Overview
Mitigation encompasses activities needed to eliminate or reduce the incidents or severity of emergencies, and the minimisation of their effects.
The participating agencies for mitigation table (table 8) is based on the Emergency Risks in Victoria Report, assessed as significant for the State. Under each emergency risk type, relevant mitigation activities are listed along with agencies that could be involved in any aspect of each activity as a participating agency. Participating agencies undertake mitigation activities within the context of additional legislation, regulation and government policy that sits outside the EM sector.
When viewing the participating agencies for mitigation table, two mitigation sections of the interactive and functional SEMP should also be considered:
- the Mitigation section under Emergency Management Phases
- the Mitigation section under Emergency Management Arrangements.
When reviewing table 8, it should be noted that preparedness and mitigation are closely interrelated as they both seek to reduce the severity of an emergency, and that both within and outside the EM sector, agencies contribute to the mitigation of, and planning for, emergencies as part of their business-as-usual functions. Further mitigation activities for emergencies not identified in the Emergency Risks in Victoria report are detailed in the Agency roles and responsibilities alignment to the Victorian Preparedness Framework section.
Table 8: Mitigation activities and agencies for managing Victoria’s significant emergency risks, by emergency
Activities and participating agencies for managing Victoria’s significant emergency risks, by emergency risk.
Emergency Risk: Bushfire
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Land use planning | |
| Building regulations, standards and codes | |
| Landscape fuel management including legislative requirements | |
| Fire ignition controls including fire danger period determination, total fire band days and arson programs | |
| Community education, awareness and engagement to prevent and respond to bushfire and bushfire smoke | DH (bushfire smoke) |
| Seasonal arrangements to ensure capability | |
| Restricted access to public land | |
| Historic heritage values assessments in accordance with Heritage Act 2017 | DTP |
Emergency Risk: Cyber security
Emergency Risk: Earthquake
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Building standards/regulations and enforcement (post 1989, 1993, 2007 standards) | Australian Building Code Board Australian Building and Construction Commission Housing Industry Association |
| Critical infrastructure (engineering) vulnerability assessments and maintenance regimes (essential services, dams, buildings, transport infrastructure, mine, quarry and petroleum sites) | Critical infrastructure owners/operators Public and private infrastructure owners/operators |
| List of vulnerable (e.g. pre- 1989) buildings in CBD to inform response planning | DTP |
| Community engagement, education and awareness | VICSES |
| Identify and plan for heritage places on the Victorian Heritage Register and local government heritage overlays | DTP |
Emergency Risk: Electricity supply disruption
| Activity | Participating |
|---|---|
| Legislative framework, e.g. Electricity Industry Act 2000, Electricity Safety Act 1998, associated regulations, national electricity laws and rules and critical infrastructure resilience requirements under the Emergency Management Act 2013 | FRV (referral agency for electrical infrastructure and EM planning) |
| System redundancy (N-1) | Electricity companies |
| Urban development and planning | FRV (referral agency) |
| Tower barriers, signage and fencing | Electricity companies |
| Supervisory control and data acquisition and automated protection scheme | Electricity companies |
| Security controls and surveillance | Electricity companies |
| Public awareness | Electricity companies |
| Maintenance inspections | Electricity companies |
| System modelling | AEMO |
| Market mechanisms | AEMO |
| Load management strategies including energy efficiency and demand management programs to minimise community impacts | Electricity companies |
| Public communication and engagement | |
| Industry forums, including regular emergency exercises | Electricity companies |
| Community microgrids and sustainable renewable energy programs | FRV (isolated battery storage and generators) |
| Coal mine regulation and emergency preparedness |
Emergency Risk: Emergency animal disease
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Customs and quarantine infrastructure and services | Australian Border Force |
| International standards and conventions | World Organisation for Animal Health |
| Australian border controls policy and operations | Australian Border Force |
| State border control | |
| Awareness raising, education, and training | DEECA |
| Legislative and regulatory framework, including Livestock Disease Control Act 1994 and Livestock Management Act 2010 | DEECA |
| National Ministerial agreements under the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement and National Environmental Biosecurity Response Agreement | DEECA |
| Effective engagement with Commonwealth government, industry and community stakeholders to support biosecurity planning and preparedness plans | DEECA |
| Provision of technical advice to DEECA and the relevant Minister(s) | DEECA |
| Monitoring and surveillance to support early detection of biosecurity threats | DEECA |
| Regulated control of native wildlife rehabilitation and licensing | DEECA |
| Plan and deliver programs to mitigate priority biosecurity risks including traceability of livestock and agricultural products | DEECA |
Emergency Risk: Emergency pest plant
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| National border control | Australian Border Force |
| State border control |
|
| Legislative and regulatory framework, including Plant Biosecurity Act 2010 | DEECA |
| National Ministerial agreements under the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed and National Environment Biosecurity Response Agreement | DEECA |
| Effective engagement with Commonwealth government, industry and community stakeholders to support biosecurity planning and preparedness plans | DEECA |
| Monitoring and surveillance to support early detection of biosecurity threats | DEECA |
| Provision of technical advice and the relevant Minister(s) | DEECA |
| Plan and deliver programs to mitigate priority biosecurity risks including traceability of agricultural products | DEECA |
| Awareness raising, education and training | DEECA |
Emergency Risk: Flood
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Legislative policy framework including floodplain management strategy, reform (lessons learnt) | |
| Land use planning (strategic and statutory) and building regulations | |
| Flood mitigation infrastructure e.g. levees, retarding basins | |
| Vegetation/waterway management | |
| Property modifications | Property owners |
| Community engagement, education and awareness | |
| Flood emergency planning including readiness | |
| Flood data / intelligence and mapping | |
| Total Flood Warning System as per Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy | |
| Dam safety management to mitigate risks from potential dam failure | Dam owners/operators VICSES (support) |
Emergency Risk: Gas supply disruption
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Legislative and regulatory framework, including Gas Industry Act 2001, Gas Safety Act 1997 and associated Gas Safety Cases, National Gas Law and National Gas Regulations, critical infrastructure resilience requirements under the Emergency Management Act 2013 | Gas companies |
| Buried pipelines, signage and fencing | Gas companies |
| Maintenance inspections | Gas companies |
| Security controls and surveillance including patrol and inspection | Gas companies |
| Public awareness | Gas companies |
| System modelling | Gas companies |
| AEMO maintenance coordination and direction powers, including 24x7 control room and gas duty system | AEMO |
| Annual Victorian Gas Planning Report | AEMO |
| Industry forums, including regular emergency exercises | Gas companies |
Emergency Risk: Hazardous materials (including industrial waste) incident
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Reduction/substitution of HAZMAT use (including inventory minimisation) | |
| Land use planning | |
| Regulate and process facility/residential/commercial development designs | |
| HAZMAT storage design and maintenance (including transport design) | National Heavy Vehicle Regulator |
| HAZMAT transport requirements (e.g. prohibitions, material volume and selection, route and timing selection, transport mode, stakeholder engagement (e.g. Worksafe Victoria, FRV, DTP, CFA, transporter, receiver) | DH (high consequence transport) Transport companies |
| Pre-transport consequence modelling and readiness | CFA (plume modelling) DH (high consequence transport) DTP (safe and priority access routes) EPA (support) FRV (plume modelling) |
| Minimise incident potential via application of the Radiation Act 2005 and Radiation Regulations 2017 by regulating the use, possession, storage, transport, sale and disposal of radioactive material | DH |
| Dangerous Goods transporter maintenance, training, licensing, inspection etc. (road/rail/marine, pipeline) | EPA (licence for transport of hazardous waste) National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Worksafe Victoria (management of dangerous goods in transport, storage and handling) |
| Legislation/regulation and enforcement (e.g. Major Hazard Facilities, Dangerous Goods Code preventative requirements), supported by audits and inspection | |
| Co-ordinated Prevention and Response Framework for High Risk Waste Sites |
Emergency Risk: Heatwave
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Education and community resilience | DH |
| Weather forecasting | BoM |
| Monitor and broadcast warnings of heat events | |
| Urban design and planning | |
| Heat safety awareness for organisers for public events (SEMP Extreme Heat Sub-Plan) | Community organisations Service providers State government departments |
| Well designed and maintained (resilient) infrastructure. This includes continued improvements and maintenance of road and transport infrastructure. | Infrastructure asset owners |
Emergency Risk: Liquid fuel disruption
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Legislative and regulatory framework, including Fuel Emergency Act 1977, critical infrastructure resilience requirements under the Emergency Management Act 2013 | Fuel companies |
| Security controls and surveillance including patrol and inspection | Fuel companies Pipeline operators |
| Public awareness | Fuel companies Pipeline operators |
| Maintenance inspections | Fuel companies Pipeline operators |
| System modelling | Fuel companies |
| Industry forums, including regular emergency exercises | Fuel companies Pipeline operators |
Emergency Risk: Maritime emergency (non SAR)
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Condition surveys for vessel class, commercial charter, and insurance requirements | AMSA |
| International Maritime Organisation licensing requirements and audits for vessel crews | AMSA |
| Implementation of International Safety Management code requirements (e.g. safety management system) | AMSA |
| Legislation and enforcement (e.g. compulsory marine pilotage/exempt masters, Harbour master directions, safety duty (So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable) obligations of port manager, port operator, vessel operators, offshore facility operators etc.) | Port owners / operators ST Vic (or Director, Maritime Safety as per Marine Safety Act 2010) |
| State and national audits and inspection of commercial vessels, port infrastructure, offshore facilities (note vessel condition monitoring is undertaken by the Commonwealth) | |
| Licensed, current and competent pilots | Pilotage service providers ST Vic (or Director, Maritime Safety as per Marine Safety Act 2010) |
| Navigational systems including charts, Vessel Tracking Service, Dynamic Under Keel Clearance system, marks, aids to navigation (wave, wind, tide, swell etc.), personal pilotage units etc. | Pilotage service providers Port owners/operators |
| Melbourne and Geelong harbour tug fleet capacity and redundancy for normal operations (limited capacity for coastal operations) | Port owners/operators |
Emergency Risk: Mine, quarry and petroleum (exploration or production site) emergency
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Legislation, regulation and enforcement of legislation including, but not limited to, the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 and regulations (licensing and approvals process for operators of mines, quarries and coal mines), Emergency Management Act 2013, Emergency Management (Critical Infrastructure Resilience) Regulations 2015, Country Fire Authority Act 1958 and Regulations 2014, Energy Safe Victoria Act 2005, and Petroleum Act 1998 | |
| Operator implementation of Triggered Action Response Plan (including consultation with government agencies) and monitoring/maintenance | Mine owners/operators |
| Approval of and compliance to risk-based work plans, risk management plans, and emergency preparedness plans for mines, quarries and petroleum sites addressing specific mine stability, fire, tailings dam safety, flooding, blasting etc. controls | Mine owners/operators |
| Detailed audits and inspection program focusing on key risks | DEECA |
| Work plan approvals (initial and variations to account for operational changes) and implementation of licence conditions to ensure operators address key risks | DEECA |
Emergency Risk: Viral pandemic
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Vaccination | Health services |
| Active investigation of existing notifiable diseases and novel or rare pathogens with pandemic potential | DH |
| Engagement with national and international groups on the monitoring and response to viruses with pandemic potential | DH |
| Health guidelines and relevant standards and codes | DH |
| Community education | DH |
| Surveillance and modelling data from outbreaks, research of historic events | DH |
| Health and emergency sector pandemic planning, health system coordination and oversight, surge capacity planning and exercises | Health services |
Emergency Risk: Storm
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| Drainage systems (drainage standards and strategy) | |
| Buildings compliant to engineering standards (building standards/regulations) | Australian Building Code Board Australian Building and Construction Commission Housing Industry Association |
| BoM weather and warning network and systems | BoM |
| Equipped, trained and prepared essential services including power, water, gas and transport | Electricity companies Gas companies |
| Community engagement, education and awareness | VICSES |
| Maintenance activities for land, road and drainage infrastructure, such as drain and culvert clearance, roadside clearance, bridge inspections | Relevant asset owners or managers |
| Undertake risk management planning for historic heritage sites on the Victorian Heritage Register and Heritage Inventory | DTP |
Emergency Risk: Water supply disruption
| Activity | Participating agencies |
|---|---|
| System resilience e.g. desal plant, grid connectivity, social (particularly human health), economic (including irrigation, raw water and recycled water) and natural environments | |
| Critical infrastructure resilience | Critical infrastructure operators |
| Legislative framework and regulations including Water Act 1989, Water Industry Act 1994 and Safe Drinking Water Act 2003 (risk management plans and audits) | DEECA (Water Act 1989) DH (Safe Drinking Water Act 2003) |
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.