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.
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.
The review of Victoria’s emergency management operating model is one of four projects under the Emergency Management Reform Program led by EMV. Refer to 10YOR Action 4.3 for more information on the review process.
As part of the review, EMV engaged consultants to analyse workforce needs.
The consultation report (November 2021) examines various aspects of the current operating model, including:
- how to enable surge workforce participation across the Victorian Public Service through improved systems
- issues with the IMT training and accreditation system and alternative models for IMTs
- how the Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System functions in the Victorian context
- opportunities to clarify and simplify control functions at the state and regional tier
- the contribution of emergency risk assessment processes to assessing future workforce demand
- issues with procurement processes during emergencies
- opportunities to better leverage the capacity and resources of non-government organisations and businesses to support emergency management functions.
The report identifies that the sector needs to invest further effort to understand future workforce demand and proposed the establishment of a workforce planning function.
The report also includes an analysis of Victoria’s control centre infrastructure – refer to 10YOR Action 4.2 for more information.
EMV presented feedback from sector stakeholders on the consultation report’s proposals and findings to SCRC on 17 February 2022, followed by targeted consultation with departmental secretaries and agency heads in mid-2022.
Specific proposals for implementation arising from the Operating Model Review remain under development and are subject to future consideration and approval by government. IGEM understands that there is scope for a capability model as envisaged by this action to be included in the proposals, noting that the implementation of specific proposals are subject to dedicated funding being available.
IGEM notes that governance is the focus of another project under the Emergency Management Reform Program – the governance review is due to be completed by December 2022.