Review of Victoria's water safety arrangements

All hazards

Risks spanning across multiple hazard types and across the emergency management system.

Biosecurity

Exotic animal and plant disease outbreaks and pest incursions can have significant economic, community and environmental impacts.

Bushfire and other fires

Bushfire and other fires have potential consequences including loss of life and property, and damage to infrastructure and environment.

Climate change

Risks include more days of extreme heat, harsher fire weather, less rainfall and rising sea levels.

Communications disruption

Communications services are crucial in keeping communities safe, connected and informed before, during and after emergencies.

Cyber security and ICT systems failure

Risks relating to the confidentiality, availability, integrity of information and data and disruption of services.

Energy supply disruption

Reliable energy supplies are critical to many social and economic activities.

Flood

Major flood events have occurred in Victoria every 10 to 20 years, with much of the increasing risk created by human settlement.

Hazardous material incident

Potential risks relate to many places where Victoria’s hazardous materials are manufactured, stored, transported, used and disposed.

Heatwave

Heatwaves are considered to be the ‘silent killer’ of extreme weather events and are the leading cause of weather-related deaths in Australia.

Public health emergency

Risks may relate to the delivery of public health services, with impacts on community health and wellbeing and potential for loss of life.

Supply chain disruption

Geopolitical, environmental, economic, societal and infrastructure-related shocks can expose supply chains to wide ranging consequences.

Terrorism and extremism

Attacks carried out by individuals or non-state groups with ideological, political or religious goals can result in loss of life, severe injury and/or material damage.

Water supply disruption

Risks include collection, storage, treatment, delivery, availability and allocation of water for consumption and environmental, recreation and cultural uses.

Workforce and resourcing

Risks may relate to human resource supply and skills to support emergency management operations.

IGEM’s review of Victoria’s water safety arrangements was completed on 29 August 2023.

This planned review, aimed to identify opportunities to improve the safety of Victorians in and around water.

Why this review?

Victorians and visitors to Victoria enjoy being in, on or around water. Many people spend their leisure time at residential, public and commercial swimming pools, rivers, creeks, lakes and dams, beaches, bays and the ocean to swim, paddle, sail, fish, socialise and play.

There has been steady growth in visitors to parks, piers and beaches over the last 20 years. The easing of COVID-19 restrictions highlighted just how popular beaches are, with more Victorians visiting beaches in 2020–21 than ever before.

The interest in spending time in and around waterways generates economic, social and health benefits however it also increases the risk of fatal drownings and non-fatal incidents that leave people seriously and sometimes permanently injured or impacted.

Sadly, Life Saving Victoria (External link) recently reported Victoria’s worst fatal drowning toll in 20 years. Between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021, 61 people drowned – an increase of 40 per cent compared to the 10-year average. Another 104 people were involved in non-fatal drowning incidents attended by paramedics.