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NEXT FMA MEETING FMA May Quarterly Meeting and Annual General Meeting, Thursday 18 May 2017 at the FMA National Conference in Newcastle. |
Message from FMA President |
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Pictured: Tropical Cyclone Debbie - BoM
As this Flyer is being prepared Tropical Cyclone Debbie has wrought destruction across a large area of North Queensland, and has developed into a weather system expected to dump huge amounts of rain over
South East Queensland and North East New South Wales. With rainfall so intense and widespread, flooding is inevitable.
Our thoughts go out to those who are suffering, and who will face the hardship of cleaning up and repairing their homes and businesses. The heroic efforts of our emergency service personnel are applauded as they carry out their often-dangerous work of rescue and helping communities cope with the aftermath.
It is weather events
like this, which have regularly occurred in the past, that should remind us all of the need to be prepared for the worst that nature delivers. Natural disasters are costing Australia over $560 million a year on average, and flooding is the most costly, yet manageable, natural hazard.
Experience has shown that much can be done to reduce the risks from flooding through sensible land use planning, using appropriate building design and investing in flood mitigation
infrastructure.
Many of FMA’s Members are well prepared for this event, while others have plans to better protect their communities but progress has been stymied by inadequate financial assistance. FMA will continue to work with governments to enable the personal and economic costs of future floods to be reduced.
In the meantime FMA would appreciate hearing from Members in affected areas if there is anything we can do to support
you. |
Press Release: Councils Count Flood Costs |
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Local Councils are counting the cost of damage from persistent wet weather and flooding over much of Australia and many will struggle to finance the necessary flood repair and recovery actions.
Floodplain Management Australia (FMA) President Ian Dinham said FMA has major concerns about the excessive
red tape and delays for Councils seeking government assistance from the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Assistance (NDRRA) program.
“The damage to property and infrastructure is running to tens of millions of dollars, and recovery for flood affected communities will take years.”
“After floods and storms the community expects its local Council to manage the clean-up and repair swiftly. Over recent years an increasing number of essential
post-flood activities carried out by Councils have become ineligible for government assistance, and the approvals process is unnecessarily delaying recovery actions” Mr Dinham said.
“While the financial pressures on the Commonwealth Government from repeated natural disaster claims are understood, the present list of ineligible activities severely impacts on a Council’s ability to act responsibly in the flood recovery phase - being swift, pragmatic and
compassionate.”
“We applaud Federal Minister Keenan’s efforts following the Productivity Commission Report on Natural Disaster Funding Arrangements to redirect funding to mitigation so that savings in future flood damage can be made. That is the long term goal that FMA shares. In the meantime, local Councils are the lowest level of Government and the least able to afford to maintain their assets, let alone fix them after natural
disasters.”
Natural disasters are costing Australia over $560 million a year, and flooding is the most costly, yet manageable, natural hazard.
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FMA Excellence Awards Close 7 April |
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Submissions for our 2017 FMA Excellence Awards will be closing in a week!
Have you, or your organisation, been working on a flood risk management project that benefits you local community? Does that project embrace wise and sustainable land use planning? Reduce flood impacts?
Manage flood events? Help communities restore their lives after the event has passed?
What is your story?
Your work informs other FMA Members, and encourages that network of flood professionals to continue their tireless work in helping make our communities safer. The
Awards are open to all FMA Members, in all categories, and the winner will be announced at the National Conference in Newcastle in May.
For more information on the Awards, and to download nomination forms, please visit floods.org.au/site/ea. |
FMA National Conference Update - Keynote |
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The next FMA National Conference will be held in the coastal city of Newcastle, New South Wales in just six weeks. The focus of this Conference is Preparing for the Next Great Flood which looks at applying lessons from past floods, to help our communities avoid future disasters.
One keynote speaker for the Conference is
Associate Professor Jacky Croke, from The University of Queensland's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Assoc. Professor Croke will be speaking to 'What did we learn from the Lockyer Valley 2011 Flood? Lessons and opportunities from the Big Flood Project', and as a sneak peak, FMA Flyer subscribers can read her presentation abstract below:
"Six years ago on the
11th of January 2011 an unprecedented catastrophic flood event unfolded in the Lockyer Valley in south east Queensland, one of Australia’s fastest growing regions in terms of population and infrastructure expansion.
Rapid flood waters spilled out across the floodplains and moved downstream and throughout the Brisbane River catchment inundating the capital’s CBD and inner suburbs.
The 2011 flood was reported in the media as ‘biblical’ and extreme in its magnitude and is estimated to have cost the Australian economy ~ $6B.
This presentation reviews several key lessons and some exciting opportunities emerging from an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project entitled ‘The Big Flood: will it happen again?’ ( www.thebigflood.com.au) which involved collaboration between Universities and state industry partners.
The presentation focusses on three key themes (i) The role of Geomorphology in Flood Risk Management (ii)
Extending the flood record through palaeoflood reconstruction and (iii) reducing uncertainty in flood frequency analysis- the exciting future of flood risk management in Australia."
Assoc. Professor Croke's presentation ties in perfectly to the Conference theme, and is sure to be an incredibly informative keynote.
For those readers who have yet to register, do so now to avoid missing out. For all the information
visit floodplainconference.com.
Also, remember if you are an FMA Member you may be entitled to substantial discounts on registration costs. If you are unsure of your Membership status, or would like to join FMA, please contact us. |
FMA President Presents at Country Mayors Association Meeting |
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Pictured: FMA President Ian Dinham at the Country Mayor's Association meeting at Parliament House in Sydney.
FMA President, Ian Dinham, was invited to give a presentation to the recent Country Mayors Association meeting at Parliament House
in Sydney which was attended by over 60 Mayors and General Managers from around NSW.
Mr Dinham provided an update on the forthcoming review of the NSW Floodplain Management Program and the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA).
“There were a number of Councils affected by flooding in 2016 and the meeting was helpful in briefing the Mayors and General Managers on the current issues with NDRRA” said Mr
Dinham.
“FMA is thankful to Federal Minister Keenan for his recent response to FMA and we now seek to follow up with state agencies to better understand why there are some inconsistencies from state to state in the application of NDRRA”
Minister Keenan is preparing to undertake a review of NDRRA and has advised “The proposed new arrangements will provide a greater level of flexibility for state and local governments to spend recovery funding in a
manner most suitable to local needs. This will include removing restrictions around day labour and plant and equipment, and providing greater flexibility for damaged assets to be rebuilt to a more resilient standard.”
Mr Dinham said “FMA has written to Minister Keenan seeking to meet and provide some objective feedback from our members so that any changes between the States and the Commonwealth take into account the needs of local Councils faced with the consequences of
a natural disaster”.
Mr Dinham also spoke of the Productivity Commission Report from 2014 which advocated more investment in mitigation measures to reduce the ongoing cost of flood damage.
“NDRRA processes need to provide a way for local Councils to achieve “betterment” and mitigation measures so that the same damage does not continue to occur over again.
“Flood damage is costing Australia $560m on average every year so
if we are ever going to reduce this waste of money, we need to be more proactive in betterment of infrastructure to withstand floods.”
Country Mayors and their colleagues meet quarterly in Sydney and, in addition to FMA, this recent meeting included presentations from the Hon Melinda Pavey MP, Minister for Roads, and Maritime and Freight, Mr Gary White, Chief Planner, Department of Planning and the Hon Gabrielle Upton MP, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Local
Government, and Minister for Heritage. |
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FMA Land Use Planning Director Paul Grech has lodged two submissions with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment this month: - Submission on Draft District Plans and Towards Our Greater Sydney 2056
- Submission on Environmental Planning and Assessment Act Reform
2017
Is there an enquiry that we should contribute to? Contact us and let us know. |
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We would like to welcome some new Professional Members to Floodplain Management Australia this month.
While we will not publicly list the names of our new Members for privacy reasons, FMA would like to thank you for making our Membership even stronger.
Our Executive Committee looks forward to catching up with you in person at our
upcoming Conference in May.
If you know of anyone who could benefit from joining our national network of flood risk professionals, please direct them to floods.org.au/site/membership. |
Harold Sternbeck Medal - Will you be this year's winner? |
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Will you presenting a paper at our National Conference in May? Would you like to win the most coveted award at the Conference?
Harold Sternbeck was a member of the FMA Executive from 1972 to 2009. During his time on the Executive Committee, Harold held the positions of Chairman, and Deputy Chairman, and led many deputations to lobby various Federal and State Government
ministers for better floodplain management funding.
In 2000, in recognition of Harold's extensive service to FMA, and his prowess as a persuasive public speaker, FMA established the Harold Sternbeck Medal to be presented at the FMA Conference, held annually.
This Medal is awarded for the best paper presented which demonstrated excellence of the highest order. It is not awarded lightly, and in some cases, no winner has been
announced that year.
Past winners and their presentations include:
2016 - Allan Gear: Of Doubts and Flooded Drains 2015 - David Webber and Elspeth Rae: Reliance Towards Resilience - Involving community in the planning process 2014 - Dr. Hamid Mirfenderesk: Flood
Mitigation Works and Planning Levels - A Policy Rethink? The Gold Coast Experience 2013 - Drew Bewsher: Hawkesbury's Flood Risk Management Plan - 15 years in the making 2012 - Greg Rogencamp: The Lockyer Creek Flood of January 2011 - What happened and how should we manage large floods?
The Medal will again be returning for our 2017 National
Conference, so get your presentations ready! And don't forget that the deadline for full paper submission is Friday 7 April.
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RiverSymposium - Call for Abstracts Now Open |
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The International RiverSymposium is calling for abstracts for their 20th symposium, to be held in Brisbane on 18-20 September 2017.
The International RiverSymposium provides a platform for river managers, policy developers, scientists, consultants, NGOs and community organisations to share knowledge and innovative
ideas on all aspects of river and water management.
You can submit an abstract on a broad range of topics covering: - Environmental flows
- Cultural flows
- Integrated river basin management
- Sustainable development goals
- Community engagement and
leadership
- Biodiversity conservation
- Water security, climate change, and natural disasters
- Inclusiveness and ethics
- Policy, governance and leadership
- Technology and innovation
- Public health and
wellbeing
Abstracts close on Thursday 13 April 2017.
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National Centre for Emergency Management Studies Upcoming Courses |
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The National Centre for Emergency Management Studies has announced its upcoming courses for 2017.
Online Units Introduction to Emergency Management - Enrol date 24 April or 28 August Business Continuity Planning - Enrol date 3 April or 4 September Planning for
Emergencies - Enrol date 17 July or 6 November Political Acumen for Emergency Management - Enrol date 17 July Community Safety Messaging - Enrol date 21 August
Blended Units with 3 Day Workshops Evaluation for Emergency Management - Enrol date 1 May (VIC) or 29 May (ACT) Emergency Risk Management - Enrol date 8 May Coordinate Resources for
Emergencies - Enrol date May/June Community Engagement for Emergencies - Enrol date 10 July * Exercise Management for Emergencies (Agencies/Organisations on Request) * Communities and Disaster Recovery (Agencies/Organisations on Request)
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POSITIONS VACANT
As a service to
our Members we welcome information on career opportunities in the area of floodplain management.
No Current Vacancies.
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us,
contact us. |
GRADUATES SEEKING EMPLOYMENT The FMA is occasionally contacted by young professionals 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 Executive Officer Glenn Evans and FMA Accountant Annette Evans at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
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Thanks for reading, and see you next month! P.S. HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR OUR 2017 CONFERENCE YET?
GO ON...YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!
If you found this Flyer interesting please forward it to a colleague, and suggest they sign up at floods.org.au to receive it directly in future. |
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