Coalition promises $10m weather radar network after visit to flooded Outback
Anthony Albanese has been accused of neglecting regional Australia, as southwestern Outback Queensland faces the worst flooding in years.
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Peter Dutton has pledged $10m for a new weather radar in outback western Queensland, where several towns have been inundated with record-breaking rain and flooding.
The technology, which will be built near Quilpie, will allow the Bureau of Meteorology to ascertain more accurate forecasting for rural communities.
The Opposition Leader visited Targomindah, about 1100km west of Brisane alongside Nationals Leader David Littleproud and Bulloo Shire Council mayor Tractor Ferguson on Monday afternoon.
The Bulloo River has risen to about 7, considerably above the 5.1m major flood level, and is expected to rise to 7.1m on Monday night.
Water levels are now well above the previous 6.48m and 6.78m recorded during flooding events in 2010 and 1974 respectively.
Mr Dutton accused Anthony Albanese of neglecting regional communities and ignoring the area’s need for weather monitoring systems.
“This $10m funding announcement is yet another reflection that a Dutton-Littleproud government would once again prioritise the needs of regional Australians after the neglect of the Albanese government,” he said.
Mr Littleproud, who is also the local MP in the seat of Maranoa, said households should have been given more notice of the event, which would have given them more time to plan for the major flooding.
“In recent days, I’ve heard first-hand harrowing stories of survival,” he said.
“If families had been given more notice, they would have easily had time to get to safety. Instead, some have been forced to fight for their lives. That’s why this is important.”
About 70 people have been evacuated from their homes, and of the town’s 200 residents, 97 of them were forced to sleep at the evacuation centre, with more expected on Monday night.
Mr Ferguson said it was the “worst (flooding) he’s ever seen”.
“We’re in uncharted territory, we’ve never been here before,” he said.
Bulloo shire council acting chief executive Tamie Warner said the council has been pleading for years for river gauges and radars, and were told last year the gauges would be delivered, but they were not.
She said if the town had the gauges and radars the town and surrounding area could have been better prepared.
“If we had pre warning, it could have helped prevent some of the mass damage,” she said.
“If we had weather radars, if we’d known we had 5 days of consistent rain we could have had the levee banks up… we could have been more prepared.”
She became emotional as she spoke about how exhausted the town already was.
“This council is 73,000 square kilometres. I don’t think there’s an area not underneath at the moment,” she said.
The region is expected to record high levels of livestock loss after this event, and will likely be cut off for about three to four weeks once the river has peaked.
Ms Warner said already she had seen videos of dead sheep up against fences and floating in flood waters.
Mayor Ferguson said he would welcome the Prime Minister to visit the town, so “he’ll know why we need the radars and the gauges”.
Asked for assurances he wouldn’t cut staff at the BOM or the national emergency anagement agency, Mr Dutton said “no frontline services” would be impacted by his plan to cut down the public service.
“We want to take money out of the back office and put that money into frontline services,” he said.
Mr Dutton was also asked about new polling out Monday that showed Labor had taken the lead ahead of the May 3 election.
“I think there will be a lot of polls between now and election day, and really what it’s about is Australians are in a bad situation,” he said.
“Here in Thargomindah, that’s our priority today. But there are a lot of Australians in their darkest hour.”
With Ellen Ransley, pool
Originally published as Coalition promises $10m weather radar network after visit to flooded Outback
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