As Members would be aware the NSW Department of Planning Infrastructure and Environment has been working to update the 2007 Flood Planning Guideline which no longer aligns with the NSW Government’s approach to flood risk management.

The Department has provided a comprehensive review leading to the recent release of its updated Flood Prone Land Package for public comment. This package provides advice to Councils on considering flooding in land use planning and consists of:

• a proposed amendment to schedule 4, section 7A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000
• a revised planning circular
• a revised local planning direction regarding flooding issued under section 9.1 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
• revised Local Environmental Plan flood clauses
• a new guideline: Considering Flooding in Land Use Planning (2020).

The Department’s website states “Significant flood events, like those in Brisbane in 2011 and those more recently in NSW show the importance of managing flood risk up to and beyond the 1 in 100 chance per year flood and considering flood risks up to the probable maximum flood level. This will build resilience in communities located on floodplains and reduce the extent of property damage and potential loss of life from severe to extreme flooding throughout NSW.”

The exhibition package can be accessed at  www.planning.nsw.gov.au/flooding. The package is on exhibition until 25 June 2020 and submissions can be made during that period. An FMA submission will be prepared over the next few weeks and if Members have specific comments that they wish to pass on for consideration please forward those to Glenn Evans: [email protected].  

The Department will also be hosting a series of Webinars on the package including one set up specifically for FMA Members on 28 May. We encourage all Members register to attend.

We are delighted to announce that the Young Floodplain Managers’ Charter has been endorsed by the FMA Executive Committee, and YFM is now a Subcommittee of FMA.

Thank you to YFM Committee Members Catherine Walker, Duncan Howley, Prawi Woods, Joshua Eggleton, Elise Armstrong, Mikayla Ward and Isabelle Testoni, as well as FMA Land Use Planning Director Paul Grech and Project and Services Manager Dominique Jovanovic for your efforts in bringing this about.

Paul Grech said “The YFM have already proven themselves to be a valuable part of FMA by organising networking events and the visit to the UNSW Water Research Laboratory in February. I am very proud to be have been part of the establishment of the YFM and look forward to working with them through the FMA Executive Committee”.

The YFM Charter is at the YFM page of floods.org.au: floods.org.au/yfm

The April NSW Flood Warning Consultative Committee meeting heard that the Winter outlook is favouring wetter conditions for much of Australia.

Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Agata Imielska advised that there is some early indication of negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) values developing during Winter, and some models are suggesting that La Nina thresholds may be met in late Winter. These indicators generally mean wetter conditions for much of Australia, except for the North East Tropics, Eastern seaboard and parts of Tasmania.

The take home message is if these conditions do develop there will be a significant shift from conditions over the last few years, so keep an eye out for the Winter weather.

Well known communicator on disaster management and principal of Molino Stewart Neil Dufty, has published a new online book Disaster Education, Communication and Engagement.

This detailed guide to the design and evaluation of effective disaster learning programs is available from Wiley Online Library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781119569817.

Carrie Dearnley (BMT) and Shannon Haines (Ethos Urban) will be holding an online training course via Zoom “Planning for Flood Risk Management”  on 19th May.

The one-day programme, run through the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) will cover:

• What is 'risk' and what are the factors that contribute to flood risk;
• Fundamentals of flood modelling, recent advances, types of information provided by flood models and how these 'tools' inform flood risk
• Risk response 'toolkit' to flood risk management including the role of land use planning in holistic floodplain management;
• Statutory drivers and best practice standards for responding to flood risk, including how the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry has changed current approaches to how we plan for and determine land use planning responses to flood risk;
• Risk based land use planning - what does it look like, how is it different to current approaches and what are the benefits for strategic planning;
• Moving beyond mapping one single event: why understanding flood behaviour across multiple events is important for land use planning;
• Development of risk-based flood mapping, including consideration of risk factors such as community isolation, flash flooding etc';
• Clear guidance on matching land use with flood risk profile to be 'risk appropriate'; and
• Practical tips on implementing a risk-based approach.

Details are provided at the PIA website:

https://www.planning.org.au/events/event/2020qldplanet-planning-for-flood-risk-management