Parliament live: Palaszczuk Govt faces grilling over under-pressure health system

A $741m home resilience scheme that will allow  Queensland properties to be raised, repaired and retrofitted - or voluntarily bought back - has opened to homeowners. 

Australia's largest home resilience scheme allowing Queensland homes to be raised, repaired and retrofitted to "lift them out of harm's way", or voluntarily bought back has opened to homeowners.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk plugged the $741m package, which is joint funded by the Commonwealth, as she gave a weather update on flooding across the state due to heavy rain over the past 24 hours.

Ms Palaszczuk said Queenslanders whose homes were damaged recently could register now for the scheme as "for the second time in three months, widespread heavy rain is leading to floods and loss of life".

"What’s worse, these events are becoming more frequent and more severe," she told parliament.

"While we cannot stop the rain from falling we can help the people of our state recover and be better prepared for whatever comes next.

"That is why I am pleased to announce the launch of our $741 million Resilient Homes Fund.

"She said it was the largest home resilience program of its kind to ever be delivered in Australia.

"Queenslanders whose homes were damaged by floods will be able to access grants to rebuild more resilient homes, raise homes or buy back homes at high risk," she said.

The program will apply in 37 local government areas.

"I stress, no one will be forced out of their homes," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"It is entirely up to the homeowner."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during Question Time. Picture: Tara Croser.

She said it was under a similar scheme that "Grantham was literally moved to higher ground" following the 2011 floods, and that town had escaped disaster again in February because of it.

"Those who choose to stay can gain access to grants that replace floor coverings with more flood-resilient finishes like tiles or polished concrete," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"Power outlets can be raised.

"Buy backs will be on a case by case basis based on a range of factors including the frequency and severity of flooding and future flood risk."

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland was the most disaster-impacted state in Australia.

"We know from initial assessments following the South East Queensland floods that there were nearly 7000 homes with some degree of damage and more than 3600 of these were uninhabitable," he said.

People can register their interest at qld.gov.au/resilienthomes

In the latest weather emergency, swift water rescue crews had responded to five requests for rescue and the SES had received 114 calls.

A home near Townsville was inundated and police were doorknocking homes in the lower Grantham areas as a precaution.

Severe thunderstorms with heavy rain and damaging winds are possible across central Queensland, the southern interior and north Queensland.

Rain will continue across the southeast before easing on Saturday, parliament was told.

It comes as the government looks set to face another grilling over the state's under pressure health system today following reports authorities wanted to change how paramedics' "lost time" is recorded.

Lost time is reported when paramedics are forced to wait with patients at hospitals. 

It's previously been revealed that ambulances have spent thousands of hours a month at emergency departments instead of immediately getting back out on the road. 

But 9 News has reported that health officials wanted to change this recording method so that wait times would be measured from when patients see a triage nurse - as opposed to when they first arrive at hospital via ambulance. 

This would ultimately reduce the amount of lost time.  

Meanwhile hospital performance data from this year's March quarter, which includes ambulance ramping figures, has not yet been published.

Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Brendan Moon said the buyback process would take into account a homeowners personal loan situation and the flood risk associated with their property, similar to the Grantham buyback after the 2011 floods.

“So if there is severe risk associated with life and also the structural integrity of that structure, we will move through a process to identify those priority homes. We are working very closely with the local government in this space right now,” he said.

“It (the process) will require an independent evaluation of the property and where agreement can be reached, there will be a transaction obviously, the home will be demolished and also the land we’re looking to rezone not for future habitation.”

Mr Moon said program response teams would be ready to leap into action as soon as registrations started coming in.

“When people register, we will have teams reach out to them so that we can then get an understanding of people’s personal circumstances, and then we will arrange a specialist assessor to go and do a home inspection,” he said.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said buyback prices were based on the government's expectation of “around 500 properties where that’s the most appropriate outcome.”

“We know from initial assessments following the South East Queensland floods that there were nearly 7,000 homes with some degree of damage and more than 3,600 of these were uninhabitable,” he told the parliament.

Kirsty Hinch from Goodna said she would be registering for the buyback scheme after her house was destroyed in the February floods.

“I know lots of people have been through this a couple of times, and I can’t imagine doing it twice,” she said.

“I’m probably in a position where I'd be interested in the buyback scheme because as I said it's just (been) a lot.”

Ms Goodna has been living with relatives with her four young children, who she says are scared to return home.

“I’ve got to think about their well-being as well,”she said.

“Even just raising homes and making them more resilient because I know that my neighbours may not be in the same circumstances that I'm under, so I'm really looking forward to hearing and working with this package because I think it will be beneficial to everybody.”

Housing and Public Works Minister Minister Mick de Brenni also pledged to “proactively reach out to homeowners” to ensure they are made aware of the package options.

“We'll start the rollout with an industry and community education campaign because we understand that many of those homeowners are displaced so we'll be reaching them,” he said. 

“We'll be checking with neighbourhood recovery groups and local councils. We will also of course have translation services for those who need it and work with people who can't access that technology at the moment.”