Thank you to the 502 people who registered for the 2023 FMA National Conference, smashing the previous record of 399 set in 2018 at the Gold Coast. It was pleasing to see many organisations sending multiple people this year. NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin accompanied 30 SES representatives, see some of them below in the great group photo of most of the staff from across all zones. 
 

We were delighted with the success of the four-day program which included Keynote Speakers Dr Tom Remenyi exploring what to expect when you’re not expecting, and Rebecca Fox explaining NSW Government’s recovery activities in the Northern Rivers region.
 

Dinner Speaker Dr Karl Kruszelnicki discussed the importance of facts in decision-making, wrapping up with “four messages of good hope for the future” which included that each generation is smarter than the previous (we gathered that from the standard of the YFMs’ Conference presentations!).
 

A special thank you to our International Panel of Flood Experts: Molly O’Toole, Sharyn Westlake, Richard Crowder and Mark Forest for sharing their views on projects that have helped their communities visualise and understand flood risk.
 

The Luna Park conference facilities coped well with the 90 presentations in four streams, 29 poster talks, our biggest ever display of the latest technology and equipment, and 181 participating organisations. 
 

It’s impossible to get to every presentation of interest, so all presenters have been requested to provide their paper and presentation for inclusion in the Members’ Section of the FMA Website in coming weeks.
 

Watch out next month for the announcement of the winner of the Harold Sternbeck Medal for best presentation, plus the Outstanding YFM Presenter Award. 
 

And please take a few minutes to complete the online evaluation form recently emailed by East Coast Conferences. Your feedback is important to us, and invaluable in the planning of future FMA Conferences.
 

Below are some reminders of the great week…

Congratulations to the 2023 winners of the FMA Excellence Awards which were announced at the lavish Conference Dinner. Taking home trophies and healthy food hampers were:
 

FMA - IAG Young Floodplain Manager of the Year Award 

Winner - Isabelle Testoni (Catchment Simulation Solutions)
 

FMA - Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year Award

Winner - Chris Thomas (Advisian)

Special Commendation – Greg Jones (Lake Macquarie City Council)
 

FMA - IAG Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Award

Winner - Flood Information Online Update (Brisbane City Council)

Highly Commended - Inland Freight Route Link Study (AECOM +HARC + DTMR + NineSquared)
 

The Project Award Winner also took home a cheque for $10,000 courtesy of sponsor IAG.
 

FMA President Ian Dinham said all Award categories provided an impressive array of finalists this year, all deserving of acknowledgement. “An important role of the Awards is not just to pick winners, but to showcase the many complex and innovative activities being undertaken across the country by FMA Members. 
 

“Year in, year out, FMA Members are striving to make our communities safer, but all too often this effort goes unnoticed. So please start considering who, and what projects, you can put forward for the 2024 Awards.”

To download the Excellence Awards Digital Booklet, visit www.floods.asn.au/client_images/2470789.pdf

Water Modelling Solutions has been engaged to prepare the FMA Position Policy on the Recommendations of the NSW Independent Flood Inquiry.
 

It is essential that we understand the opinions of FMA Members, and WMS is now inviting all NSW Councils to participate in a brief phone survey covering the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, any specific concerns for Councils and what messages they would like to see in FMA’s response.
 

Please spare a few minutes to share your opinions in this brief phone survey, and provide your preferred contact details to Glenn Evans eo@floods.asn.au

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) in partnership with Engineers Australia is seeking input to update the Climate Change Considerations chapter of Australian Rainfall and Runoff: A Guide to Flood Estimation. 
 

DCCEEW is seeking feedback from engineers, peak industry bodies, governments and subject matter experts on a discussion paper that outlines the proposed guiding principles and key considerations for the update. 
 

Funded via a grant from the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Package, the update will improve the climate and disaster resilience of Australia’s buildings and infrastructure, and will reflect the most recent climate science research, projections and observed data. 
 

Feedback is requested by 19 June 2023.
 

For further details see: consult.dcceew.gov.au/update-to-the-cc-considerations-in-the-arrg

The Flood Risk Management Short Course returns online this year, commencing in August. The course is hosted by the University of Technology Sydney, with input from FMA and the NSW Government.

Block 1 Introduction to Floodplain Risk Management (FRM)

https://open.uts.edu.au/uts-open/study-area/built-environment/introduction-to-floodplain-risk-management-frm/

11, 18 and 25 August 2023 11 am to 12.30 pm 

Block 2 Effective Consideration of Flood Risk in Land Use Planning

https://open.uts.edu.au/uts-open/study-area/built-environment/effective-consideration-of-flood-risk-in-land-use-planning/

8, 15 and 22 September 2023 11 am to 12.30 pm

Block 3 Managing Flood Risk to Existing Properties

https://open.uts.edu.au/uts-open/study-area/built-environment/managing-flood-risk-to-existing-properties/

6, 13 and 20 October 2023 11 am to 12.30 pm

The course has been designed to:

• Equip you with good understanding of how FRM is undertaken in NSW and other flood prone states in Australia, and the roles of relevant agencies
• Provide you with a solid understanding of the principles of FRM and the desired outcomes of FRM projects
• Improve your skills to work on FRM projects and be more effectively involved in the FRM process
• Enhance your ability to specify and manage FRM projects. 

The cost per Block is $550 (GST-free) Price subject to change. Please check price at time of purchase.

If you have any queries about the course please email:

Associate Professor Jaya Kandasamy, UTS School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at: Jaya.Kandasamy@uts.edu.au.

If you are interested in joining the network of YFMs, we would love to have you. For more information on joining, visit floods.asn.au/yfm