engaging communities - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission—Interim Report
2 ENGAGING COMMUNITIES
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In table-based discussions people were invited to respond to three specific questions:
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What was the impact of the bushfires on your community?
What worked well to prepare your community?
What didn’t work well in your community, and what should be done differently?
The facilitator requested that the small groups at each table be self-managing, and that they appoint a
person to report back on their conversation to the whole group. There were three suggested ground rules:
respect each other’s views; say if you disagree; and, outside of the forum, do not attribute comments or
views to those who expressed them. People were asked to contribute as individuals, not as representatives
of any particular body or organisation.
During the table-based discussions the Commissioners moved from table to table, listening to the different
conversations. A Commission staff member was assigned to each table to take notes of the conversations.
At the conclusion of each session there was a plenary discussion, with table spokespersons reporting their
responses back to the full forum, followed by an opportunity for general discussion. This plenary discussion
was video recorded, for later reference by the Commission, and the facilitator or a scribe also recorded a
summary of the major points made during the plenary discussion.
In some consultations, in which the numbers were small enough, the entire process was conducted
in plenary, without table-based discussions. On these occasions the same three questions were used.
The sessions typically ran for one and a half hours. They each concluded with the Commissioners thanking
people and indicating other ways in which they could engage with the work of the Commission if they
wished. Each consultation included a morning tea, light lunch or afternoon tea as a further opportunity
for Commissioners to speak with the community members in an informal manner.
Following the visit to each community, a brief summary of the major themes emerging from the
consultation(s) was forwarded to participants and posted on the Commission website.
Recording the narratives
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The record of each consultation was a summary of notes taken by Commission staff, the facilitator/scribe
and the Commissioners, and the video of the plenary comments. The informal records did not attribute
comments to particular people. The video-recording was for the Commission’s internal use only.
While common themes emerged across the fire-affected communities, each had distinctive features.
The details of emphasis and perspective, even dissent, were sometimes quite marked. Further, within
communities, many opposing views were expressed, often with equal emphasis. For example, there were
as many people who spoke positively about the protective nature of brick homes over weatherboard
constructions as those who were critical of the number of brick homes that seemingly exploded or
imploded. While this chapter focuses primarily on the commonality of issues and views, it does so noting
the diverse perspectives held to varying degrees within and across communities.
The first question that people were asked to address concerned the impact of the fires on their own
lives and that of their communities. Here the Commission heard stories of people, families and whole
communities torn apart by the random and unpredictable nature of the fires and the devastation they
caused. People spoke of loss of lives, livelihoods, property, stock, houses, community infrastructure and
the community itself, along with experiences of dislocation and population depletion, disruption to schooling
and childcare, and upheaval at every level.
This chapter does not attempt to capture or record the grief, devastation and trauma of the people, as
commitments were given that unfiltered emotion could be expressed without fear of attribution. Their
experiences were nonetheless powerfully expressed and compassionately received by the Commission.
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