a review of the current training and accreditation program for incident management personnel and critical emergency management roles, that informs an action plan supporting the building and sustainment of the sector’s capability requirements into the future.

The sector, supported by EMV’s leadership, commits to:

• Recruiting the necessary resources to manage seasonal risks in the lead-up to the 2020–21 season and including this within the EMC’s annual attestation

The sector, supported by EMV’s leadership, commits to:

• Working with agencies to develop and document the services and supports they bring to the management of emergencies. This will provide clarity in respect to community expectations and responsibilities.

As part of the development of a contemporary emergency management operating model identified in the response to the Review, EMV will work with the sector to review workforce needs, to inform the design of a capability model that incorporates strategic recruitment, accreditation and retention, in paid and volunteer workforces. This model will focus on new opportunities to educate the sector, providing leadership development pathways for all personnel. This review will also identify investment required in infrastructure, systems, governance and processes.

EMV will work with responder agencies to ensure that the assets, tools and equipment required to effectively and safely respond to bushfire emergencies in a changing climate and physical environment are identified and incorporated in future business cases.

EMV has appointed a dedicated Cross-Border and Preparedness Operations Manager since the end of the 2019-20 fire season, whose immediate priorities are to assess existing cross-border mutual aid agreements for emergency management.

EMV will lead a sector review to ensure cohesive and consistent warnings and advice messages are broadcast along borders.

EMV will work closely with relevant stakeholders in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania to implement improvements in emergency preparedness and response, including formalising procedures for deployment of liaison officers across borders.

Prior to the 2020-21 fire season, EMV will work with the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions and the Victorian Cross-Border Commissioner to clarify emergency management roles and responsibilities of the Victorian Cross-Border Commissioner. Building on this, the EMC will partner with the Cross-Border Commissioner to strengthen interstate relationships in relation to emergency management arrangements.

The EMC will continue to strengthen the interests of Victoria through representation on the Commissioners and Chief Officers Strategic Committee in relation to the Arrangement for Interstate Assistance.

EMV and the sector will identify cross-border risks and opportunities through the Regional and Municipal Emergency Management Planning processes.

EMV commits to undertaking scenario exercises with cross-border emergency management partners to foster interoperability and stronger relationships between states.

Victoria will work with other states to ensure interoperability of systems and standardised tools as far as possible, to support cross border assistance.

EMV will enhance the VicEmergency (External link) app and website to better accommodate needs of CALD communities ahead of the 2020–21 fire season.

Before the 2021–22 financial year, EMV - in collaboration with agencies - will review and update the Victorian Warning Protocol, Joint Standard Operating Procedure 4.01– Public Information and Warnings, and other guidelines and documentation, to incorporate the findings of the IGEM Inquiry.

Victoria will continue to take the lead in working with other states and territories to agree to, and seek national funding for, enhancements to the Emergency Alert platform. These enhancements will allow translation into languages other than English to better reach CALD communities.

The Victorian Government will investigate options for disseminating critical information across a range of emergencies in multiple languages, building on lessons learned from both the bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic. Enhancements will improve translation capabilities (such as better pre-formed messaging and using more symbols where appropriate) and accessibility, including text-to-voice opportunities.

Victoria will look to partner with the Commonwealth and target its $37.1 million package to strengthen telecommunications resilience in socially and geographically isolated communities in bushfire and disaster-prone areas. This could include investment in upgrading alternative power sources and improving NBN satellite services in rural and country fires services and designated evacuation areas.

To support dissemination and improved individual and community awareness of the impacts, disruptions and closures to the road network due to emergencies, DoT will seek funding to upgrade and modernise the VicTraffic App. This will enable integration with existing modern digital platforms to create centralised, up-to-date disruption information and journey planning; meet surge demand during emergencies; and support individuals and communities to make timely decisions about their safety, including those unfamiliar with road networks.

DELWP will continue to work with Traditional Owners to implement the Cultural Fire Strategy.

DELWP and DJCS will lead a review of the legislative framework and consider legislative change to:

DELWP will work with road and rail managers, local government and other stakeholders to ensure clarity on regulatory controls and deliver efficient approvals processes relevant to activities to reduce bushfire risk, such as permitted native vegetation removal and permits to burn off while ensuring environmental protections are maintained.

DELWP will deliver an expanded Safer Together program, including increased involvement for EMV, the CFA, DoT and its agencies, and local government by December 2020.

DELWP and CFA will release updated regional Bushfire Management Strategies to guide fuel management activities across public and private land by December 2020.

DELWP, in collaboration with EMV and other land and fire managers, will lead the development of a whole of sector strategy to guide land and fire management in the context of a changing climate, growing population and changing demographics by November 2021. In addition to public land, the whole of sector strategy will consider how to effectively support road managers and local governments to mitigate bushfire risks on roadsides and in high bushfire risk local government areas.

DELWP will review risk-based strategic and operational planning frameworks and processes to better incorporate roadsides and private land by December 2022.

DELWP will review the fuel management Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework and the annual Fuel Management Report to identify changes required to more fully incorporate private land and roadsides. The review will be complete by July 2021.

DELWP, in partnership with DoT, local government and other road and rail managers, will review existing roadside spatial datasets to identify gaps and opportunities to improve the consistency and usability of these datasets to manage bushfire risk on roadsides and rail corridors.

DELWP will establish an Office of Bushfire Risk Management (OBRM) to lead and coordinate the implementation of evidence-based fuel management policy, practice and assurance and reporting on activities on both public and private land in Victoria.

DELWP will establish an Advisory Panel to advise the Secretary to DELWP on agreed priority focus areas that assist the OBRM to effectively acquit its accountability to lead and coordinate the implementation of bushfire risk management (including advice on target setting), planning, delivery, assurance mechanisms and frameworks, and reporting across all public and private land in Victoria.
 

DELWP will deliver an expanded Safer Together program, including increased involvement for EMV, the CFA, DoT and its agencies, and local government by December 2020, as outlined in response to Recommendation 3.

DELWP and CFA will release updated regional Bushfire Management Strategies to guide fuel management activities across public and private land by December 2020, as outlined in response to Recommendation 3.

DELWP and CFA will release updated regional Bushfire Management Strategies by December 2020, with information to help communities understand bushfire risk at a landscape level.

By June 2021, DELWP will update and simplify:
• information provided about Victoria’s fuel management program,
• the concept of residual risk and how fuel management effectiveness is evaluated, and
• what bushfire risk means at state, regional and community levels.

As part of the review of the risk target committed at Recommendation 9, DELWP, in collaboration with EMV and land and fire agencies, will develop a community engagement process that:

• builds understanding of the fuel management program and its limitations,
• makes targets more meaningful and understandable to the community, and
• supports transparency and shared responsibility.

By December 2021, DELWP will develop shared guidance and principles for engaging with communities and with other agencies involved in bushfire risk management. The shared guidance and principles will clarify accountabilities and ensure a community-centred and consistent approach.

The whole of sector strategy for bushfire management will draw on behavioural change work being carried out under Safer Together to support people to take action to address bushfire risk in their local area and on their own land.

DELWP is enhancing Victoria’s network of strategic fuel breaks and is planning for how this can be expanded further in preparation for the 2020–21 fire season. The creation and maintenance of strategic fuel breaks is a key mechanical treatment as Victoria adapts to the reduced window available for planned burning due to climate change.

DoT investigated vegetation management measures for the benefit of both biodiversity conservation and fuel reduction through a pilot research project on grassland restoration, in conjunction with Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and La Trobe University.

The project found that native grasslands (ideally regularly burnt) are an effective roadside fuel break for fire management and for biodiversity conservation.

DELWP will include additional data regarding the non-burn component of fuel management treatment on public land, track annual change, and provide a comparison to the previous three years as detailed in DELWP’s 2019-20 fuel management report

DELWP will work in partnership with DoT, other road and rail managers, CFA and local government to identify key arterial roads that provide strategic advantage for firefighting, and work together to conduct priority fuel treatment works ahead of the 2020–21 fire season.

The Victorian Government will increase its investment in non-burning fuel management treatment, including mechanical treatment, through DELWP, CFA, DoT and local government.

DELWP will expand the permanent network of strategic fuel breaks across Victoria by December 2022.

DELWP will continue to deliver an expanded 365-day per year fuel management program to respond to earlier and longer bushfire seasons and enhance Victoria’s first attack capacity including personnel, plant and equipment.

DELWP will develop a strategy for the transition and retention of forestry contractors by June 2021, to ensure ready availability of specialist skills and machinery for the creation of fuel breaks, removal of hazardous trees and reopening of roads remain available to support bushfire and emergency management operations.

The Victorian Government will increase its investment in the construction and maintenance of public land roads and bridges (for example, upgrading timber structures to fire-resistant materials), management of hazardous trees, vehicles and equipment to ensure that firefighters can safely access the forest for fire prevention, preparedness, fuel management (including planned burning and mechanical treatment), suppression and recovery operations, under conditions of increased fire frequency and intensity. These activities are targeted at improving access to public native forests.

To complement new fuel breaks on public land, DELWP and DoT will work in partnership to identify, prioritise and conduct fuel management along major arterial roads where road positioning provides strategic advantage for bushfire suppression.

DELWP and CFA are currently improving how weather conditions are reflected in bushfire risk modelling, improving data on house loss and asset location, and improving understanding of the likelihood of ignition events. This work will improve understanding of bushfire risk in a broader range of circumstances, providing an evidence base for the development of more sophisticated fuel management tools.

DELWP has recently developed methods to measure the specific contribution of fuel management to risk reduction, improving Victoria’s ability to measure the effectiveness of fuel management in reducing bushfire risk.

As part of the Risk 2.0 project, DELWP will:
•    improve methods for modelling bushfire risk over a range of weather scenarios, by June 2021,
•    develop an enhanced state-wide fuel and treatability layer by June 2021, and
•    be able to measure the effect of mechanical fuel treatments on fire behaviour by December 2020.
 

DELWP will prepare a bushfire science, fire ecology and knowledge and predictive services strategic plan, to identify priority investment areas by April 2021.

DELWP will ensure that all land and fire management agencies and local government have ongoing access to current bushfire risk information and will investigate the appropriate mechanism/s to deliver this by June 2021.

The Victorian Government will provide additional funding to support Traditional Owners to lead implementation of the Cultural Fire Strategy.

DELWP will work in partnership with the CFA to develop and coordinate the state-wide application of tools to support risk-based bushfire management across public and private land.

DELWP will release its 2019-20 fuel management report by December 2020.

DELWP will engage with legislated fuel managers to identify additional existing data that can be incorporated into the 2020–21 fuel management report.

DELWP will expand the fuel management Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework and the annual Fuel Management Report, to incorporate private land, roadsides and public land managed by other agencies. This will commence with available activity data included in the 2021–22 report, building to a suite of relevant measures to provide transparency on activities and effectiveness in reducing bushfire risk.

DELWP and CFA are undertaking work to improve bushfire risk data and modelling. This work will provide the basis of building the technical capability for agencies to work with stakeholders and the community to review the current residual risk target.

DELWP and CFA are currently updating approaches to modelling risk, centred on a metric of house loss. This work will broaden the range of values considered in bushfire risk modelling, to include water yield and quality, critical infrastructure, fire size and agricultural values.

DELWP is currently undertaking work to improve modelling of the impact of fuel management on environmental values, including threatened species. These modelling improvements will drive improvements in evaluation and reporting, and strategic bushfire management planning.

DELWP will deliver a new spatial dataset (to underpin bushfire risk modelling) that provides enhanced understanding of asset location by June 2021.

DELWP will commission a comprehensive review of fuel management targets and provide advice to Victorian Government. New targets will be developed in consultation with stakeholders and the community and be communicated as part of the sector’s new strategy for land and fire management, by December 2021. This will link to engagement on bushfire fuel management agreed in response to Recommendation 5.