3.1 Assurance principles

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Approach

This report outlines implementation progress since the publication of IGEM’s system-wide reviews up until April 2020, while acknowledging actions undertaken prior to release that demonstrate progress towards the recommendations.

In assessing progress towards implementing the recommendations, IGEM considered activities outlined in the government response to each review and information provided by lead organisations.

3.1 Assurance principles

IGEM’s assurance activities are guided by the Assurance Framework for Emergency Management (the Assurance Framework) which seeks to drive a more coordinated, less burdensome and more valuable approach to assurance activities in the sector and generate continuous improvement. The Assurance Framework defines an assurance as:

A statement designed to increase the confidence of government, the sector and the community in the ability of the system to plan for, respond to and recover from emergencies.

The Assurance Framework articulates four principles to guide assurance activities performed in relation to the emergency management system in Victoria. Table 2 provides an overview of the four principles IGEM applied in preparing this report.

Limitations in assurance

Like all assurance providers, the level of assurance that IGEM can provide is limited by the quality and quantity of the available information, and by the scope of the assurance activity.

IGEM provides assurance on progress through assessing updates provided by agencies and collecting and assessing evidence to substantiate those updates. It also seeks to reflect progress to the fullest extent possible based on evidence provided or that is publicly available.

At times, if evidence is unavailable, IGEM may be limited in its capacity to report on progress. If IGEM is unable to view supporting evidence, then it will report the progress as ‘advised’ by agencies. This represents a lower level of assurance.