|
|
NEXT FMA MEETING FMA May Quarterly Meeting and Annual General Meeting, Thursday 19 May 2016 at the FMA Conference at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre in Nowra.
FMA Members! Your attendance is needed at the FMA Annual General Meeting to be held in Nowra on 19 May. The FMA Executive is recommending important changes to the FMA Constitution, which requires a quorum of Full Members. We need your vote for FMA to continue its growth as the national voice for flood risk management. |
Meet FMA's New Communications Director |
|
Executive Officer Glenn Evans has announced the outcome of the recent call for nominations for the position of FMA Communications Director. One nomination was received, from Professional Member Susan Ribbons. Sue will commence her role at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting on 19 May.
Sue is well known to many
Members, having been Land Use Planning Director from 2010 to 2012, and winner of the Harold Sternbeck Medal for the best paper at the 2008 FMA Conference in Wollongong.
For the last three years until recently Sue has been working with the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley Flood Management Taskforce as Specialist Technical Manager.
FMA President Ian Dinham congratulated Sue on her appointment, saying “It's wonderful news and we all look forward to working with Sue on the Executive Committee again. FMA continues to move forward and Sue’s enthusiasm will energise us
all!” |
2016 FMA Excellence Awards Projects
|
|
Five outstanding activities in three states have been nominated by Members for this year’s FMA – NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Award; - BMT WBM + Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines – Guide for Flood Studies and Mapping in Queensland
- Griffith City Council – Mirrool Creek Flood Warning System and Emergency Breaching Protocol
- Griffith City Council – Yambil Street Drainage Upgrade and Diversion
- Moreton Bay Regional Council – Regional Flood Data Management Software
- Wimmera Catchment Management Authority + Water Technology – Warracknabeal and Brim Flood Investigation
The projects cover most of the areas of flood risk management and the evaluation process will be extremely challenging. Finalists will be announced two weeks before the Conference, as will further details of the projects.
A booklet will be available from the FMA Booth at the Conference outlining each of the Excellence Awards Project entries, including the Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year nominations. |
Conference Update - Two Weeks to Go! |
|
We are looking forward to welcoming you all to our 56th Annual Conference in Nowra in just a few short weeks.
Final Keynote Announced Associate Professor Lisa Gibbs will be providing a keynote address to our delegates on Community Resilience
Post-Disaster – Implications for Planners, Responders and Service Providers’.
Assoc. Prof. Gibbs is Director of the Community Resilience and Public Health Unit at the Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety, and Director of the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, both at the University of Melbourne.
She leads a range of large community-based studies exploring sociocultural and environmental influences on health and wellbeing. For the past seven years she has had a particular focus on leading a disaster research program exploring the social impacts of disasters. This has included studies of bushfires and floods, the interplay between individual and community level recovery, anger and service response, preparedness, online experiences, parenting, and issues for
children.
Her research findings contributed to the recently released Deloitte Access Economics' report The Economic Cost of the Social Impact of Natural Disasters, prepared for the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities.
Assoc. Prof. Gibbs will be addressing the Conference on Friday 20th
May.
AGM Attendance For those FMA Members attending the Conference, please ensure that you collect your AGM Business Papers and Voting Cards from the FMA Booth on Thursday 19th May before the Annual General Meeting in the afternoon. Your attendance at the AGM is required for us to reach a quorum and make some necessary changes to
the FMA Constitution.
Trade Display and Sponsors We have an exceptional list of trade displays and sponsors for the Conference this year, and they are all looking forward to meeting you in person to discuss all things FRM. Make sure you stop by the trade display booths and outdoor displays and have a chat about their products/initiatives.
Don't Forget the Pre-Conference Workshops
Travelling to Nowra on Tuesday? Two Workshops have been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon so you can travel in the morning, grab a bite of lunch, and participate in the Workshop of your choice before the Welcome Reception at 5 o'clock.
Registration Registration numbers for the Conference are approaching 250 but there is still room if you have not yet signed up for the four-day event.There will be many familiar faces returning, and many new colleagues to meet from across the country and overseas.
This Conference is sure to be the most informative and
exciting FMA Conference thus far, so if you have not yet registered, make sure you get in now to avoid disappointment at floodplainconference.com. |
|
|
The FMA website has seen a substantial upgrade in the past few months, and is now live with a more user-friendly design.
Members’ Section We strongly recommend all Members register for the Members’ Section of floods.org.au where we will be uploading content exclusive to FMA Members.
The registration process is simple – click on the ‘Members Login’ at the top of the home page, and click ‘Register as Member’ and fill out your details. You request will be approved by a Member of FMA staff once we have confirmed that you are an FMA Member, and you will be granted access.
If you had
registered for the Members’ Section on our previous website, please register your details again as we were unable to transfer these existing accounts.
Members’ Projects We would like to share your great work with others. If you are currently working on, or have recently completed, innovative work in the FRM industry, please get in contact so
we can showcase your project on our website, and in this Flyer.
Our goal is to make floods.org.au a portal to all things innovative, sustainable and relevant in the FRM space, and we need you to help us do that. Contact Dominique Jovanovic projectservices@floods.org.au with information on your projects.
|
Australian Business Roundtable Reports Available |
|
In March 2016, The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities launched two research reports titled "Building Resilient Infrastructure" and "The Economic Cost Of The Social Impacts Of Natural Disasters" at Parliament House, Canberra.
A
highlight video of the launch, with introduction from Minister for Justice Michael Keenan is now available.
|
Audit of Flood Resilience of QLD River Catchments |
|
This month, the Queensland Auditor General tabled Flood resilience of river catchments to the Queensland Parliament.
This report examines the effectiveness of flood resilience activities in the Bremer, Lockyer, Mid and Upper Brisbane river catchments in Queensland since 2011.
|
Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy Launched |
|
The Victorian Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Lisa Neville has released the new Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy. FMA provided comment on the draft Strategy in 2015.
The Strategy was developed to help communities be better prepared for future floods and it clarifies the roles and
responsibilities of agencies and authorities involved in flood management.
It aims to improve the evaluation and communication of flood risks so communities and agencies can take better informed action to manage floods, and it encourages communities and individuals to work with their councils and catchment management authorities to decide on the level of flood mitigation that best suits their
locality.
The Victorian Budget is providing $25 million to support the Strategy.
The Strategy will be discussed at the FMA Conference in Nowra in May, and can be found at: |
|
POSITIONS VACANT
Infrastructure Planning Engineer: Flood and Drainage - Mackay Regional Council
An exciting permanent opportunity is available for an experienced Infrastructure Planning Engineer to join the
Strategic Planning Program at Mackay Regional Council.
The position of Infrastructure Planning Engineer – Flood & Drainage is required to develop, contribute to and manage various infrastructure planning projects and strategies, with a focus on flood mitigation and stormwater drainage
projects.
The role requires an enthusiastic, communicative engineer with a degree in Civil Engineering,
who can work as part of a multi-disciplinary team for the benefit of the community.
For further information on the role and details on how to apply, please visit http://www.mackay.qld.gov.au/careers.
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?
We've seen FMA Caps making their way through Noosa, Bayview, Niagra Falls, California, The
Grand Canyon, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Italy and the Whitsundays just to name a few stops.
Where will they end up next? |
|
|
Thanks for reading, and see you next month! P.S. HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR OUR 2016 CONFERENCE YET?
If you found this Flyer interesting please forward it to a colleague, and suggest they sign up to receive it directly
in future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
