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Recommendation 7: Ensure a common approach to fuel management

Find out what the government is doing in response to this recommendation from the IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian bushfire season: Phase 1 report.

On this page

The actions on this page are identified in the Victorian Government response to Recommendation 7 from the IGEM Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian Fire Season - Phase 1 report.

IGEM Recommendation 7: Common approach to fuel management

The Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM) recommends that the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (or the single entity referenced in Recommendation 4) lead the development and distribution of evidence-based land and fuel management tools for use by all legislated fuel management organisations to ensure a common approach to fuel management.

Actions

Action 7.1: Improve data and modelling to better understand bushfire risk in a range of situations

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and the Country Fire Authority are currently improving:

This work will improve understanding of bushfire risk in a broader range of circumstances, providing an evidence base for the development of more sophisticated fuel management tools.

Action 7.2: Develop methods to measure the specific contribution of fuel management to risk reduction

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has recently developed methods to measure the specific contribution of fuel management to risk reduction, improving Victoria’s ability to measure the effectiveness of fuel management in reducing bushfire risk.

Action 7.3: Update bushfire risk modelling and data to develop an enhanced state-wide fuel treatability layer

As part of the Risk 2.0 project, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will:

Action 7.4: Strategically prioritise investment in bushfire science, fire ecology and knowledge and predictive services

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will prepare a bushfire science, fire ecology and knowledge and predictive services strategic plan, to identify priority investment areas by April 2021.

Action 7.5: Develop mechanisms to ensure ongoing access to current bushfire risk information for all relevant partners

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will ensure that all land and fire management agencies and local government have ongoing access to current bushfire risk information and will investigate the appropriate mechanism/s to deliver this by June 2021.

Action 7.6: Provide additional funding to support Traditional Owners to lead implementation of the Cultural Fire Strategy

The Victorian Government will provide additional funding to support Traditional Owners to lead implementation of the Cultural Fire Strategy.

Action 7.7: Develop and coordinate the state-wide application of tools to support risk-based bushfire management

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning will work in partnership with the Country Fire Authority to develop and coordinate the state-wide application of tools to support risk-based bushfire management across public and private land.

An update on these actions can be found in IGEM’s progress report

Updated 5 August 2022

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