Victoria’s Bushfire Management Strategy​

Victoria's Bushfire Management Strategy is a joint commitment on the direction of bushfire management in Victoria. It brings together the work we are already doing with the work we plan to do over the next 10 years to manage bushfire on public and private land.

The strategy's vision is that Victorians work together to manage bushfire risk for safer communities and healthy ecosystems in a changing climate.

Why have a strategy?

Victorians live in one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world. The Victorian Government is committed to continuously improving how we manage bushfire, but cannot do so alone.

Bushfire management is a shared responsibility. It requires the expertise and capacity of the whole bushfire management sector, and the support of all Victorians.

The strategy has been co-designed by land and fire agencies with community, business, industry and Traditional Owners. It emphasises the role of each in reducing Victoria’s risk from bushfire and reflects our state’s growing and shifting populations, the progress Victoria is making towards the Treaty, and the need for us to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Supporting documents

Delivery of the strategy is being supported by an implementation plan and a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework.

Victoria’s Bushfire Management Strategy Implementation Plan (2024-27) is a rolling 3-year plan that tells us what actions the sector has prioritised over the next 3 years to deliver the strategy’s outcomes.

The implementation plan will be refreshed annually to:

• support us to plan and prioritise investment
• support us to continuously adapt to emerging needs and priorities
• make sure our work continues to align with the Emergency Management Strategic Action Plan 2023–26.

Victoria’s Bushfire Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework(opens in a new window) showcases the state’s progress towards each of the outcomes and provides an evidence base to inform future reporting and decision-making.

What we're working towards

Across 7 domains, the strategy outlines a way for us to work together to mitigate, plan and prepare for, respond to and recover from bushfire across public and private land.

Domain		Outcome
	People and community safety	Communities are more resilient to the impacts of bushfires and bushfire management activities
	Critical infrastructure and economic resilience	Business, industry and infrastructure are more resilient to the impacts of bushfires and bushfire management activities
	Aboriginal self-determination in cultural fire and bushfire management	The sector supports and enables self-determination of Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Victorians in land and bushfire management
	Ecosystem resilience and nature conservation	Fire regimes support healthy and resilient ecosystems and nature conservation in a changing climate
	Informed decision-making, evidence-based approaches and tools	Victoria uses the best available science, innovation and knowledge to support evidence-based decisions.
	Working together, accountability and shared responsibility	The sector, land managers, communities and industry work together effectively and share responsibility for managing bushfire risk across public and private land.
	Enhanced capability and capacity	Victoria is supported and equipped with the skills, equipment, capability, and systems to safely and effectively manage bushfire.

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