Sub-Plans of SEMP, REMPs and MEMPs

The Emergency Management Commissioner (EMC), Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee (REMPC) or Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee (MEMPC) may determine that a sub-plan is necessary to manage a risk that is not the responsibility of a legislated control agency and where a joint effort is required.  

A sub-plan may seek to define more complex or specific arrangements than those contained in the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP), Regional Emergency Management Plan (REMP) or Municipal Emergency Management Plan (MEMP) and should not duplicate or create inconsistencies in those or other plans. 

A sub-plan forms part of the emergency management plan under which it is prepared. It is subject to the same consultation, assurance, approval, and review as the SEMP, REMP or MEMP. 

As with all plans prepared under Part 6A of the EM Act 2013, sub-plans are multi-agency plans. An agency does not directly have the authority to prepare a sub-plan under emergency management legislation. An agency may prepare a sub-plan on behalf of the delegated relevant preparer (the representative or committee specified within legislation).  

On determining if a sub-plan is required, the following factors should be considered: 

• the emergency risk assessment indicates the subject of the sub-plan is worthy of further attention 
• the primary plan requires clarification or variation for certain circumstances 
• the need for a multi-agency plan that will outline specific emergency arrangements 
• whether specific emergency situations are likely to have significant consequences  
• the need to outline more complex or specific arrangements than those provided in existing emergency management plans 
• the need to vary the main emergency management plan 
• if a sub-plan is necessary to manage a risk that is not the responsibility of a legislated control agency and where an integrated effort is required 
• if the sub-plan will not duplicate other plans 
• if the sub-plan will not create inconsistencies in other plans. 

Sub-plans are intended to be multi-agency plans. Many pre-reforms REMP and MEMP sub-plans reflect agency or council-specific arrangements. They would best be reflected in an agency or council-specific plan instead of a REMP or MEMP sub-plan (i.e., a ‘complementary plan’).  

For REMPCs and MEMPCs looking to adopt a pre-existing sub-plan as a continuing sub-plan:

• a pre-reform REMP or MEMP sub-plan can be reduced until its content reflects the multi-agency components only
• all agency-specific content can form its own complementary plan that is owned by that agency as a complementary plan. 

As complementary plans are not prepared under the Emergency Management Act 2013, they do not require:

• the REMPC or MEMPC to prepare a Statement of Assurance (SOA)
• REMPC or EMC approval.

Only the reduced REMP or MEMP sub-plan would require a SOA and REMPC or EMC approval, as it is a plan that is prepared in accordance with the Guidelines for Preparing State, Regional and Municipal Emergency Management Plans (Ministerial Guidelines), while having regard to the EM Act 2013. 

With fewer or shorter MEMP sub-plans, it would lessen the workload of REMPCs in approving sub-plans.

State Emergency Management Plan sub-plans

Sub-plans to the State Emergency Management Plan (SEMP) address specific hazards or emergencies, where appropriate, to allow for more specific arrangements that vary from the SEMP or to contextualise the SEMP.   

Approved SEMP sub-plans are published on the State Emergency Management Plan Sub-Plans page. They are also listed in table 4 below, detailing the responsible control agencies. The SEMP Class 3 Emergencies Sub-Plan is located on EM-COP due to the nature of the sub-plan. 

Regional Emergency Management Plan sub-plans

Each Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee should agree with the Emergency Management Commissioner (EMC) what REMP sub-plans are to be submitted for approval. This is so that the EMC can factor REMP sub-plans into their approval schedule.

Municipal Emergency Management Plan sub-plans

Each Municipal Emergency Management Planning Committee should agree with its Regional Emergency Management Planning Committee (REMPC) what MEMP sub-plans are to be submitted for approval so that the REMPCs can factor MEMP sub-plans into its approval schedule.