Australian opposition urges new dams to flood crisis
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As the vast tide of floodwater from Queensland pushes into New South Wales, Australian Federal Opposition on Friday said a network of new dams would help deal with future floods across the country, and will also improve water security during droughts.
The worst of the flooding in eastern Queensland may not be over, as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms on Thursday returned to the region, hindering clean-up efforts.
Bureau of Meteorology projections predicted that southeast Queensland will continue to receive above average rainfall for the period January to March in 2011.
Opposition said the party will develop a plan to build a series of dams around the nation, as part of the coalition's policy platform for the next election. The policy is aimed at reducing the impact of floods and boosting food security.
According to Acting Opposition Leader Warren Truss, the coalition will work with local communities over the next 12 months to find the best possible sites.
Truss said building new dams would have a number of major benefits.
"These floods demonstrate that there is a lot of water that could be put to better use in Australia, lowering flood levels in towns, but then putting water aside so that when the next dry time comes, it can be used productively across our nation," he told ABC News on Friday.
However, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said rebuilding essential infrastructure such as roads is her first priority.
"I'm not going to be diverted from that task by considering things that are really a long-term future," she told ABC News on Friday.
"Of course at some stage they will be part of our thinking but right now I am determined to rebuild regional Queensland.
"I want these towns reconnected and back to full operations and as we go through that process we'll look at all those other issues. "
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the escalating damage bill would not stop the budget returning to surplus, and the floods would not halt water reform in the Murray- Darling Basin.
The cost of the disaster, estimated by some economists at up to nine billion U.S. dollars, presented the government with "tough choices" but the budget would be back in surplus by 2013, Gillard said.
