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| FLYER ISSUE 12: DECEMBER 2025 | |
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Happy New Year from everyone at Floodplain Management Australia! As we start a brand new year, it’s a good time to say
thank you for your support of FMA and reflect on all the fantastic work we have achieved in the past year. I am so proud to share that together, we have (in no specific order of importance and I’ve probably missed something!): - after more than 60 years of annual conferences, we held our first National Conference in Melbourne, with 485 registrations (equal to second
highest attendance in Brisbane in 2024; highest was Sydney with 500) with 106 oral presentations and 40 poster presentations.
- celebrated excellence in flood risk management at the 2025 FMA National with the 2025 FMA Excellence Awards, Harold Sternbeck Medal and YFM Outstanding Presenter Awards.
- commenced preparations for the 2026 FMA National Conference in the Gold Coast with the establishment of the Steering Committee and the Program Advisory Committee (including in-kind support from Gold Coast City Council). Call for Abstracts have closed with a record number of 200 abstracts received and Early Bird Registrations are now open.
- hosted 6 successful and well-attended Quarterly Meetings and Workshops in Sydney and Brisbane with several new agencies joining the meetings to update and share their activities with members. Workshops included:
- Making Queensland more resilient following the 2022 flood event, and the next steps (Brisbane February
2025)
- NSW Shelter in Place Guideline for flash flooding: Should I stay or should I go? (Sydney February 2025)
- What happens when the worlds of planners and engineers collide? A Queensland perspective (Brisbane August
2025)
- A three part Technical Workshop in Sydney (August 2025):
- Access for Maintenance to Creeks, Stormwater Assets and Flood Mitigation Assets on Private Land — Legal Issues and Practicalities
- Analysing the Broader Risks of Publicising Flood Information — A Council Case Study
- Update on Draft FMA Fact Sheet on Overland Flow
- Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Flood Risk Communication for Safer Communities (Brisbane November 2025)
- Updates to the Implementation of Climate Change Guidance since the Release of Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) Version 4.2 (Sydney November 2025)
- prepared the 2025 FMA Operating Plan (adopted at February QMs).
- held an Executive Planning Session in November 2025 to plan for the 2026 Operating Plan and beyond.
- Together with
Stormwater Victoria, ran our first joint technical and networking event in February 2025 on the 2024 Climate Change Update to ARR in Melbourne.
- Prepared a joint FMA/PIA (Planning Institute of Australia) submission to the Queensland Government to provide our joint support for continued floodplain management action in Queensland.
- Represented FMA at numerous industry events and working group meetings:
- The Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA) Assisted Relocation Community of Practice involving researchers and practitioners involved in assisted relocation policy, practice and
research from Australia, the United States, New Zealand and Canada
- Expert panel on the NHRA, September Hazardous Webinar entitled 'Research Lessons from the Texas floods'
- The Industry Working Group for the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Regional Risk
Based Land Use Planning Approach project and provided comments on the first stage of the 6 stage process
- Flood Warning Consultative Committees in Queensland, NSW and Tasmania
- The Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA) NSW Stakeholder Forum
in Sydney in February 2025
- The Stormwater Victoria Annual Conference, Wangaratta in June 2025
- The US Association of Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) annual National Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- The Queensland Flood Community of Practice (CoP) tour of South East Queensland and NSW Northern Rivers with the delegation of ‘floodplain managers’ from Fiji. The delegation’s knowledge exchange was hosted by Griffith University’s International Water Centre and the Flood CoP, and facilitated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
- NSW Floodplain Management Grants Assessment Committee.
- supported our partnership with University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in the delivery of the Introduction to Floodplain Risk Management Short Course.
- further developed the expansion of the NSW Introduction to Floodplain Risk Management Short Course into Queensland with the preparation of a draft course outline and meetings with potential tertiary education partners.
- initiated a Project Working
Group to explore options and develop a business case for Professional Accreditation for flood risk management practitioners.
- released the FMA Overland Flow Fact Sheet following ongoing collaboration with the Project Working Group.
- prepared feedback on behalf of FMA on the draft Wianamatta South Creek Cumulative Impacts on Flooding Policy.
- investigated and visited options for venues for the FMA 2027 National Conference in Sydney.
- supported
and further developed the Young Floodplain Managers' (YFM) Network. This included participating as a Mentor at the YFM Speed Mentoring Session in June 2025.
- continued our advocacy and knowledge sharing for sound flood risk management practices through our:
- ongoing engagement with local government, a wide range of state agencies, Bureau of Meteorology, Insurance Council of Australia, National Emergency Management Agency and through submissions with government inquiries and the like.
- understanding and keeping up to date across a broad range of contemporary flood risk management issues and
contentions in land use planning, disaster recovery activities, resourcing and funding, community awareness and engagement, funding of flood risk management measures, emergency response, climate change risk and adaptation and industry best practice.
- involvement in projects such as the NSW Northern Rivers Disaster Adaptation Plan.
- distribution of 12 FMA Monthly Flyers to keep Members continuously updated on FMA activities and issues in the flood risk management space.
We look forward to working with you in 2026! Sue Ribbons FMA President
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FMA EXCELLENCE AWARDS OPENING NEXT MONTH
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The 2026 Excellence Awards will be opening soon, and now is the time to start thinking about what projects or colleagues you can nominate! The FMA Excellence Awards publicly recognise the outstanding contribution of our organisations and individuals in Australia and/or New Zealand towards promoting wise land use planning, reducing flood impacts, managing flood incidents or restoring communities after a flood event. The FMA Excellence Awards are the highlight of our National Conference each year, and they offer the invaluable opportunity to showcase the incredible work professionals in the field of flood risk management have undertaken in the past 12 months. The Excellence Awards are split into three categories: - FMA-IAG Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Award
Prize - $10,000 towards your flood work + Crystal Trophy + Luxury Hamper - FMA-Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year Award
Prize – Full Registration to the 2027 FMA Conference + Crystal Trophy + Luxury
Hamper - FMA-IAG Young Floodplain Manager of the Year Award
Prize – Full Registration to the 2027 FMA Conference + Crystal Trophy + Luxury Hamper
The winners of the 2026 Excellence Awards will be announced at the FMA National Conference at the Gold Coast on the 23rd April. Nominations will open in late February, when details will be posted on the FMA Website.
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2026 FMA CONFERENCE - UPDATE
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The FMA 2026 National Conference at the Gold Coast is only 15 weeks away! The theme From Risk to Resilience: Advancing Flood Management will explore the development and implementation of flood risk management — moving from the reactive repair and recovery cycle towards informed, resilience-driven strategies,
policies and mitigation projects. Why you should attend: Be Inspired: Hear motivating talks from
exceptional keynote speakers Be Connected: Develop links with over 500 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.
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Conference Keynote Announced We are delighted to announce that Emeritus Professor Barbara Norman is our first confirmed Keynote Speaker for the 2026 FMA National Conference. Professor Norman is a global expert and adviser on sustainable cities and regions, smart infrastructure, climate change adaptation and urban governance. She is Emeritus Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Canberra, a Director of the Urban Climate Change Research Network Oceania Hub (Columbia University, USA), co-chair of Planners for Climate Action (UN Habitat), and a member of the World Cities Knowledge Council (Singapore). Further Keynote Speakers will be advised at the FMA National Conference website: https://floodplainconference.com Have you registered yet? Early Registration is now available at floodplainconference.com until 6 March. FMA Members also receive discounted registration rates, so if you are a current FMA Member, or belong to an FMA Member organisation be sure to include your Member number when registering. If you are unsure of your Member Number, contact us at
projectservices@floods.asn.au. A special thanks to the sponsors who have confirmed so far: Silver: Water Technology, HARC, NSW
SES Bronze Coffee: AQX Solutions Bronze Conference Dinner: Haskoning Casual Dinner: WMAwater Lanyard: Rhelm Conference App: JBP Charging Station: BG&E Stationery Sponsor: Allan & Dennis Trade Exhibitors: Australian Concrete Mats, AWMA Water Control Solutions, Spatial
Innovation, TUFLOW, AWS Australian Water School, Jacobs, Natural Hazards Resource, waterRIDE. If you are interested in showcasing your organisation at the Conference, visit https://floodplainconference.com/sponsors-and-exhibitors/
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SAVE THE DATE FOR FEBRUARY FMA MEETINGS
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While you are planning out your Calendar for this year, be sure to include our February Meetings for Queensland and NSW/ACT: Wednesday 11 February 2026 - Brisbane Add this event to your Calendar Thursday 19 February 2026 -
Sydney Add this event to your Calendar
Please come along
and hear the latest from our Executive Committee, industry experts, agency representatives and catch up with your flood connection colleagues.
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AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY FLOOD BARRIER GUIDELINE
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AWMA, together with industry experts, has recently completed the Australian Industry Flood Barrier Guideline. The Guideline was
developed to equip stakeholders with essential knowledge, which assists with informed decision-making, ensuring the selection of site-specific flood mitigation solutions that effectively protect people, property, and infrastructure from the devastating impacts of flooding. You can view
the Guideline at www.floodfree.com.au/flood-barrier-guidelines.
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FMA + STORMWATER VICTORIA JOINT TECHNICAL EVENT
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Following the sell-out success of the first joint FMA / Stormwater Victoria event on the new ARR Climate Change Guideline last February, we are excited to announce the next joint Technical Event in February. Details Date: Thursday 26 February Time: 4pm (TBC) Where: Melbourne (Venue TBC) The in-person ‘after work’ event will be an excellent opportunity to hear about contemporary flood risk and stormwater management issues and network with
colleagues in the industry. Stay tuned for more information about our guest speakers in the coming weeks. In the meantime, make sure you mark Thursday 26 February at 4:00pm (TBC) in your diaries.
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YFM MONTHLY FEATURE
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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.
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POSITIONS VACANT
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No current vacancies.
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TRAVELLING CONFERENCE SWAG
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Have you got a photo of your FMA Swag?
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