The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that Emergency Management Victoria – in collaboration with the emergency management sector – develop and implements processes to ensure greater dissemination and improved understanding of information for all Victorians, and visitors to Victoria in an emergency event. This should consider but not be exclusive to individuals who:
a) are not familiar with Victoria and its environment
b) find it difficult to understand and respond to emergency information
c) are socially or geographically isolated.
EMV will enhance the VicEmergency (External link) app and website to better accommodate needs of CALD communities ahead of the 2020–21 fire season.
The 2020–21 Victorian State Budget included $4m to support the maintenance and upgrade of VicEmergency (External link) and EM-COP. This action initially envisaged implementation ahead of the 2020–21 fire season, however EMV advised that activity is being expanded to better accommodate the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
IGEM’s 2021 progress report noted that in July 2021 the EMV program board endorsed the VicEmergency Uplift project concept brief to improve the website and mobile app. One element of the uplift project is; improving communication to CALD communities through the development of translation capabilities for selected languages.
EMV provided IGEM with a June 2022 project update covering procurement activities since April 2022 and indicating commencement of the next phase (proof-of-concept work with the chosen vendors of a mobile app that provides real-time translations from English into two languages) from August 2022.
On 30 June 2022 SCRC approved a revised due date for this action of April 2023. EMV informed SCRC that a business case would need to be developed to support upgrades.