Jacquie Petrusma,Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management
The draft Terms of Reference for a targeted review of the Emergency Management Act 2006 have been released delivering on our commitment as outlined in the Tasmanian Liberal Government's First 100 Day Plan.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government's number one priority has been to protect the health and safety of all Tasmanians.
The Emergency Management Act 2006 is one of the most important pieces of legislation in the state's arsenal for dealing with emergencies.
It has been broadly fit for purpose since becoming law, however the COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to review and update the Act to ensure Tasmania is best prepared to respond to future challenges.
This review will identify opportunities to modernise key parts of the legislation to incorporate the lessons that have been learnt in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and specifically the outbreak that the North West faced in 2020.
The review of the Act will also consider important amendments to other legislation such as the Public Health Act 1997 to ensure our emergency management framework is consistent, robust and provides a strong foundation for our emergency response into the future.
As Tasmania is still very much in the response phase to the COVID-19 pandemic, the targeted review will commence once Tasmania enters phase C "Vaccination Consolidation Phase" in the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID-19 Response.
All Tasmanians are encouraged to have input on the draft Terms of Reference which can be found at: https://www.ses.tas.gov.au/review-of-the-emergency-management-act-2006/
