A company that worked on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme has been tasked with investigating whether a new rail link exacerbated flooding north of Brisbane.
Infrastructure Minister Jackie Trad announced in parliament on Tuesday that engineering firm SMEC will investigate flood damage near the Moreton Bay Rail Link.
Some long-term residents of Deception Bay, where 100 homes were damaged, have said the works had altered the flow of a local creek.
They say this led to flooding on a scale never seen before when last week's devastating downpour hit the region.
Ms Trad said she'd met with Moreton Bay Regional mayor Allan Sutherland and her director-general before announcing the independent investigation.
"While the rain was unprecedented, we could not ignore concerns that the Moreton Bay Rail Link project may have contributed to the flooding," she said.
Cr Sutherland, who met with project officers and departmental representatives on Monday, welcomed the announcement.
Previously he had stopped short of blaming the rail link for causing the uncommonly severe flooding.
"There was a record rainfall event and there was a record flood event," he said on Monday.
"It would be wrong to add two and two together, and get five."
Residents are still cleaning up after more than 300mm fell in less than 24 hours on Friday, inundating scores of homes and causing the deaths of five people who tried to cross flooded roads.
SMEC was established in 1970 and worked on the Snowy Mountains Scheme, considered to be Australia's biggest infrastructure project.
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