Welcome to Victoria’s Bushfire Management Report Card 2024–25 (the Report Card). Delivered by the Office of Bushfire Risk Management (OBRM) in conjunction with bushfire management sector partner agencies, the Report Card replaces the previous Victoria’s Bushfire Risk Management Report.
Bushfires are a natural part of the Victorian environment and managing bushfire risk is everyone’s responsibility. Victoria is one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world. The last 2 decades have seen a dramatic increase in the number, size, extent, and severity of bushfires. The Victorian Government recognises that bushfire risk cannot be eliminated. It also acknowledges the significant threat that climate change poses to communities, the economy and the environment through more frequent and severe bushfire emergencies.
Following the 2019-20 bushfires, the Victorian Government established OBRM within the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). OBRM oversees the development and implementation of an end-to-end framework for evidence-based bushfire risk management (including policy, practice, assurance, and reporting) across all public and private land, with a primary focus on fuel management. OBRM is supported by an advisory panel and works in partnership with Victorian Government agencies, local government, landholders and communities to reduce the likelihood and impact of bushfires.
To learn more about OBRM’s role, see the Office of the Bushfire Risk Management website.
About this report
Victoria's Bushfire Management Strategy (the Strategy) is a joint commitment on the direction of bushfire management in Victoria. It brings together the work we are already doing, with the work we plan to do over the next 10 years to manage bushfire on public and private land.
Supporting the Strategy is Victoria’s Bushfire Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework (the Framework), which helps us to keep track of our progress towards achieving the outcomes of the Strategy, and to identify further opportunities for continuous improvement.
The Framework sets out the two types of reporting that will occur through the life of the Strategy:
- annual progress reporting (intermediate outcome tracking)
- periodic evaluation reporting.
The Report Card is the primary annual progress reporting product. This provides a structured, sector‑wide assessment of progress against the Strategy’s intermediate outcomes. It is part two of a new two-part annual reporting approach to track progress against the Strategy. Victoria’s Bushfire Management Snapshot – December 2025, provides a high-level overview of key bushfire preparedness and mitigation information.
The Report Card provides detailed information on bushfire management delivery and outcomes across public and private land in Victoria for the 2024–25 financial year.
The Report Card is primarily based on previously available information, largely focused on fuel management, reflecting the current availability of data across the breadth of bushfire management activities. As the sector matures in delivering the Strategy over time, it will expand to more fully represent the full range of Strategy outcomes and actions.
Report structure
The Report Card is set out according to the 5 of the 7 domains of the Strategy:
- People and community safety
- Aboriginal self-determination in cultural fire and bushfire management
- Ecosystem resilience and nature conservation
- Working together, accountability and shared responsibility
- Enhanced capability and capacity
Further work is underway to broaden the Sector’s monitoring, evaluation and reporting capabilities in relation to:
- Informed decision-making, evidence-based approaches and tools
- Critical infrastructure and economic resilience
How to read this report
Results for the 2024–25 measures are shown in tables alongside results from the previous two financial years (2022–23 and 2023–24) and performance targets (where applicable). Tables also indicate whether 2024–25 measures have achieved performance targets using the following visual key:
Table A: Interpreting results
| Icon | What this indicates |
|---|---|
✓ | Performance target achieved or exceeded |
◯ | Performance target not achieved – within 5 per cent variance. |
⬛ | Performance target not achieved – exceeds 5 per cent variance |
Variance is the difference between target performance and actual performance, proportionate to the performance target.
Bushfire risk
In Victoria vegetation, climate and dispersed communities means there will always be a need to live with the risk of bushfires. It is necessary to understand what creates bushfire risk, where it exists in the landscape, and what the government, communities and individuals can do to reduce the likelihood and impact of bushfires.
Bushfire risk refers to the likelihood and consequence of bushfire impact. It includes the likelihood of a bushfire starting, growing and spreading across a landscape. It also includes the likelihood of something being in the fire path such as people, houses, farms, critical infrastructure, and wildlife habitat. Victoria is particularly susceptible to large and intense bushfires that can spread rapidly across vast distances, due to the state’s naturally flammable vegetation and frequent exposure to hot, dry and windy weather. Bushfire risk is affected by factors that may influence the speed and intensity of fire, including the:
- short-term weather conditions including rainfall, temperature and wind
- long-term weather trends, or climate
- topography of the landscape
- availability of fuel, driven by the amount, type and dryness of vegetation
- location of people and assets
- prevention and suppression capabilities.
Because of this, bushfire management is not limited to fuel management. Climate trends reveal a marked increase in dangerous fire-weather conditions, where there is a decreased influence of fuel on fire behaviour. For this reason, it is important to manage bushfire risk using a wide range of interventions.
How is bushfire risk managed?
Victoria takes a risk-based approach to bushfire management, meaning that resources are invested in bushfire management activities where they will have the greatest impact in protecting human life, property and the environment. This approach has been repeatedly reviewed by experts and inquiries, and consistently found to be leading practice both nationally and internationally. However, a level of risk will always remain.
Victoria’s approach to bushfire risk management is underpinned by shared responsibility. Bushfire risk management requires cooperation and coordination across government and with communities. Various government departments and agencies have roles and responsibilities in relation to bushfire risk management, including fire agencies (Forest Fire Management Victoria, the Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria), Local Councils and the Department of Transport and Planning. Bushfire risk management also involves close collaboration with Victorian communities, including supporting private landowners to manage bushfire risk on their own properties.
Bushfire risk is managed through a variety of activities including:
- Engaging with the community to support placed-based programs that reduce bushfire risk
- Fuel management (including planned burning and non-burn fuel treatment)
- Construction and maintenance of fuel breaks and fire access roads
- Land use planning and building controls
- Fire restrictions and total fire ban days
- Neighbourhood Safer Places–Bushfire Place of Last Resort and community fire refuges
- Arson enforcement and community education
- Powerline safety
- Early detection and aggressive first attack to bring bushfires rapidly under control while they are still small.
The Victorian Government is also working with Traditional Owners to support self-determination in relation to land and fire management. This includes supporting Traditional Owners to implement the Traditional Owner Cultural Fire Strategy and lead the reintroduction of cultural fire on Country.
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