Herbert MP Phillip Thompson blasts council as poonami crisis rages on in Townsville

A furious federal MP has slammed Townsville City Council for neglecting basic infrastructure, particularly its failing sewage system, after yet another flood left residents wading through raw waste.

A furious federal MP has slammed Townsville City Council for neglecting basic infrastructure, particularly its failing sewage system, after yet another flood left residents wading through raw waste.

Herbert MP Phillip Thompson said fixing the city’s sewage system should be a top priority for the council.

“The big infrastructure projects are great, but if you’re living in sewage every time it rains, that should be your priority,” he said.

The latest downpour again exposed the city’s inadequate system, with raw sewage flooding homes and streets in places like Wulguru, Cranbrook, Mysterton, and West End.

Mr Thompson said all affected residents should be eligible for hardship grants, which the federal government recently extended to cover the entire Townsville LGA for the flooding in January and Feburary.

He accused the council of being out of touch, prioritising grand “pie-in-the-sky” projects over being on top of delivering basic services.

“Their primary role isn’t Landsdown, isn’t hydrogen, isn’t any of those big, massive projects they love to talk about,” Mr Thompson said.

“It should be sewage, curb and channelling, making sure they’re beautifying the city, spending where they should. Not worrying about all this pie-in-the-sky stuff.”

Federal MP Phil Thompson slams Townsville City Council for neglecting basic services, while Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney says they’re working on a solution for Wulguru’s ‘poonami’ crisis.

His comments come after Cr Andrew Robinson recently said that budget constraints ultimately determine what the council can afford to invest in for long-term flood mitigation, including drainage and sewage upgrades.

When asked if a lack of funds was the main issue, Cr Robinson said, “There’s never enough money in the budget.”

Mr Thompson said he was open to the federal or state government coughing up some funding for long-term flood mitigation projects in Townsville but questioned the council’s ability to manage them effectively.

A mother's home in Currajong had raw sewage in the floodwater the went through her home on Wednesday.

“I’m not against the feds or state stepping in to help, but I am concerned about the level of competency at council level to manage this,” he said.

“Look at Wulguru – for as long as I’ve been in parliament, that suburb has been dealing with sewage flooding their homes every time it rains.

“The council has known about it, and it’s still not fixed. I haven’t had a single meeting request, letter, or conversation with councillors about sewage upgrades. Not one.”

In response to Mr Thompson’s criticisms, a TCC spokesman reiterated that council remains committed to maintaining, renewing, and upgrading Townsville’s wastewater infrastructure through ongoing operational and capital works programs.

“In recent years, substantial investments in Wulguru’s wastewater network have led to a significant reduction of around 75 per cent in wastewater overflow events during the wet season,” he said.

“The recent extreme rainfall events have placed extraordinary pressure on the wastewater network citywide.

“It is important to note no wastewater system in Australia is designed to manage the volume of water infiltration experienced during such intense weather conditions.

“Townsville’s wastewater network is engineered to handle flows up to five times the Average Dry Weather Flow (ADWF). However, recent weather events have far exceeded this threshold, and when capacity is exceeded, overflows can occur.”

Daniel Leoni, with niece Bella McIlwain, 6, in Suttor Street outside their Mysterton home. He said there was no doubt there was sewage in the water that inundated his home on Wednesday. Picture: Evan Morgan

Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney assured residents the council was taking the “Wulguru poonami” issue seriously.

“I woke up thinking, ‘Oh gosh, how much sewage are we going to get in Wulguru?’” she said.

“Our sewage systems are saturated already, so we are working on a solution.”

Brittany Giudes' Wulguru property had raw sewage and toilet paper flow through for 11 days during the February floods. Picture: Leighton Smith.

The council is conducting modelling to determine why Wulguru, particularly areas downhill from Wright Street, continues to be inundated with sewerage.

“It’s an old adage that you can’t push sh*t uphill – literally,” Cr Greaney said.

“Sewage flows from the high point of Wulguru, hits the crossroads, and spills over when the system is at capacity.”

She acknowledged residents’ frustrations and promised solutions were underway.

The council expects the modelling to be completed within a month, followed by community consultation.

Originally published as Herbert MP Phillip Thompson blasts council as poonami crisis rages on in Townsville