As I noted in another thread, there was a LOt of political talk (ie hot air) after the 1974 flood about the council buying out flood affected properties. Needless to say virtually nothing eventuated & I expect exactly the same will happen this time. In reality, all councils & governments are addicted to ever increasing revenue, so any reduction in the number of rate-paying properties is unacceptable. Sure we'll see CanDo, GoAnna et al crapping on in forthcoming weeks about buyouts, but as we've seen previosly, NOTHING of consequence will result.

Yes, what we have not heard mentioned much so far in the crisis is how it has been made worse by years of rapid population growth that puts on pressure on councils to allow building on areas that would previously have been seen as unattractive due to their flood-prone nature. All that additional paved surface can't have helped reduce water runoff either. The bigger the population, the bigger the task of coping with extreme events. Listen to the cries for help as the supermarket shelves stand empty....

You can't make the people go away, but there are solutions to make the
problem by-pass the people. Solutions have been practiced in the US in flash-flood areas for the past eighty years. I'm sure if we looked at their solutions we can apply what's appropriate to our problem areas. Dams in flood prone areas should never be kept at full capacity
and allowances should be made for maximum rainfall which cause floods.
Engineered huge concrete-lined canals should start upstream and by-pass critical flood areas spilling water into the sea or inland dry dam or flood-control basins. Action needs to be taken immediately instead of creating task-forces, writing reports, shelving them, and
forgetting about them which seems to be the practice to date.

The call for dams, does not imply that dams are being proposed as the only solution. With events such as have just been, the dams won't stop the flooding, but will significantly reduce the peak level.

This peak level that often exists for a short time is responsible for a major portion of the damage, and at this point there is major environmental damage from the flooding.

Considering that many residences were not insured, and that premiums are likely to rise, most of the billions of damage will be shouldered by home owners and farmers. A few billion to mitigate this damage is well warranted.

It would seem appropriate to move dwellings and other buildings from the flood plains of Rockhampton, and other more flood prone areas. that may involve the govts just buying land and properties and moving people regardless of the cost.

The Brisbane floods will bring in to question the management of Wivenhoe Dam in light of the medium term forecasts, especially in a "La Nina" year.

Climate change means more frequent and more severe events. Victoria is having tropical weather.
The only real solution is higher ground. Dams will dictate who gets flooded and who don't