Flood warning network to be established

The Australian Government is investing $236 million over 10 years to establish a national flood warning network.

The investment aims to help communities, emergency services and businesses access reliable flood forecasts and warnings to help them prepare and respond to flooding events by improving reliability and consistency of flood data, forecasts and warnings.

The funding will be used to purchase and upgrade high priority flood gauges that are currently owned by local, state and territory governments in flood-prone areas.

In many cases these are run down and poorly maintained.

Based on the advice of the Bureau of Meteorology, work in Queensland will be prioritised.

This is due to the high flood risk to the community in Australia’s most disaster-prone state and the Queensland Government’s prior commitment to share the cost of ongoing operations of the flood gauge network.

This funding will ensure high priority catchment upgrades can begin in every state and territory across Australia, if successful cost sharing arrangements are agreed to.

Over a number of years, local and state governments have been calling for a national solution to address critical, longstanding risks in Australia’s flood gauge network.

Dating as far back as 2015, studies have warned that the patchwork flood gauge network would increase risk during floods.

Most recently, following the devastating 2022 flood season, multiple independent inquiries called upon the Federal Government to consolidate, upgrade and assume responsibility for ongoing maintenance of the flood network.

The inquiries identified several, terrifying examples where communities were left uninformed or unprepared during the floods because of broken or outdated flood gauges.

The initiative has received support from The Nationals.

Shadow Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Perin Davey, said it will significantly improve the government’s ability to monitor and respond to flood risks across the country.

“It is extremely important that there is collaboration across all levels of government in addressing the significant impact floods have had on communities, especially so in regional Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales,”

“One area that needs work in order to be consistent nationally is the terminology used for flood warnings and early preparations during tropical lows which can cause similar flooding to cyclones.

“I am concerned the Government intends to spend a decade or more acquiring and improving various state systems across the country in order to build up the network.”

Garth HAMILTON MP Federal Member for Groom

Our Vision for Australian Families after Labor’s bad budget

The Albanese Labor Budget has failed Groom, delivering uncertainty for key projects and failing hard-working Australians.

At a time when Australia’s economy needed a plan to address inflation, ease cost-of-living and tackle the housing crisis, the government let us down. Labor’s budget will:

• Increase taxes on 10 million Australians

• Deliver a new food and fibre tax on Farmers

• Increase taxes on Truckies that will add to grocery bills for families

Locally, Labor’s budget did not give us a plan for roads, housing or to take pressure off bills.

There was nothing for Railway Parklands, Inland Rail or projects to bust congestion.

Instead they are increasing migration to 1.5 million migrants by 2027. As if finding and affording a home, is not already difficult enough.

In response to Labor’s bad Budget, the Liberal National’s outlined our vision for Australian families and announced a number of new and important policy initiatives. A future Coalition government will:

• Restore the Tax to GDP threshold.

• Incentivise unemployed Australians to take up work

• Double the size of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.

• Impose more obligations on big digital companies.

• Re-instate the Cashless Debit Card in communities that want and need it.

• Reverse Labor’s $153 million tax on farmers.

• Restore the number of Medicare-subsidised psychological sessions from 10 to 20.

• Ban gambling advertising during sports broadcasts, for an hour each side of a game. Locally, I want us to get on with urban renewal through the Railway Parklands project, get Inland Rail to Toowoomba, upgrade local roads and invest in connecting public transport. We need a budget that will build a stronger economy, support local families, and deliver certainty to our region.