Katter’s Australia Party – TOOWOOMBA NOT FLOOD PROOFED

TOOWOOMBA NOT FLOOD PROOFED
KATTER PARTY CANDIDATES CALL ON BLIGH AND GILLARD

Joint Media Release: Sunday 20 November 2011

Katter’s Australian Party candidates endorsed for the two electorates based on Toowoomba City today called for State and Federal intervention to help prevent a repeat of last January’s deadly floods through Toowoomba South, North and the CBD.
On Friday, Mr John Mathison, candidate for Toowoomba South and Toowoomba North candidate Peter Pyke told local WIN TV that flood-proofing Toowoomba was a ‘no brainer’ and something which should have been addressed already.

Peter Pyke says, “Instead of acting to prevent a repeat of last January’s disastrous flood event, Mayor Peter Taylor and the Toowoomba Regional Council, both State MPs and our Federal MP appear to be simply overwhelmed by the scale of the project and to have decided to do nothing.”

Pyke says this decision by the TRC in particular is ‘foolhardy’ and ‘risks lives and will destroy businesses who might get hit a second time’.

Toowoomba North candidate John Mathison who is a health worker says another flooding event will cause great psychological harm to the well-being of the many families who would be affected and would be likely to cause suicides of those who will not cope.

John Mathison says, “Mayor Peter Taylor and the Toowoomba Regional Council appear to be avoiding any responsibility to do anything by saying the last floods were a ‘once in a 100 year event’. Who says it can’t happen again this coming January?”

Last Monday on local Win TV, all TRC Mayor Peter Taylor could do was to publicly wring his hands and say ‘the projected cost of $32 Million to completely flood-proof Toowoomba is beyond him and the Toowoomba Regional Council’, both candidates say.

The Katter Party candidates say that instead of doing nothing, the TRC should ‘beg, borrow and steal’ and urgently seek money from both state and federal governments, which is what they are now doing.

Both candidates are calling on the Bligh and Gillard Governments to provide urgent funds to flood proof Toowoomba, which includes providing State and Federal government monies to create a proper (LA style) concrete storm-water channel along Gowrie Creek from the CBD north and to deepen East and West Creeks.

Both Toowoomba candidates say that low-cost bank-widening and choke-point minimisation works should have been done this year to make the Gowrie Creek flow better, which will help alleviate flooding experts say. They want this work to start this week.

The Katter Party intends to call a public meeting in Toowoomba to apply pressure to the TRC, as well as the Bligh and Gillard Governments, to undertake urgent works to prevent a repeat of the flood event ahead of the next rainy season.

“The Charleville Mayor got $14.3 Million to flood-proof Charleville. That hard hit regional community certainly needs those funds to protect their community in the future, but so do we,” Peter Pyke says. “Toowoomba is the largest inland regional city. To simply do nothing is unacceptable and we will not stand for it.”

Peter Pyke contact: 0427 388 598
John Mathison contact: 0411 609 556

Katter’s Australian Party
Website: www.ausparty.org.au
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