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| FLYER ISSUE 4: APRIL 2026 | |
NEXT FMA MEETINGS:QLD CHAPTER 5 August and NSW/ACT CHAPTER 13 August
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Wow! What a week at the 2026 FMA National Conference at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre! I do hope you had a chance to attend the highlight of our FMA calendar. FMA is
proud and delighted to have hosted this year’s flagship event. Thanks to our sponsors for your wonderful support of FMA. Thanks to East Coast Conferences who just make things happen and make everything work seamlessly behind the scenes. Here are the conference in numbers: - 550 registrations – and that’s a record! Our previous record was 500 registrations at our 2023 National Conference at Luna Park, Sydney.
- 4
action-packed days
- Around 110 presentations and our first ever day with 5 presentation streams (we usually have 4 streams)
- 2 half-day and 1 full day workshops plus the YFM Speed Mentoring Session
- 2 outstanding keynote speakers — our thanks to Emeritus Professor Barbara Norman from University of Canberra and Australian National University and Jason Needham from HDR (USA)
- Around 60 poster presentations
- 4
technical field trips
- 4 amazing social functions – including 2 roller coasters!
- 27 trade booths
- 4 excellence awards at our annual Gala Dinner (plus two more to come for our
best presentations)
SAVE THE DATE: 2027 FMA National Conference — Sydney 11–14 May 2027
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I look forward to seeing you at the Western Sydney Conference Centre at Penrith in just over a year’s time (370 days to go!) at our 2027 FMA National Conference – Tuesday 11 to Friday 14 May 2027. Put the dates in your calendars now … lots more info as the year
progresses. Sue Ribbons FMA President |
FMA2026, OUR BIGGEST EVER CONFERENCE!
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Thank you to everyone who contributed to FMA2026 becoming FMA’s largest Conference, with 550 registrations. Special thanks go
to our international guests who travelled from New Zealand, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States to share their experiences. The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre facilities coped well with 113 presentations, 55 poster talks, an extensive display of the
latest technology and equipment, and 550 people from 210 participating organisations. It was 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. If you haven’t got around to providing a paper or presentation yet please do so asap! 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 planning for future FMA Conferences. Here are some
reminders of the great week…
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2026 FMA FUTURE DIRECTIONS SURVEY
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FMA was excited to launch our 2026 FMA Future Directions Survey at the National Conference at the Gold Coast. We are really interested in how you engage with FMA, what are your highest priorities in flood risk management and your opinions on how we shape FMA over the next 5 years. Thanks to everyone who has already completed the survey. It’s not too late so please
spend a few minutes now. The survey will be open until Monday 18 May 2026
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To access the FMA 2026 Future Directions Survey, please scan the QR code above or you can use this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PF5QM2X. Either will take you to the survey on the Survey Monkey platform. Important note: We take your privacy seriously. Results from this survey will only be reported in aggregate form. This survey is anonymous, however there is an opportunity to provide your details at the end of the survey should you wish to provide additional information to the FMA Executive Officer.
2026 FMA EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNERS
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Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 FMA Excellence Awards, announced at the Gala Dinner during the FMA National Conference on the Gold Coast. Recognising outstanding contributions to flood risk management across Australia, the awards celebrate innovation, collaboration, leadership and industry impact. Andrew Dyer from IAG and Sue Ribbons, President of Floodplain Management Australia, presented the winners with their trophies during the evening (photos below).
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FMA IAG Young Floodplain Manager of the Year Winner - Prawi Woods, Alluvium FMA Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year Winner – Dr. Brett Phillips FMA IAG Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Winner - Northern Rivers Regional
Community Flood Risk Awareness and Preparedness Program - NSW Reconstruction Authority & NSW SES FMA IAG Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Highly Commended - Shelter, Strategy and
Storms: Building Resilience through Risk-Based Planning - NSW SES & NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. Thank you to all nominees, finalists and sponsors for helping showcase the exceptional work of our FMA Members.
FMA CONFERENCE PAPERS ACCESS
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Conference papers and presentations from the Gold Coast will be available on our website in the coming weeks. We’re currently still receiving full papers and finalising presenter
permissions, and will publish content progressively as these are confirmed. As part of FMA Member benefits, access will be available via the Members Section for the first 12 months following the conference. If you’re not yet registered or require access, please contact us.
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RESILIENT AUSTRALIA AWARDS SUBMISSIONS CLOSING 2 JUNE
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Inspired by the FMA Excellence Awards nominations showcased at the FMA Conference? Then put in a nomination for the Resilient Australia Awards! The Resilient Australia Awards celebrate and promote initiatives that build whole of community resilience to disasters and emergencies around Australia as well as capture and share examples of resilience in action. The awards recognise collaboration and innovative thinking across a broad range of sectors and initiatives that strengthen disaster resilience with communities, institutions, and the private sector. The Awards are offered in 7 state and territory categories and 5 national categories. The Resilient Australia Awards are
sponsored by the Australian Government in partnership with the states and territories and managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR). Details at: https://www.aidr.org.au/programs/resilient-australia-awards/
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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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UPCOMING FMA MEETINGS AND EVENTS
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QLD CHAPTER - Wednesday 5 August 2026 - Brisbane
NSW/ACT CHAPTER - Thursday 13 August 2026 - Sydney
QLD CHAPTER -
Wednesday 4 November 2026 - Brisbane
NSW/ACT CHAPTER - Thursday 12 November 2026 - Sydney
QLD CHAPTER - Wednesday 10 February 2027 - Brisbane
NSW/ACT CHAPTER - Thursday 18 February 2027 - Sydney
FMA CONFERENCE - 11-14 May 2027 - Sydney
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POSITIONS VACANT
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No current vacancies.
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TRAVELLING CONFERENCE SWAG |
Have you got a photo of your FMA Swag? |
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