Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors

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About the Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors  

Queensland is the most disaster impacted state in Australia, with flooding causing the most damage. As Queensland’s population grows, and the impacts of global warming result in an increased frequency of large-scale, destructive floods, more needs to be done to ensure our communities are prepared for and resilient to flooding events.

The Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors project has been undertaken by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) to provide an overview of Queensland's current strengths, needs, gaps and challenges in delivering contemporary flood risk management. This is the first ever comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risk management processes, based on analysis of key flood risk factors, across every Local Government Area in Queensland, using data current as of December 2022. It has been undertaken in consultation with councils, industry and other state agencies, and will lead to stronger flood risk management capability across Queensland.

The Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors is an action under the Queensland Flood Risk Management Framework (2021) (QFRMF) which describes the agreed process for flood risk management in Queensland, clarifies roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders, and articulates the outcomes being sought through its implementation. Under the QFRMF, QRA is responsible for identifying priority catchments, and coordinating funding streams. The outcomes will be used to guide investment needs across the state to support implementation of the QFRMF, to ensure our communities are aware, prepared and resilient to flooding.

The Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors Technical Report

The Technical Report for the Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors details the project background, purpose, project principles, terminology, analysis, trends, references, and frequently asked questions.

Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors Technical Report (May 2023)
(QRA Reference: CM DOC/22/75095. Last updated May 2023) 11 MB

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The SAFRF consistently assesses the relative need of all 78 councils across Queensland for 12 Flood Risk Factors as outlined in the table below. 

The SAFRF outlines the following overall statewide trends:

  • Queensland's largest Flood Risk Management (FRM) need is for further contemporary flood studies and flood risk management strategies, and future investment where:
    • 60% of  councils have a high flood risk demonstrated through historical events
    • 56% of councils have a potential high need for additional capacity support.
  • Queensland's current river and rainfall gauge coverage is strong:
    • 82% of councils have a low need for further rain gauges
    • 77% of councils have a low need for river gauges.
  • Queensland's potential isolation risk from roads in the floodplain shows 37% of councils assessed as having a high need.
  • Queensland's potential future flood risk, either from high population growth or future residential release areas within 1% AEP extent, shows 37% of councils assessed as high or moderate.

Table: Flood Risk Factors by LGA totals for High/Moderate/Low relative needs 

Flood Risk Factor

HIGH
relative needs
(Number of councils)

MODERATE
relative needs
(Number of councils)

LOW
relative needs
(Number of councils)

Definition

LiDAR coverage need

17

30

31
Relative need for LiDAR to define the topography and support undertaking contemporary flood studies, based on the extent, quality and age of existing LiDAR

Contemporary flood studies need

68

0

10
Relative need for further flood studies to define the flood behaviour, based on the existing coverage of Level 3 flood studies in that area

Current exposure to flooding

18

6

54
 Shows the relative number of people living in the 1% AEP* extent

Potential future exposure to flooding

5

24

49
Shows the relative potential for increases in people living in the 1% AEP extent* considering population growth and future zoned residential land only

Historical flooding and DRFA activations

47

21

10
Shows the relative number of historical floods or DRFA activations due to flooding

Council and state roads in the 1% AEP* extent 

29

24

25
Shows the relative percentage of roads and length of council and state roads located within the 1% AEP* extent

Community vulnerability
to flooding

27

19

32
Relative vulnerability of communities based on socio-economic factors (obtained from Census) which increase a communities susceptibility to negative impacts of flooding

Flood risk management process maturity need 

57

15

6
Shows the relative need to support councils through the flood risk management process, as described in the QFRMF, based on the type of studies available

Flood warning system
needs - rain gauges

7

7

64
Need for rainfall gauges to support flood warning systems

Flood warning system
needs - river gauges

8

10

60
Need for river gauges to support flood warning systems

Community awareness and education need

22

16

40
Shows the relative need for further community awareness and education activities, based on the results of Get Ready research and ABS statistics

Council capacity need

44

19

15
Shows the relative need to provide addition support to council based on rates base and number of in-house council staff
*1% AEP extent or Queensland Flood Assessment Overlay extent where not available

Interactive map: Results of the Statewide Assessment of Flood Risk Factors by state and LGA

The interactive map can be filtered by Flood Risk Factor and can show results by both state and individual LGA.

View the full page interactive SAFRF map 

SAFRF assessment methodology and data

The SAFRF Technical Report assessment methodology and data are outlined in the SAFRF Technical Report which can be made available on request.

More information

QRA Flood Risk Management team
Email: floodteam@qra.qld.gov.au