The National Forum on Coastal Hazards, to be held at Fremantle from 20 to 22 May 2020, will be one of the most important events ever presented by the Australian Coastal Councils Association.

The Forum will replace the annual Australian Coastal Councils Conference for 2020 only. The event is supported by the City of Fremantle and the Perth Convention Bureau.

The decision to replace the annual conference with the Forum was made by the ACCA Committee in response to a number of recent developments in relation to coastal erosion. These include:

  • The increasing impact of coastal erosion along the Australian coastline in recent times.
  • Mounting concern by state governments and coastal councils about how to best respond to coastal hazards.
  • The financial effect of coastal hazards on coastal councils and their communities.

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Call for papers

The Forum is being planned to feed into the process announced at the Meeting of Federal and State Environment Ministers in Adelaide on 8 November 2019. The statement issued after the meeting included the following reference to the issue:

Coastal Erosion

Coastal erosion and inundation was acknowledged as a risk that requires a collaborative approach from all levels of government. Ministers agreed to establish an intergovernmental working group to collate existing information on coastal erosion and inundation hazard risk management, and propose a collaborative approach to coastal erosion for consideration through a future meeting of environment ministers.

The event will provide an opportunity for coastal councils and other stakeholders, including government agencies, to share knowledge and experience concerning this critical issue and make input in developing effective responses.

There will be innovative and informative speakers on issues of critical importance to coastal managers. Plus, there will be good networking opportunities at an iconic coastal location that itself has experienced severe coastal erosion. There will also be an opportunity to make input into important new coastal policy initiatives.

Topics will include:

  • Coastal Hazards Policy Forum
  • Options for responding to coastal erosion
  • Case studies from around Australia
  • A new beach erosion early warning system
  • Development of an improved coastal governance model
  • Nature-based coastal defence in Australia

For more information and forum inquiries call Tel: 03 9399 8558 Mob: 0418 254 132 or email info@coastalcouncils.org.au