Labor vows flood research centre for Southern Cross
A Labor government will give Southern Cross University $12.3 million for flood research.
A Labor government will give Southern Cross University $12.3 million for flood research, Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said yesterday.
The funds will be used to set up a national institute for flood resilience at the university, on the north coast of NSW, a district often affected by flood disaster.
Ms Plibersek said the institute would help communities better predict, prepare for and recover from floods, noting that a new network of smart sensors would help researchers understand more about floods.
The institute would include the establishment of a an emergency flood response centre for the Northern Rivers district around Lismore to ensure improved co-ordination of the State Emergency Service and allied emergency and response.
Over the past 10 years, every state in the country has been beset by major floods, Ms Plibersek said, estimating the disasters cost Australia $18.2 billion a year.
Floodwater has this week inundated Townsville, in far north Queensland. The Ross River dam has been opened and residents have moved to higher ground.
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