Queensland Chapter Meeting and Workshop

Around 40 FMA Members and visitors participated in a very busy Queensland Chapter Meeting in Brisbane on 16 November. President Ian Dinham said that it is pleasing to see the increasing number of organisations represented, and the range of issues being discussed.

“The more people and organisations that attend the more information and experience are shared. At this meeting we heard from Local Government Members, Queensland Government agencies, the Bureau of Meteorology, The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and businesses and consultants providing specialist flood services. It’s great to have all this expertise together in one room” Mr Dinham said.

An issue of continuing concern to Members was the apparent tightening of eligibility for Natural Disaster Recovery and Relief funding for Councils undertaking post flood cleanup and repairs. FMA has raised this matter in a letter to Federal Minister for Justice the Hon Michael Keenan, and will continue to work with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and LGAQ to bring about a more reasonable outcome for Local Government.

The afternoon Workshop presented by Architect James Davidson provided some different perspectives and innovative design solutions for residences for flood prone areas. These designs feature flood resistant building materials, relocatable furniture and elevated living areas, but at the same time positively contribute to the existing urban environment.

Information on Mr Davidson’s flood resilient designs is at: http://www.jamesdavidsonarchitect.com.au/

Save the date for the next Queensland Chapter meeting: Wednesday 15 February.