Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
reviews with wide-ranging recommendations for legal, policy and operational
reform. Commissions of Inquiry have become common vehicles for conducting
disaster post mortems - and Queensland Floods Royal Commissions are the
most notable recent examples. Implementation of inquiry findings and recom-
mendations varies widely. The Victorian government has enacted special
legislation giving effect to an election commitment to implement all of the
67 recommendations of the VBRC, but the results of earlier inquiries such as
that following the 2003 Canberra bushfires have not enjoyed the same level of
political take-up (Bonyhady, 2010). The insights gained from these inquiries
are often not limited to the circumstances of a particular state and offer valuable
lessons for other jurisdictions and other extreme events. Experience to date
suggests that we do best at shutting the gate only after our own horses have
bolted, but one hopes that we can improve our learning from the experience of
others.
The handling of recovery operations is also likely to change if climate
change brings about an intensification of weather-related extreme events. The
Queensland government's response to the 2010-11 floods and Cyclone Yasi
provides an interesting example of new approaches to recovery from major
disasters. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) was established by
the QRA Act 2011 only one month following the Brisbane floods. The Act is
expressed to apply to reconstruction activities relating to the floods and Cyclone
Yasi, though there is scope for additional events to be added to assist in the
protection, rebuilding and recovery of affected communities (QRA, 2001, s42).
As a body aimed at recovery, the QRA is subject to a two-year sunset clause,
after which time the Authority's remaining obligations default to the State
Coordinator-General. The QRA is not responsible for analyzing the causes of
the floods and associated losses or making recommendations for reform. The
QRA has wide powers to undertake reconstruction and development works
and to expedite regulatory decisions or approval processes. It can override local
planning schemes and may acquire land to undertake works or to implement a
development scheme.
A valuable feature of the Act with interesting implications for the future
design of retreat strategies is the power of the QRA to designate land 'acquisition
land' for reconstruction purposes (QRA, 2011, s44). The owner of 'acquisition
land' is not obliged to surrender the land immediately, but may only ever dispose
of it to the Authority or another approved entity, such as a local government.
This allows residents to remain in property that is not considered suitable for
long-term human occupation for as long as they wish. This ameliorates the
harshness of compulsory acquisition, while still ensuring that land will be trans-
ferred to other uses in the longer term. In the meantime, however, residents who
choose to remain on designated acquisition land continue to be exposed to the
risk of a recurrence of the 'inland tsunami' that swept through the small farming
town in 2011, which prompted the designation in the first place.
As part of the Grantham Development Plan, the Locker Valley Regional
Council has offered a land swap for residents affected by the flood. The
