Aid Pledged As Looters Strike In Flood Areas
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday January 9, 1991
ROCKHAMPTON: An outbreak of looting has sickened the residents of flood-stricken Rockhampton, now looking at an even higher flood peak later this week which will force more evacuations.
As the estimated damage bill from the floods mounts to well over $100 million, the Federal Government has announced it will lend Queensland $3 of disaster relief funds for every $1 of State money.
The Federal Minister for Finance, Mr Willis, announced that the disaster had reached a scale which triggered the 3:1 funding arrangements.
About 1,000 evacuated flood victims have been given beds in temporary relief shelters at Rockhampton schools. Some may not be able to get back into their homes for another fortnight.
Looters have broken into dozens of evacuated houses since the flood hit last week, stealing from people who have already lost many of their possessions.
Police said last night that several cars left abandoned in floodwaters had also been broken into.
The officer in charge of Rockhampton Police, Superintendent Graham Houenhaus, said teams of police would patrol flooded areas of the city around the clock to guard against further looting.
New predictions were made last night that the Fitzroy River was likely to swell on Friday to a peak about 20 centimetres higher than Sunday's registered high.
"It seems now that we are going to have a peak of somewhere around 9.3 metres," Superintendent Houenhaus said.
That would take the river to just 10 centimetres below the devastating 1954 flood level and would probably force even more evacuations.
The Queensland Premier's office says a preliminary estimate has put the bill for damage at $100 million.
This was a conservative figure, chiefly addressing damage to road and rail, and it did not include stock losses and other damage which cannot yet be assessed.
It seems certain to be exceeded as the flooding continues. The Federal funding commitment is likely to break the Federal Budget allocation of $55.4 million for natural disaster relief.
Mr Willis would only say: "I expect the total damage bill to be substantial... It is essential that those people who have suffered from the disaster are able to return to normal lives as soon as possible."
The Federal money, however, is on loan at concessional rates to the Queensland Government and must be repaid over eight years after a two-year respite. Ultimately, Queensland pays.
The relief funding provides subsistence grants of up to $6,000 for single people and $8,000 for families for food, accommodation, clothing and other personal needs.
It also provides loans of up to $80,000 at 6 per cent interest rates for farmers. All grants and loans are means-tested and assets-tested. Damage covered by insurance is not recompensed by Government relief money.
Under the formula governing relief funding, the Federal Government provides nothing until Queensland has paid $17.3 million in relief money, and then matches State contributions dollar-for-dollar.
However, the Commonwealth pays $3 for every $1 of State money once a total bill of $30.4 million has been reached, and the Department of Finance said that this level had been passed.
© 1991 Sydney Morning Herald
