Alfred shop closure overreaction ‘costs hundreds of millions’

Your report on the economic impact of Cyclone Alfred drastically underestimates the cost of southeast Queensland shutting down on Wednesday when almost all workplaces could have stayed open until Saturday evening (“No crying wolf: Crisafulli’s bid to replace Covid-era fear with facts”, 10/3).

If you consider that Greater Brisbane has a workforce of more than 1.3 million and multiply that by four lost working days, it’s not “millions lost by going too early on cyclone closures”, it’s almost certainly hundreds of millions.

My business was open while almost all the businesses around it were closed. We closed on Sunday because we had no electricity and now on Monday we’ve closed for the same reason.

Our sales on Wednesday to Saturday were greater than they would usually be. Sunday would have been a washout even if we’d had electricity because of the driving rain. My estimate is that we’ve lost maybe $600 in turnover due to the cyclone that wasn’t. I’d estimate that my favourite Brisbane cafe, by shutting down prematurely, lost maybe 30 times that amount of turnover.

Chris Oliver, Paddington, Qld

Thank you, David Crisafulli, for your “bid to replace Covid-era fear with facts”. It seems Covid has left our agencies and companies with a handy one-liner as a reason for their decisions: “We are following government advice.” This was the line I was given after my third phone call (over two days) to the company with a building site near our house. In the end, we secured some of the perimeter fencing ourselves but looked with concern at the metal roofing and other materials left lying unsecured around the site. Thankfully, all is OK so far.

Peter Weier, Margate, Qld

Most challenges in life can be overcome, but there is one that cannot and that is the one set by Mother Nature. Even though things were not as disastrous as predicted, Alfred leaves behind much damage.

This will include the political effect. Thanks to Alfred we are going to have to continue with a pseudo election campaign followed by the real thing. We are going to have to endure a return to parliament with a formal budget and budget response. We are going to have to also endure a continuation of question time during which each side will insult the other. One can only hope that come election day, voters will still have the emotional and physical energy to cast a telling vote. All thanks to Alfred.

Peter D. Surkitt, Sandringham, Vic

Although still cooler than in Roman times the Earth is warming. This puts extra energy in the system, which many, including me, thought would lead to more and bigger storms and cyclones, but cyclone numbers fell and severities did not increase. The explanation is that higher latitudes heated more than the tropics. This reduced the temperature gradient between the two regions and with it an important factor in cyclone formation. Climate is complex, driven by much more than a single factor like CO2 levels. Alarmists who ignore this fact are not saving the planet, but doing great harm by scaring people unnecessarily and feeding all sorts of expensive and useless things like renewable energy.

Doug Hurst, Chapman, ACT

It would appear that the PM is preparing for a life after politics, either as a TV reporter or weather man. Every report of the cyclone seemed to feature the PM stating the bleeding obvious, combined with mawkish cliches. Considering the housing damage, destruction of the precious natural environment, huge economic costs, job losses, blackouts and the weakening to a depression, maybe Cyclone Alfred should have been named Cyclone Anthony, after all.

Helen Dyer, Ferndale, WA

Johannes Leak captures a PM desperate to be seen “holding a hose”, thus exposing the shamelessness of an “SOS” Anthony Albanese whose main motivation is the sandbagging of votes. Whether he’s popping up beside Queensland Premier David Crisafulli or NSW Premier Chris Minns, or at an army barracks, Albanese’s attempts at being the consoler-in-chief are cringe-worthy. While cynically spruiking his campaign theme of “we’ve got your back” in Lismore, the reality is voters want to see the back of Albanese. As Simon Benson notes, “an overwhelming majority of voters don’t believe Labor deserves to be re-elected”. As Labor stalwart Graham Richardson once said, “no matter how smart you think you are, the electorate is always smarter – the mob will always work you out”.

Mandy Macmillan, Singleton, NSW