engaging communities - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

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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. 84 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.
Engaging Communities 2.7 Libraries throughout Victoria (including the State Library of Victoria) made facilities available for people to view or listen to the live streaming and to access and download transcripts from the hearings. This assisted the Commission in its commitment to providing an open and accessible process for fire-affected communities and the wider Victorian community. The Commission thanks the State Library and all the other libraries for helping to make the hearings accessible to a wider audience. Lay Witnesses to the commission 2.8 Following the community consultations, the Commission interviewed a substantial number of people directly affected by the fires. Many of these people agreed to appear as lay witnesses in the hearings. These witnesses provided an invaluable and unique perspective on what took place during the January and February fires and the impact of those fires. Many provided harrowing details of their experiences. The Commissioners commend these witnesses for being willing to provide their testimony to assist with the Commission’s deliberations. More information on lay witnesses is provided at paragraphs 2.77–2.90. Written Submissions 2.9 From 18 March, submissions were invited from any person or organisation with information relevant to at least one of the Commission’s terms of reference. Over 1260 submissions were received by 18 May, the cut-off date for submissions to be considered for the interim report. Submissions continue to be received and will be considered as part of the Commission’s further work. 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 The Commission received submissions from across Victoria, the rest of Australia and overseas. The content of these submissions is discussed in Chapter 3. These submissions have assisted the Commission in a range of ways, by: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ providing a pool of valuable resources from which to scope topics to be considered by the inquiry drawing attention to individuals or organisations with expertise relevant to the inquiry providing insights into complex technical issues identifying people who may wish to give evidence before the Commission as lay witnesses illustrating the wide range of opinion on some matters alerting the Commission to research that has been undertaken or technology that is already available. Chapter 3 of this report provides more detailed information about the important role the submissions have played, and will continue to play, in the Commission’s investigations. The Commission extends its appreciation to all who have contributed written submissions. 85
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engaging communities - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

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