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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
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As I announced at the FMA National Conference in Canberra, our good friends and colleagues at the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) in the USA have joined with FMA in a Memorandum of Understanding to encourage further collaboration and sharing of knowledge. For many years we have benefited greatly from each other and the MOU reinforces our commitment
to continue into the future.
FMA Deputy President Allan Gear and I attended the ASFPM Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio where the MOU was formally signed by each party to the agreement. I wish to thank Doug Plasencia (ASFPM Foundation Executive Director), Chad
Berginnis (ASFPM Executive Director) and Larry Larson (ASFPM Director Emeritus) for making this milestone in our history a reality.
To mark the occasion, we were pleased to offer registration for our next FMA National Conference in Toowoomba as an auction item for the ASFPM Foundation and the reaction was fantastic. As a result, we will be joined by Tara and Bo Coggins from Mississippi in Toowoomba and many other USA colleagues assured me they are now planning to come down under for our Conferences next year and
in Sydney in 2021.
Our international collaboration looks great for the future.
In closing, may I express my sincere appreciation to everyone who attended our National Conference in Canberra this year. The feedback from attendees was excellent and I heard many people say FMA is like a family where we get together each year and enjoy the networking as well as welcoming new people to the fold.
Please remember the dates for our next quarterly workshops in Brisbane and Sydney:
Brisbane 7th August
Sydney 15th August
I look forward to seeing you there.
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Ian Dinham | FMA President
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FMA CONFERENCE PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS FROM CANBERRA WILL BE ACCESSIBLE IN THE MEMBERS' SECTION OF FLOODS.ORG.AU IN THE COMING WEEKS.
WE WILL NOTIFY YOU WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE.
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Image: Flag at half-mast at Parliament House to mark the passing of Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Photo provided by Larry Bolitho (former FMA Deputy President) taken from the roof of Parliament House during Conference Week.
Another FMA Conference has come and gone and to all of those who attended, thank you and we miss you already. The FMA Conference is a melting pot of experts and professionals from the flood realm and it so inspiring to see each of our delegates engaging with new ideas, innovations and connections.
The FMA Conference was held from the 14-17 May at the prestigious Hotel Realm, and provided our attendees with a cosy escape from the chilly Canberra weather. Highlights of the week included the very well received ARR Workshop Course on Monday, in-depth Pre-Conference Workshops on Tuesday, the most entertaining Welcome to Country we’ve had on Wednesday, the FMA AGM on Thursday (have you still got your voting
card?) and a strong reliance on the Cardno Coffee Cart on Friday morning thanks to the Gala Dinner late on the night before.
This year’s Conference provided plenty of opportunities for informal and formal discussions, including the Councillors’ Choice Breakfast Session and the Panel of National Experts.
The Councillors’ Breakfast, aimed at identifying issues of particular interest to Local Government, covered floodplain management definitions and concepts, and discussed a range of topics including utility vulnerability, community education, land use planning and cross boundary issues. President Ian Dinham said Councillors have vital roles in reducing community flood risk, and FMA is keen to increase the
participation of Councillors at FMA Conferences. The Councillors recommendations will be considered at the next FMA Executive Committee Meeting.
The National Panel built on issues raised in the State and Territory Snapshots, focussing specifically on:
- Resilient Communities: Shared responsibilities for reducing flood risk
- Better integration of flood risk with land use planning
- Coordination and collaboration with existing national organisations.
40 minutes of energetic discussion produced a lengthy list of practical recommendations and actions for Making Australia Flood Safe, and guiding FMA’s strategic planning. Thank you to all involved in providing the State and Territory Snapshots, and participating in the Panel of Experts.
The Social Functions of the week were a huge success, with attendees gathering for the Welcome Reception (sponsored by NSW SES), delegates exploring the National Museum of Australia for the Casual Dinner (sponsored by WMAwater), and paying respects to the passing of Bob Hawke during the Gala Dinner at Old Parliament House (sponsored by Royal HaskoningDHV).
As always with our FMA Conferences, the connections our attendees made during the week will forge new friendships and business opportunities for the year to come. We hope that you’ll continue with your FMA involvement over the next twelve months by stopping by our FMA Meetings in Brisbane and Sydney during August, and November.
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HAROLD STERNBECK
MEDAL WINNER
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FMA Communications Director Sue Ribbons is delighted to announce the winner of the 2019 Harold Sternbeck Medal:
The prestigious Harold Sternbeck Medal is awarded at the FMA Annual Conference each year to recognise excellence for the best paper presentation at the conference. Both 10 minute and 25 minute presentations are included. This year there were a total of 87 papers.
The Harold Sternbeck Medal is awarded in recognition of Harold Sternbeck's contribution to the FMA. Harold was a former Chairman of the FMA and the FMA’s first Life Member. He was a fierce negotiator on all things flood related, especially the politics of funding allocations.
Once again, the calibre of paper presentations at the Conference was very high. Many people commented how the standard of presentations continues to improve each year.
The winner of the 2019 Harold Sternbeck Medal is:
Chris Gooch (City of Parramatta Council, NSW) - 'FloodSmart Parramatta: A Total Flash Flood Warning Service'.
With so many great paper presentations, it has been decided to also award two Highly Commended Awards (in alphabetical order by name):
Kara Agllias (Royal HaskoningDHV, NSW) - 'Mainstream Technology Trends - Identifying New Vulnerabilities and Opportunities in Flood Emergency Management'
Philip Conway (IAG Natural Perils) - Regional Sensitivity of Flood Risk to Climate Drivers.
Also for the record the following paper presentations were also ranked very highly (in alphabetical order by name):
Rebecca Lett (Dept of Environment Land Water and Planning, VIC) - 'Estimating Peak Design Flows Under Climate Change Incorporating Increased Rainfall Intensities and Drier Antecedent Conditions'
Shannon McGuire (Ethos Urban) and Carrie Dearnley (BMT, QLD) - 'Risk-based Land Use Planning: Evolving from the Q100 Quagmire'
Monishaa Prasad (Rockhampton Regional Council, QLD) - 'Taking a Cue from Nature: Holistic Floodplain Management in Rockhampton'
Chris Thomas (Advisian, NSW) - 'Shelter in Place - are we in a Policy Vacuum?'
Rhys Thomson (Rhelm, NSW) - 'A Penny for Your Flood – Quantifying the Impact'.
The Harold Sternbeck Medal is not awarded lightly, and in some years has not been awarded at all.
Congratulations again to Chris Gooch! His Medal-winning paper will be made available on the Harold Sternbeck Medal page of floods.org.au in the coming weeks.
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2019 EXCELLENCE AWARDS WINNER
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The Winner of the 2019 FMA-NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year was announced at the FMA National Conference in Canberra this month.
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Pictured: Caroline Ortel (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage), Justin Robinson (Bureau of Meteorology), Alex Clifton (Bureau of Meteorology), Wayne Petite (NSW State Emergency Service), Leon McLeon (Tweed Shire Council), Philip Conway (NRMA Insurance) and Ian Dinham (FMA President).
In a joint effort, the Bureau of Meteorology, Tweed Shire Council, Tumbulgum Community Association, NSW SES and NSW Office of Environment and Heritage were awarded the $10,000 cash prize for their project Development and Implementation of a Flood Warning and Response Service for Tumbulgum.
Tumbulgum, a small community located at the confluence of the Tweed and Rous Rivers, was devastated by flooding that followed ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie, including flooding of 150 homes, 200 homes and the loss of three lives.
The new flood warning service provides the local community with time to employ their evacuation plans before evacuation routes are impassable, which was very rarely possible before.
The Tumbulgum project is a shining example of how different stakeholders can come together with a common goal, and create an outcome that makes communities safer and more resilient.
Pictured: Philip Conway (NRMA Insurance), Brany Iezzi and Ouswatta Perera (Brisbane City Council), Catherine McGrath (MC) and Ian Dinham (FMA President).
Also, a High Commendation was awarded to Brisbane City Council for their Flood Resilient Homes Program which works towards building community resilience to flood, as well as community education and awareness.
The Program assessed vulnerable homes, provided recommendations, provided access to financial support up to $50,000 and created a purpose built Flood Hub to showcase the benefits of enhancing the understanding of property scale resilience.
Congratulations again to our winners!
Each of the nominations received this year was exceptional, and it was inspiring to see how hard our Members are working towards making our communities safer from flood.
If you are working on a project of your own, consider submitting a nomination for the 2020 FMA-NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year when entries open next year and you could be the one holding the giant cheque for $10,000!
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MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH ASFPM
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Pictured: Chad Berginnis (ASFPM Executive Director), Doug Plasencia (ASFPM Foundation President), Ian Dinham (FMA President) and Larry Larson (ASFPM Senior Policy Advisor).
FMA President Ian Dinham has signed an historic agreement with our counterpart in the USA, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).
For many years ASFPM and FMA have participated in each other’s Conferences with speaker opportunities and support, exchanged newsletters and other information, shared ideas on improvements in managing flood risk at national, state and local levels, and promoted the participation of private sector professionals in all these
efforts.
The agreement builds on discussions of a Memorandum of Understanding at the 2018 ASFPM Conference, which was attended by FMA President Ian Dinham and FMA Ambassador Allan Gear.
The MOU promotes partnering between the two organisations, facilitates the sharing of information and encourages participation in each other’s activities, events and conferences. The agreement also allows for an FMA representative to participate on the ASFPM Foundation Board to provide input on key committees, assist in shaping an
international vision, and encourage added international cooperation in managing flood risk.
Mr Dinham and Mr Gear were invited to attend ASFPM Conference in Cleveland this year for the signing of the agreement.
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FMA MEDIA RELEASE: A CHAMPION FOR AUSTRALIAN FRM
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Pictured: Catherine McGrath (MC), Allan Ezzy (FMA Life Member), Peter Garland (City of Sydney) and Ian Dinham (FMA President).
Released 28 May 2019
At Floodplain Management Australia’s (FMA) National Conference in Canberra this May, Peter Garland (City of Sydney) was announced as the winner of the FMA Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year Award.
The coveted award is presented to an individual in the flood risk realm who demonstrates best practice in flood risk management, community engagement, and awareness, and an overall drive to make their community safer from flood.
FMA President Ian Dinham said the award provides an opportunity to publicly showcase and promote the incredible work Australia’s flood risk managers are undertaking.
“With flooding a constant and very real threat for much of Australia, the work of our specialist flood risk managers should be recognised and celebrated,” Mr. Dinham said.
“Peter Garland has worked tirelessly for over 35 years in the flood space in state and local government, and with that comes an irreplaceable bank of knowledge and expertise.
“The City of Sydney has a very high rate of development, often in highly constrained flood prone spaces. As the City of Sydney’s Principal Engineer and highest technical authority for floodplain related matters, Mr Garland is heavily involved in any complex matter relating to stormwater and flooding that the City is required to address."...
To continue reading the release, please visit floods.org.au/site/releases.
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FLOOD WARNING STANDARD FINAL CONSULTATION
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The National Flood Warning Infrastructure Working Group has developed a draft Standard for Flood Warning Infrastructure which is now released for final consultation.
The Standard will improve data accuracy, interoperability and resilience, reduce life cycle costs and provide guidance on fit-for-purpose flood warning infrastructure.
The scope of the Standard includes flood warning infrastructure from field instruments and communications equipment, through to the data ingestion software for receiving, storing and displaying real time flood data.
The Standard applies to new and existing infrastructure required for warning services for riverine and flash flooding.
Consultation on the initial draft Standard was formally launched at the 2018 FMA Conference, and continued until 31 August.
The Standard has been substantially revised in response to feedback, and is now available for a final round of comment.
The revised Standard and the report from previous consultation can be found at the Bureau's Website here.
The consultation period runs until 10 June 2019.
Formal feedback can be provided by emailing the Bureau at [email protected]
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NETHERLANDS CONSULATE RECEPTION
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Pictured (from left): Consul-General Mr Frank van Beuningen, Allan Gear, Mrs Jennie Stoop (Mr van Beuningen's spouse) and Deputy Consul-General Mrs Alida Ritsema
FMA Ambassador, and now Deputy President, Allan Gear was among dignitaries to attend the Netherlands’ Kings Day reception in Sydney last month.
The function celebrated the 52nd birthday of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and was organised by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The annual event brings representatives of Dutch and Australian organisations together to network and expand business cooperation between the Netherlands and Australia. FMA enjoys a very positive relationship with Dutch experts in the flood risk management field, including Dutch presenters who have featured at a number of our Conferences.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS |
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NO CURRENT POSITIONS
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us, please contact us.
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GRADUATE SEEKING UNPAID WORK EXPERIENCE
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FMA has been advised of a water resources engineer with professional working experience in Iran and a Master’s degree focused on hydraulics and hydrology who is looking for an unpaid vocational placement.
The opportunity is provided by Premium Graduate Placements, a registered training organisation specialising in arranging 12 week vocational placements. The work experience placements are unpaid and there are no direct costs associated in hosting the intern.
This person has a Master of Civil - Hydraulics and Hydrology degree from Malaysia, and Bachelor of Irrigation Engineering degree from Iran, both recognised by Engineers Australia.
For further information please contact John Elias Hatem, Associate Placement Consultant: [email protected]
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Pictured: Shannon McGuire (Ethos Urban) and Carrie Dearnley (BMT) with their 2019 FMA Conference Beanies in Canberra this month.
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