Queensland Flood Recovery

During late 2010 and early 2011, Queenslanders were hit by unanticipated and widespread flooding which resulted in the significant destruction of many homes and business and the tragic loss of lives. It was decided that the ACT could assist in the recovery and rebuilding effort.

Immediately after the floods, ACT representatives travelled to Queensland and began meeting with various communities to establish the worst affected areas. By late January, Ipswich, Goonda, Grantham and Murphy’s Creek were identified as areas most in need. A Trust representative was nominated in each of these areas to work with the ACT to assist their communities.

The Trust has been involved in the following activities since early 2011:

• Identifying gaps in existing service provision and filling the void where necessary
• Linking affected local businesses to all available assistance measures to get them re-established as quickly as possible
• Collaborating with Telstra and the local community of Murphy’s Creek to secure a permanent mobile phone tower in the locality
• Identifying those families and individuals most affected by the disaster to provide additional support where it is needed
• Liaising with senior members of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) to support their efforts in obtaining targeted corporate donations
• Lobbying governments at all levels to provide a coordinated response to donations, their storage and distribution
• Working with the community of Mission Beach and Tully in identifying tasks requiring ACT involvement
• Coordinating the use of donated sea containers for community use; and
• Ongoing management and operation of the Ipswich Distribution Centre in regards to donated goods