Queensland Floods
In Grantham and beyond, they searched for bodies in battered houses and hot, swampy fields. Clearing debris from footpaths, roads and yards. Eighteen months before, they’d fought the inferno in southern and central Victoria, fighting fires, saving lives, and making endless cups of tea.
They’re Australian volunteers - thousands of them - who left jobs and families to lend a hand to the natural disaster recovery efforts that swept across our eastern states in the past three years.
Their work saved lives and homes. Comforted hearts, and made towns livable again. Actions fit for a reward of huge proportions. But here’s what they got instead. A muddled up medal with serious eligibility issues and a confusing criteria that ignored the efforts of thousands of others. And a bungled up awards ceremony. Seem unfair to you? Well, here’s how it happened.
Continue reading "A muddled medal: Our volunteers deserve more" »
What happened
Early this year, in the middle of the wettest La Nina summer in 40 years, a vast swathe of south-east Australia went underwater. Dozens of towns and larger centres were inundated in Victoria, Queensland and to a lesser extent New South Wales. At least 35 lives were lost in Queensland.
The flooding came in several waves. Large areas of regional Qld were inundated in December 2010, from the Darling Downs to the Burnett and beyond. When the second wave came in early January, it came even harder and faster, with devastating results.
The Toowoomba flash flood was the moment this event turned from a slow inundation best viewed from choppers to an outright disaster where destruction was both brutal and swift. The floodwaters cascaded from the crest of the Great Divide into the Lockyer Valley, where the impact on towns like Grantham was beyond belief.
Continue reading "Biggest moments of 2011 #2 Water, water everywhere" »
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PW says:
If you are living on land that is flood prone, and your insurer is covering you for this at a “very reasonable” cost, it sounds like you are being subsidised by other policyholders whose homes will never flood. If you live somewhere that floods once in 30 years (like the… Read more »
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PW says:
Much as I didn’t agree with the desal plant (and still don’t , would have rather a recycling plant), the fact is that Sydney was down to little more than 30% of its water supply. Nobody had any idea at all when the drought was going to break. Had the… Read more »
The Punch: In January, you wrote that Wivenhoe Dam levels were “exceptionally high” and provisions for flood management were “dangerously inadequate”. Can you expand on this a bit?
Prior to the Brisbane/Wivenhoe flood in January, the risk and warnings for a flood were quite extreme and the lack of response by the Dam operator was inexplicable. A raging La Nina was in existence, and the authorities had three “test run” flood events to convince them they should be wary. But they did not act.
In the week prior to the floods, the BoM was warning that a very heavy rain incident was imminent, but again there was no apparent response from the dam manager. As the rain incident actually developed there was very little sign of action to release water in a proactive way to keep dam levels down.
Under the threat of losing Wivenhoe (Somerset was also at risk) the operator finally released a deluge into the river system, which history now tells us was rather damaging.
Continue reading "Wivenhoe: Damned if they did, damned if they didn’t" »
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Fiona says:
I came up to Brisbane when the drought started and the 74 flood was legendary. After all that time when the drought broke it really broke. The dams went from being at bugger all capacity to overfull. Read more »
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bananabender says:
Wivenhoe was not originally designed to to store water. It was simply built to stop flooding. Later modifications added extra water storage capacity. Wivenhoe requires heavy rains in excess of 100mm over 1-2 weeks to allow runoff. This fulls the dam. However lighter regular rainfall simply soaks into teh ground… Read more »
When Prince Charles visited Australia in March, 2004, he boarded a large military helicopter in Canberra and flew to Gunning, a small town near Goulburn, NSW, where he spent the morning visiting some kind of organic farm. It made for a great story on ABC Radio’s Country Hour, but didn’t exactly resonate with the wider community.
Compare that to Prince William, whose tour de disaster zone this week has been an absolute tour de force. When necessary, Will has overstepped the bounds of protocol, hugging the commoners as the mood struck him. He was also professionally standoffish as required, most notably when he wisely declined to answer a bystander’s question about recalcitrant insurers.
It’s a gift, this business of playing the people’s royal. Will’s mother Diana had it. His father Charles doesn’t. And given that pretty much the only reason the royal family still exists is to pep up the public spirit, there’s only one conclusion – and that’s that William should be the next British Monarch.
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Peter says:
All those morons who say they want that nice William rather than that boring old Charles should remember one thing. If they insist on tying themselves to a hereditary Monarchy with well established rules of succession, what they get is what they get. Read more »
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Peter B says:
No. The whole point of monarchy is that you can’t run for it and the monarch isn’t elected. If you like Wills more than Charles, why not go the whole hog and vote for our head of state. (As we should). Read more »
Tony Abbott’s suggestion of cutting aid to Indonesia to fund Queensland flood reconstruction was met with immediate fury from aid experts, who declared the decision morally bankrupt.
Yet Mr Abbott’s announcement has raised an important issue that should not simply be brushed under the carpet: the need for aid effectiveness.
When he announced the proposed cut, Mr Abbott said funding would be “deferred” subject to a full review of the effectiveness of the program.
Continue reading "Let’s be smarter about the way we deliver aid" »
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Rebecca says:
should read “why AREN’T we supporting them…” Read more »
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persephone says:
Hamlyn the shortage of doctors has nothing to do with Youth Allowance. Places for medical students were limited under the Howard government, as the result of lobbying by doctors who wanted to lessen competition so that they could make more money (mind you, they wanted to achieve this without them… Read more »
It’s the worst part of being a working journalist. Those times you approach people for their story, when they’ve been through the most terrible time of their lives.
I’d love it if every story was just the opposite. And mostly they are on 60 Minutes. This week I’ve finished writing stories on adorable animals, a very successful businessman, a surprising health advance, and a man who risked his life in a war.
But last week, my focus was on the Keep family who lost their 2 year old daughter, and both her Grandmothers, when their house literally was ripped open in the Grantham flood.
Continue reading "Grantham story was definitely no ambush" »
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Donna Riley says:
So the Grantham flood wasn’t an important issue. My brother and his wife did that story to let people know that none of the residents of Grantham had no warning what was about to hit them and they and the rest of the community want answers. If they had been… Read more »
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unbelievable says:
Sorry St Michael - have had better things to do - like raise money for the people of Grantham - maybe you could try it! All you need to know is that Matt & Stacy had a lot of input into the story they ASKED 60 minutes to do (yes… Read more »
The dramatic return of 60 Minutes on the weekend raises new questions about so-called “death knocks”.
In the first story, reporter Michael Usher interviews the Keep family, who last month lost baby Jessica and both grandmothers in the Grantham flooding.
The 23-month-old was torn from her pregnant mother’s arms. It is difficult to imagine a greater tragedy.
Continue reading "A fine line between reporting and milking a family’s grief" »
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Tracy Lindley says:
Thanks Wendy. I am not actually a resident , just someone who has become very close to many of them whilst doing a support project for them and will continue to do so for a long time. Cheers. Read more »
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Ginnie Carroll -Wilson says:
Well said Nury and I so agree.As media dies down people just carry on with their normal lives as though nothing ever happened. And yet they have no idea of what the people of Grantham and the Lockyer valley are still and will be going through to rebuild their lives.… Read more »
I have lived in Tully and Innisfail and survived cyclones when I resided there. I was evacuated in the recent Brisbane floods for five days but fortunately the water surrounding my house stopped just before it entered. I am currently in North America and been bombarded with weather warnings about the “Snow storm of the century”
I admit that during the time that Cyclone Yasi was crossing the North Queensland coast I was listening to ABC radio here in North America on the internet as I was concerned for the welfare of friends and relatives living there.
The aim of a severe weather warning is to prevent a weather hazard from becoming a disaster. I am amazed however at the national extent of the weather hysteria devoted by the media and politicians both here and in Australia when accurate and credible warnings for potentially affected areas are all that are required.
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Obob says:
How To Make 97 Percent Of Climate Experts Agree In the end, they chose to highlight the views of a subgroup of just 77 scientists, 75 of whom thought humans contributed to climate change. The ratio 75/77 produces the 97% figure that pundits now tout. February 15 2011 Lawrence Solomon… Read more »
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iMitchy says:
@mary, There will always be circumstances that limit ones choices and I understand that when one moves to a new area the local hazards are not always immediately apparent. But… I have only made comment that I completely disagree your original comment and I debated your defence of it. I… Read more »
We must rebuild for everyone
I visited a woman recently who - for the last three years - has only left her house once a week. Not because she doesn’t want to, but because she can’t.
Ruth - not her real name - uses an electric wheelchair, and has almost no vision. She lives in public housing and - through a decision driven by crass and uncaring bureaucracy - has been placed in a house which has three steps at the front, and six at the back. She has been provided with a portable ramp, which she cannot put in place without assistance.
Continue reading "Don’t forget the disabled in flood reconstruction" »
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Edward James says:
@ Chris. Taxpayers are being bullied by people in positions of power. Several years ago Gosford City Council installed tactile aids in local footpaths incorrectly. They are intended to help visually impaired pedestrians to line themselves up at a right angle to the gutter so they may move straight across… Read more »
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Chris says:
Right Graeme as someone with a disability I am going to agree and disagree with you. Personal housing needs to be accessible. I am not arguing with you. I also believe there needs to be access to footpaths, transport and community buildings which are widely used. I am however fed… Read more »
Liberal Scott Buccholz has been to seven funerals for people taken by floodwaters in his Queensland electorate of Wright, which includes the tragic town of Grantham. That’s one death for every month he has been in Parliament.
No wonder Buccholz was in tears even before he had gone far into his speech to Parliament’s condolence motion. The emotional wear and tear would have been enormous. The big man had to take off his glasses at one stage to tend to fast-filling eyes.
Julia Gillard also teared up during the debate on the same motion, and there will be many who will claim her brief surrender to emotions was contrived.
Continue reading "Tears flow like floodwater, and not a crocodile in sight" »
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Tom says:
NicoleG, did you tear up when my closest friend got prostate cancer? You miss the point, you pompous ass. Read more »
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Seano says:
There are plenty of similar websites attacking Tony Abbott would you consider them any more seriously? Or is only right wing propoganda valid? Read more »
Commercial television’s breakfast programs aren’t for everyone. It’s not compulsory to watch and there are plenty of alternatives.
But the facts are that they connect with their viewers in a more powerful way than their traditional television news formats.
Stop. Don’t start commenting yet. Hear me out and then go your hardest… I’ve broad shoulders (and a sense of humour, check out the clip above).
Continue reading "Like it or not, breakfast TV has an important role" »
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MsLiss says:
At home after the GFC and watching daytime TV for the first time ever I found myself flicking the channels and watching the ads in preference to the programs….... Kochie fits in well! But even by the standards of daytime TV something must be slipping. I’m please to say that… Read more »
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BP says:
David, you talk about breakfast television being a catalyst for engagement, interaction, connection, even enabling you to care for your viewers. In an optimistic mood I assume that is also why you open yourself up in this opinion forum, to exchange with your audience. So I am genuinely interested in… Read more »
The Gillard government is now so financially gun-shy it doesn’t trust itself.
So the Prime Minister has brought in some extra protection — a few new strata of bureaucracy to catch spending stuff-ups before they become billion dollar embarrassments.
And how better to prevent Liberal attacks on spending measures than to appoint a Liberal to second-guess every spending decision.
Continue reading "Even Julia doesn’t trust herself with public money" »
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Dash says:
Hi Lis, The $900 to dead people and people overseas was not recovered. So if your dad died you got two payments abd meanwhile significant tax payers got nothing! The thing to remember is that the ALP campaigned on cheaper groceries and cheaper fuel. It was part of their pitch… Read more »
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Northern Steve says:
And when Acotrel gets work done at his place by tradies, he just gives them his ATM card and PIN and tells them to take out what they need to do the job. No need to quote or check their work afterwards! Read more »
The Queensland floods are the most economically damaging natural disaster in Australian history – but as reconstruction begins, we should be wary of a different type of deluge, of a far more avoidable type.
In December last year, ANU academic Peter McDonald made headlines when he suggested that foreign workers should be rushed into the country to work below Australian minimum wages and conditions.
Professor McDonald argued that Australia needed to accelerate the construction of major infrastructure and that the best way to achieve it would be to put the projects out to international tender, allowing the winning bidder to bring their own workers to remunerate and treat as they see fit.
Continue reading "Foreign workers are not the solution to a quick cleanup" »
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Stephanie Todd says:
If restuarant owners and operators want to hire backpakers at half the price as an Australia man or woman then no low paid work for workers will be left. Next other industry groups will follow suit, hospitals will hire only backpakers to done low paid jobs, Australians will need to… Read more »
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Reg says:
Greggie, I understand your pun about surfing into third-world standards. Very droll! So “in the fullness of time,” as Sir Humphrey may have said, you expect that the WTO and escalating weather patterns may drag us all down to the same third-world standards +1? How depressingly realistic of you. Just… Read more »
FLOODS, cyclones and bushfires have torn apart people’s lives and communities in recent weeks, but it’s their legacy that could be even more painful.
Hearts went out to the victims of the Queensland floods in particular, galvanising a wave of support around the country and raising hundreds of millions of dollars in donations.
At the same time, floods and bushfires spanning the eastern states through to the west spread the suffering.
Continue reading "Pain will persist well beyond this summer’s disasters" »
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mary monica roche says:
Your comment :is there any more disasters and pain to come? wait for March 26 2011!! Read more »
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Mikko says:
The floods and Cyclone Yasi have also focussed attention on the need to upgrade infrastructure to a much higher standard rather than a quick patch job which will be full of holes the next time it rains. This applies particularly to the flood and accident-prone Highway One, leading to calls… Read more »
Anyone who works in corporate communications or PR will be familiar with the famous Tylenol case in the 1980s, when Johnson and Johnson immediately withdrew all its products and reinvented its packaging after a deranged extortionist killed seven people by lacing the painkiller with cyanide.
In years to come, Anna Bligh’s management of the Queensland flood and cyclone crisis will stand as a comparable case study in how political leaders should best handle a natural disaster.
In the past two weeks, and particularly this week, Bligh has created a new template for political communication. It’s been based around honesty, decisiveness and plain speech. It’s been based around saying what government can do, and what it cannot do.
Continue reading "No-bullshit Bligh sets a new standard for politicians" »
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bystolic says:
Truthfully commercial reap issue part over. Women they calories healthy ask that can. one condoms together getting the. Read more »
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Paul Gallagher says:
Fact is that any leadership in that position would have been just as useless as the other. Anna Bligh did show some sincerity at times. Compared to other leaders who continued with the game face. Example would be Julia’s pathetic attempt at mimmicking a sincere cry, compared to Anna Bligh… Read more »
The Gillard Government is determined to get a victory on carbon emission penalties within 12 months, and a key factor in this political process could be the latest weather reports.
The general public was more receptive to the arguments for global warming the last time the weather was big news, when Australia was dealing with record drought and lethal bush fires.
They might be willing to listen again following the counter events of massive flood and wild winds across much of the continent.
Continue reading "Wild weather could help blow in the new carbon tax" »
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Avery_New_Mexico says:
As you can see this website is full of Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allan Poe Conspiracy free Read more »
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LC says:
@ Mickey, Global Warming = Global. Not Australian. GLOBAL. If Global Warming is occurring the planet certainly does not care about how many people in which political jurisdiction are emitting the most carbon, it’ll care about the emissions being made in the first place. The top five emitters: China, The… Read more »
Queensland really dodged a bullet.
After the devastating floods of that fatal tsunami inundated the state, the waters had barely receded when it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Turns out Yasi’s bark was worse than its bite.
Continue reading "When disasters leave us lost for words…" »
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Anna says:
I think it was a bit over-ambitious to expect that the average Punch reader would actually ‘get’ this article!! Read more »
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Anna says:
Paul, I think you and many others have completely missed the point of this ‘rant’! It’s about the overuse of tired cliches during the recent disasters. Sad reflection on our education system these days, when people need everything spelled out for them!! Read more »
Update 6:05am : Cyclone Yasi has been downgraded to a category three storm, but remains dangerous. The “very destructive” core, with gusts up to 205 km/h, is continuing to move inland west of Cardwell towards the Georgetown area. The full extent of the damage isn’t known yet but the communities of Mission Beach, Tully and Innisfail, 50km north of ground zero, are the worst hit. There have been no reported deaths or injuries so far. Read more as news.com.au live updates.
Political grandstanding over the Government’s proposed Queensland levy will look extremely silly, if not downright nasty, after the brute force of cyclone Yasi blows some perspective into the debate.
Anything which might delay, limit or compromise the reconstruction of lives and vital economic production in Queensland will be isolated, highlighted, and no doubt condemned.
If a cyclone can have a silver lining - even one as catastrophic as Yasi - this is it. It will blow away the political smoke and flummery and concentrate the minds on all sides.
Continue reading "Yasi set to blow some perspective into levy debate" »
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jf says:
Do you have a new question Badger? Your questions (most of which had nothing to do with the topic at hand) have been answered in full and painful detail on this thread and throughout the blog. However like most extremists (left and right) you can only see what you want… Read more »
Update 6:05am : Cyclone Yasi has been downgraded to a category three storm, but remains dangerous. The “very destructive” core, with gusts up to 205 km/h, is continuing to move inland west of Cardwell towards the Georgetown area. The full extent of the damage isn’t known yet but the communities of Mission Beach, Tully and Innisfail, 50km north of ground zero, are the worst hit. There have been no reported deaths or injuries so far. Read more as news.com.au live updates.
Queensland, already suffering from the floods, is now taking another hit - and this one has been described as “more life threatening than any experienced during recent generations”. Join news.com.au’s live blog here:
Or go to news.com.au for the latest updates on Yasi’s approach, the projected path, and news from the ground.
Feel free to share any thoughts or words of support for Queensland here.
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The floods have caused great devastation and have presented fundamental challenges to our society and lives.
This kind of crisis poses challenges to us on a number of levels – social, physical, emotional and existential.
Tory Shepherd’s article “Digging a hole while trying to find God” outlines the existential challenges provoked by the flood.
Continue reading "A response: Disasters do not negate the existence of God" »
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In other states, you ought to be prepared to discover a bookie and to put a bet, you’ve got to be previous the age of twenty-1. They scour all of the data that could be observed to them and obtain a winning formula to forecast winners in sports betting at… Read more »
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Church leaders faced with a national disaster are struggling to find relevance and avoid hypocrisy. In the wake of the floods, people with religious convictions face an age-old question:
Where was God?
It’s a classic case of cognitive dissonance, where holding two conflicting thoughts causes the brain to implode. God is good, all-knowing and all-powerful and yet bad stuff happens.
Continue reading "Digging a hole while trying to find God" »
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Stu says:
@ True Believer: “I ‘believe’ you exist, but I do not ‘know’ you exist. I am replying to you on the basis of my belief you are there. There is a difference. :0)” Explains even more. Do you know I’m is responding to you on the Punch, or do you… Read more »
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True Believer says:
@Stu: “Interesting you think you can respond to someone who does not exist. Explains a lot. “ I ‘believe’ you exist, but I do not ‘know’ you exist. I am replying to you on the basis of my belief you are there. There is a difference. :0) Read more »
Julia Gillard can’t be too happy with the way her flood reconstruction package has been received. But then, who welcomes a new tax?
Talk-back callers complained about paying twice, even though very few will and in any event, donations to victims - a different thing from the levy which is for rebuilding roads and rail and ports and the like - are mostly tax deductible.
One paper featured a mystifyingly indignant Brisbane resident who, as a low income-earner, stands to gain from the reconstruction effort while being exempt from paying the levy herself. She went on to suggest her partner, a tradesman, could be liable for ``thousands’’ in extra tax. This is unlikely unless he earns upwards of $300,000 which is the level of income you’d need to be slugged that hard by the levy.
Continue reading "The Government’s goodwill bank is in deficit" »
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Budgie says:
jb People are tired of the “one trick pony” Abbott is toast. Pick whoever you want, Abbott is unelectable Read more »
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jb says:
I love how you guys keep telling us we need Turnbull. You guys picked Gillard and were wrong. Abbott will be great mostly because it’s going to Piss Nostow and the rest of you union mugs off…. Read more »
Oops.
As many commenters have been pointing out in Tory’s piece this morning, Julia Gillard put in a shocker on Sunrise this morning. Watch the full 13 minutes above, if you can bear it.
For my money, shadow treasurer Joe Hockey wasn’t great either. His comment to the effect that contractors currently engaged in the BER and the NBN rollout should be immediately redeployed to flood rebuilding was opportunistic in the extreme. And by opportunistic, I mean sneaky. But that was just a taster. According to most observers, the PM was far, far worse.
Continue reading "Was this Gillard’s worst ever media performance?" »
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Liza says:
I can’t relate to her one bit, but idiot “Kochie” has always been transparent as a pathetic so-called “journalist” - I wouldn’t trust him with getting a pizza order correct. I still remember those hilarious ambo scenes at Beaconsfield when lives were at stake. Keep up the good work “Kochie”… Read more »
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Pinochio Meet Semaphore says:
I’m not certain that it is the worst. There have been many that were excruciating to witness. Imagine; The Australian Prime Minister reduced to a populist puppet way out of her depth. You can see the difference from the moment she got the gig to now. She’s aged 20 years… Read more »
The resounding response to the flood levy has been: We want to donate of our own free will, not be forced to cough up. We pay enough f(#*&*king taxes. We want to know where all our money went.
By all that’s unholy, Australians hate paying taxes.
Clearly, it hurts when you see your payslip and feel the plasma-shaped hole left by the taxman. More seriously, the “working poor” phenomenon is real, and some people are finding it much, much harder to meet their everyday living expenses.
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Julia Gillard faces her biggest political test since becoming Prime Minister to win the approval of parliament for the $5.6 billion flood rescue package.
And she be may forced to negotiate a permanent Natural Disaster Fund if she wants to win the backing of key rural Independent MPs and the Greens. NSW rural MPs Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott are demanding a long-term solution to fund the regular bushfires and floods that ravage rural communities across Australia.
The Greens - who are likely to back the flood rescue plan - also said they are opposed to climate program cuts announced as part of a raft of savings measures. But at least one Independent MP - Queenslander Bob Katter - said he loves the levy and will support it when it comes before Parliament.
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Sick says:
The Labor Party (State & Federal) have made decisions which helped contribute to the flood mess and now they expect us to bail them out with our taxpayer dollars again!!! The dolts who think that we should sit back and take this should foot the bill…I’m seriously sick of the… Read more »
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Mick says:
@MarK…I’m well aware of the issue being discussed & your pathetic attempts to make a moral issue a political one…not everything has to be equated on it’s political relevance…esp in time of immediate need. You are a lap dog to Abbott…it’s so plain & obvious for all here to see.… Read more »
Julia Gillard today extracted herself from the sucking political quagmire of the past two months with a package of flood recovery money which appeals to the heart as well as the exchequer.
Gillard was bogged down in the response to the three-state inundation while just about every other public figure associated with it had their standings enhanced.
She was always seen by critics as a superfluous figure distracting from that nice Anna Bligh, or annoying flood victims with intrusions. Her clothing, hair-do and even her emotional commitment were savaged.
Continue reading "Both sides have a history of imposing levies" »
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Josephine says:
it’s also easy for you to be against the levy when you have a roof to live under. but imagine being a flood victim with absolutely nothing… yes it’s pretty obvious the government could be paying for all this… we aren’t a poor country.. but they aren’t going to so… Read more »
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emma says:
a result of bad government decisions? I think you’re forgetting that the Queensland floods were a NATURAL disaster… as much as you may be hating on the government… im pretty sure it wasn’t their fault. Read more »
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has appealed to emotion and a sense of nationhood to sell her flood rescue package, which will include a year-long levy. Someone on $60,000 will pay under $1 a week, while someone earning $100,000 a year will pay just under $5 a week..
In a measured speech to the national Press Club, Ms Gillard described Australia as a nation grieving in the wake of a tragedy, and announced that people affected by the floods will not pay the levy, which will raise $1.8 billion.
Read what Leo Shanahan said about a levy here, and Penbo’s take here. What’s your take?
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CutMPSalaries says:
So would the Flood levy extend to the earnings of members of parliment? (including Gillard) Read more »
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dazed and confused says:
good grief Ryan.strewth.stone the flaming crows,cobber digger mate…..hows sheila? Actually ..6 million odd to repair public funded infrastructure..was any of it insured in the first place? Is the treasury so parlous nowadays that we dont set aside contingency funding for disasters..wars and sundry emergencies? Fair suck of the sauce bottle… Read more »
Bob Brown is ever the opportunist, even if his timing leaves a very bad taste in everyone’s mouths.
His recent pronouncement that our coal industry is to blame for the devastation caused by the floods in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania is both absurd and insensitive.
All the experts, whatever their views on climate change, agree that the increased rainfalls are driven by the long-established cycles of La Nina weather events, just as El Nino is associated with drought.
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FrancesHutchinson says:
It is great that people can take the business loans and this opens completely new chances. Read more »
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NJP says:
Yes I recall that Traveston was canceled because of a turtle and a fish. I’ve asked on occasion, of those whom supported the decision, what the effects of this already endangered species finally being wiped out. None so far have been able to give an answer, not even the simplest… Read more »
Sometimes people just get it plain wrong. And that goes for me as well.
Often we’ve thought that Generation Y are so preoccupied with themselves that they are not interested in the world around them. Or worse, they’re interested but not doing anything about it.
The stereotype goes along these lines: locked up in their bedrooms, on Facebook 24 hours a day, playing computer games, comfortable in the world of anonymity. And no social responsibility. Well, it’s time to put all their prejudices back in their box. Because what has happened in Brisbane in the last few weeks is the total and comprehensive counterproof.
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hatingitall says:
i’m not sure why one age group needs thanking in a crisis that affects all- but being grateful for grouping together-sure. it’s not right to make it about generations who deserve thanking! ludacris! To be gen x-or “gen x-stra ignored bias” This is ,YET another example of it. rather than… Read more »
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Julian says:
Ben H the main thing which is clear is your personal bias against Rudd. Kevin is thanking genY (which is mostly maligned for having no social conscious), for stepping up to clean up the debris, rubbish and mud. You however seem more then happy to sling as much verbal rubbish… Read more »
This summer of floods has been an incredible test of character for all the people who’ve faced it. And through it all, amongst the tragedy, sadness and loss, our Aussie spirit has shone through, brighter than ever.
Stories of bravery, sacrifice and mateship abound. Friends drop everything to go and help their friends. Total strangers put their lives at risk to save others. People wade into floodwaters to save stranded dogs, cats and even kangaroos.
People who live on high ground offered their driveways, their yards and even their houses so total strangers can store their possessions and have somewhere to sleep.
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CJ says:
Xavier, I think that is a little unfair. Why not celebrate the good which has come out of a crisis like this? I think we need to make the distinction between what is unnecessary and nationalist, and what is simply a celebration of how we as a nation are at… Read more »
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Gregg says:
It’d be hard to know how it was on the ground in Pakistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Indonesia or wherever in times of crisis, some that they have had being far worse than we have had, even earthquakes in Christchurch not to be sneezed at nor the far greater loss of life… Read more »
It’s not entirely clear what Julia Gillard is softening us up for following the Queensland flood disaster.
But if a Prime Minister is given the chance to deny the fact they are considering to introduce a new tax and doesn’t take that opportunity, well, you can safely assume that the revenue raising exercise being considered is not a talent extravaganza hosted by Sophie Monk.
Gillard seems to prefer the words “levy” to the more politically suicidal “tax”, but the Government appears to be committed to keeping its promise the budget in surplus by 2012-13 even if it means we pay more in tax at the next budget.
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Tanya says:
No, we are prepared to march and protest over this! Make the Murray River levy, whci was all BS anyway, into the flood tax. this is a scam, flood tax, will become the new climate tax. All they neede was the right disaster and this is it. Stand up and… Read more »
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Jo says:
I hope you realise Holly that the people that had guns or worked for Ansett etc. That these same people also pay their taxes! Read more »
The bills are rolling in and then you notice the insurance policy for the house and contents is due. The cost seems astronomical and you are left thinking how insuring your property can be so expensive.
How will you afford to pay the insurance bill? The question really should be how you can neglect to pay for insurance, instead putting your economic livelihood at stake. You study your policy to look for clues to justify the cost.
Why is the policy so expensive? Are there any ways of making the premium any cheaper? Although you are analysing the cost, there is little understanding of how the premium is actually calculated.
Continue reading "Don’t blame insurers - blame the system" »
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pokkeme says:
Hey Sarah, Suncorp are the only insurers I could find Australia-wide that would cover cyclone. Flood-wise, Suncorp made it crystal clear that they wouldn’t cover rising water, only falling water damage. Living in north QLD, I had to go with the more likely option of cyclone. Not happy, Jan… Read more »
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Daylight robbery says:
Councils should provide online mapping of designated spatial flood areas. Insurance companies aren’t going to insure in these areas for nothing. People never used to have much in the flood areas and were prepared to lose it. Now property is worth more, or less maybe at present. At the end… Read more »
The massive losses from the floods that are impacting Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria has raised issues about the adequacy of insurance coverage, particularly flood coverage and the way such disasters should be funded.
There are many examples of disaster insurance arrangements that different countries have in place covering flood, earthquakes and other disasters.
In Australia a proposal for such a national disaster insurance scheme was developed in the 1970s following the Brisbane Floods and Cyclone Tracy - but it was never implemented.
Continue reading "Do politicians have the guts for disaster insurance?" »
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Chris Chinniah says:
Insurance on the state level can get a little complicated as there might not be longevity in the policies with changing of parties in power. That being said, I think it is a viable solution for disaster prone areas at the very least. http://americanvisitorinsurance.com Read more »
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mata says:
[...] Here in the US we’ve had earkhquates, floods, hurricanes, and forest fires. That got us to thinking, is your business disaster proof? [...] Read more »
You would think the Greens might have learnt something from the backlash they faced after using the 2009 Victorian bushfire tragedy to deliver an impromptu lecture on climate change.
With the fires still underway and the death toll rising, Senator Bob Brown commented at the time that the extent and ferocity of the fires was a pointer to the reality of global warming. Maybe so – not being a scientist I couldn’t say – but the more pressing issue was one of time and place. On both counts, Bob Brown failed the taste test, and quite spectacularly.
With the flood crisis now turning to Victoria, and the death toll expected to increase in Queensland as the recovery continues, Senator Brown has now decided to use this latest national tragedy to launch an attack on the coal industry. Unlike the bushfires, it’s difficult to identify any precise link between burning coal and the re-occurrence of a flood pattern which has been with Australia since well before white settlement, but the Greens Leader clearly didn’t want to let the opportunity pass him by. As Queensland Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce pointed out in a moment of lucidity, in 1893 the Brisbane River flood gauge reached 8.35m. “Was the coal industry responsible for that as well?” Joyce asked.
Continue reading "Who needs Pauline when you’ve got Bob Brown?" »
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Caroline says:
I don’t think there would be a single pastor who would link the floods to the gay marriage debate. Yes, they oppose gay marriage, but that is a totally different issue. The floods, fires, droughts, earthquakes and other natural disasters are the result of an earth “groaning and travailing” under… Read more »
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SimonR says:
Damn, more evidence Bob has a point, extreme weather events a direct result of climate change, the actual qualified scientist says so: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/23/3119109.htm Read more »
I woke last Thursday morning wondering whether my sister was dead or alive.
That day, the Brisbane River was expected to peak at 5.5 metres.
Suze lives in the city’s west, near Ipswich.
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Tracy says:
“A Fine Balance’ was indeed a sad, awesome, massive read! You are the only person I’ve come across who’s read it…how about the ending, huh??? Will stay in my mind a LONG time….got to find a copy of Grapes of Wrath now Sorry to have sidetracked here… Read more »
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Kerrie O'Rourke says:
Tracey is the best of the Spice Girls ,floods or not Read more »
For reasons which are difficult to fathom, Julia Gillard has found herself on the receiving end of some particularly torrid criticism over her response to the Queensland flood crisis.
Much of it is undoubtedly coming from those who already dislike the Prime Minister and will seize on any event or issue to run her down. But some of it appears to be coming from people who have no real interest in politics, no ideological axe to grind, but who have found themselves left cold by the PM’s performance this week.
Julia Gillard has been criticised for smiling too much, not looking sad enough; at the same time, she’s been accused of affecting a hang-dog expression aimed at contriving a sense of concern, talking in a matronly monotone which makes her sound rehearsed and insincere.
Continue reading "Gillard still struggling to shake the fake tag" »
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cheap car insurance quotes says:
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As human lives and communities are destroyed by floods in Australia, and we recall the devastation of the Haiti quake one year on, it’s appropriate to reflect on the continuing challenge humanity faces to work out how best to master nature.
As much as we can be in awe of the beauty of nature, we should resist the naive nature worship that ignores just how arbitrary and destructive it can be.
While we are in fact part of nature, we are that part of nature that is aware of itself. We are able to imagine and construct ways of shaping and managing nature to neutralise its (and our) dark side.
Continue reading "Worshipping nature doesn’t help humanity" »
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SimonR says:
What a singularly peculiar take on the floods. Who exactly is it that is out there worshipping nature? The Greens? Hippies? Pagans? Are events like these not answering the obvious redundancy in the old chestnut of man conquering everything? Surely the better question is how can to live within the… Read more »
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RT says:
Why worry? We’ll all be dead in another few billion years when the sun becomes a ‘red giant’ anyway. Read more »
The worst thing which can be said about a politician in a time of crisis is that they are trying to cash in on a tragedy for electoral gain.
Only the most miserable cynic could make such an assertion against the Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, whose performance this week has been dutiful, sober and workmanlike as she has kept her state and the rest of the nation up to date with the latest on the flood situation.
After Kristina Keneally in NSW, who also faces an election this year, Anna Bligh is the least popular state leader in Australia and is just as likely as her NSW counterpart to be removed by the voters when her government goes to the polls. Perhaps it’s for this reason that Bligh has adopted such a bullshit-free approach in her handling of these appalling floods, acting like a person who knows she probably won’t be around much longer, and would like to be remembered for at least doing the right thing during such an extraordinary crisis.
Continue reading "How Anna Bligh, politician, acted just like a human" »
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Anna's performance v the timeline and now revealed says:
For 36 years Brisbane has been expecting a la nina end of cycle massive precipation drop in the catchment above the dam. It happens in regular and then peak cycles going back to records from the 19th century. This was one firmly predicted as far back as mid december as… Read more »
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Brewstermac says:
Anna has been very good at the press presentations, but she is the state leader and has failed miserably at that task. She should never have been given the job by Beattie but he needed someone to take over that would make even him look good. Read more »
In the tonnes of coverage on the Brisbane floods, nobody seems to have filmed or photographed this rather ironic sculpture. The “Flood” sculpture, by artist Richard Tipping, is on the river’s edge at the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm. Perhaps because it’s already underwater? Do you know?
Update: 3:10 PM
Well thanks to social media now we do know. The Flood sculpture now neatly marks the flood water line on the Brisbane River.
Going
Gone.
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Mick says:
I wonder if they will erect another one spelling the word Stupid, and put it in a position where future flood levels might reach, and then if it does flood again, see if other buildings have been erected in the ensuing years below that anticipated flood level. Money might speak… Read more »
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Boo says:
lol, in hindsight Sven we should have listened to you ; ) Read more »
Through the uncertainty, devastation and loss, Brisbane has finally revealed itself to me.
As the flood waters continued to rise in the city’s suburbs yesterday, so too did its fiercely defiant spirit.
You could almost feel a little tall poppy syndrome settling in.
Continue reading "Brisbane’s spirit defies watery tormentor" »
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Joy Bowa says:
As a former Brisbanite, you sure have forgotten the Queensland spirit. Grow up! Read more »
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jg says:
Is it now time to introduce an Australian volunteer medal into the Honours and Awards system? After all, defence personel recieve a service medal after 4 years, uniformed volunteers have to wait 15 years. Alternatively an Australian Humanitarian Medal, which would address the inbalance with regard to the Humanitarian Overseas… Read more »
AS the flood disaster in Brisbane and the rest of Queensland continues to unfold today, you can follow the latest news updates from news.com.au’s flood information centre, Brisbane’s Courier Mail as well The Australian.
Below is a live blog from the News network where you can share what you know, show your support and look for your loved ones.
Feel free to comment on The Punch with your thoughts about the Queensland floods today.
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Pypeengisse says:
sole has become the sign from the time when it appeared. It is sure hard for you to put out of yourmind the elegance that the Christian Louboutin take to you. You don’t even have to walk out of yourhome, and your slim, beautiful and grace body could easily draw… Read more »
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kewIdegewix says:
are also some great boutiques in Bloomfield Avenue including Utopia, Equinox, Steensons as well as the Wicker Man.Evelin Brandt, a very stylish European woman’s label.Just a 10 minute taxi ride from the city centre may be theexciting experience, alot of your things you buy here you can’t get anywhere else!… Read more »
Extreme situations bring out extreme behaviour.
So far we have seen heroism, desperation, and stoicism. Grief and relief.
And now we’re seeing the lowest of the low – scammers pretending to be collecting money for flood victims.
Continue reading "In the wake of disaster, scammers strike" »
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psyco-corporation says:
{its just a freezing cold world for them.emotion is to be exploited.} Theyre feeding on the commoners? Read more »
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Daylight robbery says:
Unfortunately like NSW and Vic the report on the ABC news of fake tradies wouldn’t happen. You have to have a licence identification to operate in those states. Because QLD doesn’t have trade identification cards or licenses for some trades QLD is open to abuse from people pretending to be… Read more »
That there are still unexplained and magical elements every day in this deep and complex world is mostly wonderful.
It is wonderful, for example, that doctors still cannot tell precisely when a woman will go into labour.
The world held its breath early this week, wondering when our own Princess Mary would give birth to twins.
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Hoonoautona says:
free social photo networks http://facesepicentre.com/ canadian social network ft myers social network Read more »
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Chris T says:
Here we have a Federal and State Labour party in power completley stuffing up left right and centre. We have a disaster and they shed a few tears and we think they have done a great job and re elect them. I was watching the GG on TV last night… Read more »
There will come a time for introspection, but for now we watch the tide.
Before dawn broke this morning much of Brisbane’s CBD will have been swamped by a muddy deluge that will scour and scare the city.
But this is a news story like no other in our history because this story is playing out painstakingly live on at least four channels.
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Sarah Siltman says:
Agree with Heather. I was in a flood zone, (luckily stayed dry on a hill) but had no tv, signal - got cut at the start of the floods, and I just watched twitter, Facebook flood groups, Qld police website, and ABC 612 on the radio. I got HEAPS of… Read more »
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Lee says:
Hate the headline. This is reality, not a movie… Read more »
Bathed in an eerie sunlight, Brisbane doesn’t look like Queensland’s next disaster zone.
Small patches of mockingly blue sky mask the overwhelming sense of dread that has settled across the city.
The impending flood is expected to trump the infamous 1974 floods - and authorities are struggling to predict the extent of the damage. The CBD is uncharacteristically silent and calm, the usual morning hum replaced by a worrying stillness. The air is hot and the humidity is stifling.
Continue reading "Brisbane on edge as a city awaits its fate" »
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Joan says:
Thanks for the education guys….. Read more »
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Paul says:
@acotrel Really? How is this flood and weather more extreme than the 1974 flood? Read more »
If there were an award for the most insensitive and idiotic attempt at commercial gain from the goodwill generated by the Queensland floods, it would surely go to white goods company Fisher&Paykel.
The company has been claiming Red Cross like status for dryer sales in the wake of the Queensland floods. In this article/press release headlined “F&P dryer sales soar in wake of devastating floods”.
Bizarrely Fisher&Paykel have attempted not only to link the increase of dryer sales in Queensland last year with the recent disaster, but sought to score points as some kind of socially responsible corporation in the floods’ wake.
Continue reading "F&P award for worst attempt to link company with floods" »
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Sooboo says:
How many more ‘clever’ companies are going to profit from the floods. You would think the folks at Hayman Island would have more class. They are not only offering a big $50 per booking (rooms sell from around $800 per night) but they are also sticking up the finger and… Read more »
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Argyle says:
This has to be the best reply yet. Well Elphaba. And guess what, I love new doo dads to! Read more »
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