Prime Minister Scott Morrison has decided not to chip in for a major flood recovery project, just weeks after visiting the same devastated Queenslanders who would have benefited from the funds.
Furthermore, he says any criticism of his refusal to go halves in a $741m residential recovery package is “politicising a natural disaster”.
The Queensland Labor government on Wednesday accused Mr Morrison of another “election-eve insult” after he said the federal government would not be contributing to a residential recovery package which proposes to retrofit, raise and buy back homes vulnerable to flooding.
Treasurer and Acting Premier Cameron Dick said a letter from Mr Morrison on Tuesday night essentially referred to the project as “not his problem”.
“Every Queenslander needs to know that this letter shows that Scott Morrison does not care about flood victims, who need help from all levels of government,” Mr Dick said.
“He has decided he doesn’t need flood victims to vote for him – so he has nothing to offer them.”
Mr Morrison in response said the federal government had already provided $375m in recovery payments to about 325,000 Queenslanders, which averages about $1200 each person.
He also noted the feds had committed a $130m farm infrastructure replacement grant, and tipped in another $280m in joint-funded projects.
“Well, I think I think we’ve seen over some time now a real politicisation, and it’s very unfortunate, a real politicisation of natural disasters,” Mr Morrison said in response to Mr Dick’s jibes.
“When the Queensland government, who has responsibilities for the projects that they’ve outlined today, they are all Queensland responsibilities, and we think they should do that.
“And if they were to make those investments, they will probably approach what the Commonwealth has already invested in the Queensland flood response.”
Thousands of homes across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Gympie were destroyed and 13 people killed in the rain bomb that smashed the state’s southeast eight weeks ago, with the clean-up bill expected to reach into the billions.
Another four Queenslanders have died in the most recent rain spell, which has also heaped more woe on the waterlogged residents of northern NSW.
Mr Morrison toured Brisbane and Gympie in early March to assess the damage and came under fire for neglecting to issue an emergency declaration during the disaster, although he insisted it was the state government’s responsibility.
Mr Morrison and the federal government also copped intense criticism for a perceived lack of action and urgency during the floods and was accused of withholding recovery funding from regions not aligned with the Liberal National Party.
Queensland later announced it was launching a package to help prevent flooding destruction in the future – including retrofitting 5500 homes, raising another 1000, and buying back 500 more – and invited the federal government to go 50/50.
Federal support had not been locked in when Deputy Premier Steven Miles made the announcement on March 19.
A spokesman for Mr Dick on Wednesday confirmed Queensland would now reassess whether it could afford the whole $741m program on its own.
The spray from Queensland adds to a list of problems piling up on Mr Morrison’s doorstep with an election announcement imminent.
The federal government holds 23 of 30 Queensland seats, while Labor has six seats concentrated around Brisbane and Ipswich in the state’s southeast corner.
‘THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, IS IT?’
Meanwhile, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has admitted his government’s failure to get financial support to flood victims quickly.
The state government has announced a $20,000 Back to Home grants scheme to help uninsured homeowners rebuild in the wake of the floods.
xjmtzywMr Perrottet was grilled about the scheme on Today.
“I think you have got 9000 people that have applied for financial help, 548 haven’t seen a cent of that money,” co-host Charles Croucher said.
“I mean, in anyone’s language, that is not good enough, is it?”
“No, it’s not,” Mr Perrottet said.
“From my perspective, the turnaround times and the red tape in bureaucracy in the way, simply as you say, is not good enough.”
Co-host Allison Langdon chimed in: “But people lost their homes more than a month ago and they still haven‘t seen a cent. I’m not sure that apologies cut it any more.”
The Premier said the state government had put on more staff to ensure applications were processed more efficiently moving forward.
“We’re doing everything we can to get that money out the door as quickly as possible,” he said.
