5 Concluding remarks

It has now been four years since the government tabled its response to the Inquiry into the CFA Training College at Fiskville, and in this time IGEM has observed the completion of a range of important initiatives driven by the inquiry’s recommendations. The six commitments that remain ongoing will, once completed, go further towards addressing the inquiry’s recommendations. Completion of CFA’s new Central Highlands training centre will fill a void left by Fiskville’s closure, and the completion of the commitments focused on environmental regulation and safe firefighter training water will help ensure that contamination issues like those at Fiskville do not occur again. The state will also be better positioned to provide meaningful redress to people affected by Fiskville.

IGEM again commends the high level of cooperation and support provided by CFA, DELWP, EMV, EPA and WorkSafe in the preparation of this report – particularly given the significant operational challenges caused by the 2019–20 fire season and the COVID-19 pandemic. IGEM will continue to monitor and report on the implementation progress of the six ongoing commitments to provide assurance to government and the community that the lessons identified from the inquiry are turned into sustainable improvements that make a difference for Victorians.