Our thinking

I've had the privilege of working with and learning from the communities that live along and around the Great Alpine Road of Victoria, from Tambo Crossing, Ensay and Swifts Creek in the south and into the high country of Benambra, Anglers Rest and Omeo in the north. A clear concept has emerged for a community-led regional association, noting there are still details to work out, including the association name. However, we have developed an outline for what the regional association could look like - it's purpose, objectives, values, governance, priorities and how we work together. Feel free to view the attached.

While there are common themes of how the 2019-20 bushfires impacted the communities of the Omeo Region, the way the challenges impacted each local area and their capacity to manage those challenges was, and always will be, different. The benefits of agencies enabling a community-led strengths-based approach to preparedness planning with communities are many. Communities are best-placed to know what they need to do and how they need to work with agencies to prepare and respond differently for next time.

The NSW Government committed $38 million to four large air tankers in preparation for one of the state’s most dangerous fire seasons. Available for service this November 2019, the aircraft can unleash 11,300 litres of water or fire retardant in a single flight. The effects of bushfires are devastating, so it’s important to invest in disaster response services. But what if I told you we could save $228 million by investing that $38 million in planned burns?

Good public policy reflects learnings and lived-experience, including that of other jurisdictions, and is grounded in evidence. While systems thinking provides the framework for addressing the most complex and continuing challenges that face society, the role of good public policy is to operationalise that systems thinking.