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| Local Government Minister David Crisafulli |
Relocation plans like Grantham 2011, levee banks around towns, new dams and better bridges are all ‘‘on the table’’ for Queensland’s 2013 flood recovery, the minister in charge said last night.
Townsville’s former deputy mayor and the current Local Government Minister David Crisafulli will this morning be sworn in as Queensland’s ‘‘newest’’ minister.
Mr Crisafulli will assume the extra responsibilities as the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience.
The former journalist and Townsville councillor will oversee the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in his new role.
‘‘Cabinet will certainly discuss the way forward for the flood recovery,’’ Mr Crisafulli said, referring to the meeting to take place this morning.
He welcomed the appointment yesterday by Premier Campbell Newman of experienced army officers Colonel Don Cousins and Brigadier Bill Mellor to get the flood recovery underway.
‘‘They will make sure that things happen on the ground,’’ Mr Crisafulli said.
‘‘They will work through the QRA to make sure that we set ourselves milestones and that we deliver them."
Mr Crisafulli said no-one was underplaying the extent of the repairs, with damage estimates now closing on $26 billion.
Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Gayndah and Bundaberg appear the worst-hit towns.
‘‘It is not a task for the faint-hearted and there will be bumps along the way,’’ he said.
‘‘There will be times when neighbours get a bit cross with neighbours, and times when people get a bit angry with their local councils.
‘‘And even times when they get angry with the state.
‘‘And that is that is completely understandable.
‘‘But I think what they need to see - at the end of all that though - is that we not just rebuild Queensland, but to make it more resilient Queensland.’’
Mr Crisafulli said he wanted to discuss part-relocation plans, similar to the scheme that the Queensland Reconstruction Authority engineered for some residents in Grantham in 2012.
‘‘Everything is on the table,’’ he said.
‘‘There is part-relocations like we saw in Grantham; there has got to be levee banks put on the table; there’s got to be dams put on the table.
‘‘It all must be considered.’’
Mr Crisafulli said his background in local government told him that councils often had the best knowledge of when infrastructure should be upgraded.
He wants to change the current position of replacing ‘‘like for like’’ as bridges were repaired.
‘‘When we are upgrading infrastructure, we must look not just to replace it, but look to improve it so that we are not having to go back and replace the same things year on year," he said.
‘‘Which is what we are seeing at the moment.’’
He described standing on a bridge in Monto this week, only recently rebuilt after being destroyed in the 2011 floods.
‘‘If you ask any council they will tell you that they have always argued wit the state, ‘Why can’t we replace this particular asset that has been destroyed with a better standard to prevent having to come back," Mr Crisafulli said.
‘‘And the argument has always been ‘No, its repairs ‘like for like’.’’
‘‘It might mean that it does cost more the first time, but you might not have to go back, time and time again.’’
www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au
Relocation plans like Grantham 2011, levee banks around towns, new dams and better bridges are all ‘‘on the table’’ for Queensland’s 2013 flood recovery, the minister in charge said last night.
Townsville’s former deputy mayor and the current Local Government Minister David Crisafulli will this morning be sworn in as Queensland’s ‘‘newest’’ minister.
Mr Crisafulli will assume the extra responsibilities as the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience.
The former journalist and Townsville councillor will oversee the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in his new role.
‘‘Cabinet will certainly discuss the way forward for the flood recovery,’’ Mr Crisafulli said, referring to the meeting to take place this morning.
He welcomed the appointment yesterday by Premier Campbell Newman of experienced army officers Colonel Don Cousins and Brigadier Bill Mellor to get the flood recovery underway.
‘‘They will make sure that things happen on the ground,’’ Mr Crisafulli said.
‘‘They will work through the QRA to make sure that we set ourselves milestones and that we deliver them."
Mr Crisafulli said no-one was underplaying the extent of the repairs, with damage estimates now closing on $26 billion.
Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Gayndah and Bundaberg appear the worst-hit towns.
‘‘It is not a task for the faint-hearted and there will be bumps along the way,’’ he said.
‘‘There will be times when neighbours get a bit cross with neighbours, and times when people get a bit angry with their local councils.
‘‘And even times when they get angry with the state.
‘‘And that is that is completely understandable.
‘‘But I think what they need to see - at the end of all that though - is that we not just rebuild Queensland, but to make it more resilient Queensland.’’
Mr Crisafulli said he wanted to discuss part-relocation plans, similar to the scheme that the Queensland Reconstruction Authority engineered for some residents in Grantham in 2012.
‘‘Everything is on the table,’’ he said.
‘‘There is part-relocations like we saw in Grantham; there has got to be levee banks put on the table; there’s got to be dams put on the table.
‘‘It all must be considered.’’
Mr Crisafulli said his background in local government told him that councils often had the best knowledge of when infrastructure should be upgraded.
He wants to change the current position of replacing ‘‘like for like’’ as bridges were repaired.
‘‘When we are upgrading infrastructure, we must look not just to replace it, but look to improve it so that we are not having to go back and replace the same things year on year," he said.
‘‘Which is what we are seeing at the moment.’’
He described standing on a bridge in Monto this week, only recently rebuilt after being destroyed in the 2011 floods.
‘‘If you ask any council they will tell you that they have always argued wit the state, ‘Why can’t we replace this particular asset that has been destroyed with a better standard to prevent having to come back," Mr Crisafulli said.
‘‘And the argument has always been ‘No, its repairs ‘like for like’.’’
‘‘It might mean that it does cost more the first time, but you might not have to go back, time and time again.’’
www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au
4.2.13
