Mayor slams Anthony Albanese for lack of support as flood warnings to remain ‘for months’

A west Queensland mayor has criticised Anthony Albanese for calling the election ‘in the middle of the worst flood in the history of outback Queensland’.

Small town Quilpie has been turned into an in-land island has communities across western Queensland reach record flood levels.

Inland western Queensland has been hit by its worst flooding in more than 50 years, with entire towns evacuated by helicopter and the estimated loss of one million livestock.

The state’s west has smashed a previous rainfall record set in 1974, with up to 450mm falling across the region in seven days.

Across the region, including the small grazing town of Quilpie 1000km west of Brisbane, the average annual rainfall has historically been less than 300mm.

The west Queensland town of Quilpie was underwater following record-breaking rainfall. Source: Lauran Gilligan

Local complaints during the flooding about west Queensland’s poor weather radar coverage prompted Peter Dutton and Nationals leader David Littleproud to visit the region.

Mayors and graziers said the absence of any Bureau of Meteorology radar coverage between Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory to Charleville in western Queensland had made forecasting unreliable.

The federal Opposition leader said a Coalition government would commit $10m towards a new BoM weather radar for the region. “The Coalition knows that a new weather radar is of critical importance for communities and businesses in central Queensland,” Mr Dutton said.

Peter Dutton and Nationals leader David Littleproud meet with Bulloo Shire mayor John Ferguson at Thargomindah on Monday. Picture: James Brickwood

BoM senior meteorologist Helen Reid said a new weather radar in central Queensland would assist the BoM’s weather analysis, but would not improve forecasting. “A radar is marvellous at helping us understand the intensity of the rain as it is coming down,” she said. “But for this wide-scale flooding, it won’t necessarily assist in forecasting the amount of rainfall; an extra radar would only help us understand what is happening now.”

The announcement was welcomed by Quilpie mayor Ben Hall, who said residents had been campaigning for a weather radar in the region for more than a decade. He estimated more than a million cattle and sheep had been lost in the flood event, either from being swept away in floodwater or dying from exposure.

“It took too long for the government to sign off on fodder drops for distressed, starving stock,” he said.

Mr Hall accused Anthony Albanese of giving more attention to metropolitan residents during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred than rural communities hit by the flooding, slamming the Prime Minister for calling an election “in the middle of the worst flood in the history of outback Queensland”.

Sheep have been left to wade through floodwater in Quilpie. Picture: Shane McCarthy

Cattle have been stranded on makeshift islands for more than seven days in Quilpie. Picture: Shane McCarthy

“When Alfred was at its height it was announced that a call on an election would be delayed because of that weather event. To announce an election in the ­middle of such a monumental crisis beggars belief.”

Mr Hall said beef and lamb ­prices would soar from widespread livestock losses from floodwater and exposure.

“Meat prices will undoubtedly skyrocket nationally off the back of the millions of cattle and sheep that have sadly been lost,” he said.

“We literally fuel Australia via our resources and farming and yet our remoteness seems to make it a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ in this disaster.”

Jim Chalmers said the federal government was focused on the “human cost of the heavy weather … We’ve seen the devastating flooding in a number of communities that will no doubt have an economic impact”.

“We know the human costs are considerable, and the economic costs will be considerable as well, and they’ll be known to us before long,” the Treasurer said.

Jim Chalmers at QUT School of Nursing in Brisbane on Mopnday. Picture: NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell

Entire townships, including Adavale north of Quilpie, have been evacuated by helicopter to nearby Thargomindah after their properties became inundated by floodwater.

Ms Reid said flooding could continue to ravage the region for months. “That region is extremely flat so it will take a long time before we see flood warnings drop,” she said.

“The Bulloo River, which runs through Thargomindah, is still rising, with water still flowing in from upper catchments. Every catchment in that region is under major flood warning.

“To get down to a moderate flood warning will take a couple weeks, I expect, and to get below moderate will take even longer.

“I expect at least a minor flood warning on the Bulloo and Paroo rivers for months.”

On Friday, Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy announced that Personal Hardship Assistance grants would be made available for flood-hit residents of west Queensland.

Residents can claim $180 per person to purchase essentials like food, clothing and medicine, and up to $80,000 will be made available for eligible dwellings damaged during the flood event.