Recommendation 8: Reporting requirements for fuel management

Find out what the government is doing in response to this recommendation from the IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian bushfire season: Phase 1 report.

The actions on this page are identified in the Victorian Government response to Recommendation 8 from the IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian Fire Season - Phase 1 report.

IGEM Recommendation 8: Reporting requirements for fuel management

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) 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:

  • 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
  • include residual risk where appropriate - however, complementary metrics should be developed if residual risk cannot be determined.

Actions

Action 8.1: Release 2019-20 fuel management report

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will work in partnership with the Country Fire Authority to develop and coordinate the state-wide application of tools to support risk-based bushfire management across public and private land.

Action 8.2: Identify additional existing data that can be incorporated into the 2020-21 fuel management report

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will engage with legislated fuel managers to identify additional existing data that can be incorporated into the 2020-21 fuel management report.

Action 8.3: Expand the fuel management Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework and annual Fuel Management Report

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 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.

An update on these actions can be found in IGEM's progress report

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