Pictured: Daniel Sheehy presenting at the Queensland Chapter Meeting in Brisbane.

First up in November was the Queensland Quarterly Meeting in Brisbane where our Technical Workshop and Panel Discussion was entitled ‘Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Flood Risk Communication for Safer Communities’. As always, a big thank you to our presenters:

• Daniel Sheehy (WRM) — re-presented his Harold Sternbeck Medal winning presentation from the 2025 FMA National Conference, ‘Floodways and flooded roads – are we sending mixed messages to drivers?’
• Sally Mills Murray (Queensland Reconstruction Authority) — discussed the ‘If it’s flooded, forget it’ campaign, its effectiveness and where to from here.
• Prof. Amisha Mehta (Queensland University of Technology - QUT) — presented an overview of organisational and community perspectives on flood planning and warning materials in terms of language, terminology, and colours.

Thanks also to FMA Queensland Director, Jess Carey and FMA Technical Director, Will Prentice for organising and facilitating this great Workshop.

Pictured: Leanne Haupt presenting at the NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney.

The following week the NSW/ACT Quarterly Meeting hosted a Technical Workshop presented by Leanne Haupt from the National Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) on ‘Updates to the Implementation of Climate Change Guidance since the Release of ARR Version 4.2’ .

In particular, Leanne presented DCCEEW’s work to develop a tool to assist Councils and practitioners apply climate change estimates, as well as work currently being undertaken to develop guidance about selecting an appropriate climate change scenario / Shared Socio-economic Pathway (SSP).

Thanks to Leanne who came from Canberra to be with us in person at the Workshop and thanks to FMA Technical Director, Will Prentice, for facilitating another great FMA Technical Workshop.

Best wishes for Christmas, New Year and the Holiday Season

As this is our last FMA Monthly Flyer before the Christmas break, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for Christmas, New Year and the Holiday Season from everyone at FMA. Please make sure you have some down time over the break and we look forward to working with you in 2026.

Thank you once again for all the support you provide FMA … we can’t do it without you.

Sue Ribbons

FMA President

The Call for Abstracts for the 2026 FMA National Conference is now open. We are looking for a range of high-quality presentations relating to the Conference theme “Flood Risk to Resilience: Advancing Flood Management”, from across Australia and overseas, dealing with riverine, overland and flash flooding, and coastal inundation. 

The content can be technical or non-technical to suit our varied audience, so you don’t need to be a “flood expert” to provide a presentation. The practical experiences of Councillors, flood committee members and community representatives can be of real value to fellow Conference attendees. 

Tertiary students studying floodplain management or natural disaster management and Young Floodplain Managers are particularly encouraged to participate and share their experiences.

The closing date for abstract submission is Monday 9 December.

FMA2026 is being hosted by the City of Gold Coast, and will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast’s premier event venue.

For the latest Conference information see: https://floodplainconference.com/ , and reserve 21 to 24 April 2026 in your calendar, diary and budget for the FMA National Conference and Pre-conference Workshops.

The Victorian Government has launched a website which assists homeowners check if they have the right home and contents insurance cover.

The website provides four steps to help choose appropriate insurance:

• Know your risk
• Know your costs
• Know your cover
• Know how to claim.

The site states that 84% of Victorians who live in high-risk flood areas believe their risk is low. Most Victorians believe they have enough insurance, but only half actually have enough cover to rebuild and refurnish their homes after a disaster.

The site explains insurance terms that home owners may not be familiar with, and includes a list of assistance and support services.

More information at: https://www.vic.gov.au/are-you-covered

The FMA Young Floodplain Managers (YFM) network exists to represent, engage, and inspire young floodplain management professionals across Australia. 

The objectives of the YFM are to:

• collaborate and share knowledge through networking opportunities, mentorships with industry leaders, professional development workshops and events, and social media platforms and forums where YFMs can discuss key issues and share innovative ideas
• inspire and empower YFMs to share new ideas and engage in industry discussions
• connect YFMs from across the public and private sectors as well as other young professional groups; and
• promote gender equality and diversity in all YFM activities and the broader industry.

Any floodplain manager is welcome to apply if committed to the objectives of the YFM. Whilst the YFM's mission is to represent, engage, support and inspire young floodplain management professionals across the nation, anyone who supports this objective is welcome to apply for membership of the YFM and engage in the group's actions, irrespective of their age or level of experience. 

Find out more about YFM and upcoming YFM events at the YFM Linkedin page here.

No current vacancies.