On November 5, 2021, national cabinet was briefed by the Bureau of Meteorology on “high-risk” weather expected through until April 2022.
Meeting documents are usually kept secret, but independent Senator Rex Patrick obtained the PowerPoint slides for the briefing via freedom of information. They revealed cabinet was briefed on the increased risk of widespread and coastal flooding during the first four months of 2022. Weather maps indicated south-east Queensland and far north NSW as areas where “riverine flooding due to widespread rain” was a hazard.
February 28
Just as the Bureau of Meteorology predicted, the dying days of the Australian summer saw intense rain that precipitated devastating floods up and down the east coast. After a gloomy summer clouded by Omicron and ending with war in Ukraine, the promised downpour had arrived.
South-east Queensland was the first to be affected. After recording its largest three-day rainfall, the Brisbane River peaked at 3.85 metres on the morning of February 28.
At the same time, Lismore was recording its worst flooding, with the peak reaching higher than 14 metres, two metres higher than the record set in 1954.
March 3-4
It took a number of days for the floodwaters to recede in Lismore, at which point the mammoth clean-up effort finally could begin.
Calls for leadership grew as 3000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands of residents homeless. Access to emergency supports was nearly impossible because of internet outages and a lack of access to computers. Reports emerged of private helicopters being crowdfunded and untrained volunteers uncovering bodies.
March 5
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet visited northern NSW and spoke just outside Lismore. He said the government was “not going to spare a dollar”. Residents lamented the lack of direction and slow mobilisation of support.
March 6
The first 900 ADF personnel arrived to assist with the clean-up in northern NSW.
March 8
After witnessing the devastation in Lismore, Dominic Perrottet spoke on 2GB and apologised to people who “feel that they are isolated and abandoned”.
Meanwhile…
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 late on March 1, and isolated in Sydney for the following week. He made speeches on Ukraine to the Lowy Institute and the AFR Business Summit from isolation.
As for Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce? He’s done a handful of media appearances, including on Sunrise, but his interview with Leigh Sales on 7.30 last night demonstrated why he might be keeping out of the limelight. He bumbled about bureaucracy in an attempt to explain the slow support for flood-affected areas. He floundered when questioned on pork-barrelling that saw Ballina and Byron — in the Labor-held seat of Richmond — de-prioritised for emergency funding after also receiving less flood preparation funding after neighbouring Nationals-held seat Page.
He did concede the national disaster call might have been too late, telling host Leigh Sales: “If people say, well, it should’ve happened last week, well, if we made that mistake, we made that mistake, and we’re sorry for it.”
Which brings us to yesterday.
March 9
More ADF personnel arrived in northern NSW, along with Morrison who had just come out of isolation. While on the ground in Lismore, he declared a national emergency which will trigger a federal response to the devastation. Critics suggested the announcement was delayed to maximise PR opportunities.
When questioned on the pace of the support rollout, Morrison said the ADF was “not available on a moment’s notice”.
Like you know if someone attacks the country. We have to get them out of bed and get them dressed.
Morrison should have stayed in his panic room.
in the book “Invading Australia for Dummoxes”, the advice given is as follows
Always invade on Saturday afternoon.
(Reason hardly anyone will notice and communication with “Authorities” will be put on hold ’till Monday).
Always invade the North of Western Australia.
( for the reasons above plus it will take at least Three weeks to get anyone there to check. Plus another three for the pollies and Military to agree on something and act. Include another three for the ADF to scrape enough Troops and Ordnance together. Add abundant airfields, ports and paddocks for landings. A nice level spot near Exmouth where the U.S. and Australia hold practice landings is also available
Always invade when the LNP is in Government.
By the time the Prim Minister has completed the announcements about how he will repulse the invader, the invasion will be complete.
There is more but I don’t want to give away what might damage security.
It is worth mentioning that there is a warning about “Be carefull not to collide with any broken down RAN submarines or ships on the way in”.
John Marsden’s YA classic, “Tomorrow When the War Began” was also an excellent template for a successful invasion & take-over so let’s hope that it is not available O/S.
And we also have to give Morrison time to plan an announcement. Or announce a plan. And get his photographer ready.
That observation deserves a triple like.
And it isn’t true! On the first day of the floods everyone knew what support was going to be necessary. We’ve been here before, many times! If the govt command to mobilise had gone out on that first day, by the time floods were receding thousands of boots could have been on the ground. SES helicopter rescue and food drop services could have been helped immediately. This was govt inaction pure and simple…
Just wondering if pouring an extra $38Billion into defence will speed up the response….
No, but it will help re-election advertising immensely. TV ads are very expensive, don’t’cha know.
Small wonder that the MSM so love those who’ll spend the most buying ad time/space.
The ADF recruitment is already well under replacement requirements. That won’t change. For the LNP to promise something they already know is impossible, and WON’T HAPPEN, is normal for them.
An off the cuff retort, that on reflection, should be seen by the PM as having stayed on the sleeve.
Australia has to replace a FAILED Federal Govt with a FUNCTIONAL Federal Govt.
And to achieve that goal we need current Prime Minister, urgently, to announce a Federal Election date no later than Saturday, April 30, 2022.
WHY? Because there are far too many casualties unsupported in times of great hardship and; unbelievable absence of National Leadership. Nation is vulnerable on many fronts! Urgency is warranted.
I’d rather Morrison call an election for Friday, 1 April 2022 – April Fool’s Day.
Alas, today was the last opportunity as a minimum 3 weeks notice is required.
So? Scott doesn’t care about those things.
All he does care about is enhancing his own status in prosperity religion happy clapperism.
And giving any left over government to favoured fellow happy clappers.
Smirko, Brother Stuart RoboDebt, as well as others in the government cohort belong to Pentecostalist cults, with a chiliastic eschatology, now also wrapped in the so called Prosperity Gospel, that has all the true believers, that is those that are Pentecostalists, will be taken from the earth by The Rapture.
While all others, atheists and those that follow any other religion, Christian or otherwise will be subject to The Great Tribulation…where they will all experience worldwide hardships, disasters, famine, war, pain, and suffering, which will wipe out most of all life on the earth before the Second Coming takes place.
Richard Flanagan’s 2019 take on the same issue:
“Morrison’s Pentecostal religion places great emphasis on the idea of the Rapture. When Rapture arrives, the Chosen – that is those Pentecostalists with whom the prime minister worships and their controversial pastor – will ascend to Heaven while the rest of us are condemned to the Tribulation – a world of fires, famine and floods in which we all are to suffer and the majority of us to die wretchedly, while waiting for the Second Coming and Scott and co wait it out in the Chairman’s Lounge above.
Could it be that the prime minister in his heart is – unlike the overwhelming majority of Australians – not concerned with the prospect of a coming catastrophe when his own salvation is assured?”
Well, Hayward, I now no longer feel quite so alone in trying to wake up this nation as to the true character and purpose of Scott Morrison and his disciples who have risen from the depths of bigotry and infiltrated our secularly (supposedly) run Govt. Why is it so important for them to be in Govt, is now the question that should be to the forefront in voters minds? Why don’t they just “sit it out” so to speak, and wait? The answer, I believe, is that they also see themselves as duty bound to expedite these pre Rapture events, the proof of that being pretty obvious in their actions, or more so, inactions, during such catastrophic events. Sane people want them all to be removed from where they are, in total.
Don’t know about the Rapture, but I reckon Scott and his mates might be in for a rude shock when the Day of Reckoning comes.
and fake follicles..
Whether current PM cares or does not care is not for me to judge. I do have an opinion. However, the current PM, in my opinion, lacks, lapses in his delivery of required leadership skills. To govern, lead and protect Australian citizens.
Good, another person who recognises the truth about Scott Morrison. Let us ALL realise this and also that he and his backers have managed to install a whole swathe of like-minded jerks in government with him.
There was an interview on ABC RN Breakfast this morning ‘Australia unprepared for climate threats to national security’ with Retired Admiral Chris Barrie, Senior Member the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group. He did not mince his words. It’s quite something to hear.
It was certainly straight forward response. Exactly what required if nation is to prepare, address national security related challenges. Specifically, leadership.
He clearly does not suffer fools at all, much less glady.
I doubt that he would micturate on Spud or Scummo if they were ablaze.
The interview was a ripper!
If it was national cabinet that was briefed, then surely Premiers Palaszczuk and Perrottet were in the room? Why didn’t they get Scotty – or Barnaby, if Scotty was too crook with COVID – to start acting sooner?
Thanks for the article Josefine.
Some months before the bushfire crisis Morrison received a request from rural fire commissioners for a meeting to discuss the impending disaster.
He ignored the request.
He is not fit for the office he holds.