Northern beaches’ five demands in Cyclone Jasper, Cairns flood recovery

A halt on housing development and new ‘escape routes’ out of the Cairns northern beaches have been put to the state government this week. Here are the five main demands.

A list of five key demands including new flooding “escape routes” and a halt on housing development have been put to the Premier during his fly-in visit to Cairns this week.

The Combined Residents Working Group – forged between Yorkeys, Holloways and Machans beaches as well as Kamerunga, Lake Placid and Caravonica locals in the wake of the ex-TC Jasper flood – has aired dozens of ideas to help rebuild their patch and fortify it against future flooding.

They made submissions to 10 ministers as part of a community cabinet session in Cairns on Wednesday but only managed to meet one, Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd.

Deryck Thompson, Letitia Choppy, Dorothy Sibly, Jo Piggott, Ross Parisi, Suzi Kerr and Donna Jardine have made a submission to Queensland Government ministers regarding the response to December's flood disaster, at the community cabinet meeting held at Cairns State High School on Wednesday evening. Picture: Brendan Radke

Representing the group on Wednesday, former Mulgrave Shire councillor Ross Parisi said one of five main requests put to the government was an update of the “bible for the Delta’, the Barron River Delta Investigation – which is understood to be the last major report into the river’s flood potential, made in 1981.

“That’s 42 years ago, it needs to be updated, it needs to take into consideration the developments that have taken place,” he said.

Mr Parisi said the council and state government should also investigate levee banks built at Kamerunga, Lake Placid, Caravonica, Yorkeys Knob, Machans and Holloways beaches and their potential exacerbation of flood events.

It comes after local geoscientist Dr Jon Knott said only “heavy engineering” would stop Thomatis Creek – which during the December flood overflowed and caused mass destruction in Holloways Beach – from becoming the Barron River’s main mouth.

During the latest Barron River flood event Thomatis Creek cut a new path to the sea through a mangroved depression. Flood water was temporarily contained by a man-made bank built up to allow the construction of Casuarina St but eventually the weight of water was too great and the river smashed through taking a 100m section of Casuarina St along for the ride. Picture: Emily Barker

The Combined Residents group have also formally asked Premier Steven Miles to place an “immediate moratorium” on further development approvals in the Barron River Delta region until a new study of the flood plain is done.

“It’s like when you drop a rock into a bucket, it’s going to overspill,” Mr Parisi said.

“If you start placing building blocks all over the Delta, where’s that water going to go? It’s going to go into these people’s houses.”

Casuarina Street on the Holloways Beach foreshore on December 18. Picture: Emily Barker

The group has also requested access roads to Yorkeys, Machans and Holloways beaches be rebuilt to be the same flooding level of the upgraded Captain Cook Highway, to ensure residents have an “escape route” in future weather events.

“We had a pretty good reception (with Minister Boyd) but of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We need to see what's going to happen in the future,” Mr Parisi said.

Ms Boyd said the government was working with local councils to support the ongoing disaster recovery.

“The Queensland government continues to provide financial and technical support to Cairns Regional Council and 13 other councils in Far North Queensland as they continue to work on the massive recovery operation in the aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper,” she said.

Originally published as Northern beaches’ five demands in Cyclone Jasper, Cairns flood recovery