Emergency management in Victoria has undergone major reforms to implement an integrated and collaborative approach in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies. Recovery is an important inclusion in emergency management. The focus of recovery is assisting people and communities affected by emergencies to achieve an effective level of functioning3. Increasingly more consideration is being given to the role of recovery activities in building resilience to future emergency events.
Emergency management by government is required for significant events that are sudden, unexpected or impending that may cause loss of life, injury, damage or interference with normal activities. This includes emergencies caused by weather or natural disasters, human or animal health, infrastructure failure and security emergencies4. Emergency events and associated impacts can challenge communities, businesses and industry. These challenges manifest as local stress or shock such as economic downturn, structural adjustment or economic crisis5.
Emergency management arrangements in Victoria are set out in the Emergency Management Act 2013 (the Act)6 and supported by the Emergency Management Manual Victoria (EMMV)7. Both the Act and EMMV have been amended as a result of significant State Government reforms in response to the Victorian Emergency Management Reform White Paper in December 20128. These reforms continue to evolve, incorporating community development and consequence management more broadly.
Changes to emergency management arrangements are designed to drive collaboration and clarify responsibilities; The new arrangements recognise that while not all emergencies are controllable, the response to them should be.9
These arrangements include developing the Victorian Emergency Management Strategic Action Plan (SAP)10. The three-year rolling SAP drives the State Government’s emergency management reform agenda. It sets priorities and assists investment decisions to support Victoria in achieving its vision for safer and more resilient communities. The SAP provides a reform agenda for emergency management that is broader than first-responder agencies and is inclusive of whole of government.
In 2018, the Victorian Parliament passed amendments to the Act, requiring the Emergency Management Commissioner to prepare a Victorian State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP). The SEMP came into effect on 30 September 2020 and replaces the EMMV from 1 December 2020. It provides details of the roles and responsibilities of agencies in relation to emergency management.
Emergency management reform acknowledges that collaborative effort across government, business and community can reduce the likelihood, effect and consequences of emergencies in Victoria. It also highlights the connected contribution that economic vitality and strong social systems make to community resilience.
Victoria’s recovery system is based on the principles of managing locally, with the ability to scale up as needed. Councils lead in recovery as the closest to an affected community, with strong local knowledge and networks to deliver a range of recovery requirements. The Victorian Government supports councils in this role.
Emergency management reforms have included nominating departmental/ portfolio leads for recovery activities. Every recovery activity has a Victorian Government lead agency, often with several other supporting agencies. DJPR is responsible for economic recovery coordination considering the direct and indirect impacts that an event may have on local economics, businesses and agriculture. The impacts of the emergency and community needs will determine the types of recovery activities required.
The recovery system relies on multiple government agencies building on the leadership role of councils and community in recovery coordination and delivery in-place. The involvement of state agencies will depend on the nature and scale of the emergency event. Government has a role in ensuring that recovery services are effective and well-coordinated11.
This economic recovery practice framework seeks to improve targeting and consistency of government support and actions for economic recovery following an emergency event. It has been developed alongside key activities under the emergency management reform agenda, including the Community Resilience Framework for Emergency Management12 and Resilient Recovery Strategy13. These strategic documents by Emergency Management Victoria support resilience principles to strengthen and encourage communities, as well as informing outcomes frameworks for recovery.
References
3 Emergency Management Victoria, 2018. Emergency Management Manual Victoria. [Online]
Available at: https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/policies/emmv [Accessed 05 May 2020].
4 Emergency Management Victoria, 2016. News: All Communities, All Emergencies. [Online]
Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190413191321/https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/l… [Accessed 05 May 2020].
5 Resilient Melbourne, 2019. 100 Resilient Cities. [Online] Available at: https://resilientmelbourne.com.au/100-
resilient-cities/ [Accessed 05 May 2020].
6 Government of Victoria, 2013. Emergency Management Act 2013. [Online] Available at: Available at:
https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/emergency-management-a… [Accessed 05 May 2020].
7 Emergency Management Victoria, 2018. Emergency Management Manual Victoria. [Online] Available at:
www.emv.vic.gov.au/policies/emmv [Accessed 05 May 2020].
8 Government of Victoria, 2012. Victorian Emergency Management Reform December 2012; White paper.
[Online] Available at: https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/publications/victorian-emergency-management-… [Accessed 05 May 2020].
9 Government of Victoria, 2012. Victorian Emergency Management Reform December 2012; White paper.
[Online] Available at: https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/publications/victorian-emergency-management-… [Accessed 05 May 2020].
10 Emergency Management Victoria, 2015. Emergency Management Strategic Action Plan. [Online] Available at:
https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/publications/victorian-emergency-management-…
[Accessed 05 May 2020].
11 Emergency Management Victoria, 2017. Community Resilience Framework for Emergency Management.
[Online] Available at: https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/CommunityResilienceFramework [Accessed: 14 December
2020].
12 Emergency Management Victoria, 2017. Community Resilience Framework for Emergency Management.
[Online] Available at: https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/CommunityResilienceFramework [Accessed: 16 November
2020].
13 Emergency Management Victoria, 2019. Resilient Recovery Strategy. [Online] Available at:
https://www.emv.vic.gov.au/how-we-help/resilient-recovery-strategy [Accessed: 16 November 2020].
Updated