@article {bnh-4392, title = {Major post-event inquiries and reviews: review of recommendations}, number = {356}, year = {2017}, month = {12/2017}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Natural disasters and emergencies in Australia have been followed by formal, complex, post-event inquiries and reviews literally hundreds of times. These inquires vary in form and focus, however, their common objective is to identify the causes of disasters and their consequences and to identify better future practices.

The outcomes of major inquiries in one jurisdiction sometimes have ramifications and lead to reform action in other states and territories. While this may be true of larger, higher profile events and inquiries, there is a foregone opportunity if the same process is not systematically undertaken for the outcomes of less prominent reviews and inquiries.

The purpose of this project is to generate a high level and comprehensive description of the major recurrent categories of recommendations across multiple post-event reviews conducted since 2009. The negative hypothesis being tested, provided to the review team, is:

{\textquoteleft}There are no common themes to be identified when comparing and contrasting major post-incident reviews of emergency incidents, and the outcomes of those incidents and consequent recommendations turn on their own particular facts.{\textquoteright}

In testing this hypothesis, the project seeks to understand whether there is ongoing value for state and territory emergency services to consider the lessons from major reviews and inquiries from other jurisdictions within their own context, or whether lessons are too specific and lack broader import.

A core element of this project is the development of a comprehensive and user-friendly database of recommendations from post-event reviews and inquiries that can inform agencies own lessons identification practise now and into the future.

}, issn = {356}, author = {Cole, Lawson and Dovers, Steve and Michael Eburn and Martijn Gough} }