Support communities to be prepared and recover well after emergencies
What success will look like: The sector has identified opportunities to strengthen resilience in communities, by ensuring that communities have access to the information and resources required to prepare for and recover from emergencies. The sector has strengthened their partnership with local government to identify vulnerabilities and interdependencies in critical infrastructure assets and systems to reduce risks, impacts and consequence for communities before, during and after emergency events.
Achievements from the 2022-25 SAP:
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Improved the resilience of communication networks in regional towns that are at risk of being isolated from public communications during bushfires, supported by the implementation of NBN satellite facilities to provide resilient public Wi-Fi facilities and improving mobile towers by implementing permanent on-site generators and transportable generators.
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Victoria promoted improvements to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) through the Commonwealth review. Victoria developed a new claims management system and introduced improvements to the Victorian DRFA guidelines such as the day labour.
Please note: SAP numbers with an asterisk (*) are new actions.
3.1. Improve understanding of people’s behaviour in emergencies to promote better community and business outcomes
This action will develop a framework for understanding community behaviours during emergencies. It will provide increased awareness of behavioural drivers and responses for panic buying during emergencies. It will also support collaborative efforts to counter misinformation in emergencies, so people can make decisions based on accurate information.
Delivery date: March 2024
Lead agency: Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR)
This action relates to:
3.2. Build cross sectoral partnerships and leverage the learnings from COVID-19 and behavioural insights to influence specifically identified community segments towards healthier behaviours
This action will develop new and strengthen existing public health Engagement and Partnerships to l address health equity by building on the relationships and networks with priority communities and sector partners established throughout the COVID-19 response.
Delivery date: June 2024
Lead agency: Department of Health (DH)
This action relates to:
3.3. Support the design and implementation of research-informed school-based education programs that engage children and youth as genuine participants in emergency management (with an initial focus on bushfire)
This action will support children and youth to understand and reduce the risk of emergencies through the development of cross-sector, multi-stakeholder collaborative partnerships between schools, emergency management agencies and local communities. For example, the refresh of Fire Safe Kids program and the scaling up of a recent trial of bushfire education for upper primary students.
Delivery date: June 2025
Lead agency: Country Fire Authority (CFA)
This action relates to:
- Sector outcome 5: Self-determination of Traditional Owners and First Nations Peoples is recognised and supported.
- Sector outcome 6: Victorians can access emergency management programs and services that are person-centred, equitable and inclusive.
- Sector outcome 8: Victorians’ lived experiences with emergencies and best practice inform continuous improvement.
3.4. Deliver the Emergency Management Plan Exercising Project
This action will deliver the Emergency Management Plan Exercising Project which will implement four community-centred scenario exercises with emergency management partners to explore catastrophic events, complex responses (such as evacuations) and operations under the shared responsibility model.
Delivery date: June 2024
Lead agency: Emergency Management Victoria (EMV)
This action relates to:
3.5. Promote continuous improvements to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA)
This action will help make it easier for the sector to access financial assistance after a disaster by actively contributing to the Commonwealth review of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). This work includes streamlining approval processes under categories C and D of the DRFA including the development of ‘off-the-shelf’ packages to assist with the prompt activation and delivery of assistance measures. EMV and ERV will continue to advocate with the Commonwealth for other improvements where appropriate.
This action will see a continuation of activities to improve sector understanding and literacy of DRFA finalisation of a new claims management system that will provide step by step claim guidance, expanding the pool of claim assessors that guide councils throughout the claims journey, and introducing improvements to Victorian application of the national arrangements.
Delivery date: June 2024
Lead agency: Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS)
This action relates to:
*3.6. Develop principles and tools to support improved efficiency and clarity in the activation of relief and recovery programs
Work with relief and recovery sector partners to agree the catalogue of relief and recovery programs, and develop principles and tools to support the delivery and allocation of funding, so that councils, agencies and providers can plan for and deliver services with greater speed and certainty.
Delivery date: June 2024
Lead agency: Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV)
This action relates to:
*3.7. Develop a business case for the state-wide roll out of the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness model for Victorians with disability
As part of the national emergency management reform agenda, this innovative and evidence-based project will deliver on an identified gap to reduce disaster risk for people with disability by building involvement and agency in developing their emergency preparedness plans across the whole of Victoria.
Delivery date: June 2024
Lead agency: Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH)
This action relates to:
*3.8. Deliver energy resilience systems to support communities during power outages
This action will build greater resilience in regional Victorian locations that are highly susceptible to power outages under high-impacts events, such as storms and bushfires, delivering a range of solutions such as stand-alone power systems and microgrids.
Delivery date: December 2024
Lead agency: Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA)
This action relates to:
3.9. Develop a shared responsibility planning toolkit for people most at risk in emergencies
This action will deliver a contemporary, shared responsibility planning toolkit that supports state and local government, peak bodies, non-government agencies and other key emergency management and community stakeholders to prepare the Victorian community to respond to any emergency over the next decade.
Delivery date: December 2023
Lead agency: Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH)
This action relates to:
- Sector outcome 1: Victoria’s emergency management system reduces the risk and impact of emergencies on business, industry, and our environment.
- Sector outcome 2: Victorians are empowered to proactively manage their own emergency risks.
- Sector outcome 3: Victorians are actively involved in decisions that affect them.
- Sector outcome 5: Self-determination of Traditional Owners and First Nations Peoples is recognised and supported.
- Sector outcome 6: Victorians can access emergency management programs and services that are person-centred, equitable and inclusive.
- Sector outcome 8: Victorians’ lived experiences with emergencies and best practice inform continuous improvement.
*3.10. Review the provision of psychosocial supports during and after emergencies
This action will review arrangements to coordinate and deliver psychosocial supports during and after emergencies including the provision of Psychological First Aid to individuals immediately following an emergency, through to the longer-term psychosocial support for both individuals and communities throughout recovery.
Delivery date: June 2024
Lead agency: Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH)
This action relates to:
- Sector outcome 1: Victoria’s emergency management system reduces the risk and impact of emergencies on business, industry, and our environment.
- Sector outcome 2: Victorians are empowered to proactively manage their own emergency risks.
- Sector outcome 4: Victoria invests in the resilience of our infrastructure.
- Sector outcome 6: Victorians can access emergency management programs and services that are person-centred, equitable and inclusive.
- Sector outcome 8: Victorians’ lived experiences with emergencies and best practice inform continuous improvement.
- Sector outcome 9: Victorians are supported by a sustainable and agile workforce that represents the people it serves.
- Sector outcome 10: Victorians are supported by a workforce that is safe.
- Sector outcome 11: Victoria’s arrangements are integrated, responsive and provide clear accountability.
The department acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past and present.