{"id":"sr:electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017","name":"Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017","slug":"electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":183296,"registerId":"vic-sr:electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017","content":"Version No. 001\n\n**Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017**\n\n**S.R. No. 85/2017**\n\nVersion as at  \n1 September 2017\n\n**TABLE OF PROVISIONS**\n\n*Regulation Page*\n\n1 Objective 1\n\n2 Authorising provision 1\n\n3 Commencement 1\n\n4 Definitions 1\n\n5 Zone substations and allocated substation points 2\n\n6 Electric line construction area 2\n\n7 Required capacity 2\n\n8 Prescribed specification for covering or placing underground electric lines 3\n\nSchedule 1—Zone substations 4\n\nSchedule 2—Electric line construction areas 6\n\n═════════════\n\nEndnotes 8\n\n1 General information 8\n\n2 Table of Amendments 10\n\n3 Amendments Not in Operation 11\n\n4 Explanatory details 12\n\n**Version No.** **001**\n\n**Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017**\n\n**S.R. No. 85/2017**\n\nVersion as at  \n1 September 2017\n\n\t1 Objective\n\nThe objective of these Regulations is to prescribe certain matters for the purposes of the bushfire mitigation duties owed by major electricity companies under Part 10A of the **Electricity Safety Act 1998**.\n\n\t2 Authorising provision\n\nThese Regulations are made under section 157 of the **Electricity Safety Act 1998**.\n\n\t3 Commencement\n\nThese Regulations come into operation on 1 September 2017.\n\n\t4 Definitions\n\nIn these Regulations—\n\n***Central Plan Office*** means the Central Plan Office of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning;\n\n***high impedance faults*** means a resistance value in ohms that is equal to twice the nominal phase-to-ground network voltage in volts;\n\n***I2t*** means a measure of the thermal energy associated with the current flow, where **I** is the current flow in amps and **t** is the duration of current flow in seconds;\n\n***low impedance faults*** means a resistance value in ohms that is equal to the nominal phase‑to-ground network voltage in volts divided by 31·75;\n\n***the Act***  means the **Electricity Safety Act 1998**.\n\n\t5 Zone substations and allocated substation points\n\n(1) For the purposes of the definition of ***zone substation*** in section 120K of the Act, a substation is prescribed if it is specified in Schedule 1.\n\n(2) For the purposes of the definition of ***allocated substation points*** in section 120K of the Act, the points that are prescribed in respect of a zone substation are the points set out in Column 6 of the Table in Schedule 1 that correspond to that substation.\n\n\t6 Electric line construction area\n\nFor the purposes of the definition of ***electric line construction area*** in section 120K of the Act, a prescribed plan is a plan lodged in the Central Plan Office that is specified in Schedule 2.\n\n\t7 Required capacity\n\nFor the purposes of the definition of ***required capacity*** in section 120K of the Act, the prescribed capacity is the ability—\n\n(a) to reduce the voltage on the faulted conductor in relation to the station earth when measured at the corresponding zone substation for high impedance faults to 250 volts within 2 seconds; and\n\n(b) to reduce the voltage on the faulted conductor in relation to the station earth when measured at the corresponding zone substation for low impedance faults to—\n\n(i) 1900 volts within 85 milliseconds; and\n\n(ii) 750 volts within 500 milliseconds; and\n\n(iii) 250 volts within 2 seconds; and\n\n(c) during diagnostic tests for high impedance faults, to limit—\n\n(i) fault current to 0·5 amps or less; and\n\n(ii) the thermal energy on the electric line to a maximum I2t value of 0·10.\n\n\t8 Prescribed specification for covering or placing underground electric lines\n\nFor the purposes of sections 120N and 120P of the Act, the prescribed specification for an electric line is that it has a nominal voltage of between 1 kV and 22 kV inclusive.\n\nSchedule 1—Zone substations\n\nRegulation 5\n\n| *Column 1*<br>*Item* | | *Column 2*<br>*Name* | | *Column 3*<br>*Code* | *Column 4*<br>*Latitude* | *Column 5*<br>*Longitude* | *Column 6*<br>*Points* |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 1 | | Winchelsea | | WIN | -38·23644 | 144·00102 | 5 |\n| 2 | | Colac | | CLC | -38·34092 | 143·60619 | 5 |\n| 3 | | Eaglehawk | | EHK | -36·71772 | 144·25089 | 5 |\n| 4 | | Woori Yallock | | WYK | -37·77634 | 145·52933 | 5 |\n| 5 | | Maryborough | MRO | -37·04909 | 143·73727 | 5 |\n| 6 | | Seymour | SMR | -37·02548 | 145·14068 | 5 |\n| 7 | | Ballarat South | BAS | -37·59450 | 143·79908 | 5 |\n| 8 | | Bendigo TS | BET | -36·78289 | 144·25296 | 5 |\n| 9 | | Wangaratta | WN | -36·35744 | 146·31022 | 5 |\n| 10 | | Castlemaine | CMN | -37·07182 | 144·20637 | 4 |\n| 11 | | Camperdown | CDN | -38·22599 | 143·15655 | 4 |\n| 12 | | Woodend | WND | -37·33385 | 144·51729 | 4 |\n| 13 | | Kinglake | KLK | -37·51440 | 145·31615 | 4 |\n| 14 | | Rubicon A | ALA, MVE | -37·29287 | 145·81850 | 4 |\n| 15 | | Bairnsdale | BDL | -37·82537 | 147·61261 | 4 |\n| 16 | | Geelong | GL | -38·13477 | 144·33741 | 4 |\n| 17 | | Ballarat | BAN | -37·50088 | 143·85096 | 4 |\n| 18 | | Waurn Ponds | WPD | -38·21082 | 144·30380 | 4 |\n| 19 | | Lilydale | LDL | -37·76339 | 145·35840 | 3 |\n| 20 | | Wodonga and Tallangatta | WOTS | -36·15439 | 146·94682 | 3 |\n| 21 | | Myrtleford | MYT | -36·55745 | 146·72525 | 3 |\n| 22 | | Barnawartha | BWA | -36·10556 | 146·67345 | 3 |\n|  | |  |  |  |  |  |\n| 23 | | Kilmore South | KMS | -37·31798 | 144·97174 | 3 |\n| 24 | | Kalkallo | KLO | -37·53833 | 144·94140 | 3 |\n| 25 | | Gisborne | GSB | -37·45352 | 144·57625 | 3 |\n| 26 | | Belgrave | BGE | -37·93056 | 145·36096 | 3 |\n| 27 | | Moe | MOE | -38·18424 | 146·25908 | 3 |\n| 28 | | Mansfield | MSD | -37·05458 | 146·08802 | 2 |\n| 29 | | Ferntree Gully | FGY | -37·89304 | 145·29167 | 2 |\n| 30 | | Eltham | ELM | -37·71675 | 145·13881 | 2 |\n| 31 | | Ringwood North | RWN | -37·79260 | 145·23449 | 2 |\n| 32 | | Charlton | CTN | -36·26562 | 143·35478 | 2 |\n| 33 | | Benalla | BN | -36·55160 | 145·98000 | 2 |\n| 34 | | Koroit | KRT | -38·31541 | 142·43245 | 2 |\n| 35 | | Hamilton | HTN | -37·73876 | 142·02283 | 2 |\n| 36 | | Terang | TRG | -38·23860 | 142·91531 | 2 |\n| 37 | | Merbein | MBN | -34·16805 | 142·05807 | 1 |\n| 38 | | Stawell | STL | -37·05833 | 142·77839 | 1 |\n| 39 | | Bendigo | BGO | -36·76102 | 144·27897 | 1 |\n| 40 | | Ararat | ART | -37·28308 | 142·93030 | 1 |\n| 41 | | Coolaroo | COO | -37·64207 | 144·93391 | 1 |\n| 42 | | Corio | CRO | -38·07445 | 144·35898 | 1 |\n| 43 | | Lang Lang | LLG | -38·26605 | 145·56266 | 1 |\n| 44 | | Wonthaggi | WGI | -38·60885 | 145·58860 | 1 |\n| 45 | | Sale | SLE | -38·10364 | 147·06972 | 1 |\n\n\nSchedule 2—Electric line construction areas\n\nRegulation 6\n\n| *Column 1*<br>*Item* | *Column 2*<br>*Number of plan lodged in the Central Plan Office* |\n| --- | --- |\n| 1 | LEGL./16-199 |\n| 2 | LEGL./16-200 |\n| 3 | LEGL./16-201 |\n| 4 | LEGL./16-202 |\n| 5 | LEGL./16-203 |\n| 6 | LEGL./16-204 |\n| 7 | LEGL./16-205 |\n| 8 | LEGL./16-206 |\n| 9 | LEGL./16-207 |\n| 10 | LEGL./16-208 |\n| 11 | LEGL./16-209 |\n| 12 | LEGL./16-210 |\n| 13 | LEGL./16-211 |\n| 14 | LEGL./16-212 |\n| 15 | LEGL./16-213 |\n| 16 | LEGL./16-214 |\n| 17 | LEGL./16-215 |\n| 18 | LEGL./16-216 |\n| 19 | LEGL./16-217 |\n| 20 | LEGL./16-218 |\n| 21 | LEGL./16-219 |\n| 22 | LEGL./16-220 |\n| 23 | LEGL./16-221 |\n| 24 | LEGL./16-222 |\n| 25 | LEGL./16-223 |\n| 26 | LEGL./16-224 |\n| 27 | LEGL./16-225 |\n| 28 | LEGL./16-226 |\n| 29 | LEGL./16-227 |\n| 30 | LEGL./16-228 |\n| 31 | LEGL./16-229 |\n| 32 | LEGL./16-230 |\n| 33 | LEGL./16-231 |\n\n\n═════════════\n\nEndnotes\n\n1 General information\n\nSee [www.legislation.vic.gov.au](http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au) for Victorian Bills, Acts and current Versions of legislation and up-to-date legislative information.\n\nThe Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017, S.R. No. 85/2017 were made on 22 August 2017 by the Governor in Council under section 157 of the **Electricity Safety Act 1998**, No. 25/1998 and came into operation on 1 September 2017: regulation 3.\n\nThe Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017 will sunset 10 years after the day of making on 22 August 2027 (see section 5 of the **Subordinate Legislation Act 1994**).\n\nINTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)\n\nStyle changes\n\nSection 54A of the ILA authorises the making of the style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act.\n\nReferences to ILA s. 39B\n\nSidenotes which cite ILA s. 39B refer to section 39B of the ILA which provides that where an undivided regulation, rule or clause of a Schedule is amended by the insertion of one or more subregulations, subrules or subclauses the original regulation, rule or clause becomes subregulation, subrule or subclause (1) and is amended by the insertion of the expression \"(1)\" at the beginning of the original regulation, rule or clause.\n\nInterpretation\n\nAs from 1 January 2001, amendments to section 36 of the ILA have the following effects:\n\n• Headings\n\nAll headings included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after  \n1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any heading inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.  \nThis includes headings to Parts, Divisions or Subdivisions in a Schedule; Orders; Parts into which an Order is divided; clauses; regulations; rules; items; tables; columns; examples; diagrams; notes or forms.  \nSee section 36(1A)(2A)(2B).\n\n• Examples, diagrams or notes\n\nAll examples, diagrams or notes included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after 1 January 2001 form part of that Statutory Rule. Any examples, diagrams or notes inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, form part of that Statutory Rule. See section 36(3A).\n\n• Punctuation\n\nAll punctuation included in a Statutory Rule which is made on or after  \n1 January 2001 forms part of that Statutory Rule. Any punctuation inserted in a Statutory Rule which was made before 1 January 2001, by a Statutory Rule made on or after 1 January 2001, forms part of that Statutory Rule.  \nSee section 36(3B).\n\n• Provision numbers\n\nAll provision numbers included in a Statutory Rule form part of that Statutory Rule, whether inserted in the Statutory Rule before, on or after  \n1 January 2001. Provision numbers include regulation numbers, rule numbers, subregulation numbers, subrule numbers, paragraphs and subparagraphs. See section 36(3C).\n\n• Location of \"legislative items\"\n\nA \"legislative item\" is a penalty, an example or a note. As from 13 October 2004, a legislative item relating to a provision of a Statutory Rule is taken to be at the foot of that provision even if it is preceded or followed by another legislative item that relates to that provision. For example, if a penalty at the foot of a provision is followed by a note, both of these legislative items will be regarded as being at the foot of that provision. See section 36B.\n\n• Other material\n\nAny explanatory memorandum, table of provisions, endnotes, index and other material printed after the Endnotes does not form part of a Statutory Rule. See section 36(3)(3D)(3E).\n\n2 Table of Amendments\n\nThere are no amendments made to the Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017 by statutory rules, subordinate instruments and Acts.\n\n3 Amendments Not in Operation\n\nThere are no amendments which were Not in Operation at the date of this publication.\n\n4 Explanatory details\n\nNo entries at date of publication.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient content was provided to assess whether the scope changed from the original intent of the legislation. Only the title, version status labels, and formatting artefacts were present in the excerpt — no substantive regulatory provisions were included."},"complexity_factors":["Insufficient content provided to fully assess complexity — only metadata and version history labels were included in the excerpt","Regulations of this type typically involve technical engineering standards and definitions that require specialist knowledge","Interaction with parent legislation (Electricity Safety Act 1998 Vic) adds a layer of cross-referencing complexity","Obligations typically apply to multiple regulated parties with different duty levels, increasing interpretive complexity","Bushfire risk frameworks often incorporate seasonal and geographic variables that add nuance"],"plain_english_summary":"The Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation Duties) Regulations 2017 require Victoria’s electricity network operators — and affect nearby landowners — to take specific legal steps to reduce bushfire risk from electrical assets. They set duties around things like vegetation management, infrastructure inspection and reporting to help prevent powerline‑caused fires and hold providers accountable for wildfire prevention."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"These Regulations implement and specify matters for duties already created by Part 10A of the Electricity Safety Act 1998 (see regulation 1 and authorising provision, regulation 2). They prescribe technical standards, site lists and plan references rather than creating new categories of persons or expanding statutory duties; they therefore refine operational detail but do not change the statutory scope of who owes the duties under the Act."},"complexity_factors":["Technical fault-performance thresholds with tight timing requirements (regulation 7: voltages at 85 ms, 500 ms, 2 s).","Diagnostic thermal-energy and current limits expressed as I2t and amperes (regulation 7(c)).","Detailed geographic and operational listings of zone substations, coordinates and allocated points in Schedule 1 (regulation 5).","Dependence on external, lodged plans for defining electric line construction areas (Schedule 2; regulation 6) which requires cross-checking with the Central Plan Office.","Cross-references to multiple defined terms and the parent Act (regulation 4; references to section 120K of the Act), increasing interpretive steps for compliance.","Measurement and verification mechanics tied to readings at the 'corresponding zone substation' (regulation 7), which may complicate operational testing and enforcement."],"plain_english_summary":"Prescribes technical and geographic details that major electricity companies must meet to satisfy their bushfire mitigation duties under Part 10A of the Electricity Safety Act 1998. It lists zone substations and allocated substation points, identifies approved electric‑line construction plans lodged at the Central Plan Office, sets fault‑voltage and timing performance requirements (including I2t limits for diagnostics), and prescribes the nominal voltage range for covered or underground lines."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations remain tightly focused on their original purpose: prescribing technical and geographic details for bushfire mitigation duties under Part 10A of the Electricity Safety Act 1998. The scope has not expanded beyond this specific safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Only 8 substantive regulations plus 2 schedules","Technical electrical engineering terminology (I2t thermal energy calculations, impedance fault definitions) requires specialist knowledge to interpret","Heavy reliance on external documents — 33 specific plan numbers in Schedule 2 reference lodged plans not reproduced in the regulations","Precise mathematical thresholds (e.g., '0.5 amps or less', 'I2t value of 0.10', voltage reduction within '85 milliseconds')","Cross-references to parent Act (Electricity Safety Act 1998, Part 10A) for context — regulations cannot be understood in isolation","Schedule 1 contains 45 specific substations with GPS coordinates — highly specific geographic data rather than general principles"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set technical safety standards for electricity companies in Victoria to reduce the risk of bushfires caused by electrical infrastructure.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Defines specific substations** (called \"zone substations\") that must meet special safety requirements — these are listed in Schedule 1 with their exact GPS coordinates\n- **Sets technical fault protection standards** requiring electricity networks to quickly shut down power when faults occur, with specific voltage reduction targets (e.g., reducing voltage to 250 volts within 2 seconds for certain fault types)\n- **Identifies specific geographic areas** (via plans lodged with the government) where extra safety rules apply for building or maintaining power lines\n- **Specifies voltage ranges** (1kV to 22kV) for underground power lines that must be covered or placed underground to reduce fire risk\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Major electricity companies** (like AusNet, Powercor, Citipower, Jemena, United Energy) operating in Victoria\n- **Communities in high bushfire risk areas**, particularly those served by the 45 zone substations listed (covering regional Victoria and outer Melbourne areas like Warragul, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wangaratta, and the Dandenong Ranges)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nAfter devastating bushfires like Black Saturday (2009), where faulty power lines were a major cause, these rules force electricity companies to install \"rapid earth fault current limiters\" and other safety equipment. The regulations put hard numbers on how fast dangerous voltages must be reduced when power lines fall or fault — potentially preventing sparks that could ignite bushfires on hot, windy days.\n\nThe regulations work alongside Part 10A of the Electricity Safety Act 1998, which created the legal duties; these regulations fill in the technical details of *how* companies must comply."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017","history":"/api/acts/electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017/history","analysis":"/api/acts/electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/electricity-safety-bushfire-mitigation-duties-regulations-2017/documents"}}