A $20 million annual buyback program for flood-prone Brisbane properties has been added to the Greens’ plan to ban all new housing and commercial development on the most high-risk land.
The party’s longstanding pitch for council-level action has been refloated amid campaign efforts for the March 16 election,and as the city marks two years since its last major flood.
Jason and Rebecca Petzke assess floodwater at West End in 2022,where many newer developments were inundated.Tony Moore
How we got here
After Brisbane’s biggest downpour since 1974 saw creek and river levels surge,the state and federal government a $740 million Resilient Homes Fund to buy,raise or retrofit flood-affected dwellings.
The program,which was set to purchase moreacross the state – more than initially expected – closed for new applications in July last year.
More than 400 Brisbane homeowners devastated by floods have expressed interest in having their homes bought back by the government.
Why it matters
Brisbane City Council did not contribute financially to that scheme, of its own to 2016. All three levels of government funded a program after the 1974 flood.
In 2022,Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner would not be drawn on whether his LNP majority council was considering reinstating the scheme,saying while,it needed to be looked at.
The council’s 2022 sought to also reassess land use in flood-prone areas,including commercial and industrial zones,to boost future resilience.
What they said
The Greens’ lord mayoral candidate,former Gabba Ward councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan,said there had been little change to flood-prone development rules since then,with more projects.
“Our message to property developers is clear:if it floods,forget it,” he said in a statement.
His party’s plan,first touted ahead of the but now laid out,involves banning new development in the two highest flood-risk.
It would still allow owners to renovate or raise existing homes and businesses above flood levels,provided this does not result in an expansion of a building’s footprint.
It is proposed that land purchased as part of the buyback scheme – or,in the case of investment properties,potentially acquired if owners were unwilling to sell – would be funded through a portion of the existing park acquisitions budget and would be converted into parkland.
In lower-risk,but still flood-prone areas,rooms and essential infrastructure in new developments would need to be at least two metres above predicted flood levels,rather than 50 centimetres.
“If a flood means your building loses electricity,garbage collection services,elevator access and transport connections,that still causes major disruptions to your life,” Sriranganathan’s campaign website states.
“Less than 10 per cent of Brisbane’s urban footprint is prone to severe flooding,and there are plenty of developable sites on higher ground.”
Jonathan Sriranganathan
Perspectives
Fiona Cunningham,the LNP’s campaign spokesperson,described the plan as “nonsense” and suggested it would make 40,000 properties worthless,triggering compensations claims which would “send Brisbane broke”.
Tracey Price,Labor’s lord mayoral candidate,sought to portray as the “sensible” middle-ground,ensuring draining and infrastructure was appropriate for developments. Labor has proposed a buyback scheme worth $5 million annually.
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