Cairns will be better protected from devastating future floods, with the Newman Government announcing funding to build a Moody Creek catchment levee and detention basin.
Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience Minister David Crisafulli said the $500,000 grant would help Cairns Regional Council to build the levee and detention basin on Ramsay Drive to catch water coming off the Whitfield Range.
“We’re carrying out the most ambitious infrastructure plan in a generation, ” Mr Crisafulli said.
“It will mark a turning point for communities threatened by flooding and, to achieve that, it has to be community led.
“Locals know how to best protect their community and this levee is a good example of a council identifying a value-for-money project that could save millions of dollars in clean-up costs in the future.
“It is also the sort of project that insurance companies say will lower risk and therefore premiums. We intend to hold them to that.”
Mr Crisafulli said Council had estimated damage would cost more than $64 million over 20 years if the levee was not built.
“The infrastructure will prevent or reduce flooding in 450 homes and businesses in Cairns suburbs such as Mooroobool, Westcourt and Bungalow ,” he said.
Cairns MP Gavin King said the Newman Government was determined to put in place the mitigation measures that will make Cairns safer and put pressure on insurance companies to make premiums cheaper.
“After years of governments being focused on rebuilding after disasters, we’re recognising that floods are part of life in Far North Queensland and we’ve got to defend ourselves, ” Mr King said.
“Suncorp has said it’ll reassess insurance premiums once effective flood mitigation infrastructure is built. This government intends to help build it.”
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Press Release, August 29, 2013