CLEAN UP BEGINS AFTER MAJOR FLOODS

Canegrowers are now assessing the extent of damage to crops after the region was hit by major flooding caused by three weather systems converging in North and Central Queensland.

“With some farmers still unable to get cane off and the season extending into 2025 this deluge will surely be the end of those lots”, said Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox.

Hundreds of millimetres of rain across the Dawson electorate with Townsville receiving the highest rainfall in six hours in 30 years. Drivers were cut off by flood waters along the Bruce Highway between Mackay and Proserpine and from Bowen to Townsville.

The Department of Main Roads deemed the Bruce Highway to be safe to re-open after accessing the damage early on Sunday morning but the Federal Member for Dawson isn’t convinced any new major damage will be fixed properly.

“The Bruce Highway was already riddled with pot holes and I am very concerned what long term effect this flood will have on the key route to North Queensland.” Mr Willcox said.

“This just highlights what I’ve been banging on about for quite some time. Funding from the federal government needs to be restored to 80:20 arrangement and injected into areas of the Bruce such as Mackay through to Townsville, to lift the safety standard plus flood mitigate known sections that cut with any sort of rainfall.”

The Federal Member encourages everyone to sign his petition and get behind his campaign ‘Back Our Bruce, Back Our People’, available in his website.