WATER TORTURE
Locals sold down river as concerns sunk in parliament
AN Estimates hearing at State Parliament turned into farce yesterday after the tabling of a Gold Coast Bulletin front page report on updated flood modelling which has caused insurance premiums to rise.
Opposition frontbencher Andrew Powell reacted angrily when Estimates committee chairman, Chris Whiting, said his questions were “hypothetical”.
“How is a real increase in insurance premiums hypothetical?”, Mr Powell said.
AN Estimates hearing at State Parliament has turned into farce after the tabling of a Gold Coast Bulletin front page report on updated flood modelling.
The report revealed future stages of light rail could be at risk and home insurance premiums could be increased by thousands of dollars because new maps show the coastal suburbs covered by water.
To have its City Plan ticked by the Government, the council must take into account an 80cm increase in a one-in-ahundred-years flood. Council planning committee chairman Cameron Caldwell told the Bulletin the mapping only forecast what could happen if there was an 80cm sea level rise in 80 years time.
But during the Estimates hearing yesterday, Opposition frontbencher Andrew Powell asked State Development Department director-general Rachel
Hunter if the department, given the impact on insurance premiums, was confident about the modelling and advice provided to the council.
Estimates committee chairman, Labor’s Chris Whiting, interrupted and said: “Just a moment there. We’ve got a couple of things. Given the impact on that there, we’ve got a hypothetical there regards impacts and you’ve used the word ‘consider’ as well and that’s asking for an opinion. Can you rephrase that in accordance with standing orders?”
Mr Powell explained that the Bulletin had reported on residents who received increases in their insurance premiums.
“It’s not a fictional impact, it’s a real impact,” Mr Powell said. “How is a real increase in insurance premiums hypothetical?”
Mr Whiting replied: “We got a hypothetical situation here according to a front page of a paper.”
Mr Powell maintained the article was based on fact and again asked if the department was confident about the modelling and advice to the Gold Coast City Council, which updated its flood maps.
After being told again that he was asking for an “opinion”, a frustrated Mr Powell moved on with another question.
“We won’t bother. Clearly the department isn’t able to answer the question, hence your protection of it. We’ll move on,” he said.
Burleigh LNP MP Michael Hart, who was watching proceedings, was furious.
“Estimates is a farce. They’re supposed to be open and accountable. It’s a shutdown,” he said.
Outside the hearing, State Development Minister Cameron Dick said he was “100 per cent” behind the council, which was informing the public.
He said a commission of inquiry following the 2011 floods had recommended councils update flood planning work and make it available to residents.
“I think this is important work,” Mr Dick said.
He acknowledged the Government would consider the impact of the mapping on the southern route of the light rail.
“Clearly we are looking at the third stage of the light rail project which has been a roaring success. We will of course look at this very carefully in relation to any future extension of the light rail, particularly stage three,” he said.
“We will be very careful
about it. That’s why we do detailed business case planning to ensure the infrastructure is as good as possible before it’s built.
“We would be asking insurers to make sure insurance premiums are fair, fair for people on the Gold Coast and fair for people in Queensland.”
Council planning committee chairman Cameron Caldwell said it was “absolutely important” that insurance companies assessed risks “on the realities of what those risks are today”.
“There is no cause for concern among Gold Coast residents,” he said. “We are merely doing what we are told to make sure that our planning scheme is up to the State Government standards.
“I don’t believe that this mapping will have any impact on construction or development more broadly, but what
IT’S NOT A FICTIONAL IMPACT, IT’S A REAL IMPACT. HOW IS A REAL INCREASE IN INSURANCE PREMIUMS HYPOTHETICAL? ANDREW POWELL
it will do is make sure we focus on our attention to making sure that the developments which occur in the future are resilient to potential flooding impacts.”
Cr Caldwell said the flood mapping only forecast what could happen if there was an 80cm sea level rise in 80 years time.