Brisbane levees on agenda in wash-up

FEDERAL Regional Affairs Minister Simon Crean has called for the construction of flood levees along the Brisbane River to be considered.

A boat removes debris from the Brisbane River. Picture: Brad Hunter

FEDERAL Regional Affairs Minister Simon Crean has called for the construction of flood levees along the Brisbane River to be considered.

Mr Crean, who is responsible for local government, said questions also needed to be asked about whether some houses or apartment buildings along the river should be rebuilt.

He told The Australian yesterday that it was critical all three levels of government worked together to examine all these planning issues.

Mr Crean's comments came as resident groups and town planners backed calls for a review into planning laws, and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said the issues should be investigated in any inquiry into the disaster.

Residents were yesterday starting to question council and government decisions about flood planning and proposed developments in areas that went under during the flooding.

Mr Crean said some affected parts of the city he had visited were at very high risk of flooding because they were next to the river and at the bottom of a hill.

Rebuilding in areas such as these would need to take into consideration ways of preventing future flooding, such as the construction of levee banks -- which could be used at normal times as bike paths, Mr Crean said.

"It seems to me we need to look at the issues for the future so we won't be faced with this again," Mr Crean said. "I don't think it's just about the planning approvals in low-lying areas -- you could have flood mitigation strategies."

He said all levels of government needed to sit down and "sensibly discuss" how to move forward in terms of rebuilding the city.

"We need to get expertise in from the construction industry seriously advising the government about what that approach may entail," he said.

The national president of the Planning Institute of Australia, Neil Savery, said it was important that Brisbane's planning regime was examined.

The possibility of residents not rebuilding in areas of extreme flood risk should be considered, with homes replaced by car parks or light commercial operations in valuable land close to the city, he said.

Property Council of Queensland chief executive Kath MacDermott said developers would be happy to take part in a review of which areas became flooded and why this had happened. "They want to step back and look at a better way," she said.

Flooded residents in a new development near an old swamp in the western suburbs yesterday claimed the Brisbane City Council had assured them before they built that they were above the 1974 flood levels.

Craig Holz, who moved into his new house only last year in the development in Fig Tree Pocket, said there must have been flaws in the listed flood heights.

"We were told that we were above the 1974 flood levels, but we had water go through here," he said.

Mr Holz said Brisbane clearly had a major problem with flooding that had to be addressed, either by improving planning or putting in special measures to hold back water. "This city has a severe flooding problem with two devastating floods in 37 years, and the government has to start looking at what they do overseas," he said.