Risk-based decision making through collaboration

I'm proud to be presenting at FMA 2026 this year. The topic is one I feel strongly about and have focused a lot of my energy on in recent years: Risk-based decision making through collaboration — Lessons from Melbourne's stormwater and flood management sector.

Here's the honest starting point. Melbourne is under unprecedented housing delivery pressure. Our drainage is ageing, our climate is shifting, and ARR2019 has raised the bar on what good assessment looks like. Into that reality, we are still applying prescriptive, one-size-fits-all standards — fixed freeboards, blanket "no worsening," standard OSD, as if every site carried the same risk.

It isn't working. Same rules, different councils, different reviewers, different outcomes. Adversarial interactions where consultants try to "get the numbers to pass" and authorities try to "check the box." Late-stage redesigns. Stifled innovation. We can do better.

The alternative isn't lower standards. Risk-based decision making is a higher bar. It asks "what is the actual risk, and is it acceptable?" rather than "does this meet the rule?" It demands better data, better engineering judgement, and real collaboration between consultants, authorities, councils, and industry.

The encouraging part is that we already have working examples in Melbourne — including the Melbourne Water Afflux Practice Note and the Victorian Urban Drainage Manual update. Each one shows that when the sector builds the reform together, it sticks. It's a fundamental cultural shift.

I'll be unpacking all of this at FMA 2026: the prescriptive trap, the five components of a risk-based framework, and what I've learned from leading and contributing to these cross-sector efforts.

Wednesday 22 April, 2:30 pm, Room 5 & 6. If you're heading to the conference, please come and say hello. If you're not, I'll share the key takeaways here afterwards.