| FLYER ISSUE 4: APRIL 2022
| READ IN
BROWSER https://floods.optin.com/newsletter/awlist3776483/MTQxMzMxNjI=/fma-flyer-4-april.htm
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NEXT FMA MEETING: MAY QM + AGM THURSDAY 19 MAY 2022 AT TOOWOOMBA CONFERENCE
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Twelve months ago I commenced my President’s Message:
“With the 2021 FMA National Conference almost here, there can be no better illustration of the importance of floodplain management than what we saw during the widespread flooding last month in
Australia.”
Well, with the 2022 FMA National Conference now almost here those words are again relevant.
With widespread major flooding devastating many communities, particularly in the NSW Northern Rivers Region, and three-monthly rainfall totals in many centres along the East Coast exceeding the annual rainfall average there will
indeed be much to learn at this year’s Conference in Toowoomba.
The FMA National Conference from 17 to 20 May will be a great opportunity to share issues and solutions arising from these events.
The Conference Committees have again coordinated a magnificent program for the week which I am sure you will find stimulating, challenging, enjoyable and memorable.
Kicking off with the Tuesday Pre-conference Workshop “Australian Rainfall and Runoff – Where to Now?”, and the evening Welcome Reception, the Conference gets fully underway on Wednesday with the first of 70
presentations from industry experts from across Australia and New Zealand, and field trips around Toowoomba and Grantham.
I look forward to hearing all your input at the Conference sessions and at the social events.
And don’t forget to vote early so after the Conference closes you can spend a relaxing weekend in beautiful Toowoomba, “The Garden City”!
Best wishes for now and I hope to see you all there.
ID
Ian Dinham | FMA President
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FMA NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN ONLY 46 DAYS!
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The first in-person FMA National Conference in three years will be taking
place in less than three weeks – have you registered yet?
The Conference will be held in Toowoomba, Queensland at the Empire Theatre
from 17 – 20 May, and will offer exceptional professional development opportunities through keynote presentations, plenary sessions, field trips and technical demonstrations. Throughout the Conference week there will also be several networking opportunities that allow you to meet fundamental industry connections as well as catching up with peers you may not have seen in some time.
Why You Should Attend
Be Inspired: Hear motivating talks from exceptional keynote speakers
Be Connected: Develop links with over 200 leaders, specialists and industry peers in floodplain risk management
Be Smarter: Learn new skills and strategies from concurrent sessions and hands-on pre-conference workshops
Be Innovative: Be exposed to emerging and state-of-the-art products on display throughout the trade exhibition
Be National: Take on a nation-wide perspective by learning from other States and Territories
Be Social: Make meaningful connections with like-minded industry professionals at networking functions.
Who Should Attend?
You
Commonwealth, State and Local Government Representatives
Research Organisations
Education Providers
Consultants
Engineers
Land-Use Planners
Architects
Emergency Responders
Community Volunteer Organisations
Equipment Providers
If you are not able to travel and attend in person, online participation is also an option. Make sure you don’t miss out by registering now at floodplainconference.com.
Remember, FMA Members are entitled to a discounted registration rate. If you are not yet a Member but would like to join, find out more information on Membership Application at floods.org.au/membership.
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EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
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The FMA Excellence Awards publicly recognise the outstanding contribution of FMA organisations and
individuals towards promoting wise land use planning, reducing flood impacts, managing flood incidents or restoring communities after a flood event.
Nominations have closed, the review panel has met, and the following finalists are announced for the 2022 FMA Excellence Awards:
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FMA IAG YFM Young Floodplain Manager of the Year
Erin Hughes, Hydrology and Risk Consulting
Monique Retallick, WMAwater
Sarah Kirsch, Stantec
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FMA Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year
Bill Syme, BMT (Tuflow)
Dr. Melanie Schwecke, Department of Planning and Environment
Parissa Ghanem, Central Coast Council
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FMA ICA Flood Risk Management Project of the Year
Moreton Bay Regional Council + BMT – Beachmere Shoreline Management Project
Stantec + Fraser Coast Regional Council – Fraser Coast Regional Council Riverine Flood Review
Water Technology + Synergy Solutions (for Ipswich City Council) – Ipswich Integrated Catchment Plan
Wollongong City Council – Implementing ARR2019 in Wollongong
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Congratulations to all on your nominations!
The winners of these prestigious awards will be announced at the Conference Gala Dinner on Thursday 19 May in Toowoomba.
FMA NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPONSORS
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Election of FMA Office Bearers
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The term of the current FMA office-bearers concludes at the end of the Annual General Meeting in May.
Nominations for the positions were sought from Members in accordance with the FMA Constitution on 5 April.
The following nominations were received:
FMA President: Ian Dinham
FMA Deputy President: Allan Gear
FMA Technical Director: Danny Rose
FMA Land Use Planning Director: Paul Grech
FMA Queensland Director: Will Prentice
FMA Communications Director: Sue Ribbons.
As one nomination was received for each position those nominees are elected.
Executive Officer Glenn Evans offered his congratulations and appreciation to all nominees for again volunteering for these important roles.
“We have an excellent team from Local Government, consultancies and government agencies, with expertise in engineering, land use planning and management to ensure FMA’s continued development over the next two
years”.
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FURTHER SUPPORT FOR NSW FLOOD ZONES WELCOMED
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FMA President Ian Dinham has welcomed government support announcements following the north east NSW flooding over the last three months.
The Commonwealth and NSW Governments’ joint announcement on 12 April
includes $36 million for urgent works required to assess and repair flood levees across northern NSW, with costs to be shared 50:50 through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, Category D. The announcement is at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/further-support-for-nsw-flood-zones
In response to Lismore’s worst flood in recorded history the NSW Government has also announced establishment of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) to lead the long-term reconstruction of flood affected areas
of Lismore and the NSW Northern Rivers Region.
The NRRC will have the power to work with councils to identify, prioritise and support projects that can rejuvenate communities within the Northern Rivers area, with emphasis on housing and supporting social
infrastructure.
The new body will also have the power to compulsorily acquire or subdivide land, speed up and fast-track the building of new premises and accelerate delivery of planning proposals through the Department of Planning and
Environment.
The NRRC will work within and with the local government areas of Ballina, Byron Bay, Kyogle, Tweed, Richmond Valley, Clarence Valley and Lismore. More details at: https://www.regional.nsw.gov.au/our-work/NRRC
Mr Dinham said FMA has been encouraging increased government investment in effective mitigation infrastructure such as levees for years, so the $36 million levee project announcement is welcome, if overdue, news for Northern
Rivers Councils.
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WEATHER BEHIND THE RECENT EASTERN AUSTRALIA FLOODS
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Flooding in late February, March and early April caused significant damage along large sections of the Australian east coast. FMA Member Risk Frontiers has released a Briefing Note describing the weather driving these
events, and places them in some historical context.
The Note poses the question “Was this event different to historical events due to climate change, either by rainfall intensity, wind speed or through atmospheric ocean
anomalies?”
Download Briefing Note 464 at: https://mailchi.mp/riskfrontiers/briefingnote-7075945?e=[UNIQID]
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Members will recall that Land Use Planning Director Paul Grech has reported on the making of the NSW
“Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP)”, and prepared the FMA submission on the exhibited drafts.
A Ministerial Media Release issued on 5 April 2022, advised that “Following extensive consultation with industry and stakeholder groups the NSW Government will not introduce the State Environmental Planning Policy for Design and Place.”
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LISMORE FLOOD STORIES WEBSITE
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Lismore Flood Stories is a website established after the 2017 flood to share stories about the 2017 Lismore flood and flood recovery.
The site is now hosting other Lismore flood documentation projects following the devastating 2022 floods. The hope is the website will become a portal for community, researchers, media and policymakers to better understand
the impact of climate disasters on regional communities.
Some really harrowing real life flood experiences are recounted, reminders, if we ever needed them, of the importance of helping for our communities become more flood
resilient.
See Lismore Flood Stories: https://www.lismorefloodstories.net/
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It is with great sadness that we advise of the passing of Paul Fennell, from
Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. Paul was their Floodplain Management Team Leader, and was responsible for Wimmera becoming the first Victorian CMA to join FMA in 2015.
Paul was a regular participant in and contributor to FMA Conferences, and in 2016 nominated Wimmera CMA and Water Technology’s “Warracknabeal and Brim Flood Investigation”, which focused on flood mapping and levee construction
for a distributary of the Wimmera River, for the FMA - NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Award. The Project received the Highly Commended Award.
More recently Paul was a member of the FMA Climate Change Working Group, assisting in development of the FMA Climate Change Position Policy.
We are grateful for Paul’s contributions to FMA and to the flood risk management industry in general. We will miss his smiling face at this year’s Conference.
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HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS TRAINING
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The Australian Water School is offering a weekly training series for
practitioners in the water sector.
The Hydrology and Hydraulics Essentials Training Series will cover first principles, best practice techniques and practical applications for improving modelling skills with eight three hour sessions.
The course commences on 5 May with “Meteorology and Precipitation”.
Details are at: https://awschool.talentlms.com/catalog/index/cat:14
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Thank you to all who submitted nominations to the 2022 FMA ICA YFM
Young Floodplain Manager of the Year Award. We're thrilled to be able to showcase the achievements and dedication of young professionals in the early stages of their careers.
Make sure you attend the Conference Gala Dinner at Toowoomba on Thursday 19 May to see who will take home the Crystal Trophy this year.
We look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks!
For more information on the Young Floodplain Managers, visit floods.org.au/yfm.
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The FMA Flyer reaches a wide range of industry professionals from Australia and
overseas, and if you have any recent projects or exciting news we would love to share it with our readers.
Send through details of your stories and we can include them in our upcoming issues by contacting projectservices@floods.org.au.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
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Clarence Valley Council
Flood and Drainage Coordinator
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us, please contact us.
Please remember that while we circulate Vacant Positions in this monthly Flyer, sometimes position closing deadlines don't align with the time of its distribution. Make sure you head to floods.org.au/jobs to check for Vacant Positions that may not be listed here due to shorter closing dates.
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TRAVELLING CAPS AND BEANIES
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Pictured: Delegates from the 2016 Nowra FMA Conference on an exciting field trip wearing their caps!
Do you have an FMA Cap or Beanie photo you'd like to share with Flyer readers?
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