The Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority: the challenge (A) 2011-123.1

As Sunday 8 February 2009 dawned, so did the realisation that Victoria was experiencing one of the worst natural disasters in living memory. Hundreds of people were feared dead and thousands of buildings had been destroyed in a series of fires burning across large swathes of the state. State and federal governments mobilised quickly to provide relief resources, and public donations poured in. Now the state was faced with managing the aftermath. On 10 February, the State government announced the establishment of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, (VBRRA) which would co-ordinate the very large and complex rebuilding process. While enormous goodwill from within and outside the public sector meant momentum was strong, but there were still questions about who could coordinate certain rebuilding tasks and how resources would be distributed.

This case explores the challenge of working across governments and departments to meet the immediate and recovery needs of traumatised communities. It can be discussed from perspectives of leadership, governance, and crisis response and recovery. Part A describes the set up and earliest phases of the VBRRA. Part B describes the longer term strategies and results of the VBRRA’s plan, and how they were executed.