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| Ipswich CBD looking North-West. Riverlink top right. |
THE Queensland Flood Commission delivered hope to flood victims who lost homes and businesses when it yesterday ruled that engineers failed to follow the Wivenhoe Dam operation manual.
Three of the dam's engineers are now set to face a CMC inquiry over their testimony before the inquiry.
Many Ipswich flood victims are expected to join class action lawsuits after the commission's findings. Lawyers are set to argue that the dam was operated negligently and that thousands of homes should have been saved from the January 2011 flood.
The Ipswich City Council said it had been "generally exonerated" of any wrong-doing by the inquiry.
The findings forced Premier Anna Bligh to admit the Queensland Government is now exposed to massive class action lawsuits, with Goodna councillor Paul Tully - who was himself flooded out - calling for flood victims to sign up to a class action.
Cr Tully said the report lays the foundation for a multi-billion dollar claim against Seqwater and the government.
"I am encouraging all flood victims to sign up for a class action to force the government to the negotiating table or face an expensive legal battle in court," he said.
"Whichever government is in power in a week's time could be facing a multi-billion dollar payout to thousands of residents in Brisbane and Ipswich."
Legal firm Maurice Blackburn and its financial backer IMF Australia are holding a meeting in Goodna on Monday night to speak to flood victims wanting to sign up to the class action.
Maurice Blackburn partner Rod Hodgson said: "The findings confirmed what many already suspected - too much water was allowed to accumulate in Wivenhoe, and the strategy for water releases was botched.
"The dam operators did not release enough water early enough and that meant far too much was released later on. The operators failed to take account of rainfall forecasts at key times."
Around 1500 flood victims have signed up to their class action so far.
Ms Bligh and LNP leader Campbell Newman both said they would implement all of the Commission's 177 recommendations.
Ms Bligh acknowledged there could be long and expensive legal disputes ahead for the state government
Seqwater said it did not intend to comment on the report until they have considered the report in detail.
The Maurice Blackburn meeting will be held at the Goodna State School Community Hall at Stanley St starting at 7pm Monday.
Ipswich City Council has been ordered to carry out its own flood study of the Brisbane River catchment as soon as possible.
Online databases of accurate flood information should be available on council websites, allowing the public to conduct searches on parcels of land.
Upgrading the Brisbane River crossings between Wivenhoe Dam and Colleges Crossing should be investigated.
17.3.12
