Improving Australia’s Flood Warning Systems

A 10-year plan is underway to upgrade Australia’s flood warning infrastructure

A 10-year plan is underway to upgrade Australia’s flood warning infrastructure by transferring responsibility for the flood gauge network to the Bureau of Meteorology to better prepare for disasters. 

Currently, the Bureau owns about one-third of the 8,000 gauges it relies on to deliver flood forecasts and warnings across Australia. Under the Federal Government’s $236 million initiative, the Bureau will work alongside state, territory, and local governments, acquiring more than 1,500 additional gauges, approximately 1,000 of which are located in Queensland, the country’s most flood-affected state. 

The Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said: “Flooding is the second most deadly natural hazard after heatwaves for our communities, and one of the costliest when it comes to insured losses. 

“Information is key to our mitigation and preparedness. This work will improve access to rain and river level observations, helping communities and governments to target their preparations for disasters.” 

Progress so far includes: 

• Since March this year, the Bureau has worked with 64 councils in Queensland and identified an initial program of works comprising 594 sites. 

• Work has been completed at the Kamerunga Bridge flood gauge in Cairns, which was damaged by Tropical Cyclone Jasper in 2023. 

• Assets in the Burrum and Cherwell Rivers have been replaced in the Bundaberg region. 

• Sixty-nine sites, including those in the Burdekin River, Logan and Albert Rivers, and Condamine River, will be acquired and remediated by December 2024. 

• By the end of the 2024/25 financial year, 200 flood gauges across Queensland will be acquired and remediated. 

• Works are expected to begin in New South Wales later this year, and consultation with state and local government agencies in the Northern Rivers region is underway. This work builds on the $15 million the Commonwealth is already investing in supporting NSW councils in installing, upgrading, and operating flood warning gauges. 

These critical on-ground works to upgrade Australia’s flood warning infrastructure network will give communities access to the best available information in real time to prepare and protect them from natural disasters and their impacts.