14
2.5 Role of Inspector-General for Emergency Management The IGEM is a Governor in Council appointment under the EM Act. IGEM’s role in relation to the inquiry is in line with its legislated objectives to: •
provide assurance to government and the community in respect of emergency management arrangements in Victoria
•
foster continuous improvement of emergency management in Victoria.
On 6 December 2016 the minister requested that IGEM: •
develop an assurance framework for Fiskville, including a monitoring regime to provide oversight of the operations of Victorian Emergency Management Training Centres (VEMTCs) in line with the government commitments in relation to Recommendations 12 and 28 of the inquiry report
•
monitor and report on the work of departments and agencies in implementing the government commitments in relation to the inquiry report, under section 64(1)(ca) of the EM Act.
In August 2018 the minister requested that IGEM, under section 64(1)(ca) of the EM Act, continue to monitor and report on progress of the 15 commitments assessed as ongoing in IGEM’s 2018 progress report.
Implementation monitoring Section 64(1)(ca) of the EM Act establishes that one of IGEM’s functions is to, at the request of the minister, monitor and report on the implementation of recommendations arising from inquiries that relate to its functions. Through monitoring the implementation of recommendations, actions and commitments, IGEM offers assurance to government and the community that lessons from emergencies will be turned into sustainable improvements that make a difference for Victorian communities. In accordance with the minister’s request, IGEM is monitoring implementation of the government commitments in response to the inquiry. At times, the commitments go beyond the scope of the recommendations. At other times, where the government supported the recommendation in principle or in part, the scope of the commitment is narrower than the scope of the recommendation. In some instances, where the government considered that existing programs and initiatives already addressed issues raised by the recommendation, the commitment does not propose any new or further activity beyond that in place at the time of the inquiry. The implementation plan assigned IGEM responsibility to implement the commitment under Recommendation 12. IGEM self-assessed its own progress on implementing this recommendation, applying the same evidence-based methodology used for all other recommendations and using peer review mechanisms to strengthen the level of assurance provided.
