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Storm and Flood Assistance
The Strategic Bushfire Management Plan (SBMP) is the document which sets out how bushfire risk is managed in the ACT. The SBMP is a requirement of the Emergencies Act 2004.
The Strategic Bushfire Management Plan (SBMP) is produced every five years and has been in place since 2004, following the tragic bushfires of summer 2003.
That event was formative in the Australian Capital Territory’s (ACT) history of bushfires – four Canberrans lost their lives, over 490 were injured, around 70% of the Territory’s agricultural land and natural reserves were severely damaged, and more than 500 homes were destroyed and many others badly damaged.
ACT Strategic Bushfire Management Plan 2025 -2030
The vision of the SBMP is:
- To build, a resilient and adaptive ACT community and natural environment through proactive and collaborative bushfire management.
The mission of the SBMP is:
- To minimise the risk and impacts of bushfires on the ACT community and natural environment.
Goals
The goals of any strategic plan refer to the plan’s desired, high-level results. They are typically more concrete than vision and mission, but still aspirational – what is the change we want to see in the world? There are two overarching goals of the SBMP.
- To enhance safety and resilience
- To promote adaptive management
Priorities
The SBMP is composed of six key strategic themes, with each tied to a series of outcomes, indicators of success and ultimately actions.
Community resilience and preparedness
- Outcome 1: The foundations and systems of community disaster engagement reduce community bushfire risk, meet community needs, and are informed by expertise and best-practice approaches.
- Outcome 2: The ACT community are informed about bushfire risk and are better prepared, through the support and guidance of the ACT Government.
- Outcome 3: Through awareness of shared responsibility, the ACT community works together with defined priority audiences to build disaster resilience.
Firefighting capability and management
- Outcome 4: The future ACT firefighting workforce and resources are integrated and work together to meet future needs of the Territory.
- Outcome 5: The ACT’s bushfire workforce capability is enhanced through recognising and appropriately implementing innovation, research, and learning and development programs.
- Outcome 6: Actions are taken to mitigate the physical and mental impacts of fire events on the firefighter workforce.
Bushfire risk planning and land management
- Outcome 7: Risk management is informed by a range of intelligence that underpins bushfire planning/mitigation activities.
- Outcome 8: Bushfire mitigation actions and infrastructure are effective and responsive to risk context.
- Outcome 9: The ACT Government recognises the importance of and facilitates the use of fire as a tool in land management under a changing climate.
- Outcome 10: Fire agencies and land managers have the tools and capability to effectively understand and communicate bushfire risk under a changing climate.
Land use development planning
- Outcome 11: Strategic engagement across government, industry and community groups is established to make developments resilient to natural hazards, with specific focus on bushfire risk.
- Outcome 12: ACT urban and environmental policy and legislation are aligned to deliver development outcomes that are consistent with the ACT Bushfire Management Standards.
Bushfire research
- Outcome 13: ACTESA and CED have clear direction for bushfire management research.
- Outcome 14: Research is translated for use in fire management in the ACT.
Bushfire recovery
- Outcome 15: Recovery pathways and targets are clearly outlined and support building back better to reduce future risk exposure.
- Outcome 16: Governance and policy systems across government support commitment to long term and complex recovery timeframes.
- Outcome 17: The ACT Government has a whole-of-government approach to better understand bushfire impacts after bushfire events.
Supporting Documents
Bushfire Management Plans, Bushfire Operational Plan (BOP) and map displaying the spatial layers of the BOP.
The Bushfire management plans - Open Government Information and Bushfire Operational Plans map shows the City and Environment Directorate Bushfire Operations Plan (BOP) for land managed by the Territory for the current financial year.
The BOP is derived from the 5-year Regional Fire Management Plan.
The BOP details the specific timing, type and location of fuel-reduction, access and infrastructure activities proposed to be undertaken in the ACT in the current financial; year, in accordance with the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan (SBMP).
ACT Bushfire Management Standards
The ACT Bushfire Management Standards detail the measurable outcomes required under the current and ongoing management policies and procedures detailed in the SBMP.
This document, which includes standards for matters such as fuel management and fire trail access, supports the Fire Services, land managers, developers and the general community in achieving effective results in reducing bushfire risk.
