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The National Guidelines for the National Flood Risk Information Program (the Guidelines) set out the framework and principles under which Australian jurisdictions will work together to improve flood risk information. They provide a framework to guide organisations in providing information for the National Flood Risk Information Portal.

The Guidelines set out the roles and responsibilities of the local, state and territories and the Australian Government in relation to the Portal and articulate best practice principles and guidelines for a national approach to the creation, collation and dissemination of flood information in Australia. The Guidelines are informed by the results of stakeholder consultations and relevant flood inquiry reports, and draw on—and are complementary to—existing national, state and territory and local government guidelines dealing with flood hazard and risk.

The Guidelines support a more targeted, holistic and enduring response to the collection and usability of flood risk information. The intention is that by aggregating and streamlining information, they will drive best practice planning and positive change in the management of flood risk with the ultimate aim of strengthening community resilience. State, territory and local governments, as the primary owners and users of flood mapping information, have primary responsibility for flood mapping.

Increasingly the public and other stakeholders are using flood information to inform their decision making. As state, territory and local governments apply the guidelines to new flood mapping work, there will be a gradual improvement in the quality, comparability and consistency of flood risk data that is publicly available.

Part 1 of the Guidelines are generic in nature rather than prescriptive, and represent an amalgam of principles and practices concerning our current knowledge and understanding of how best to develop and use flood risk information nationally. These Guidelines will be subject to revision as our understanding of flood risk information issues change, and as relevant technologies develop. Implementation of these Guidelines will enable all levels of government, the corporate and non-government sectors, communities and individuals to more effectively address flood risk issues.

Part 2 of the Guidelines will articulate technical guidance on the use of the Portal and any future agreed national standards for flood information that will be published through the Portal.

National Guidelines for the Flood Risk Information Program

Part 1 of the National Guidelines for the National Flood Risk Information Program were endorsed by Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management (SCPEM) on 29 June, 2012 and are now available. For more information please visit the National Guidelines for the National Flood Risk Information Program.