Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Twice as big, some might say. I would not say that, but our rateable area is completely different to the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s rateable area, which gives it particular challenges when it comes to providing protection against sea rises. So what do you do? We contribute money sensibly. We have given $400,000 for new research into climate change and how it affects the local area. Those opposite made light of that fact; they said, ‘Oh, it’s obvious!’ Well, it is not necessarily obvious. My area was flooded in the recent floods, in January, and it was completely different to what happened in the 1974 floods and a bit different for the member for Blair. For example, in 1974 the water came down Oxley Creek; this time, in 2011, the water came up the creek. I have people in my area whose houses had been flooded up to the ceiling in 1974 when the water came in through their back door; this time it came through their front door. So you do not just rush in and say, ‘We’ll build these walls.’ You do have to understand the situation, especially if you are going to commit significant amounts of money.

It is also good to see that we have contributed $1 million to the regional title gauge network so that people can have additional warnings. And perhaps we need to give additional support to the Torres Strait Regional Authority so that they can make proper decisions about where the housing and the infrastructure are located. Those are concerns in the Ipswich and Brisbane areas as much as they are in the Torres Strait. The federal government can play a role in guiding local government in this area.

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