Prime Minister Julia Gillard has visited the flooded city of Bundaberg, saying she was pleased to have the chance to see the damage first-hand.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she's seen remarkable sights in a visit to communities ravaged by the one-in-200-year flood that hit south-east Queensland.
Ms Gillard on Thursday visited the city of Bundaberg and the townships of Burnett Heads and Bargara, which were smashed by tornadoes at the weekend.
"We've seen some remarkable sights," Ms Gillard said.
"This is a once-in-a-200-year flood.
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"It's been good to see with my own eyes and hear from the community their own stories."
At least 20 homes in the worst-hit northern suburbs of Bundaberg have either been completely washed away by floodwaters, lifted off stilts or cut in two.
The area is a designated exclusion zone with 200 army officers helping with the recovery phase.
"Boots on the ground, integrated with this community ... helping with the clean-up," she said of the army presence.
The prime minister said her government has triggered concessional loans for primary producers and small businesses affected by the natural disasters.
Payments of $1000 have been made available to give immediate relief to people affected by the disaster.
As well as hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster relief, Ms Gillard said the federal government had donated $1 million to the Queensland Flood Appeal.
"And we will ensure that people's donations to that flood appeal are tax deductible," she said.
"If you've been moved by what you've seen across Queensland ... then you can do something practical no matter where you are in Australia."
Ms Gillard said she didn't visit sooner because she didn't want to get in the way of the rescue efforts.
"It's always a question of judgment when it's best to come," she said.
"I don't want to come when the emergency, you know, right in the thick of it, when people's attention is getting people off roofs and savings lives."
She said she'd been overwhelmed by the community spirit in Bundaberg.
"It's a great tribute to the local people," she said.
Treasurer Wayne Swan said it was too early to speculate on how much the disaster would cost.
"There are people here who are still putting their lives back together. This river's got a way to go down. Thorough assessments must be done.
"It's far too early to put a figure on the cost of this tragic event, but we will handle it responsibly."
Mr Swan dismissed claims by Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls that the federal government was withholding millions of dollars in disaster relief funds.
"I don't think that's so," he told reporters.
"The commonwealth government is providing well in excess of $6 billion to Queensland for the natural disasters that occurred two years ago.
