Australia Weather News
Mr Morrison surveyed properties in western Queensland where large numbers of cattle had been killed in the floods. - ABC
Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with business owners and embattled graziers as he toured flood-ravaged Cloncurry in north-west Queensland on Friday, saying it could take years to rebuild the cattle industry.
"I was with families who have been on this land for generations, building up a herd of the finest cattle in the world … generations of breeding," Mr Morrison said.
"To see that all washed away and lying just in the mud which is turning to dry dirt — there's a lot of healing that has to go on here."
Mr Morrison said he would listen to the needs of the community before developing a long-term plan to help the region.
"There's issues of debt to deal with, there's issues of stock losses, there's issues of the cash flow, we're aware of all of these things — but the other thing we must be keenly aware of is we have to get these plans right," he said.
"You cannot just go and put a whole bunch of stock on the properties tomorrow morning. Fences have to be fixed, or that sort of stuff.
"What I am talking about is a five to 10-year plan to rebuild the cattle industry."
Grazier Jacqueline Curley showed the Prime Minister through her family's devastated cattle station north of Cloncurry.
"We showed him probably 50-odd dead animals very close to our house here … they just died of exposure standing in the rain and the cold," Ms Curley said.
"He walked through them with me and my family and asked a lot of questions to hopefully help us get back on our feet."
Speaking in Townsville, Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said she had met with senior insurance company executives and agreed to "a number of things" including committing to using local providers for flood damage repair work.
"We will continue to promote local contractors and local jobs," she said.
"If you're a local contractor, a builder, if you supply construction materials here in Townsville, we need to get you on the QBCC register of local contractors."
She said she was pleased the companies had also agreed to more "case management" and a "compassionate response" for damaged business in the suburb of Fairfield.
"We want to make sure that everybody that has an insurance policy gets a fair go when they put in a claim," she said.
Ms Trad said anyone told "not to bother" putting in a claim should ignore that advice.
"All insurance claims will be assessed," she said.
A recovery plan is also underway to assist Pacific National after a train was tipped on its side at Nelia during the height of the floods.
Queensland Rail (QR) said it was working to determine what impact the spill of minerals from the train might have on the surrounding environment.
"Simultaneously, identifying and managing any impacts from the spill of minerals into local flood waters is of utmost priority and we are working closely with Pacific National, Glencore, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science, and independent environmental specialists on an environmental action plan for the site which will form a critical part of our next steps," QR said in a statement.
Meanwhile, children in western Queensland are being offered support, as their parents come to grips with stock losses following the flooding.
Psychologists and counsellors have travelled to Winton to speak to teachers and parents about the best way to cope with the disaster.
Bureau confirms rainfall records
The Bureau of Meteorology has released an extensive report into the monsoon that caused the Queensland flood disaster.
It confirmed the weather event was "rare and exceptional", with rainfall topping 2,000 millimetres in parts of the Townsville region over the 12-day period.
The report also said many sites across north Queensland set new records for high multi-day rainfall accumulations.
"Not only have the accumulated rainfall totals set new records, numerous sites across tropical Queensland set records for the duration of consecutive days of heavy rain," the report stated.
Record-breaking rain was also confirmed to have occurred in areas that were previously affected by drought, including Julia Creek and Richmond.
ABC