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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.
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2016 FMA Excellence Awards - Close Friday 8 April |
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Would your organisation like to win $2,500 towards flood risk education, or a free full three-day registration for our 2017 Conference and Pre-Conference Workshops in Newcastle?
How about showcasing your incredible flood risk management (FRM) work to our Members
from around Australia and celebrating your successes?
The Floodplain Management Australia Excellence Awards are designed to publicly recognize the outstanding contribution of FMA organisations and individuals towards promoting wise land use
planning, reducing flood impacts, managing flood incidents or restoring communities after a flood event.
There are two Awards that you can enter, depending on your type of FMA Membership;
- FMA NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year Award for Full, Associate and
Corporate Member organisations;
This Award will be given to a project that demonstrates the highest level of achievement in areas of FRM, including public benefit, community involvement and innovative solutions.
- Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year Award for any FMA Member, or
individual who is an employee or representative of an FMA Member;
This Award will be given to an individual who achieves the highest level of achievement in areas of FRM, including best practice, wise and sustainable land use planning, community awareness and resilience, and innovative solutions.
The Awards will be presented at the
Conference Gala Dinner for the 56th FMA Annual Conference on 19 May, 2016 in Nowra, New South Wales.
Finalists will be notified two weeks prior to the FMA Conference.
Applications close on Friday 8th April 2016. |
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President Ian Dinham attended the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services event in Sydney on the 22 March and networked with a range of people in the Emergency Services space.
Attendance included senior representatives from government and non-government agencies including NSW SES Acting Commissioner Greg Newton, AFAC CEO Mr Stuart Ellis and NSW SES Volunteers Association
General Manager Mr Andrew Edwards.
"I found in all of my discussions during the function, a strong recognition of the need for wise floodplain management as everyone understood that floods are far more deadly, and costly, than any other natural disaster" said Mr Dinham.
The work of the many volunteers across Australia was also commended and it was agreed that Australia could not afford to provide the current levels of service to the community without those many
dedicated volunteers.
Mr Dinham made many new acquaintances at the function and he looks forward to following up with these colleagues in the future.
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Natural Disasters to Cost $33 Billion per Year by 2050 |
FMA Executive Officer Glenn Evans attended the launch of two reports by the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities at Parliament House in Canberra in March.
The reports, The Economic Cost of the Social Impact of Natural Disasters, and Building Resilient Infrastructure, were
prepared by Deloitte Access Economics and provide an economic analysis of the social impact of natural disasters, and the benefits of ensuring infrastructure assets are more resilient to extreme weather events. The reports indicate that the total annual cost of natural disasters in Australia is expected to increase from $9 billion to $33 billion by 2050 unless steps are taken to increase resilience.
Speaking on
behalf of the Roundtable, IAG Managing Director and CEO Peter Harmer said “The reports show the long-term cost of the social impact of natural disasters on our communities and economy, and the benefits of embedding resilience into planning decisions for critical infrastructure. We need to do more to help our communities prepare for and recover from disasters. Sadly the devastation of bushfires, flood and earthquakes on our communities can last for years, if not decades.”
Mr Evans said the function was attended by representatives from a wide range of organisations involved in natural disaster management and response and included Federal Minister for Justice the Hon Micahael Keenan, and Government and Opposition Members.
“FMA Members are very much aware of the very real social impacts which can result from
flooding, and the Roundtable is to be congratulated for providing reputable economic estimates to assist the case for increased resources for flood risk management,” Mr Evans said.
“The social impacts of flooding will be discussed at the upcoming FMA Conference in May, which will include a keynote presentation by Associate Professor Lisa Gibbs from Melbourne University, who leads a research program exploring
the social impacts of disasters, and contributed to the Roundtable’s reports.”
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Applications Open for FMA Scholarship |
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The FMA Scholarship provides an incentive for floodplain management practitioners employed by FMA member organisations to broaden their floodplain knowledge and in turn make that knowledge available to FMA members.
The Scholarship provides support of up to 50% of costs, or $2500, whichever is the lesser, to undertake short
courses, research or educational visits interstate or overseas.
Applications close on 21 April
2016. |
There are a number of ACT Government agencies that deal directly with flood risk management. Due to being a planned city, the ACT does not experience riverine flooding as such, but does have a high risk of flash flooding.
Flooding in the ACT has been rated moderate and high on the Territory Wide Risk Assessment Report. The ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services Directorate, the Economic Planning Directorate and Justice and Community Safety Directorate collaborate to ensure the risk of flood is minimised in the ACT and region.
Additionally, the ACTSES works closely with
the NSW SES on planning for flood related situations in the ACT region and in particular areas which border NSW and ACT.
Queensland's Mackay region can experience flooding as a result of riverine and creek flooding, as well as local catchment runoff and storm tide. Council has undertaken numerous studies assessing flood hazards and is now assessing measures to minimise flood
risk.
This is being undertaken as part of Council's Flood and Stormwater Management Strategy which is currently being prepared and expected to be finalised in mid 2016. The Strategy will prioritise actions that will minimise the risk to life, community well-being, property, the environment and the economy.
WRM Water and Environment is a Brisbane-based consulting firm which specializes in water resource management and engineering.
Each of WRM’s four Principals have worked in the field of flood modelling, analysis and investigation throughout their careers. They have made significant contibutions to floodplain management in Australia, including input to early versions of the New South Wales Floodplain Management Manual.
In addition to their expertise in flood modelling, WRM has also developed and implemented
methods for flood forecasting and estimation of flood damage costs.
This month has also seen an influx of new Professional FMA Members. We look forward to working with you through the year.
FMA Annual Conference Update |
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There are only six weeks to go until our 56th Annual Conference in Nowra. Early Registration Discounts closed this week, and we hope as many of you took advantage of these great savings as possible.
We have three exceptional keynote speakers, and an outstanding dinner speaker confirmed for our four-day event, including
Brigadier Darren Naumann AM.
During a long career with the Australian Army, Darren has held a range of leadership, military engineering and infrastructure management appointments, including six years on exchange with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the UK Ministry of Defence.
In the immediate aftermath of the devastating April 2015 Hunter Valley and Central Coast super storm, the Premier of NSW appointed Darren as the Regional
Recovery Coordinator to lead community recovery efforts.
First time attendees, or those new to Floodplain Risk Management, are encouraged to attend the Pre-Conference Workshop ‘Floodplain Risk Management 101’, which sums up the basics of FRM, and what those terms mean quickly before Conference starts.
This Conference is shaping up to be our most exciting event so far, and should not be missed. Make sure you register online now at floodplainconference.com/registration.php. |
New NFRAG Chairperson Appointed |
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Pictured: Duncan McLuckie (left) speaking with colleagues at the 2015 FMA National Conference in Brisbane.
The National Flood Risk Advisory Group (NFRAG) has appointed Duncan
McLuckie, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Principal Flood Specialist, as its Chairperson. Mr McLuckie replaces Andrew Lea from Tasmania’s Department of Police and Emergency Management who has stepped down to undertake a new role in emergency management.
NFRAG is a reference group of the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. FMA President Ian Dinham sits on the Group as delegate of the Australian Local Government
Association.
Mr Dinham said Mr McLuckie is well known to FMA Members, and congratulated him on the appointment. “Duncan has a wealth of experience and has successfully led many of NFRAG’s projects over the years,” Mr Dinham said. “He will make a great Chairperson, and has much to contribute in the field of flood risk management. This is an important role which deserves strong government
support.” |
2016 Resilient Australia Awards |
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The 2016 Resilient Awards opened for nominations on 21st of March. This year's Resilient Australia Awards are open to individuals, not-for-profit organisations, businesses, local and state government, educational institutions, research bodies and emergency service agencies.
This year’s state and territory award categories
are: - Resilient Australia Community Award
- Resilient Australia Business Award
- Resilient Australia Government Award
- Resilient Australia School Award
- Resilient Australia Photography Award - People’s Choice.
The winners of the state and territory award categories will
automatically progress to consideration for the three national award categories: - Resilient Australia National Award
- Resilient Australia National School Award
- Resilient Australia National Photography Award.
More information is available at
Award entries close on
9 June
2016. |
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Water Resources Management Workshops |
The International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management is holding two workshops this May and July in Melbourne and Adelaide respectively on water resources management.
Introducing the Fundamentals of Water Science, Technology and Governance Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Date: Fri 27 May 2016
Presenters: Ben Kele, Arris; Daryl Stevens, ATURA
Location: Adelaide Convention Centre Date: Fri 08 July 2016 Presenters: Neil Palmer, Tonkin Consulting
will chair a
team of Presenters including: Michael Porter, Deakin University; Rhett Butler, Sky Juice; Bruce Naumann, Salisbury Water; Graham Green, DEWNR; Matthew Hardy, BoM
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POSITIONS VACANT
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: Dominique Jovanović, FMA Project Services Officer, wearing her 2016 FMA Conference Cap prototype at a site inspection in Newcastle.
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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.
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