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Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry
EMV continued to work with the community to deliver the Latrobe Valley Community Engagement and Planning Project. The project has taken longer than anticipated due to delays in recruiting key staff and the need to respond to sensitivities and rebuild trust with the local community. Two key outputs of the project were delivered in 2017–18, with the final outputs expected to be delivered in 2018–19. The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) finalised its evaluation of the Citizen Science Program, finding a high level of satisfaction with the initiative. EPA made several changes to the program based on the feedback received, including introducing a new participation opportunity – the Latrobe Valley Dust Monitoring Study. EPA is also nearing completion of a redesigned air monitoring network that will provide access to easy-tounderstand information on air quality for the Latrobe community. There have been delays in completion of the network to allow for further investigation into gas sensors to better understand the technology and its potential use within the network. EPA now anticipates this action will be complete by the end of 2018. Health in the Latrobe Valley Significant progress has been made on the health in the Latrobe Valley actions with 61 of 68 actions complete. Eight actions were completed in 2017–18. Two actions have revised timeframes for completion. In February 2018 the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) finalised a framework for the evaluation of the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone, the Latrobe Health Assembly and the Latrobe Health Advocate. The framework sets out an approach to measuring, monitoring and reporting on the impact of the health initiatives. Initial findings have identified optimism among stakeholders and support for the opportunity to collaborate, and suggested improvements in communication with the community to inspire greater engagement. DHHS supported the implementation of health priorities for Aboriginal health and wellbeing, including funding the Inner Gippsland Children and Youth Areas Partnerships to trial new approaches focusing on the first 1000 days of an Aboriginal child’s life. DHHS also partnered with a range of organisations in the Latrobe Valley to support preventative health initiatives including programs focusing on smoking cessation, dental health and increased community participation in health screening. DHHS and the Gippsland Primary Health Network (Gippsland PHN) promoted and increased use of Gippsland HealthPathways, a system that supports healthcare providers to plan patient care through the healthcare system, manage complex conditions and identify clients that may benefit from screening for chronic disease.
DHHS continues to work with the Health Assembly to establish a chronic disease forum and a mental health forum. After pilot programs in 2016 attracted low levels of interest, DHHS and partners have taken a new approach to these initiatives and made progress across the year. DHHS now expect the forums to be delivered by June 2019. The third annual Monash University report on the Long Term Health Study was published in November 2017. Incident air quality and wellbeing Significant progress has been made on incident air quality and wellbeing actions with 31 of 34 actions now complete. Two actions were completed in 2017–18. Of the three ongoing actions, one is overdue and two have revised timeframes. EPA is nearing completion of a fully functional integrated air quality monitoring and information system. All components of the system are in place and have been tested individually in either controlled environments or at emergency incidents. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) across EPA, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) to formalise data sharing arrangements has been developed but is yet to be signed. CFA has developed a plume modelling tool for the prediction of toxic smoke and chemical releases from fires and hazardous material incidents. CFA implemented several improvements across 2017–18 including the prediction of particulate matter concentrations and the provision of additional security measures. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has built several information and communication technology (ICT) platforms for hazard prediction. The platforms involve core prediction engines for bushfire, smoke, toxic plumes and floods with the results provided to decision makers through various end-user viewers. Across 2016–2018 IGEM has observed working demonstrations of all the platforms. DELWP has also made significant progress on a tool to validate the results from the smoke prediction engine. Following delays in the rollout of field sensors, DELWP now anticipates this action will be complete in June 2019. EPA advised that the public release of its final report on the body of information and knowledge generated from the Hazelwood mine fire meta-analysis continues to be delayed, pending completion of legal proceedings relating to the Hazelwood mine fire. Latrobe Valley coal mine regulation Significant progress has been made on the Latrobe Valley coal mine regulation actions with 13 of 15 actions now complete. Four actions were completed in 2017–18. The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) completed implementation of the Earth Resources Regulation (ERR) 2015–16 Action Plan, publishing public sustainability reports from operators of high-risk sites and putting in place an approach to the application of risk-based work plans.
