Editorial: Cyclone Alfred only latest disaster to test Queenslanders’ mettle

There is a spot of lightness in the dark, and that is how challenging times like this bring the best out in all of us, writes the editor.

Residents collect sandbags at a Lota depot on Wednesday. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

There is nothing at all good about the natural disaster about to engulf South East Queensland and its four million residents. But there is a spot of lightness in the dark, and that is how challenging times like this bring the best out in all of us.

Shared tough experiences give us a reason to connect, as humans are built to do. They give an excuse to reach out to your neighbour, or to chat with the person lining up next to you at the checkout.

We have already seen echoes of the post-2011 floods “mud army” in offers from work colleagues to help prepare your home, or in the many invitations from friends to bunker down together.

Shared experiences such as these bind us as a real community. And, bittersweet though it is, we will see so much more of this spirit in coming days as the cyclone passes and the clean-up begins.

Because for every unreasonable panic buyer, there are dozens of offers to help and to share; and for every post-cyclone looter, there are hundreds of emergency service workers who have bravely chosen service to their community over staying to protect their own home.

We would never be so parochial as to suggest these selfless traits are unique to Queenslanders. But our shared identity as “those that are bred tough north of the border”, that are “knocked down but get up again”, does offer a yardstick against which we can judge our own actions in coming days.

There is no doubt that this will be among the most significant weather events to have hit South East Queensland in at least a generation. It could be the worst we will experience in our lifetime.

Time will tell. As the winds and rain pick up this morning, we can only hope – and pray, if that is your thing – that the worst does not come to pass. But this will be big, even in the best-case scenarios.

NASA satellite image of Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Fortunately, our modern-day weather forecasting tools have provided us a few days to prepare – a luxury those who endured what has become known as the deadly Great Gold Coast Cyclone of 1954 did not have.

Households have done the right thing in securing their properties and stocking up – as best they have been able – with the necessities they will need to endure a potential few days without power. Our hero emergency service workers have also had enough time to rest and plan before they head out into the weather to put their lives on the line to save others, and to then help mop up when the danger passes.

Premier David Crisafulli has so far proven to be a strong and calm leader, just is what is required at times such as this. And while some might say it was cynical, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s one-day visit was also a welcome one in that it was a message to federal agencies that they are supported in doing what they can to assist.

Our councils have also done their bit, too. While demand for sandbags clearly overwhelmed their expectations, council leaders have acted quickly and decisively on making tough calls early, such as Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s decision halfway through Monday to holster the city’s CityCat fleet, and in sharing critical emergency information such as releasing fully calculated storm surge maps on Tuesday.

Queenslanders who live in the tropics are all too familiar with cyclones, and yet – in fact, as a result – always take them seriously.

This cyclone is bearing down on a region with a population 20 times that of Townsville, and one that has not been tested by the extreme winds – described variously as like a banshee or a freight train that a cyclone brings. We will be fine, but we must take this seriously.

But we are Queenslanders, and just like in the floods of 2011 and in 2022, residents of the southeast will prove this time too that they have the fortitude so often shown by our cousins in the north.

RECKONING OVERDUE

Well done to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant for having the courage to say publicly what so many others have failed to declare – that she will do her job “with no fear or favour” to US President Donald Trump’s bro-in-chief Elon Musk.

In a victory for commonsense that we try to always laud in this column, Ms Inman Grant said she was “not trying to pick a fight with any individual” as she continues to call out poor behaviour by digital platforms, including the Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter).

The commissioner’s latest report provides yet another example, how poorly social media and digital messaging platforms are doing in protecting users against terrorist and violent extremist content.

When a West Australian teen allegedly made threats to carry out a massacre at a Sydney mosque, it took Meta-owned Threads two-and-a-half days to respond to user reports. WhatsApp took more than a day, and Reddit 1.3 days.

Further, the report found that anybody deemed as dangerous and banned on Instagram, Facebook or Threads can set up a WhatsApp account – despite all four platforms being owned by the same company.

There is a growing – overdue – understanding in the community about the fact these companies do not care about being good citizens. Ms Inman Grant is doing good.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here