engaging communities - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission—Interim Report
2 ENGAGING COMMUNITIES
From the outset the Commission saw its interaction with all Victorians, and in particular those affected by the
fires, as a vital cornerstone of its investigation into the fires. This chapter begins with a brief overview of the full
range of initiatives implemented by the Commission to engage with the community. It then moves to the primary
focus of this chapter — a detailed account of the community consultations held in March and April 2009 and a
summary of the issues raised. The chapter concludes with a brief account of the involvement of lay witnesses in
the first round of public hearings.
Communicating with the Commission
2.1
2.2
2.3
Initial interaction with the community began through avenues such as the offices of the Premier, the
Governor-General, the Victorian Attorney-General, the Prime Minister, the Department of Premier and
Cabinet, the Department of Justice, Members of Parliament (federal and state), the Supreme Court of
Victoria and local municipalities. A broad array of material was received by the Commission either directly
or through referral, including:
■■ offers for services (pro bono and paid)
■■ personal accounts of the fires
■■ complaints about how the emergency services responded to the fire
■■ submissions to the Commission
■■ copies of academic publications, books, research papers and previous reports
■■ enquiries about how the Commission could provide support to individuals affected by the fires.
Processes to manage the initial contacts were put in place by the Commission Secretariat. A toll free 1800
number was provided as an enquiry line, an email enquiry address commenced operation on 24 February
2009, and the Commission website was launched on 16 March. 1
Commission staff responded to initial contacts by phone, email or post, and, where appropriate, provided
contact details for other agencies providing bushfire assistance. These agencies included the Victorian
Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, the Victorian Bushfire Case Management Service and
Bushfire Legal Help. 2 In addition, a process for the lodgement of formal submissions to the Commission
was advertised and commenced operation in March (Chapter 3).
Consultations in Fire-affected Communities
2.4 The Commission’s first priority was to meet with and listen to people from those communities directly
affected by the fires. Between 18 March and 9 April the Commission held community consultations in
fire-affected locations. The community consultations were an important foundation for the work of the
Commission. Beginning its work in bushfire-affected communities enabled the Commission to hear
first-hand about people’s experiences, and gain valuable insights into how individuals and communities
responded to current bushfire-related policies and programs. The community consultation process is
outlined in paragraphs 2.14–2.31.
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Communication Facilitated by the Commission
2.5 The Commission website, launched in March, provided information about the Commission and its
processes, including the community consultations, the submissions process and how to view submissions,
the role of the public hearings and their dates and times, and a media centre. During the hearings interested
people were able to view the transcripts on the Commission website from the following day.
2.6 Also, to maximise immediate access to its work, the Commission provided live web-streaming of the hearings.
This proved to be extremely popular. During the first block of hearings, more than 5700 people logged in to
watch, including approximately 100 ‘unique browsers’ watching from outside Australia. A lower-bandwidth
audio-only option was also provided early in the hearings, which increased in popularity. Approximately 80 per
cent of those listening to or watching the hearings were from Melbourne and about 10 per cent were from
Sydney. The overseas viewers resided in countries such as the United States, New Zealand, China, Thailand,
Singapore, Canada and the United Kingdom.