South eastern Australia, including Victoria, is among the most bushfire-prone areas in the world.

Victoria’s high bushfire risk is due to a combination of factors including increasing population density in fire-prone areas.

Major bushfires can lead to loss of life and injury, damage to key state infrastructure such as electricity transmission lines, water supply assets and transport links.

Additionally, fast moving grass fires in metro/rural interface environments, structure fires in urban environments, and mine fires caused by fires in nearby bushland all pose their unique challenges and consequences.

Examples of significant bushfires and related fires include the 2009 Black Saturday fires, 2014 Hazelwood mine fire and more recently the 2019-20 fires which led to major reviews at state level and a Royal Commission at national level: Inquiry into the 2019–20 Victorian Fire Season and Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements respectively.

All links in the table below will open in a new window.
Publish year Assurance activity Summary Organisation
2021 Fire Services Implementation Monitor Annual Report 2020-21 (External link) An assessment of the first eight months of implementation progress of Victoria’s fire services reforms (15 October – 30 June 2021) focused on 36 of the 54 Year One Fire Services Reform Implementation Plan (Year One Plan) actions, categorised and assessed under three themes: agency capacity and capability, collaboration between CFA and FRV, and workplace culture and diversity. Fire Services Implementation Monitor
2021 Assurance of DELWP breaches of planned burn control lines - 2019-20 (External link) A report on observations and progress updates relating to DELWP’s planned burns that breach control lines, and a summary of implementation of ongoing recommendations related to planned burning. Inspector-General for Emergency Management
2021 Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry - Progress Report 2020 (External link) An assessment of progress in implementing recommendations and affirmations from the 2014 and 2015–16 Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry reports. In this report IGEM monitors 11 government actions and 1 recommendation that were reported as ongoing in 2019. The report finds that some actions are close to completion, and others involve complex legislative reforms that require time to fully implement. Inspector-General for Emergency Management
2020 Lessons to be learned in relation to the Australian bushfire season 2019-20 - Interim Report (External link) The interim report provides an overview of the 2019-20 bushfires, and includes an initial examination of disaster management frameworks; government action and hazard reduction; Human health impacts of the fires; Wildlife impacts of the fires; National aerial firefighting capacity; Insurance impacts of fires; and communications. The report makes 13 recommendations to improve preparation and planning, response and recovery arrangements. Parliament of Australia
2020 Safer Together Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) Framework (External link) A framework to measure and report on the progress of reducing bushfire risk on people and the environment. It consolidates existing and proposed MER activities across the sector and aligns efforts for a sector-wide MER process that provides accountability for and transparency of sector-wide actions towards reducing bushfire risk. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
2020 Review of 10 years of reform in Victoria’s emergency management sector (External link) A review of emergency management reforms and their effectiveness in supporting safer and more resilient Victorians. The report made recommendations relating to the critical areas of risk management, community information, recovery, outcomes frameworks, and capability and capacity. Inspector-General for Emergency Management
2020 After the flames - community reflections 2019-20 (External link) After the Flames is a document that aims to preserve experiences and stories from those who were impacted by Victoria’s most devastating bushfire season in more than a decade. The key observations are recorded alongside initiatives considered by the then BRV. Emergency Recovery Victoria
2020 Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian Fire Season - Phase 1 Report (External link) An examination of community and sector preparedness for the 2019-20 fire season; and response to fires in large parts of Victoria's North East, Gippsland, and Alpine regions. The report includes 66 observations, 36 findings and 17 recommendations in identifying good practice and opportunities for continuous improvement. Inspector-General for Emergency Management
2020 Perspectives from the frontline (External link) A consultation report that tells the story of community service organisations following the Black Summer bushfires, it aims to build the capacity of community service organisations to support their communities’ resilience and recovery, to advocate for the recovery needs of community service organisations and vulnerable people and to contribute to effective current and future emergency and disaster recovery planning. Victorian Council of Social Service
2020 Reducing Bushfire Risks (External link) An audit assessing the effectiveness of responsible agencies working together to reduce Victoria’s bushfire risk. The audit made recommendations on fuel management, land-use planning and improving the Powerline Bushfire Safety Program. Victorian Auditor-General's Office