During Estimates hearings on Wednesday 24 July 2024, I asked the housing minister for an update on advice in relation to preventing new developments being approved on flood-prone land.
You can read my question and her full response below, or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings (Hansard) here.
Mr BERKMAN: Minister, back in estimates 2022, the then minister told me that the government was seeking advice from the State Planner about ways to prevent new developments from being approved on flood-prone land. Can you please give us an update on the outcome of that work and whether the government has considered, or is still considering, banning new residential development on flood-prone land?
Ms SCANLON: I thank the member for the question. I might ask the director-general to provide an update.
Mr Cridland: Thank you, member. I will ask the Queensland State Planner to address that for you.
Ms Pickering: I was not the State Planner in 2022 but, with respect to the flood management and the interaction with the planning framework and current work, the State Planning Policy in Queensland establishes that local governments have the ability to choose a risk tolerance appetite and amend their schemes accordingly, appreciating that our environment is changing and hazards are evolving constantly.
We have recognised that fact and sought funding from the Resilience Authority to essentially allow us to undertake a resilience maturity framework. To answer your question, the state is looking to step more into where we have before in giving councils support, particularly for flood risk management, which I think was your question.
Mr BERKMAN: Broadly speaking, yes. To put a finer point on it, Minister, is the government moving towards a process of banning development in highly flood-prone areas?
Ms SCANLON: I thank the member for the question. Obviously we have our State Planning Policy that guides efforts to mitigate natural hazards. As part of the ShapingSEQ update, priority action 9 was developing a resilience policy maturity framework for hazard mapping and identifying ‘no go’ development zones based on comprehensive hazard assessments. That work is still underway.
CHAIR: We have reached the end of the time allocated to examine the proposed expenditure for local government and planning. We do not have any questions on notice.