Ipswich flood alert system in for upgrade

Brisbane River flood at Goodna in
January 2011 with the Ipswich
Motorway in the centre of the
picture partly submerged .

 FLOOD alerts will be boosted in high-risk areas to heighten warnings in the wake of hard-learnt lessons from the January 2011 floods.

Ipswich City Council is about to undertake a project to upgrade its flood and rainfall monitoring system across the city.

Councillor Cheryl Bromage said a number of rainfall-only alert stations as well as stream and rainfall alert stations would be installed.

The new locations include Ripley, Six Mile Creek, Goodna Creek, upstream of Grandchester, Rosewood, Redbank Plains, Thagoona and Washpool," Cr Bromage said.

"Installing these stream/rainfall alert stations will enhance council's flood warning systems and provide council with more information to draw upon during flooding situations."

Cr Bromage said council would now call for tenders for the project to complement the council's network of stream and rainfall alert stations throughout the Ipswich region.

"Council's regional alert station network links into the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) flood telemetry system, which the BoM use to provide flood and weather warnings to the general public and other councils," she said.

"This is another example of council improving its flood preparedness in light of the extreme weather events of recent years."

Information from these alert stations could also provide data for incorporation in future Australian Rainfall and Run off publications.

"The data produced will also help us to better plan for the future by providing average rainfall figures and stream heights over a wider area," Cr Bromage said.

"Historical knowledge and observations from previous large rainfall/flooding events in the region and future development areas will provide a better basis for long-term planning."

As part of their ongoing partnership, the council will engage the Ipswich Rivers Improvement Trust (IRIT) to project manage the installation of the new stream and rainfall alert stations.

www.QT.com.au

15.8.12

Brisbane River Flood cheats should be 'ashamed', says magistrate

 



Alice St Goodna between Church St
and Bertha St as the floodwaters
recede  in January 2011



An Ipswich man who made a fake claim to gain $11,000 in emergency relief grants by lying about the flood damage done to property in his house has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

There are currently reportedly more than 1000 cases of flood grant fraud before the courts, including Tuafoa Ete who lied in a statutory declaration and listed items lost at his Goodna home in January last year.

He was handed $11,000 but police investigated and discovered many of the items hadn't been destroyed at his home west of Brisbane.

Magistrate Michael Quinn told Ete he hoped he was "thoroughly ashamed" of himself, telling the defendant "you took advantage of money that was there for people who lost".

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

13.8.12

More blabber from FABAH as the end draws nigh

Goodna resident Reg O'Dea addresses a class action
flood group meeting at Goodna on 16 March 2012
convened by local Councillor Paul Tully

Flood victims are warned to think carefully before being caught up with doomsday sayers who are endlessly claiming there may be a "better" flood class action deal around the corner from the pending Maurice Blackburn class action.

Every Friday, some enterprising chap from FABAH (Flood Affected Businesses and Housholders) in downtown Brisbane files an online report citing the supposed perils of signing up now for the Maurice Blackburn class action.

Whether this dire warning is based on premonition, superstition, supposition or some other God-given talent, recipients are regaled with fabulous ideas of cheap legal actions from other firms who are yet to materialise with any clear indication how they would fund their engineering and hydrological flood studies let alone any possible subsequent legal action.

FABAH is good on yabber and blabber but the people of Goodna and Ipswich are advised to take little notice of this malcontent group - or is it actually a one-man band - with Decision Day ("D-Day") soon approaching for people to sign up to the Maurice Blackburn class action.

Thought for the Day: "A ton of FABAH blabber is worth an ounce of Maurice Blackburn advice."

Like Goodna like Bundaberg: RACQ Insurance still ripping off consumers

WHAT THE: Bill and Trish Applebee are appalled
at the increase in their house and contents insurance.

Insurance up by 689%

A BUNDABERG couple are flabbergasted their annual house and contents insurance has soared by more than $5000 since their last bill.

Trish and Bill Applebee thought it must be a mistake that last year's $895 bill had become $5921.20 this year.

"I was expecting a hike on the new bill, but nothing like this," Mrs Applebee said.

"I went to the Bundaberg RACQ office to check, they looked our policy and said it was correct."

Mr Applebee said he later went into the office to see if they could opt out of the new flood part of the policy.

"The girl looked up our address on Google maps and said as we are in a flood-prone area and we had no choice but to pay the $5000 extra a year or have no house insurance for fire, theft etc," Mr Applebee said.

"The thing that upset me was the girl saying it was an 'executive decision' made by the board," Mrs Applebee said.

The couple, who are both police officers, said their home in North Bundaberg was not flooded during the 2010-2011 floods and they have not made any claims.

"Our slab was about 1.6m above the flood line," Mr Applebee said.

RACQ Insurance communications executive manager Mike Sopinski said the company operated a "highly sophisticated pricing engine" which prices risk at an individual property address level.

"We look at the individual property, not zones or postcodes in relation to flood. Those properties identified as at high flood risk will experience premium increases," Mr Sopinski said.

Bundaberg Regional Council's general manager of infrastructure, Andrew Fulton, said potential home buyers could come to the council's planning counter to get a flood management map showing which areas in Bundaberg were expected to be covered in water in the next flood event.

"The biggest floods in the region happened in 1875, 1890, 1893, 1942 and 2011," Mr Fulton said.

"The biggest floods were in the 1800s, but 1942 was one metre higher than 2011."

Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten said the Federal Government had funded a flood portal that would aggregate all flood risk information and make it more accessible to home buyers.

"This will become a national library of flood risk information that will better inform consumers about their level of flood risk.

Geosciences Australia says the first phase of the flood portal is expected to launch later this year.

www.theSatellite.com.au

10.8.12

Government scandal: Seqwater's $170,000 flood review a waste of money

A US Army review of Seqwater's official account of the 2011 flood is a waste of taxpayers' money, according to a leading hydrologist.

Dam expert Max Winders said the move, announced this week by Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle, was a "Clayton's review - the review you have when you're not having a review''.

It would "tick off the Seqwater report and give it an aura of respectability'' rather than subject it to a proper audit, Mr Winders said.

During hearings in February the lawyer assisting the flood inquiry called Seqwater's account a "fiction'' concocted by the flood engineers.

Mr Winders said the review's narrow terms of reference and focus on dam safety meant it would fail to examine the most important issue: whether the state's dams were used most effectively for flood mitigation.

"We deserve a better review than this,'' he said.

"These guys shouldn't be here to look at dam safety.

"They should be here to look at flood mitigation.''

Mr McArdle defended the exercise, saying it was a recommendation of the Flood Inquiry and that the people conducting it, from the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, would have a "fairly wide ambit''.

They would be able to ask questions of Government employees, but any answers would have to be in writing, "to avoid any suggestion of anything not being kosher''.

"It may open a whole new stream of inquiry,'' Mr McArdle said. But Premier Campbell Newman had already ruled out any further royal commission.

The report of the $170,000 review, expected in three or four weeks, is confined to the "objective data'' in the Seqwater report.

It is not allowed to examine the conduct of the flood engineers, three of whom were referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

The CMC said yesterday that it was "close to finalising'' its review of inquiry.

www.CourierMail.com.au

11.8.12

Brisbane River 2011 flood clean-up kept city healthy

Professor Lidia Morawska says the possible
health risks receding floodwaters from
the January 2011 floods were reduced
thanks to clean-up efforts.

The “mud army” which helped clean up Brisbane following last year’s devastating floods helped locals breath more easily than other cities affected by similar natural disasters.

An air quality study has found the rapid response of volunteers who helped clean up thousands of tonnes of mud, broken furniture and garbage had minimised residents’ exposure to public health risks.

Researchers from QUT’s International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health measured fine dust particles, mould and bacteria in 40 flood-affected homes over two rounds of testing last year.

Lead investigator Professor Lidia Morawska said health issues such as respiratory problems were associated with receded floodwaters.

However, the Keperra local said possible health risks from the January 2011 floods were reduced thanks to the efforts of Brisbane’s residents and volunteers.

“Because of the speed of cleaning and drying after the floods, the level of mould and dust was relatively low, much lower than in places such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina,” she said.

“Intense cleaning and drying of people’s belongings and homes was the key.”

The test results showed only slightly higher concentrations of dust particles and mould in flooded homes, compared to homes that weren’t flood affected.

The findings from the study, believed to be an Australian first, were presented at the tenth International Healthy Buildings Conference in Brisbane last month.

www.TheWesterner.com.au

9.8.12

Goodna Bowls to get new clubhouse



Goodna Bowls Club Chair and founding member Stan Briscoe
is excited about their soon to be built club house.


CHRISTMAS promises to be extra special this year for members of the Goodna Bowls Club.

More than 18 months after floodwater destroyed the 25-year-old community club, construction work has begun on a new clubhouse.

Like many other Ipswich sporting and community groups, members of the Goodna club have been making do with temporary facilities while patiently waiting for a more permanent replacement of their clubhouse.

With only demountable buildings to call home since the greens reopened in March last year, the club has lost all of its 200 social members and some of its 100 full members.

Despite the obvious challenges, many club members stayed involved and are now looking forward to a long-awaited celebration at Christmas.

Stan Briscoe, the club chairman, and founding member, said that after more than a year in a tin shed, the opening of the new clubhouse could not come soon enough.

"We're the last of the Mohicans," Mr Briscoe said.

"The football club has been up and running for a while, the RSL next door has been going for a year and the main club is now also open. It's been a frustrating time for all of us."

The loss of members and income would have crippled most groups but the committee of the bowls club decided early on that the flood would not beat them.

"It was pretty devastating when we saw the damage," club secretary Cathie Wilmington said.

"Everything was destroyed.

"We said at the time we would operate out of the shed if we had to and we did for a while."

While there is no firm completion date for the building, Mr Briscoe said they hoped to be in by Christmas.

The original clubhouse was built in 1987 from two donated former school classrooms.

The new building will include function facilities, bars and a gaming room that will help resurrect the club's finances.

"It's going to be fantastic," Mr Briscoe said. "The council has been fantastic. They have given us a lot of input into the design so we will have everything we had before and more."

The $2.4 million clubhouse has been funded by the State and Federal governments through the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the Ipswich City Council.

www.QT.com.au

Brisbane River Flood: US experts called in for dam review

US experts will review Seqwater's Wivenhoe Dam operating manual, which came under extreme scrutiny at the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry.

The review of the operating manual and the dam operator's Flood Event Report will be jointly conducted by the United States Bureau of Reclamation and the United State Army Corps of Engineers, in line with recommendations made by the inquiry into last year's Queensland floods.

Water Minister Mark McArdle said it was best "fresh expert eyes" reviewed Seqwater's flood mitigation manual, which was called into contention at the inquiry.

And flood victims are considering a class action against the state government.

"While the government's preference was to use Australian dam and flood mitigation experts, this appointment gives Queensland residents, especially flood victims, absolute independence in this important review," Mr McArdle said.

Wivenhoe Dam's role in Brisbane's January floods came under scrutiny at the commission of inquiry, with critics arguing more water should have been released sooner.

In July last year, the commission issued a report from independent hydrological expert Mark Babister who concluded Wivenhoe engineers achieved close to the best possible mitigation during the January floods.

This was despite 59 per cent of floodwaters in southeast Queensland coming from dam releases.

But in the inquiry's interim report last August, Justice Catherine Holmes found dam engineers were not properly trained in the most serious water-release emergency level W4 under the operations manual.

The commission also found Seqwater made a “technical” breach of the legal dam manual that guided water releases because one of the flood engineers was not registered with the Board of Professional Engineers Queensland during the last wet season.

A hydrology report, commissioned by the Insurance Council of Australia, ruled the Brisbane flood to be a "dam release flood".

It named the release of water from Wivenhoe Dam as being the “principal immediate cause” of the riverine flood, as rain ceased about 6pm on January 11, more than 24 hours before the Brisbane River peaked overnight on January 12-13.

In its long-awaited final report, the commission of inquiry found non-compliance with the manual under which Wivenhoe Dam was supposed to be operated ahead of the January 2011 flood that swamped Brisbane and Ipswich.

The United States Bureau of Reclamation is the largest wholesaler of water in the USA - operating 457 dams including the Hoover Dam - while the United States Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates more than 600 dams.

Their final report is due to be completed by September 24.

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

3.8.12



Council to implement flood plan recommendations

MAYOR Paul Antonio says Toowoomba Regional Council does not intend on ignoring the flood inquiry's recommendations even if they are not made into law.

Local Government Association of Queensland senior executive Greg Hoffman told a conference in Ipswich that the State Government was reluctant to use the recommendations as the basis for new laws.

The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry cost taxpayers $15 million and made 177 recommendations, more than 50 of which related directly to councils.

Cr Antonio said the council had already started work on implementing those that related to it.

The commission suggested Toowoomba Regional Council amend its Cooby Dam emergency plan and conduct a failure impact assessment on East Creek's detention basins.

"We are working our hardest to implement the recommendations out of the flood inquiry to ensure this region is prepared if another event like last year's floods hits," he said.

Cr Antonio said the council was investigating the 50-plus recommendations that related to local governments across Queensland to see which were relevant to the region.

www.thechronicle.com.au

3.8.12

2011 Brisbane River Flood: Call for ideas on flood electrical infrastructure

Media Release

 

Minister for Energy and Water Supply

The Honourable Mark McArdle

Call for ideas on flood electrical infrastructure

The Newman Government is seeking feedback to improve the resilience of electrical infrastructure in buildings located in flood-prone areas.

Minister for Energy and Water Supply Mark McArdle today released a discussion paper seeking industry comment on a Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry recommendation to consider introducing a legislative requirement that electrical substations in buildings be located at or above the defined flood level.

Mr McArdle said while electricity distributors recommend electrical equipment be installed above the defined flood level, there was currently no legislative support for it.

"The location of a substation in a high rise building is at the discretion of the building owner, and for commercial reasons, this is often in the basement," he said.

"During the 2011 floods, electrical substations located in the basements of several high rise buildings in the Brisbane CBD were inundated.

"It meant many businesses were evacuated causing major expense and disruption for building owners and tenants, including the Stamford Plaza Hotel, which was closed for weeks.

"We hope to prevent this and reduce the financial impact on businesses in any future floods."

The discussion paper also seeks feedback on a second Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry recommendation to consider introducing a mandatory requirement to seal electricity supply conduits below the defined flood level to prevent floodwaters from flowing through them and flooding basements.

Written submissions on the discussion paper 'More resilient electrical infrastructure in high rise buildings', available at www.dews.qld.gov.au., ends at the close of business Friday 31 August 2012.

Submissions can be posted or emailed to:

Mrs Virginia Hunter:

'More resilient electrical infrastructure in high rise buildings'

Department of Energy and Water Supply

PO Box 15456

City East QLD 4002

2.8.12

COMMENT:  This is an excellent opportunity by Minister McArdle for the public to have input into this key issue. As long as development rights continue for single residential property owners without higher costs, this initiative is appropriate for all future major developments in flood areas. - PaulGTully@gmail.com

Queensland Flood Inquiry is a legal washout

QUEENSLAND councils can legally ignore flood inquiry recommendations, leaving a question mark over the effectiveness of the $15 million probe designed to help disaster-proof the state.

A Local Government Association of Queensland conference in Ipswich was told the Newman Government might not even use the recommendations as a springboard for new laws.

"The new State Government's philosophical position is to deregulate rather than regulate," LGAQ senior executive Greg Hoffman said.

Mr Hoffman said if policies stemming from the recommendations became enshrined in law, councils would have to assess their legal positions.

"But I don't think we need to get the cold shakes yet," he said.

The $15 million inquiry's 177 recommendations, more than 50 of which relate directly to councils, were specifically designed to ensure Queensland was better equipped to handle a repeat of the 2010-11 disaster.

Mr Newman has already pledged his Government would "fully implement everything which it is responsible for and work in cooperation with local councils to deliver improved flood outcomes across the state".

The conference was also told the state should never again become complacent about the dangers of floods and cyclones.

Association president Paul Bell said the state had never experienced disasters of the extent and cost of the floods that struck in the early days of 2011.

Mr Bell said if there were a repeat of such disasters the public would be asking questions about whether lessons had been learnt from 2011.

Lawyer Terry Law, who represented the LGAQ during the flood inquiry, said that the recommendations were still "soft recommendations" that did not carry any real danger of litigation.

The recommendations were designed so councils could work with state agencies to formulate regulations which were effective.

Only when the state began "enshrining them in statute" would councils be forced to assess their legal obligations, he said.

www.CourierMail.com.au

2.8.12

Seqwater remains in denial over 2011 Brisbane River flood

Engineers Australia -
Think they are smarter
than a Supreme Court Judge

Seqwater remains in a state of metamorphosis and self-induced denial over the causes of the massive Brisbane River flood of 11 January 2011.

Despite the specific finding of the Floods Commission of Inquiry that the Wivenhoe Dam was operated contrary to the official Dam Operating Manual from 8:00am on Saturday 8 January 2011 and despite the key finding that Brisbane River flood levels would have been lower had it been differently managed, Seqwater has never issued an apology or shown even a skerrick of humility or understanding to the people of Ipswich and Brisbane.

Behind the scenes manoeuverings have ensured the Old Boys' Club of Engineers Australia would come out in favour of the dam engineers, patting them on the back for a job well done - gleefully and unprofessionally ignoring the detailed and specific findings of the Floods Commission.

When interstate engineers put their credibility ahead of that of a Supreme Court Judge, there is cause for genuine concern by all decent, fair-minded Queenslanders.

Hopefully, a class action in the Queensland Supreme Court will right the wrongs of January 2011 and belatedly Seqwater and Engineers Australia might then offer a grovelling apology to the thousands of flood victims in southeast Queensland whom they have treated with total disdain for the past 18 months.

27.7.12

High dam levels no concern to Queensland government

Wivenhoe Dam

The state government has no plans to drop the levels of southeast Queensland dams, despite the dams reaching 100 per cent of their storage capacity last week, because a drier summer is predicted.

According to SEQWater, Wivenhoe Dam can store 1.15 million megalitres of drinking water, but can also store an additional 1.45 million megalitres as its flood storage area.

This is equivalent to about 2.5 times the volume of Sydney Harbour.

A recommendation of the Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry in March was that dam levels be dropped to 75 per cent if a severe wet season was predicted.

However, Water Supply Minister Mark McArdle said it would be wrong to lower the dam levels when the Bureau of Meteorology predicted a drier than average wet season this year.

“Releasing 25 per cent of Wivenhoe Dam's water supply now would be like dumping three years of Brisbane's current water supply when the weather bureau is forecasting drought conditions to return,” he said.

“At the moment, the forecast is not for heavy rain and Wivenhoe Dam's flood compartment remains empty, with space to hold 1.45 million megalitres – up to two times the size of Sydney Harbour.”

Mr McArdle said the Bureau of Meteorology was predicting the El Nino conditions, with its associated increased probability of drier weather, to return later in 2012.

Forecaster David Jones, from the BOM's National Climate Centre in Melbourne, said the current outlook was for lower than average rainfall for most of eastern Australia.

"At the moment we have near El Nino conditions in the Pacific Ocean and it is really moving, if not all of Australia then most, towards probably lower than average rainfall," he said.

"The outlook for the remainder of the year is very different conditions to what has dominated the last two years and more likely than not to be below average, rather than the excessive rainfall totals that we have had over the last two years with the La Ninas."

Dam levels in Greater Brisbane

• Wivenhoe Dam currently sits at 100% capacity, up 4.1% from last week

• North Pine Dam currently sits at 100% capacity, up 0.4% from last week

• Somerset Dam is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week

• Leslie Harrison currently sits at 99.8% capacity, up 1.1% from last week

• Lake Kurwongbah currently sits at 100% capacity, no change from last week


Dam levels on the Gold Coast

• Hinze Dam currently sits at 95.4% capacity, up 0.8% from last week

• Little Nerang Dam currently sits at 100%, no change from last week


Dam levels on the Sunshine Coast

• Lake Baroon currently sits at 100%, no change from last week

• Ewen Maddock Dam sits at 100%, no change from last week

• Cooloolabin Dam currently sits at 100%,no change from last week

• Lake MacDonald is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week

• Wappa Dam is currently at 100% capacity, no change from last week


www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

24.7.12

Suncorp shock: Insurer dumps aggregate reinsurance to bet on large-scale disasters

Large-scale disasters, such as the January floods and Cyclone Yasi in 2011, have prompted Suncorp to rethink its reinsurance.

IF disaster strikes during the year, insurer Suncorp may hope it descends in several large events, rather than a string of smaller calamities.

Suncorp would be better protected by its new reinsurance program in a large-events scenario, analysts say.

Suncorp last week unveiled new reinsurance, which caps payouts in a disaster.

It has dumped aggregate reinsurance. Aggregate reinsurance had capped Suncorp's exposure at $10 million for a series of small disasters, once events accumulated to a certain level.

Instead, Suncorp bought reinsurance for large-scale catastrophes.

Their bill for a first disaster is capped at $250 million, dropping to $200 million for a second, and $50 million for third and fourth events.

JP Morgan analysts said the new reinsurance, including other changes, offered both better and worse scenarios, compared to the old program.

"(It) provides better protection where losses are more concentrated in large events as opposed to several small events, when the aggregate would have kicked in," they said.

Citigroup said the downside "to not purchasing (aggregate cover) is if Suncorp experiences a high frequency of events just below $50 million".

Deutsche Bank said the new reinsurance was more cost-effective than aggregate cover.

A tie-up with Berkshire Hathaway to underwrite 30 per cent of Suncorp's market in Queensland would reduce risk but gnaw 1 per cent of profits, the analysts said.

Citigroup analysts predicted reinsurers lifted prices by 11 per cent.

Suncorp paid $806 million last year for reinsurance; but the overall size of the package will be different this year because of the partnership deal with Berkshire Hathaway.

Suncorp yesterday released a report, saying the perception insurers were reluctant to pay claims hampered efforts to convince businesses to get insurance.

The disasters also underscored industry challenges such as a chronic shortage of insurance assessors, the report said.

"A core team of experts needs to be available at all times. However, the ability to "bolt on" further personnel on a needs basis as a disaster escalates is vital," it said.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/

24.7.12

Commonwealth Bank acts disgracefully over Brisbane flood victims

                CB    =    Commonwealth Bank

                CB    =    Complete Bastards

 

A BRISBANE couple hit hard by last year's record flood now face losing their home to the bank.

Michael and Rachel Quilty have been given seven days to vacate their home at Annerley, in Brisbane's south, or pay almost $600,000 after the Commonwealth Bank took them to court over alleged arrears.

The Quiltys, who did not defend themselves in court following legal advice, say the bank has made an error because their records show they have paid all arrears and have been meeting mortgage repayments.

"We're absolutely devastated," Mrs Quilty told AAP.

"I have gone through the bank statements and we were not a day late in fulfilling the agreement.

"I think the bank has made an error."

They have lodged a complaint with the financial services ombudsman.

A Commonwealth Bank spokeswoman told AAP the Quiltys did not "strictly" meet the terms of their agreed payment plan.

"We do however acknowledge the customers are genuine in their attempts to meet this agreement and we are working with them to provide additional assistance to rectify the situation," she said.

Mrs Quilty says they received a letter from the bank on Friday saying they had seven days to either vacate or pay the bank almost $600,000.

"Any failure to comply with the demands will mean our client will be left with no choice but to take possession of the security property," the letter said.

Ms Quilty says the bank only contacted them after the media made inquiries on Monday.

She says they fell four months behind in repayments last year after her husband's floor covering business lost its biggest client, whose Rocklea warehouse went under in the Brisbane flood.

Six months after the flood, the couple received a default notice from the Commonwealth Bank.

Mrs Quilty says her husband found work and by the end of 2011, they had paid all arrears by the agreed deadline and have since kept up with repayments.

"I'm shocked. I honestly don't know what's going to happen," she said.

"I don't know where we'll go. We don't have family here but we do have friends.

"But it's not just our home we'd lose, it's also our workplace. We run our businesses from home.

"This could bankrupt us."

http://www.couriermail.com.au/

24.7.12

Decision looms on class action for Brisbane and Ipswich flood victims

Seqwater operations manager Robert Drury at Wivenhoe Dam,
possibly contemplating Australia's largest class action against
his organisation.

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers and litigation funder IMF (Australia) are due to make an announcement in coming weeks whether or not to proceed with an historic class action on behalf of flood victims who suffered losses in the Brisbane River flood which devastated parts of Brisbane and Ipswich from 11-14 January 2011.

They are waiting final engineering and hydrology reports from world-class experts to establish the level of mismanagement of Wivenhoe Dam from 8:00 am on Saturday 8 January 2011.

The Floods Commission has found Wivenhoe Dam was not managed in accordance with the official operating manual from that time and if it had been differently managed, downstream flooding would have been reduced.

Residents are being urged by Maurice Blackburn and IMF to sign up for the proposed class action - which will be instituted on a "no win, no fee" basis - as time is running out to elect to be a party to the proposed legal action.

Meanwhile, residents of Brisbane and Ipswich are warned about malcontents stirring up flood victims and creating doubts in the minds of people about the Maurice Blackburn / IMF legal action.

Ipswich councillor Paul Tully - who lost his family home at Goodna in the 2011 flood - has called on doomsday sayers to "butt out" of the debate and work positively with flood victims for a fair and just result in any action against the state government.

"Flood victims need to stick together and fight for their rights rather than being bombarded by unreliable, negative assertions by individuals whose knowledge of class actions and the law of negligence would fit on the back of a postage stamp," Cr Tully said.

23.7.12

Queensland punished by Feds for lack of protection over natural disasters

Gailes Caravan Park January 2011 - Queensland to
miss out on federal funding because of
poorly insured disasters like this.

QUEENSLAND is facing a cut to its GST share as punishment for not having a comprehensive insurance policy to protect vital infrastructure from natural disasters.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon confirmed yesterday the 2012-13 GST distribution would take into consideration the states' natural disaster insurance premium payments over the past four years, as she released the government's response to a Senate committee report.

www.TheAustralian.com.au

20.7.12

NBN closer for Goodna flood victims

LIGHTNING-FAST INTERNET FOR GOODNA



NBN maps of the service links for Goodna.


GOODNA residents can expect to be connected to the National Broadband Network by March next year.

Work has begun on connecting 8400 homes and businesses to the NBN already, with work to begin on another 8300 homes over the next 12 months.

Residents of Goodna, Collingwood Park, Redbank Plains and Augustine Heights passed through the Goodna Neighbourhood House to hear the latest updates on Saturday.

They heard once the NBN was up and running, downloading speeds would increase to 100MB a second, meaning it would take just minutes to download your favourite movies.

Cr Paul Tully said with connection to lightning-speed internet now on the horizon, interest in the community was starting to gain momentum.

"I've had queries on my Facebook page. People were asking me if they were in or out. There was pretty strong interest in the area now that it is getting closer," he said.

According to the map on the NBN website, a signal is available on Cunningham Rise in Goodna and Brentwood Rise in Augustine Heights.

But an NBN spokesman was unavailable for comment yesterday to confirm the signal was operational.

Cr Tully said Saturday's information session gave residents a feeling the long wait would soon be over.

"There's an air of excitement that at last we are going into the 21st century in what is the most ambitious project taken on by any country," Cr Tully said.

"The people who were there were pretty positive and on board about it.

"The flood victims who were there were pretty happy that they are going to be one of the first in the country to use it."

NBN Co manager Darren Rudd said residents received specific information about broadband in their area.

"We have found there's a real appetite for information about the NBN. People have lots of questions about the technology and how it will be used to improve the way they live and work," Mr Rudd said.

Go to nbnco.com.au for more information.



NBN DETAILS

• Total cost of the NBN project is estimated to be $27.5 billion.
• The NBN rollout will come to an end in 2020.
• Goodna will among the first suburbs to access the high speed network.

QT.com.au

17.7.12

Suncorp's disgusting tactics bring more heartbreak for flood victims

As if flood victims have not been hurt enough after the 2011 flood which devastated Ipswich and Brisbane.

Now, Suncorp has issued a disgraceful media release suggesting property owners may be under-insured.

Of course they are Suncorp - mainly because you have increased premiums, in some cases by over 1000%, which has made insurance totally unaffordable for many property owners.

Bloody disgusting!

23.7.12

Final flood damage to be repaired at Goodna

Brisbane River Goodna, looking upstream towards Redbank,
 showing the damage from the 2011 flood at Richardson Park

The section of Richardson Park Goodna, directly behind the Goodna Rugby League Club, will be upgraded shortly.

Fencing and concrete pathways were destroyed in the Brisbane River flood of 11 January 2011.

Ipswich City Council has called tenders for the final restoration work.

22.7.12

Call for Wivenhoe Dam releases as wet season approaches in 19 weeks

Cr Paul Tully

Southeast Queensland could face another major flood tragedy unless there are significant water releases from Wivenhoe and Somerset dams, according to Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully.

Wivenhoe Dam has reached 99.4 percent capacity in the wake of the 2011 flood with Somerset Dam 100 percent full.

In November 2011, the state government lowered the level of Wivenhoe Dam to 75 percent to reduce the likelihood another devastating Brisbane River flood.

Cr Tully, himself a flood victim, said Seqwater appeared to have learnt nothing from the 2011 flood.

"We have had a wet autumn and winter and there are only 19 weeks to summer but the dam is being held at levels reminiscent of the the weeks leading up to last year's flood.

"Wivenhoe Dam engineers admitted to the Floods Inquiry they paid no regard to weather forecasts in managing the dam and let nature take its course.

Cr Tully said the state government had a duty to the people of Brisbane and Ipswich to reduce the level of Wivenhoe Dam to 75 percent in the lead up to this year's summer.

"It is incomprehensible they have buried their heads in the water and crossed their fingers hoping for a dry summer.

"Wivenhoe Dam should be properly used for flood mitigation with dam levels lowered each summer.

"Residents are fearful of another Brisbane River flood and feel the bureaucrats have abandoned them in their quest to maximise dam levels."

Cr Tully said the state government should look at building another dam in southeast Queensland to enable Wivenhoe Dam to be used principally for flood mitigation.

"Joh Bjelke-Petersen promised Wivenhoe Dam would prevent major Brisbane River floods.

"Seqwater is playing with people's lives and again mismanaging the operation of Wivenhoe Dam," Cr Tully said.

PaulGTully@gmail.com

Goodna flood victims fear Wivenhoe Dam levels too high as Queensland Government keeps level near 100%

Some Ipswich residents want the
floodgates at Wivenhoe Dam to be opened.

Ipswich residents whose homes were destroyed during last year's flood are keeping a close eye on Wivenhoe Dam as it nears 100 per cent supply level.

As of Monday, the dam was 97.6 per cent full. Minister for Energy and Water Supply Mark McArdle received a brief on the dam situation on Friday, and has decided at this stage no flood releases will be required.

Bundamba resident Dianne Dimitrov led the protest against the former State Government which resulted in Wivenhoe being reduced to 75 per cent ahead of last year's predicted wet season.

``Surely after what has gone on, they have learnt a lesson from that, and I really want to have faith and believe they would never let it happen again,'' she said.

``I can understand what a drought is all about for the people who weren't flooded. I can't be a selfish person, thinking `I was flooded so drop the dam'. You have to look at it overall. I think while it's sitting around 100per cent

I'm not prepared to jump up and down yet.''

Ms Dimitrov said there were ``a lot of watchful eyes on Wivenhoe'' with many people regularly driving out to check the dam levels.

In a statement, the Department of Energy and Water Supply said the current long range outlook from the weather bureau did not indicate a need to make pre-releases to draw the dam down for the coming wet season.

An El Nino, associated with an increased likelihood of drier than average conditions is forecast for 2012-13.

www.CourierMail.com.au

COMMENT: Is the Minister being advised by the same flood engineers in charge of Wivenhoe Dam - three of whom are now under investigation by the CMC - whom the Floods Commission found had operated the dam contrary to the official operating manual from 8am on Saturday 8 January 2011 - three days before the flood hit Ipswich and Brisbane?  If so, all residents in flood affected areas of Brisbane and Ipswich have cause for serious alarm.

19.7.12

'Propaganda' on LNP summit hit list for party gabfest

LNP president Bruce McIver believes children are being “brainwashed” in the way climate science is taught in schools.

A push to ban “environmental propaganda” from schools and teach “normal science” about climate change is among motions set to be discussed at the Liberal National Party convention beginning today.

LNP members will consider 101 motions, including proposals to remove union entry rights under workplace health and safety laws, ensure insurance companies cover all types of flood damage, and introduce four-year fixed terms to Queensland Parliament.

A motion by the LNP Women in Callide Valley, meanwhile, calls for companies providing flood insurance to cover any flood damage no matter how it is caused, in the wake of concerns raised during the 2010-11 Queensland floods.

www.BrisbaneTimes.com.au

13.7.12

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says Brisbane River flood wasn't big enough

Tony Abbott destroys
flood victims' hopes

THE Federal Government has attacked Opposition Leader Tony Abbott over his comments on Sunday that the 2011 Queensland floods were not big enough to justify the $1.8 billion flood levy.

A year and half after the Queensland summer of natural disasters, Mr Abbott was asked on ABC television why he did not support the flood levy.

He said while the floods were a big disaster, they weren't so big that the nation needed a new tax to pay for the recovery.

During the public debate about the government levy, Mr Abbott repeatedly offered to help the government find extra savings in that year's budget.

But Labor MP Shayne Neumann went on the attack about the comments on Tuesday.

Mr Blair, who on Tuesday played host to Prime Minister Julia Gillard in his marginal seat of Blair, said Mr Abbott was insensitive to downplay the effects of the flood, and requested an apology.

"I think most Australians were prepared to pay the flood levy and help out their mates in a time of a great need," Mr Neumann said.

"I'm not surprised Tony Abbott's destructive negativity has sunken to yet another low."

Mr Abbott's office did not issue and apology, but emphasised the Coalition position against such taxes.

www.TheSatellite.com.au

12.7.12

Lockyer Valley Mayor Steve Jones blasts government over "bureaucratic beast"

The mayor of Lockyer Valley Steve Jones, has called for a
reduction of bureaucracy within the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.


THE mayor of the area worst hit by the 2011 summer of disaster says he wants a "clean out" of the organisation set up to oversee the state's recovery effort, saying it has become a "savage bureaucratic beast".

Lockyer Valley Mayor Steve Jones said his council was $11 million out of pocket and struggling to deal with the bureaucracy of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority, which had been created by the former government.

"The bureaucracy has now become a quite savage beast chasing its own tail," Cr Jones said. "The previous Labor government used the QRA as some sort of a powerful device that was political.

"The (QRA) needs to get back to simplicity and use the dollars the way they need to be used."

However many other councils are largely satisfied with the pace of implementation of the Flood inquiry's 177 recommendations, 123 of which relate directly to councils.

Mayors including Maranoa's Robert Loughnan, whose shire includes Roma, said the QRA had been extremely helpful in both the recovery effort and planning for future floods.

"We have found them good in following up on things we need and giving advice on mitigation strategies," he said.

But local governments across the state were concerned the most important issue the Flood Inquiry examined - more integrated planning - was still being addressed.

Cr Loughnan said there were serious gaps in flood preparation that still needed to be addressed.

"We have areas such as between Mitchell and St George which are completely without mobile phone coverage," he said.

"When the floods come the first thing that goes are the landlines, so it's a real concern."

Cr Jones said his council was frustrated with the bureaucratic requirements of the QRA.

"You go round and round the merry-go-round. There's trips to Brisbane, reports," he said.

"Sometimes these things become so complicated, with so much work involved, it's simply not worth claiming because it is costing you more to claim than what you'll get out of it."

The QRA is answerable to the Australian Government Reconstruction Inspectorate, which audits all its expenditure.

Premier Campbell Newman said the QRA would eventually be wound up ash the legislation establishing it would expire on February 22, 2013.

But he said it had an important job to do.

"I am sure every Queenslander would expect that the QRA rigorously assessed all submissions for reconstruction funding to ensure the money was going to where it was most needed," Mr Newman said.

www.CourierMail.com.au

12.7.12

CUA customers will be happy with 2011 flood response

Nobody wants to deal with problems that occurred before their tenure at a new job. But that was exactly what Credit Union Australia (CUA) CIO David Gee was faced with, after taking on the role nine months ago.

In January 2011, Brisbane suffered one of the worst floods in the city's history. Water levels peaked at 4.5 metres, turning dry land into a muddy quagmire. As the waters seeped into the CBD, residents and businesses were evacuated. Credit Union Australia (CUA) was among businesses with headquarters in the area.

In the aftermath of the natural disaster, CUA's hands were full, dealing with damage to its offices and branches. On top of that, it had to cope with repairing its IT systems.

The bank's on-premise was affected by the floods, and it was forced to shut down its Internet banking services for 16 hours.

Despite CUA issuing an apology to customers, assuring them their personal data remained secure, it was called out by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) over the nationwide online banking outage.

While Gee assumed his role after the Brisbane flood debacle, he was thrust into the spotlight in his second week on the job when APRA paid a visit to CUA's headquarters.

"APRA hadn't been here for a long time, but it was very concerned about where CUA was at, from a business resilience standpoint," Gee told ZDNet Australia.

The banking and credit union regulator wanted to ensure that CUA was taking the correct measures to avoid a repeat of the January 2011 outage.

"The incident was obviously taken very seriously, because nobody wants banks to be out and people become concerned about security and so forth," Gee said.

APRA raised a long list of concerns and the CUA took steps to address them, one by one.

"We actually just finished all that work now," Gee said.

CUA effectively rebuilt its IT infrastructure from the ground up, albeit in a different location — away from the flood plains. It also put in place new IBM mainframes and laid out a new networking infrastructure. In addition to that, a new firewall and storage network was put in place.

"So we moved the datacentre to a new location that has better resilience, air-conditioning and everything else," Gee said. "We put in new gear and upgraded everything to make those changes happen."

The upgrades also helped support the bank's IT transformation, announced in March 2011, which involved replacing its core banking system with an off-the-shelf product called BaNCS. The project, for which CUA teamed up with Tata Consultancy Services, will be completed next year.

During CUA's IT upgrade, inevitably, there will be outages, but the bank will be very cautious in maintaining uptime for customers, Gee said.

"Our IT department has grown, which is counter to other financial institutions," he said. "We are actually trying to build new capabilities and capacities, as well."
NFC is where it's at

CUA has also recently released its first mobile banking app for Apple and Google phones. While it is a late-comer in mobile banking, and the app only features simple functionalities (only balance checking and money transfer capabilities), Gee said that his priority was to make it clean and easy to use for customers.

The new app is compatible with CUA's old IT system. Since its soft launch on Thursday, it has racked up several thousand downloads. Gee said that he would look at options for adding features to the app, once the transformation had been completed, but added that no decisions had been made on which features the bank would implement.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) recently launched its Kaching app for Google Android phones, featuring peer-to-peer money transfers through email or Facebook. It also announced that it will be releasing a dedicated Facebook application, which will facilitate payment transactions on the social media website.

While CUA hasn't ruled out following in CBA's footsteps, Gee was more interested in exploring banking options offered by near-field communication (NFC).

CBA's Kaching currently does not support NFC, unless users have an iPhone equipped with an iCase.

"I'm a big believer in the phone being a wallet, and that will happen with NFC," Gee said. "Some of those other technologies in between are kind of transitionary towards what people are going to get."

Gee is looking forward to banking via NFC, and is keen to move CUA in that direction.

"[NFC] is where we need to be playing in," he said. "All the other things in between have the cool factor, but I'm not sure if they are significant, in terms of servicing customers."

www.ZDnet.com

12.7.12

Prime Minister Julia Gillard donates sandbagging machine to flood-prone Ipswich

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has given flood-prone Ipswich a sandbagging machine in her bid for Queensland votes ahead of the next federal poll.

Surrounded by State Emergency Service workers on Tuesday afternoon in an Ipswich depot, Ms Gillard said the machine was desperately needed by staff who filled thousands of bags by hand over the Summer of Disaster.

Her last visit to the depot was to mark the first anniversary of the Summer of Disaster and it was there she was told workers wanted a sand bagger.

"You wanted it, I wanted to get it for you and we are able to honour that commitment," she said.

Ms Gillard said $46,000 would be made available for the machine that will be ready for service well before the next wet season.

Ms Gillard says she is enjoying her visit to Queensland which began Saturday and will stretch across the entire week, with a visit to the north expected tomorrow.

The PM waved away questions she was shoring up support in Queensland which turned savagely on the ALP in the last state poll.

"I am enjoying my time here and am very happy to be out and about in the community talking to people," she said.

www.CourierMail.com

11.7.12