Bundaberg MPs continue to bicker about future of flood mitigation

It has been more than a decade since Bundaberg was devastated by two “once in a lifetime” floods, and the region's political leaders are still using the issue of how to best protect the city for political point scoring.

Barolin Street was almost unrecognisable during the 2013 floods which inundating low laying areas, homes and businesses. Photo: Max Fleet/NewsMail

It has been 10 years since two “once in a lifetime” floods devastated the Bundaberg region, and still its leaders cannot present a united front on how to if-not “flood proof” the city, at least reduce the carnage.

As funding and action on the proposed East Bundaberg Flood Levee remains at a standstill, State MP Tom Smith said on Friday it was still a priority for the state government.

“A lot of work has been done since 2013 between different levels of government around flood mitigation and awareness in Bundaberg,” Mr Smith said.

The Bundaberg Labor MP said he was keenly committed to the Bundaberg Flood Action plan, the levee and the North Evacuation Route.

“For me, the answer is simple; where we can stop flooding, we should stop flooding,” he said.

In response to this public show of support, Federal LNP MP Keith Pitt hosted a presser on Monday to celebrate what he described as Mr Smith “seeing the light” and called for the Labor government to confirm funding for the Bundaberg North Evacuation Route.

Cooper's Home Hardware owner Steve Cooper has understandably had enough of floodwaters. Photo: Max Fleet/NewsMail

“When Colin Boyce and I announced in May last year our election commitment of up to $60 million for the North Evacuation Route – with a 20 per cent contribution from the state government – the Member for Bundaberg was nowhere to be seen,” Mr Pitt said.

“It’s about time that the Member for Bundaberg listened to the community and was supportive of the North Evacuation Route which would provide a safe evacuation path for around 10,000 residents if there was a similar catastrophe to the 2013 flood.”

State LNP Burnett MP Stephen Bennett also had his say on Mr Smith’s public support of the levee, but said no real action had yet been taken.

“It’s been broken promises and misleading assurances for a decade,” he said.

“This government promised ‘boots on the ground to flood proof Bundaberg’ in 2017. We now know that was political point scoring propaganda.”

While 2017 brought the completion of the Bundaberg Flood Protection Study, and the Bundaberg Action Plan, activity remains “ongoing” on the projects and mitigation plans outlined as a result of those studies.

Originally published as Bundaberg MPs continue to bicker about future of flood mitigation