Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry - Annual Report 2018

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Annual Report 2018

DEDJTR has made substantial progress on the Latrobe Valley Rehabilitation Regulatory Reform Project, completing a review of the regulatory framework for the Latrobe Valley coal mines which also involved consulting with the Latrobe Valley Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner about reform options. Despite this progress, the two remaining actions have experienced delays, with one action requiring a significant extension to the timeframes originally set out in the Victorian Government Implementation Plan. Implementation of the reforms identified in the review of regulatory framework – including the establishment of a Mine Land Rehabilitation Authority – require additional time to implement and are not expected to be completed until 2020. Work plan variations featuring progressive rehabilitation milestones have yet to be approved for two of the three coal mine operators. The coal mine operators and DEDJTR continue to work together to ensure the proposed variations meet regulatory requirements and set satisfactory progressive rehabilitation milestones. Latrobe Valley coal mine rehabilitation bonds All 11 actions under the Latrobe Valley coal mine rehabilitation bonds theme are now complete. The final action in this theme was completed in 2017–18. This is the first theme from the Victorian Government Implementation Plan to be completed.

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DELWP and DEDJTR independently conducted internal reviews of the stage 2 outputs, to identify key learnings and any uncertainties to be addressed in further LVRRS work. The stage 3 project plan has been amended to address the uncertainties identified. Stage 3 of the LVRRS will deliver two major studies – a regional geotechnical study and a regional water study. In 2017–18 DEDJTR and DELWP progressed these studies through the delivery of consultants’ reports and preliminary scoping studies. Emergency management planning, response and recovery Good progress has been made on emergency management planning, response and recovery actions with 36 of the original 42 actions now complete, although nine of the 10 actions included in this report have experienced delays. Four actions were completed in 2017–18. EMV led the development of the Emergency Management Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 which passed through Parliament in August 2018. The Bill amends the Emergency Management Act 2013 to establish new arrangements for emergency management planning in Victoria. The legislation includes a default commencement date of 1 December 2020. MFB has progressed the procurement of personal monitoring equipment for firefighters and now anticipates that the equipment will be provided to them before the end of the 2018–19 financial year.

In 2017–18 DEDJTR determined that costs relating to Latrobe Valley coal mine sites following closure will be managed by a Mine Land Rehabilitation Authority, set to be established in July 2020.

CFA has developed a training video for fighting brown coal mine fires and is using it as the basis for developing other components of a brown coal firefighting training package. Training is expected to be rolled out towards the end of 2018.

The establishment of the Latrobe Valley Authority provides a mechanism to manage the social and economic impacts of mine closure. In 2017–18 the Latrobe Valley Authority partnered with businesses and the community to deliver a range of initiatives to manage economic risk to the community.

The Councils and emergencies position paper published by DELWP in December 2017 reviewed and defined the roles and responsibilities of local government in emergency management.

Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy The Latrobe Valley Regional Rehabilitation Strategy (LVRRS) continues to progress in line with the actions and time lines set out in the Victorian Government Implementation Plan. Eighteen of the 31 actions are now complete. Three actions were completed in 2017–18. The LVRRS will set out how the three Latrobe Valley coal mines transition to safe, stable and sustainable post-mining landforms. Stage 1 of the LVRRS was reported as complete in the 2017 IGEM Hazelwood report. In 2017–18 the two lead agencies responsible for delivery of the LVRRS – DEDJTR and DELWP – have completed work on stage 2. DELWP engaged an independent consultant and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to assess the possible impact of climate change on water availability in the Latrobe Valley in the context of mine rehabilitation. The report was delivered in December 2017 and the results will be used in conjunction with scenario modelling to understand the impacts of climate change on water availability.

DHHS completed development of a new payment system for the Personal Hardship Assistance Program (PHAP). The payments assist people who have been affected by a significant incident in Victoria. Health improvement recommendations and affirmations Significant progress has been made among health organisations to advance health projects within the Latrobe Valley. IGEM notes the commitment of the four principal health agencies in the Latrobe Valley, statutory authorities and non-government health agencies to supporting and promoting the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone. Projects that have been supported in 2017–18 include the development of Latrobe City Council’s Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, the ‘Pitch to Quit’ smoking cessation campaign, a Place-based Suicide Prevention Program, a dental voucher scheme, the ‘Life!’ diabetes awareness program and ‘Gippy Girls Can’ – an initiative to promote greater physical activity, gender equality and social connection in the Latrobe Valley.


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