Ministers request Review of Bushfire Fuel Management Approach

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

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

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Workforce and resourcing

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

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management has been asked to conduct a review of performance targets for the future bushfire fuel management program on public land.

Read a summary of the Victorian Government media release below.

17 February 2015

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management (Victoria) has been asked to conduct a review of performance targets for the future bushfire fuel management program on public land.

The review meets the call for action from Neil Comrie, the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, Dr Gillian Sparkes and others. It will consider the views of experts, current research and the work undertaken by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) since the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

Planned burning is an important part of a broader approach to community safety. Land management agencies and emergency services work together with communities, to prepare for, respond to, and recover from, natural disasters and other emergencies.

The review will examine a risk-based approach to bushfire fuel management against the existing hectare-based performance target program. The Inspector-General for Emergency Management has been asked to deliver his report by the end of March 2015.

Key points

The scope of the IGEM's review is to provide independent advice, free of influence from external sources.
It will also consider the findings of the Bushfires Royal Commission Implementation Monitor and the reports of the Expert Reference Group-Bushfire Management Reform Program.
The IGEM may provide recommendations on complementary performance measures for fuel management on public land, but will not provide advice on a recommended target.

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