The Federal Government this morning launched the National Flood Risk Information Portal online.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says easy access to flood risk information “will give communities and planners a better understanding of their exposure to floods, as well as assist insurers in developing fair and reasonable policies”.

Geoscience Australia will host the portal, which will be developed over four years and be updated every November before the summer flood season.

The first phase will include an updated Australian Flood Studies Database with an improved search function.

Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says the portal will provide a single access point for all available flood maps and studies.

He says Geoscience Australia and Engineers Australia are also revising the Australian Rainfall and Runoff guide to improve the consistency and quality of flood studies.

Last year’s disaster inquiries heard flood information is often fragmented, of varying quality and hard to access.