Last month, DCE’s Katharine (Katie) Prout and Tracey Pham attended the Floodplain Management Australia (FMA) Conference 2026 on the Gold Coast, joining industry professionals from across Australia and New Zealand to discuss the latest developments in floodplain and water management.
The conference provided a valuable opportunity for learning, collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector, with presentations covering flood risk management, climate resilience, community engagement and infrastructure planning.
A particular highlight was Katie presenting two poster papers during the conference:
- Wind Farm Constraints – Brolga Breeding Wetlands, Waterways and Floodplains
- Mothers in Engineering – Stories and Statistics
The team also attended a range of insightful presentations and technical sessions, including keynote speaker Jason Needham’s reflections on the Oroville Dam incident and the lessons learned from evacuation warning delays, and Sharyn Westlake’s presentation on flood mitigation works along New Zealand’s Hutt River.
Other highlights included discussions around risk-based and risk-informed flood management approaches, site visits to Bond University Weir and Biggera Creek Dam, and celebrating the Northern Rivers Prepare Together, Stronger Than Ever project receiving Floodplain Project of the Year for its outstanding community engagement outcomes.
It was great to see our team contributing to important industry conversations while continuing to learn from others delivering impactful projects across the floodplain management sector.
We thank Floodplain Management Australia for hosting another valuable conference and look forward to applying these insights to future projects.
