• Email to friend
• Print friendly

Subscribe

The currently agreed future work program includes:

1. The preparation of guidelines of national best practice in floodplain risk management. The new manual will supersede the earlier SCARM¹ and Emergency Management Australia² (EMA) manuals. The manual is designed to provide an understanding of the flood risk management process in Australia and will complement the revision of Australian Rainfall and Runoff and state-based floodplain management manuals.

2. Work with the Australian Government as sponsored through Geoscience Australia on the update and enhancement of the Australian Flood Studies Database. Following completion of a web-based data entry and maintenance tool developed by Geoscience Australia, state/territory governments have assumed the responsibility for updating flood studies in their jurisdiction.

3. Prepare a paper for consideration by the National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) on the maintenance of stream gauges used for flood warnings and on issues related to the maintenance of levees.

4. Organise a National flood workshop in conjunction with the Australian Council of State Emergency Services (ACSES) for May/June 2012.

5. Continue liaison with the Australian Building Codes Board on the development of a standard and guideline for the construction of buildings in flood prone areas.

6. Contribute to the work of NEMC working groups as required. Contribute specialist inputs on flood risk to the work of the Community Engagement Working Group, especially on public education and warning.

7. Work with ACSES on initiatives to improve flood intelligence systems nationally.

8. Continue working with the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) on refining the National Flood Information Database (NFID) and the effectiveness of national residential flood insurance.

9. Continue liaison with Engineers Australia on the revision of Australian Rainfall and Runoff, in particular to provide specialist input and review as well as assisting with future funding issues.

10. Provide support for the proposed formation of a broad based national organisation of floodplain management authorities and practitioners.

11. Support initiatives to improve the availability of professional education in floodplain management.

12. Continue to provide the only national forum that facilitates collaboration among jurisdictions and other key stakeholders engaged in implementing and further advancing best practice flood risk management in Australia.

13. Strengthen relationships with the Department of Climate Change in order to be in a position to contribute effectively to dealing with the flood related effects of climate change.

References:
1. SCARM (2000) Floodplain Management in Australia. Best Practice Principles and Guidelines (2000) Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Resource Management, Report No 73, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria.
2. EMA (1999) Managing the Floodplain, Australian Emergency Management Series, Part III, Emergency Management Practice, Volume 3 – Guidelines, Emergency Management Australia.