The Inspector-General for Emergency Management recommends that the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (or the single entity referenced in Recommendation 4) – with support from all legislated fuel management organisations for public and private land – lead a community engagement process to improve the Victorian community's understanding of:
a) the purpose of Victoria's fuel management program and the concept of residual risk
b) the conditions under which fuel management effectiveness is limited
c) how fuel management is planned, conducted, evaluated and reported.
The whole of sector strategy for bushfire management will draw on behavioural change work being carried out under Safer Together to support people to take action to address bushfire risk in their local area and on their own land.
DELWP’s Secretary has approved a revised due date for this action of June 2023 to coincide with the timelines for completion of the whole-of-sector bushfire strategy (refer to FSIP1 Action 3.3).
The whole-of-sector strategy aims to set the 10-year vision and outcomes for bushfire management in Victoria in the context of a changing climate, growing population and changing demographics.
DELWP has included a narrative on behaviour change in the working draft of the strategy, using the knowledge gained through Safer Together. This includes research undertaken into key risk reduction behaviours involving a survey of over 3000 community members from across Victoria.