Review of Victorian Dam Safety Regulation Framework: International jurisdiction reviews and preliminary comparative analysis
Date
2020
Authors
Pisaniello, J.D.
Tingey Holyoak, J.L.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Report
Citation
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
There is the potential for loss of life, damage to property and social disruption if a dam fails. Victoria has in the order of 300,000 dams of varying size (Baillie, 2008) – the majority of which are very small and pose little risk if they fail. But for those dams that do pose considerable risks Victoria has developed an integrated dam safety management framework to manage the risks with the objective of achieving an acceptable public safety outcome at the least cost to society, while ensuring the responsibility for the safety of dams remain with the owners. This 2019 Dam Safety Regulatory Review (the Review) is part of a due diligence exercise undertaken by Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) through its Water and Catchments Group. The previous dam safety regulatory review was undertaken by the Department in 2010. The objectives and scope of this Review are to:- examine the effectiveness of dam safety regulation in managing dam safety risks in Victoria;- ensure dam safety regulation in Victoria safeguards community interests;- confirm that dam safety regulation in Victoria is consistent with good practice elsewhere in Australia and overseas; and- identify opportunities to further improve Victoria’s dam safety regulatory framework.Central to this Review is an in-depth assessment of Victoria’s regulatory framework and a comparative analysis of this with selected jurisdictions via a systematic analytical framework. The final jurisdictions were finalised after discussion with DELWP and include:the Australian states of- NSW- Tasmania and- Queenslandthe international jurisdictions of- United Kingdom (including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)- Netherlands- Norway- Portugal- Canadian Provinces of Alberta and Ontario-the US states of California and Washington,- the US jurisdiction of FERC,-the self-regulating jurisdictions of USBR and USACE, as well as the developing regulatory jurisdiction of- New Zealand.This report provides the results of the above jurisdictional assessments and a preliminary comparative analysis to determine key areas in which Victoria is a leading and influencing factor. The assessments and comparative analysis were undertaken by Associate Professor John Pisaniello and Dr Joanne Tingey-Holyoak from the University of South Australia in consultation with Dr Mark Pearse and Dr Peter Hill of Hydrology and Risk Consulting (HARC) as part of DELWP’s engagement of HARC to undertake the 2019 Victorian dam safety regulatory framework Review. The assessments and comments provided in this report represent only those provided by A/Prof Pisaniello and Dr Tingey-Holyoak to Dr Pearse and Dr Hill which would later form part of a larger collaborative submission to DELWP.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
Copyright 2020 The Author(s)