Shared responsibility
The State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) recognises that emergency management is the shared responsibility of all Victorians, not just the emergency management sector. A commitment to shared responsibility recognises that no single actor can be responsible for mitigation, planning, preparedness, response and recovery. All members of Victoria, First Peoples, community groups, networks, businesses, individuals, households, visitors to Victoria, government and non-government organisations, along with the emergency management sector have a role to play. Preparing for emergencies requires a collaborative approach that integrates the abilities and skills from across our State. This shared responsibility is reflected in the emergency sectors shared goal “We Work as One (External link)”
Resilient communities
Shared responsibility paves the way for more resilient communities that are engaged, informed and involved in all phases of emergency management, because "every community, every history, every landscape and every emergency is different."[1]
Resilient communities and individuals recover more quickly and are better placed to respond to and recover from subsequent emergencies. Through sharing responsibility for our collective vulnerabilities, we can minimise the impacts of emergencies and build safer communities.
Communities will have different levels of resilience, which is dependent on available resources, access to services, previous experience in emergencies and the extent to which the community has ownership over their level of preparedness. It is important that communities are engaged in emergency management planning, and in particular having community representative/s on each Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee[2].
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.