Scott Morrison agrees to contribute half of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s $771m flood package

A day after he refused to do so, Scott Morrison has agreed to contribute half of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s $771 million flood package.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks at a well used broom as he meets workers at a flood-affected street in Milton, Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

A day after he refused to fund half of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s flood buy-back package, Scott Morrison has agreed to contribute half of the $771 million cost.

Announcing he would come to the table, Mr Morrison took aim at the Queensland government for playing politics with the funding ahead of the election. He said the cost shifting will not continue.

“State Governments continue to play politics with disaster recovery,” Mr Morrison said.

“We’re not playing that game anymore as it comes at the expense of the victims.

“But this cost shifting of what should be state and local government programs will not continue.”

Mr Morrison said a re-elected Coalition government would strike a new Natural Disaster Partnership Agreement to “make it clear what the Commonwealth will fund and what states will fund – and what we cost share”.

Ryan MP Julian Simmonds, whose inner Brisbane electorate was hit hard by the recent flooding, welcomed the funding, which will be used to make homes in flood prone areas more resilient, or allow the government to buy back flood affected properties.

“I spent weeks up to my elbows in mud supporting my community, but I wanted to do more than be there for them on the day, I wanted to do something more permanent,” he said.

“The PM and I spoke at length yesterday about the extra funding and to his credit he has listened to those of us on the ground that this funding will help residents build their flood resilience.

“The federal government is now providing 2/3 of all the dollars going to south east Queensland flood affected residents because we are there for them during the flood, and as they rebuild.

Yestrday, the PM accused the Queensland government of politicising the floods in southeast Queensland after he rejected a request to fund half of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s proposed $771m flood recovery ­package.

The Prime Minister said the measures outlined in a letter sent to his office in March – including government buybacks and flood-proofing renovations of flood-­affected homes – were a state responsibility.

He called out Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick – who is filling in for Ms Palaszczuk while she is on holiday – for playing politics with flood victims after he had accused Mr Morrison of rejecting the funding based on a “political calculation” ahead of the federal election.

“When state governments have spent as much as we have on supporting flood victims, I think they can be critical,” Mr Morrison said. “We’ve seen over some time now a real politicisation, and it’s very unfortunate, a real politicis­ation of natural disasters.

A student paddles around a flooded apartment blocks in St Lucia, after floods and rain swamped Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“When the Queensland government has responsibilities for projects … we think they should do that.”

Mr Morrison said he was not looking for a disagreement with the state government. “They’ve got their job to do and I encourage them to do it,” he said.

“We’ve got our job to do and we’re going to keep doing that.”

Mr Dick said his government’s money would “remain on the table … It doesn’t matter if your home floods two, three or four times over, Scott Morrison wants no part in creating an ongoing solution,” Mr Dick said.

“He has decided he doesn’t need flood victims to vote for him – so he has nothing to offer them.

“Every expert report, including his own royal commission into natural disasters, says the federal government should be funding disaster resilience but this Prime Minister will not take responsibility and do his job to fund it. When it comes to helping flood victims, the Prime Minister says one thing but will not ­deliver.”

In his written response to Ms Palaszczuk on Tuesday night, Mr Morrison outlined almost $1bn the federal government had already pledged to help flood victims and agreed to contribute a further $15m towards additional flood clean-up measures.

“As noted above, $632m of the commonwealth’s $912m support to date is 100 per cent funded by the commonwealth, with no request for joint funding from the Queensland state government and more than $370m already been paid directly to Queenslanders needing immediate support,” Mr Morrison said. “This fully funded support … ensures the Queensland government is better able to address areas of state responsibility.”

The federal government said federally funded $1000 disaster relief payments and the 13-week income replacement for employees and small business had already paid out more than $375m to more than 440,000 Queensland flood victims.