New Qld flood inquiry to get underway

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a new inquiry into the state's 2011 flood in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced an inquiry into the 2011 Lockyer Valley flood. (AAP)

A new commission of inquiry into the deadly floods that hit Queensland's Lockyer Valley in 2011 is about to begin gathering evidence.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced in parliament on Tuesday that the government had heeded calls by the Grantham community to further investigate how a wall of water surged through their township four years ago.

Twelve people died on January 10, 2011, as the flood west of Brisbane tore homes from their foundations without warning.

Locals believe the excess rainfall over the previous week filled a quarry on a creek bend down-stream from the town of Helidon before bursting through an embankment and surging down Grantham's main street.

The Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry, which wrapped up in 2012, found the quarry did not contribute to the disaster.

However an independent study commissioned by The Australian newspaper found there were several inconsistencies between evidence presented at the inquiry and the actual event.

Former solicitor-general Walter Sofronoff QC would chair the new inquiry, which will begin next week and is expected to be finalised by August 31.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Steve Jones, who campaigned for the inquiry, said it would bring closure for people still struggling with the tragedy.

"There's a lot of people with broken hearts in this valley and we want answers for them," he said.

THE INQUIRY'S FIVE KEY TERMS OF REFERENCE:

* The impacts of man-made and natural features of the landscape which could have altered or contributed to the flooding.

* Whether the existence or breach of the Grantham quarry caused or contributed to the flooding.

* Whether the quarry had a material impact on the damage caused.

* Whether the breach of the quarry had implications for the evacuation of the town.

* How these matters were initially investigated and how eyewitness accounts were dealt with in the aftermath.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world