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NEXT FMA MEETINGS FMA Queensland Chapter Meeting on Wednesday, 17 February 2016 in Brisbane. FMA November Quarterly
Meeting on Thursday, 25 February 2016 in Sydney.
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Season's Greetings from the
President |
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I would like to extend my very best wishes to you and your families this Festive Season and New Year.
Thank you to all those who have given their time and knowledge to FMA throughout the year – your input has been invaluable, and much appreciated.
I look forward to working with you again in 2016 as FMA continues its
national growth as Australia’s leading voice for flood risk management.
Regards,
Ian Dinham, President |
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2015 was a banner year for Floodplain Management Australia, and our most exciting yet.
This year saw our second National Conference in Brisbane, which was attended by over 365 practitioners at the impressive Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Conference was our biggest ever and saw the return of the FMA Excellence Awards, and played host to the 2015
round of the Australia-Netherlands Water Challenge.
Our Executive Committee has been busy meeting with Ministers and providing submissions to both New South Wales and interstate reviews on our mission to represent your interests at all levels and promote public awareness of flood issues. FMA President Ian Dinham took things international by attending the US Floodplain Management Association Conference in California as keynote speaker, speaking to a comparison of the
Australian and US flood risk management styles.
2015 was also the year that the Floodplain Management Association became Floodplain Management Australia, and we reinforced our national direction. With this change in structure, a new Executive Director’s position was created – Queensland Director - with Con de Groot of the Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning stepping into the role.
The Flood Insurance Working
Group continued to meet and further examine and improve arrangements for collection, maintenance and distribution of flood data. Also, FMA, in collaboration with the Insurance Council of Australia, released Flood Insurance Fact Sheets, covering Flood Insurance Pricing, Insurer Flood Data Requirements and Sharing Flood Risk Information – all available at floods.org.au.
The Floodplain Risk Management Short Course was also offered again in Sydney this
year, and well attended, with plans being developed to expand the course for delivery in Queensland.
With our FMA team so busy, there are simply too many things to mention, but these highlights would not be possible without our Members – so thank you all, and bring on 2016. |
Senate Report on Stormwater Management
Released |
The report of the inquiry by the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee into Stormwater Management in Australia has been released. The inquiry received 64 submissions, including one from FMA.
The Committee was of the view that "Responding to the threats of flooding, climate change and ecosystem degradation should be priorities for all levels of government. The
costs of inadequate stormwater planning are borne by the nation as a whole, with direct costs including those related to flood clean-up and recovery, higher insurance premiums, and riparian management. Proactive planning and well-targeted investment is needed to account for these threats."
The Committee made five recommendations, including: The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with the state and territory
governments to develop and implement a national policy framework for stormwater management (a National Stormwater Initiative).
The report is now available on the Committee's website at: |
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Suncorp delivers insurance products and services to personal customers, small and medium sized businesses, as well as corporate clients, including insurance cover for flood events.
Suncorp is committed to helping educate the community about storm
preparedness and natural disaster mitigation. Further, by having a better understanding of flood risks, Suncorp aims to assess the costs more appropriately and provide fair premiums to their customers.
Suncorp is a member of FMA’s Flood Insurance Working Group.
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2016 FMA Conference Update |
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Have you registered for our 2016 Conference in Nowra yet? Make sure you jump online at floodplainconference.com to get the full details of the four-day event.
Are you planning on attending our Pre-Conference workshops? Register now to make sure you don’t miss out, as these topics are proving very popular.
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New ARR Guidelines and Project Reports
Released |
The new Australian Rainfall and Runoff guidelines were launched at the Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium in Hobart this month.
The launch saw the release of Books 1, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9. Books 4, 5 and 7 will be released at a later date.
The guidelines can be downloaded at http://www.arr.org.au/arr-guideline/, as well as enabling software, with Spatial datasets for baseflow, ARF, IFD, and temporal patterns being made available online later.
ARR is releasing Project Reports for the following projects:
Project 3 - Temporal Patterns of Rainfall - DRAFT
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NSW Coastal Management Reforms |
The NSW Government has announced its Coastal Reform Package and is looking for feedback on its new approach.
The public consultation package includes a draft Coastal Management Bill, an Explanation of Intended Effect for the proposed new Coastal Management State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP), and key elements of a draft coastal
management manual.
Additional elements of the proposed new framework will be released later for public comment, including further components for manual, maps of the coastal zone that will form part of the SEPP and proposals concerning the effects of coastal erosion on coastal boundaries.
The Package includes Flood Risk Management Guidance in relation to the Interaction of Catchment Flooding and Oceanic Inundation in Coastal Waterways. This guidance is available through the Standard Flood Risk Management documents web page at: |
Flood Evacuation Briefing
Note |
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FMA Member Risk Frontiers has released its latest briefing note titled ‘Flood Evacuation: Never fun, sometimes necessary, always problematic”.
This note examines the realities and challenges of flood evacuation, with reference to floods in the history of New South Wales.
You can find the Briefing Note attached. |
Flood Grants to Help Save Lives and
Property |
Australia’s national network of flood professionals has enthusiastically welcomed NSW Environment Minister Mark Speakman’s announcement of $4.9 million in floodplain risk management grants.
Floodplain Management Australia (FMA) President Ian Dinham said that this investment in flood assessment and mitigation allows
Councils and Local Land Services to plan and implement flood risk reduction measures and save lives and community hardship in the process.
“We may not be able to stop the occurrence of flood altogether but we can be more educated, more prepared and more resilient” Mr Dinham said. “These grants are a step towards that ideal, with the funds being used for education, assessment
and mitigation.”
The nearly $5 million in grants will be provided for 15 projects which are devised to assess the risks and reduce the impacts of flooding in New South Wales.
The funded projects range from voluntary purchase and house raising schemes, flood risk management studies, flood warning equipment installations and the
construction of levees.
Examples of funded projects include: - Hunter Local Land Services – investigation and design for the rehabilitation of the Aberdeen Levee, and also the voluntary purchase of houses in high velocity floodways in Maitland.
- Fairfield City Council – the Mimosa Road Detention Basin Upgrade Investigation and Design, which will investigate increasing the basin embankment and spillway upgrades to safely perform in the full range of flood events.
- Moree Plains Shire Council – round two of its Voluntary House Raising Scheme, which will assist homeowners in raising the floor level of their dwelling above the Flood Planning
Level.
“We are seeing a shift in the way that this country views floods; the repair of damages after the fact is simply no longer good enough” Mr Dinham said.
“Communities are getting more knowledgeable about the very real dangers they face, and are demanding that wise and sustainable preventative measures are taken to ensure the safety of their
families.”
“Flooding causes over $500 million in damages each year country-wide and climate change forecasts predict an increase in storm severity with more rainfall causing more frequent flooding.” |
UK Floods - Storm Desmond |
Storm Desmond struck the United Kingdom and Ireland this month, causing extensive flooding and damages.
Around 43,000 homes were left without power in North East England, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire as a result of the storm.
The unprecendented
rainfall following Storm Desmond led to the highest ever river levels at Appleby, Keswick and Kendall in Cumbria. In Keswick, water reached 5.35m, where the previous highest level was 4.6m.
Gary Duffy of FMA Member IKUTEC Pty Ltd has provided these pictures of the IBS Glass Barrier System in operation at Keswick.
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“The glass barriers copped their first real test and passed, except they needed to be 200mm higher”, said Gary. “They will come back and raise the glass flood wall by 500mm
safely”. |
POSITIONS VACANT
AWMA Water – Sales Engineer
With water projects in demand, AWMA are looking to expand their sales department.
This is an exciting opportunity for an Engineer to join their talented team and work on some of Australia’s largest water infrastructure
projects.
This will be a challenging and rewarding role with diverse projects and designs.
You will work alongside an experienced team, involved in projects that will develop your technical and professional skills.
As a service to our Members we welcome information on career opportunities in the area of floodplain management.
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us,
contact us. GRADUATES SEEKING EMPLOYMENT The FMA is occasionally contacted by young professional in fields related to flood risk management seeking introductions to potential employers.
If your business is seeking a new employee please contact us, we may know of someone suitable.
FMA CAPS AROUND THE WORLD Where has your FMA Conference Cap been? |
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Pictured: FMA Cap boating in the Noosa river - Tewatin boat harbour and Noosa Council offices in the distance. Photo provided by Anthony Gaffney, FMA Member WMA Water.
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Thanks for reading, and see you next month! P.S. HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR OUR 2016 CONFERENCE? |
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