Toowoomba Regional Council should engage external consultants to carry out failure impact assessments on the detention basins along East Creek.

The Queensland Government should consider whether North Pine Dam should be operated as a flood mitigation dam when it considers possible operating strategies and full supply levels as part of the longer term review of the Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at North Pine Dam.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should prioritise dam safety audits according to risk.

The Queensland Government should draft model flood planning controls, using a similar format and structure to that in the Queensland Planning Provisions, that councils can adapt for local conditions. The Queensland Government should require these controls to be reflected in new planning schemes.

The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require that: a.

Authorities responsible for the management of sewerage infrastructure should conduct a review of their existing infrastructure to identify electrical infrastructure that may be vulnerable to inundation and perform risk and cost/benefit assessments to determine if it should be relocated to a highe

The Queensland Government should consider implementing mandatory requirements to ensure that all conduits for the purpose of providing electrical supply below the applicable defined flood level are sealed to prevent floodwaters from entering them or flowing into them.

Emergency Management Queensland, in consultation with councils, should develop a directive that makes clear the authority of an officer of that agency to command a major SES operation.

Wide Bay Water should, in addition to its usual wet season preparations and maintenance, undertake the following activities in advance of each wet season: Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry | Final Report 29 Complete list of Final Report recommendations • conduct training for personnel on da

The Queensland Government should legislate to clarify the purposes for which a transitional environmental program can be granted.

The steering committees of the Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam Optimisation Study and the North Pine Dam Optimisation Study should consider removing the water supply security investigation from each study.

If the Queensland Government does not include such assessment criteria in the model flood planning controls, councils should include assessment criteria in their planning schemes that require the impact of flood on commercial property to be minimised.

Toowoomba Regional Council and the Department of Environment and Resource Management should continue to co-operate to assess the referable dam status of existing detention basins and any future detention basins constructed in the West Creek and East Creek catchment areas.

The Queensland Government should continue to assess and review the adequacy of work procedures DS 5.1 and 5.3, having regard to the need for flood mitigation manuals to reflect the will of the executive.

The Queensland Government should include in the model flood planning controls a requirement that councils have a flood overlay map in their planning schemes.

The Queensland Government should review the code for development applications for prescribed tidal work in the Coastal Protection and Management Regulation 2003 to consider whether the design and construction standards should be made more stringent than the existing standards.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should review the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual to determine whether it requires updating or improvement, in particular, to reflect the current law and to take into account insights gained from the 2010/2011 floods.

CS Energy should put in place contingency measures to ensure email and telephone communications at Wivenhoe Power Station are not entirely dependent on a network located off-site.

Emergency Management Queensland should ensure its staff, SES members and disaster managers are familiar with the directive when it is developed.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should conduct periodic dam safety information and education sessions with emergency management personnel including those from Emergency Management Queensland, local and district disaster management groups and local councils.

The Queensland Government should consider amending the Environmental Protection Act 1994 so that it allows for the relaxation of environmental authority conditions, by transitional environmental program or otherwise, as to discharge of water: • pre-emptively, in advance of rainfall or flooding ev

The steering committee of the North Pine Dam Optimisation Study should consider whether it would be beneficial for the floodplain management investigation to be removed from the North Pine Dam Optimisation Study.

Carriers, councils and the Australian Communications and Media Authority should take into account the risk of flooding when considering the placement of telecommunications facilities.

Councils should ensure that, when applications for environmentally relevant activities are approved by a council, the details of those activities, including their nature and location, are provided to the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

The Queensland Government should endeavour to ensure that Queensland conditions are appropriately considered in the National Flood Risk Advisory Group’s review of best practice principles.

Prior to approving a flood mitigation manual, the Queensland Government should be satisfied that its terms are expressed in a manner that allows a determination of compliance with it to be made by reference to objective standards.

The Queensland Government should include in the model flood planning controls a model flood overlay code that consolidates assessment criteria relating to flood.

The Queensland Government should consider drafting assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls which require that works in a floodplain: • do not reduce on-site flood storage capacity • counteract any changes the works will cause to flood behaviour of all floods up to

Councils should consider amending their planning schemes to include provisions directed to consideration of the flood resilience of basements as a factor in determining the appropriateness of a material change of use.

Emergency Management Queensland, in consultation with councils, should develop clear directives about: • the communication and reporting that should take place between the SES and disaster managers, including in relation to task allocation and completion, once disaster management groups have been

The Queensland Government should consider amending the Environmental Protection Act 1994 to provide a definition of the term ‘emergency’ for the purposes of section 468 of that Act.

The conditions for the use of a particular strategy in all flood mitigation manuals should reflect objective standards.

If the Queensland Government does not include such assessment criteria in the model flood planning controls, councils should include assessment criteria in their planning schemes that require that: a.

In the event that the review does not adequately account for Queensland conditions, the Queensland Government should produce a document that provides appropriate guidelines for floodplain management in the Queensland context.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should prepare formal work procedures for the review of flood event reports created under emergency action plans and flood mitigation manuals.

The Queensland Government should include in the model flood planning controls a model planning scheme policy that: • for development proposed on land susceptible to flooding, outlines what additional information an applicant should provide to the assessment manager as part of the development appl

The Queensland Government should consider amending the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009 so that operational work or plumbing or drainage work (including maintenance and repair work) carried out by or on behalf of a public sector entity authorised under a state law to carry out the work is not

In assessing and determining development applications for material change of use in areas susceptible to flood, councils should consider whether the new developments locate essential services infrastructure above basement level, or, alternatively, whether essential services infrastructure located

Emergency Management Queensland should ensure its staff, SES members and disaster managers are familiar with the directives it develops in relation to these matters.

The Queensland Government should amend the Environmental Protection Act 1994 so as to permit an emergency direction to be given orally where it is not practicable to provide the direction in writing, with provision for its subsequent confirmation in writing

The steering committee of the Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam Optimisation Study should consider whether it would be more effective for the floodplain management investigation to be removed from the Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam Optimisation Study.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should require Wide Bay Water, in advance of every wet season, to provide details of its expectation as to the operability of the crest gates if a flood occurs, until such time as all gates have been demonstrated to work as designed.

When approving applications for development which involve the manufacture or storage of hazardous materials, councils should not restrict the conditions imposed to ones which are solely reliant on human intervention to remove the materials in the event of flood.

The Queensland Government should determine whether existing guidelines are sufficient for councils to understand best practice in the performance of flood studies and the production of flood maps.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads, in conjunction with Brisbane City Council and Somerset Regional Council, should investigate options for the upgrade of Brisbane River crossings between Wivenhoe Dam and Colleges Crossing and undertake a cost-benefit analysis of these to determine the ou

For urban areas or areas where development is expected to occur: a. councils with the requisite resources should develop a flood map which shows ‘zones of risk’ (at least three) derived from information about the likelihood and behaviour of flooding b.

If the Queensland Government does not include such a policy in the model flood planning controls, councils should include in their planning schemes a planning scheme policy that: • for development proposed on land susceptible to flooding, outlines what additional information an applicant should p

Levees should be regulated.

The Queensland Government should draft assessment criteria to be included in the model flood planning controls that require critical infrastructure in assessable substation developments is built to remain operational during and immediately after a flood of a particular magnitude.

The Disaster Management Act 2003 should be amended to give the chief executive of the department administering the Act (or his or her delegate) the authority to appoint an officer of Emergency Management Queensland to direct SES operations in extraordinary circumstances

Emergency Management Queensland should pursue the execution of the ‘Local Arrangements’ with councils where a Memorandum of Agreement is in place. The contents of the arrangements should be reviewed and updated regularly

Emergency Management Queensland should develop and implement a new formula for the distribution of its recurrent SES subsidy, which takes into account relevant factors including the size of a local SES contingent and the population, area and natural hazard risk profile of the local government are

Brisbane City Council, Ipswich City Council and Somerset Regional Council and the Queensland Government should ensure that, as soon as practicable, a flood study of the Brisbane River catchment is completed in accordance with the process determined by them under recommendation 2.5 and 2.6.

Councils (particularly Brisbane City Council) should consider including in their planning schemes more stringent standards for the design and construction of prescribed tidal work than those in the code for development applications for prescribed tidal work in the Coastal Protection and Managemen

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should prepare a list of relevant considerations to be taken into account in performing a risk assessment to decide which sites to inspect. Bureau of Meteorology forecasts should be one consideration.

As part of the longer term review of the Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam, the Queensland Government should consider the impact of possible upgrades of bridges downstream of Wivenhoe Dam on different operating strategies for the dam.

For non-urban areas or areas where limited development is expected to occur councils should consider, on a risk basis, what level of information about flood risk is required for the area, and undertake the highest ranked of the following options which is appropriate to that need and within the ca

The Queensland Government should consider amending the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 to expressly provide either a power to remake or a power to extend a temporary local planning instrument containing interim flood regulation for a further limited period. The power to remake or extend should: a.

The Queensland Government should consult with councils to determine an effective method for the regulation of the construction of levees in Queensland.

If the Queensland Government does not include such assessment criteria in the model flood planning controls, councils should include assessment criteria in their planning schemes that require critical infrastructure in assessable substation developments is built to remain operational during and i

As part of the longer term review of the Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at Wivenhoe Dam and Somerset Dam the Queensland Government should consider whether the dam operators should be able to extend the drawdown of the lake beyond seven days in order to reduce downstream ban

The Queensland Government should amend the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 to designate the Minister as the person who must approve a flood mitigation manual.

Ipswich City Council should determine whether the results, models and maps produced by the Brisbane River flood study are sufficient for its floodplain management.

The Queensland Government, in consultation with councils, should determine which urban areas in Queensland do not have access to flood information from a current flood study.

If the Queensland Government does not include such assessment criteria in the model flood planning controls, councils should consider including assessment criteria in their planning schemes which require that works in a floodplain: • do not reduce on-site flood storage capacity • counteract any c

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should conduct risk assessments in time for site inspections, and the implementation of solutions to problems identified at inspections, to take place before 1 November of each year.

The Queensland Government should, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Resource Management and Emergency Management Queensland, determine which agency is appropriate to review and approve emergency action plans for referable dams.

Councils should ensure that areas for which there has been no assessment of the likelihood of flooding are indicated on a map and that, as part of the development assessment process for these, there is at least some enquiry into whether a site proposed for development could be subject to flooding

The Queensland Government should consider allowing councils to amend a planning scheme to update existing flood mapping information by way of the minor amendment process, provided that adequate public consultation has occurred.

The Queensland Government should consult with councils to formulate a definition of ‘levee’ to identify what should be regulated.

The Queensland Government should consider whether there should be a legislative requirement that customer dedicated assets be built at or above the applicable defined flood level and if so, the Queensland Government should consider which legislation should contain such a requirement.

The Queensland Government should consider whether to empower Seqwater, through the flood operations centre, to direct CS Energy to stop or delay releases from Splityard Creek Dam where a flood event is declared under the Manual of Operational Procedures for Flood Mitigation at Wivenhoe Dam and So

The assessment of flood mitigation manuals should be completed by a person with appropriate expertise who has had no involvement in its development, at any stage, and who can be seen to be independent of all individuals who were so involved.

A recent flood study should be available for use in floodplain management for every urban area in Queensland. Where no recent study exists, one should be initiated.

By reference to the order of priority determined in accordance with recommendation 2.5, the Queensland Government and councils should together ensure that the council responsible for each urban area in Queensland has access to current flood study information. This will include determining: a.

If the Queensland Government does not include such assessment criteria in the model flood planning controls, councils should consider including assessment criteria in their planning schemes that address: • the prospect of isolation or hindered evacuation • the impact of isolation or hindered evac

The Department of Environment and Resource Management should assist mine operators in their applications for amended environmental authorities to ensure, as far as possible, that each environmental authority contains a tailored version of Table 4 of the model conditions.

The Department of Environment and Resource Management and Emergency Management Queensland should ensure that each has copies of current emergency action plans for all dams in Queensland.

Councils that do not currently do so should consider offering an online database which allows the public to conduct a search on a parcel of land to find development approvals relevant to that parcel of land.

The Queensland Government should consider amending the Urban Land Development Authority Act 2007, the South Bank Corporation Act 1989, the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 insofar as it governs state development areas, and other legislation which establishes alternative pl

There should be a consistent process for the determination of applications to build levees.

Queensland Rail and QR National should continue to investigate opportunities for increasing the flood resilience of their networks, including raising the height of critical equipment.

CS Energy and Seqwater should agree upon and adhere to a formal communication protocol that requires CS Energy personnel to advise Seqwater, through the Flood Operations Centre, of water movements between Splityard Creek Dam and Wivenhoe Dam or Pryde Creek once a flood event is declared under the

SunWater and the Central Highlands Regional Council should determine the issues of ownership and responsibility for maintenance of the LN1 drain system in Emerald.

CS Energy should review its emergency action plan and business procedures to ensure they are wholly consistent and give appropriate consideration to flooding as a possible emergency event.

Councils should, resources allowing, maintain flood maps and overland flow path maps for use in development assessment.

When commissioning a flood study, the body conducting the study should: • check whether others, such as surrounding councils which are not involved in the study, dam operators, the Department of Environment and Resource Management, and the Bureau of Meteorology, are doing work that may assist the

Councils and the Queensland Government should display on their websites all flood mapping they have commissioned or adopted.

If the Queensland Government does not include such a policy in the model flood planning controls, councils should include a planning scheme policy in their planning schemes that sets out the information to be provided in development applications in relation to stormwater and flooding.

Unless the Department of Environment and Resource Management has decided not to permit discharges, it should assist each mine operator in its application for an environmental authority to ensure, as far as possible, that each authority includes provisions for discharges during times of heavy rain

The Queensland Government should consider implementing a mechanism by which prospective purchasers of property are alerted to the issue of flood risk.

The Coordinator-General should amend the guideline for preparing an ‘initial advice statement’ for a significant project under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 so that it specifically requires an applicant to consider and provide information about the project’s flood r

There should be a common set of considerations in the decision whether to approve an application to build a levee, including: • the impacts of the proposed levee on the catchment as a whole • the benefits of the proposed levee to the individual or entity applying to build the levee and to any nea

The protocol should make provision for the use of telephone and/or radio where communication by email is not possible. Where necessary, CS Energy and Seqwater should make additional radio equipment available to relevant personnel.

When a policy-holder makes a claim, the insurer should ascertain the policy-holder’s preferred method of contact and ensure that it is used (with other modes of communication if necessary) to keep the policyholder informed about the progress of the claim.

CS Energy should amend its business procedure to remove any ambiguity as to the establishment of communications with Seqwater and to acknowledge the formal communications protocol regarding releases.

Councils should make their flood and overland flow maps and models available to applicants for development approvals, and to consultants engaged by applicants.

The Queensland Government and Commonwealth Government should ensure the existence and maintenance of a repository of data of the type used in flood studies. The database should include the types of data which the expert panel specified as needed for a comprehensive flood study.

Flood maps, and property specific flooding information intended for use by the general public, should be readily interpretable and should, where necessary, be accompanied by a comprehensible explanatory note.

Councils should review their assessment processes to ensure that: • the person with primary responsibility for the assessment of the development application considers what expert input is required • where a development application is subject to comment by a number of professionals, the responsibi