An independent review into the response to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has recommended reinstating the voluntary home buyback scheme.
When Cyclone Alfred made landfall at Moreton Bay on March 8, it brought with it heavy rainfall and wind speeds reaching 100 kilometres per hour.
Former Queensland governor and Supreme Court Justice Paul de Jersey was appointed to conduct a thorough evaluation of Brisbane City Council’s (BCC) handling of the weather event. De Jersey had previously led a review of the council’s response to the 2022 floods, which resulted in 37 recommendations.
He noted that it was encouraging to see many of those earlier suggestions already implemented ahead of Cyclone Alfred.
“There’s always something to learn from events like these, and I’ve found the council to be very receptive to feedback,” he said.
“Overall, I believe the council performed exceptionally well in supporting Brisbane residents. Major weather events challenge even large organisations like BCC, but unfortunately — or fortunately — the council has gained substantial experience in this area.”
His latest report outlined 12 recommendations, including better insurance coverage for volunteers, faster access to emergency financial aid, and renewed state and federal funding for the voluntary home buyback scheme.
However, de Jersey noted that most of the recommendations built upon the previous ones and commended both the council and Queenslanders for their response.
“After completing this review, I’d rate the response as an A-plus,” he said.
Renewed Call for Home Buybacks
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the council is committed to learning from every natural disaster to improve its preparedness and response.
“Thanks to Paul’s 2022 flood review, we implemented a number of important reforms,” Schrinner said.
“We adopted and acted on every recommendation, and those changes had a noticeable impact during Cyclone Alfred.”
Among the key findings, the report praised the success of the voluntary home buyback scheme, which was funded by both the state and federal governments and managed by local councils across Queensland.
Following the 2022 floods, the program led to the acquisition of hundreds of flood-prone properties, which were then converted into green space.
Schrinner said he had formally requested renewed funding and a relaunch of the scheme after Alfred.
“That funding has now been used up, so I’ve written to both the state and federal governments urging them to work together on a new round of the program,” he said.
“It prevented hundreds of homes from flooding that would have otherwise gone under. There’s a real chance to expand it, but it requires collaboration across all levels of government.”
Weather Alerts and Sandbag Distribution
De Jersey also highlighted the effectiveness of BCC’s weather alert system during the cyclone, noting increased usage compared to the 2022 flood.
The report recommended continuing efforts to boost public subscriptions to the alert service.
Schrinner added that a new national emergency alert system, backed by the federal government, would soon allow for push notifications to be sent directly to phones in affected areas.
“These events can be unpredictable, so timely communication is essential,” he said.
De Jersey was also impressed by the scale of sandbag distribution, calling it remarkable.
“Half a million sandbags were handed out, with many people filling them on their own, and volunteers stepping in when help was needed,” he said.
To avoid long wait times in future events, the report recommended creating dedicated self-serve sandbag stations.
