The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria collaborate with the emergency management sector to develop a capacity model that considers current and future:
a) career and volunteer emergency management personnel requirements
b) identified and trained personnel for surge requirements
c) emergency risks and climate scenarios.
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.
Local Government Victoria – a division of DJPR – is addressing this action through the third and final stage of the Councils and Emergencies Project.
Previous phases of the project have clarified the emergency management responsibilities and activities of local government (Phase One) and assessed the emergency management capability and capacity of councils (Phase Two).
Phase Three, which is now also complete, involved engagement with councils and other emergency management sector organisations to identify potential actions to address the local government capability and capacity gaps identified during Phase Two.
In 2021 DJPR procured a consultant to run engagement sessions and interviews with councils and sector organisations. Based on these sessions, the consultant produced a draft report that:
- confirmed the capability and capacity issues councils face in carrying out their emergency management responsibilities across the five VPF core capability elements: people, resources, governance, systems and processes (refer to IGEM 2022 progress report, page 99, Figure 4 for examples)
- identified potential actions to address the issues.
In September 2021 DJPR provided the draft report to councils and agencies for their review and facilitated a forum to update council CEOs on the project and to discuss the findings of the consultation report. DJPR incorporated feedback received from councils and the CEO forum into the report.
On 18 November 2021 the EMCCSC noted the consultation report and endorsed the completion of the Councils and Emergencies Project. On 2 December 2021, the SCRC noted the consultation report, the project closure report, and the completion of the project.
The Councils & Emergencies Phase Three Regional Consultation Report (June 2021) is available at localgovernment.vic.gov.au/resilience-and-emergency-management/councils-and-emergencies-project (External link)
Councils and Emergencies Project implementation
DJPR originally planned to produce a standalone local government capability and capacity framework and action plan. However, in consultation with MAV, DJPR decided that embedding priority actions into the SAP 2022–25 would provide the best mechanism for all departments and agencies to work together to ensure their successful delivery.
SCRC approved the SAP 2022–25 on 11 August 2022, including actions directly related to local government capability and capacity.
DJPR plan to provide a final briefing to the next EMCCSC meeting, scheduled for September 2022, to advise about the arrangements for ongoing delivery of the SAP local government actions now that the Councils and Emergencies Project has concluded.
IGEM has a legislated function to monitor the implementation of the SAP under Section 64(1)(e) of the EM Act 2013.