Brisbane is a city that experiences more than its fair share of natural disasters. From bushfires to devastating floods, there needs to be more work done to protect our unique way of life.
The Brisbane Labor team, led by Lord Mayoral candidate Tracey Price has recently announced its plan to make Brisbane a more climate resilient city.
A key part of this plan is to address the long-standing issue of the lack of investment in drainage and flood mitigation in our suburbs.
“It’s incredibly disappointing to know that the current Lord Mayor and his administration have cut money for drainage works in Brisbane” Ms Price said.
“To have taken such a lazy approach to the response to the devastating 2022 floods is not only reckless but puts the city in danger when it comes to future natural weather events.”
“This is on top of the years of neglect in suburbs like Hemmant, Tingalpa, Bald Hills, Deagon and Kedron where residents fear localised flooding whenever significant rain falls.”
As the Councillor for Deagon, Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy has been the devastation up close.
“The LNP Council’s response to the floods in February 2022 was slow and under resourced.”
“The fact that since then, the drainage budget has been cut by the LNP Council shows exactly where their priorities are, and they aren’t in the suburbs of Brisbane” Councillor Cassidy explained.
“It’s not like their isn’t a roadmap to follow here, it’s just that the Lord Mayor and the LNP Council is so lazy and out of touch, they’ve not done any of the work.”
“I’m really proud of this positive and comprehensive plan to ensure that whenever the next severe weather event hits Brisbane, we’ll be prepared and ready.”
The budget for a suburban drainage and stormwater drainage will increase by $2.8 million and $6.3 million a year to try and fix the damage caused by years of underinvestment by the LNP.
A Tracey Price-led Brisbane City Council would also invest $5 million a year to offer voluntary buy-back of flood affected or low-lying homes.
“This is an additional level of protection for those that live in known flood-prone areas, that they will be supported in the future if ever faced with a decision whether to seel their homes or not” Ms Price said.
“I am committed to seeing Brisbane become a truly climate resilient city and will tackle the lack of investment and maintenance of drainage head on.”
