The Emergency Management Act 1986, the Emergency Management Act 2013 and the Local Government Act 1989, identifies that councils play a critical role in Victoria’s emergency management arrangements and systems.
Councils have emergency management responsibilities as they are the closest level of government to their communities and have access to specialised local knowledge about the environmental and demographic features of the municipality.
People will naturally seek help from their local council and emergency management agencies during emergencies and the recovery process.
The Colac Otway Shire Council is responsible for the management of municipal resources and the coordination of community support to counter the effects of an emergency during both the response to and recovery from emergencies. Emergency management responsibilities of Council include:
3.1 Introduction
3.3 Victorian Arrangements