What we're talking about

CRY FREEDOM on Choice between China and USA? To the uneducated I will explain, America supports China from Japanese aggression and in return gets attacked themselves. ... more
Bob Lord on More Origin games in Melbourne? No way, one every three years is plenty for Melbournites. All they do is mock our superior NRL game anyway. more
Bob Lord on Choice between China and USA? Gee, I don't know. Go with our biggest trading partner whose economy is thriving. Or go with the warmongers whose economy is ... more
Richard on Choice between China and USA? Communism or Democracy.Why are we even entertaining the thought?Bob Carr is a nutcase, but gets elevated to Foreign Minister ... more
John of Caloundra on Choice between China and USA? Wow, it's easy to engender fear and anger in the digital age, isn't it? And Cry, why do you point out this "history" as ... more
John of Caloundra on ACTU calls for casual workers to be ... Absolutely. It's too easy to whack someone on a casual rate and leave them in that situation where they have little job ... more
CRY FREEDOM on Choice between China and USA? From 1937 to 1941 a war raged between China and Japan, the USA in support of China put sanctions of raw materials on Japan ... more
Amy on ACTU calls for casual workers to be ... As a general rule Casual Employees wages include a component to account for Annual Leave and Sick Leave, that is why a ... more
Amy on Tony Abbott on Drive So Bob, when do we see Wayne Swans hidden Robin Hood Suit?You know the one one wears when one robs the rich and gives to the ... more
BELLA on Tony Abbott on Drive Exactly....No Carbon Tax or MRRT = No linked INCREASE in benefits, the operative words being LINKED INCREASE, Bob.Which does ... more
BELLA on Choice between China and USA? AND SO IT BEGINS...... more
CRY FREEDOM on Choice between China and USA? George Bush what crucified by the media and the ALP over his your with me or against me comment. Do not be mistaken, this is ... more
CRY FREEDOM on Tony Abbott on Drive Bella, once again the socialist minded believe you can solve problems by running up debt and increasing taxes as proven by ... more
Bob Lord on PM Gillard with 4BC Breakfast Dear DIckDid you notice that bit in the budget how next year the government will be collecting 24 billion less taxes? That's ... more
Bob Lord on Treasurer Wayne Swan Dear RichardGreat thinking outside the box mate. People do use solar powered lighting along their driveways already of ... more
Bob Lord on Hockey smacks budget Dear DickReally CHEAP overseas labour working in our mines??? You envisage toilers in the hot sun with a pick and shovel? ... more
John of Caloundra on Hockey smacks budget Dick: "don't comment on what you know nothing about"! L-O-L!Should take your own advice I dare say!Ooga booga soshulizms ... more
John of Caloundra on Treasurer Wayne Swan Richard, only you on this blog, and nobody else in the world, calls the ETS a broad based consumption tax. That's more ... more
Richard on Hockey smacks budget @Bob, don't comment on what you know nothing about.Find out why Gina has gone overseas for cheap labor.Can't get CHEAP labor ... more
Richard on Treasurer Wayne Swan @JOCI didn't realise that the Ipswich Motrway was a locally funded project.Just how did we innovate before the ETS. ... more

QLD Floods Commission of Inquiry

Posted by: 4bc.com.au | 7 February, 2012 - 9:40 AM

4BC News: Sydney-based hydrologist Mark Babister has fronted the inquiry this morning to explain his latest report. Amelia Birnie, 4BC Journalist, told Gary Hardgrave that Babister reiterated his support for the actions of Wivenhoe Dam's engineers

4BC News Amelia Birnie with Gary Hardgrave on Sydney-based hydrologist Mark Babister

4BC News Amelia Birnie with Gary Hardgrave on Stephen Robertson's involvement

4BC News Amelia Birnie with Gary Hardgrave

4BC Breakfast: Two senior Wivenhoe dam engineers have stepped down, as the flood inquiry continues. So where is this all heading? Channel Ten’s Cathy Border spoke to Peter and Mary from 4BC Breakfast.

Mornings: Why all the discussion about the manuals?

Secretary of Flooded Affected Business and Homes, David Stark believes all the discussion about “following the manual” is semantics. Focus should have been looking at projected levels because the law states they have to use the best available fain forecast and they didn’t.

Blog comments

Wow it wuoldn't be a vacation without a little trouble right? Who needs credit cards or luggage on a honeymoon? It sounds absolutely magical so far. What an incredible view from your hotel room!

Noemi Sunday 19 February, 2012 - 6:45 PM
Because it was not done makes the point you raise irrelevent Micheal Raymond. The facts of the matter show that the dam was in an extremely dangerous over storage that was threatening the whole dam. Immagine if that dam fail the carnage and damage that would cause, hence the enoumous release of stored water on top of record rainfalls, there is little doubt of has happened and it was stated right at the time the floods occured and denied by the authories to avoid possible responsibility hence the enquiry.

mick Thursday 9 February, 2012 - 12:53 PM
It is pretty clear that the flood could have been avoided from the dam by the early release of waters say on Saturday, this would have resulted in low lying area flooding but avoided the large scale floods. The alleged failure to follow the manual resulted in a great deal of damage, personal lose, grief and significant pain and suffering. They failure to follow the dam has also significantly effected peoples house and land values and cuased the Q100 to be wrongly increased due to potential mismanagement.
The payouts to those effected by the dam mismangement will include;
1. House Damage
2. Contents and effects
3. Temp Accomm
4. Land Values
5. Pain and Suffering
6. ?
Wow, this could be a huge compensation payment, and what about the business that were effected by the dam water releases.

Paul Ravaillion Wednesday 8 February, 2012 - 5:03 PM
What strategies may have been used, documented, and communicated certainly appears confusing.
The big but however is,
What ultimately must be judged is, could alternative Manual compliant releases have been made which would have resulted in less flooding and reasonable flood warning time to Ipswich and Brisbane ? To date nobody has put forward how it could have been done better.

Michel Raymond Tuesday 7 February, 2012 - 8:01 PM
Wow! fancy that..... why would they step down? But it is all to late now for them, I wonder if they have taken separate legal advice personal to themselves and not listening to their employers lawyers and accepting that.

mick Tuesday 7 February, 2012 - 3:47 PM