Tonga’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is learning from the Queensland experience of flooding, water management, and land use planning to avoid hazards and to control where people live.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Lord Tu‘i‘afitu and Deputy CEO MLNR, Viliami Folau, met experts at the Queensland Department of Resources (QDOR) in Brisbane on December 9 2022, at the conclusion of a visit to Australia.

In Tonga, “There is a need for a robust land use plan and and policies to control where people live, and to allocate land use to the hazards,” the Ministry stated.

The importance of having a drinking water regulation was highlighted, they said, as hazards in Tonga continue to contaminate rain water sources. Additionally, clearing of vegetation due to subdividing of tax allotments to town allotments needs to be controlled.

The Minister said Queensland had strengthened building guidelines and also put in place their buy back scheme, where government bought back those properties in flood prone areas.

The Queensland department shared experiences in areas of water management and flooding, Vegetation Management Framework, Queensland Globe, and the Surveyors Act and Regulation and its management.

The significance of having flood data and information, spatial data and the accessing of satellite information to support decision makers, was discussed.

Mapping authority

Steve Jacoby, Executive Director, Spatial Information, QDOR said of their roles as the mapping authority for Queensland, and showcased the Queensland Globe which provides an online interactive experience to view Queensland’s location-based information, this includes title information.

As the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is completing its draft Surveyors Act, Ken Sherwood, the Director of Surveying, discussed the Queensland’s Surveyors Act and Surveying Regulation and also Surveying and Mapping Infrastructures Act.

At the conclusion, the Minister sought assistance from QDOR to provide professional development and capacity building for the staff of the ministry. This will be mainly in providing staff placement for Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources staff in Queensland.

Tanya Bartlett, Executive Director, Lands and Surveying Services believed there is an opportunity to provide assistance to the ministry.

The Ministry's Deputy CEO, Viliami Folau met with Associate Professor Zahra Gharineiat from the University of Southern Queensland surveying program, where they discussed opportunities and pathways for surveyors and staff from the ministry in Tonga to access their program.

Australian scholarships

Earlier on 5 December, the Minister also met with Mr Gerald Thomason, First Assistant Secretary, Polynesia, Micronesia and Development, at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.

Australia and Tonga have a close bilateral relationship supported by the Australian aid program, Defence Cooperation Program, and the Tonga Police Development Program.

The Minister conveyed his gratitude and appreciation on behalf of the Government of Tonga and the people to the Australian government for all the financial support and humanitarian aid after the January 15 Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunamis.

He also raised the issue that the ministry is facing in Tonga where, most of the senior, qualified and experienced staff have either retired or were approaching retirement but their replacements had not yet been trained to fill those positions.

The Minister asked DFAT for ways they might provide scholarships, specifically in the areas of land management and surveying, to fill the gaps left by the retirees.

Other visits included Geoscience Australia and the University of Southern Queensland.