The tragic event of the Black Saturday bushfires of 7 February 2009 has left a legacy on the lives of many Victorians and have spurred action on the way our planning and building systems support community resilience to bushfire today and into the future.
The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (VBRC) was established to investigate the causes and responses to the bushfires and how we might be able to reduce the risks of such a disaster happening again.
The Commission’s recommendations prioritise protecting human life. Governments, fire agencies, communities and individuals have shared responsibility for reducing the chance of a tragedy like Black Saturday ever happening again.
The Victorian Government accepted all the Royal Commission’s recommendations, of which nearly one third of the VRBC recommendations related to the planning and building systems.
The progressive implementation of policies following the VBRC has enabled further improvements to the planning and building systems. This includes the introduction of streamlined bushfire planning provisions for existing settlements, as well as land use initiatives in State planning policy to strengthen strategic settlement planning.
Page last updated: 07/11/22