Bundaberg residents call for buyback scheme after three major floods in 16 years
Rhiannon Harris says she would like to see more support for residents who are consistently flooded. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
In short:
Bundaberg residents are calling on the state government to buy back homes in flood zones.
Some residents have been flooded three times in 16 years.
What's next?
While the state government wouldn't commit to a buyback scheme, the disaster recovery minister says mitigation measures like floodgates are being considered.
Flood-affected residents in Bundaberg are calling on the state government to buy back their homes after the third major flood in 16 years.
More than 200 properties were inundated when the Burnett River peaked at 7.4 metres last week.
Rhiannon Harris's family home was one of them.
Rhiannon Harris's family home surrounded by floodwater. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
"It's come through the house pretty much at waist height … everything was destroyed,"she said.
With the floodwater having now receded, Ms Harris's home has been stripped bare.
The family's mud-soaked belongings have been left on the kerb, while floorboards have been ripped up and cabinets removed.
Ms Harris lives with her 68-year-old father and two daughters, aged 17 and 23.
Rhiannon Harris's family home has been stripped bare. (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)
"I've got three people homeless as a result of this," Ms Harris said.
The family of four has been staying with friends, and Ms Harris believes it could be 12 months before they can move back into their home in Bundaberg East.
The city also flooded in December 2010, when the Burnett River reached 7.92m and 300 people were evacuated.
Just over two years later, 4,000 homes were inundated when the river peaked at 9.53m in January 2013.
In March 2026, the Burnett River peaked at 7.4 metres. (Supplied: Cassandra Kirk)
Insurance issues
Ms Harris pays $240 a month for insurance at the moment, but has been quoted $18,000 a year if she wants to maintain a policy.
She wants to see support for residents like her, who are consistently dealing with the impact of floods because of where they live.
"That would be something I'd consider if they [the government] were willing to buy it back … or putting in a scheme that would allow me to raise my home so that I was out of the flood levels,"she said.
The Insurance Council of Australia said it was eager for more flood mitigation measures to help drive down premiums.
"Flood [risk] homes are very easily identified. They're the hardest to insure because we know we will be rebuilding or replacing them every five to 10 years," chief executive Andrew Hall said.
Andrew Hall says mitigation projects would help drive down insurance premiums. (ABC News: Craig Hansen)
He said long-term, permanent solutions were needed, and compared the situation to black spots on roads.
"We know where people die on roads and we fix those roads. Why can't it be the same when it comes to flood [risk] homes?
"We should have a plan, whether that is to build a levee, raise those homes, or in worst case scenarios, buy them back and convert them into parkland or industrial estates."
No action on promised levee
In 2023, the federal and state governments committed $175 million to build the Bundaberg East Levee.
The 1.7-kilometre concrete flood levee was designed to protect 600 homes and businesses in the east, south and central suburbs of Bundaberg.
The state and federal governments committed funding for the Bundaberg East Levee in 2023. (Supplied: Tom Smith)
But the project didn't progress because the Bundaberg Regional Council refused to cover ongoing maintenance costs.
Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the government needed to consider a buyback scheme.
"It's just not fair to keep putting people back into homes that we know will flood again, that we know they will lose all of their belongings again," he said.
"These places have flooded three times now and how many more times are we going to keep putting people back into homes we know will flood?"
But state Disaster Recovery Minister Ann Leahy said her focus was on floodgates.
Ann Leahy would not commit to a buyback scheme. (ABC Wide Bay: Grace Whiteside)
"Here in Bundaberg, obviously, we want to make sure that we have mitigation in place," she said.
"This is a very staged approach in relation to … getting the gates done on that flood mitigation."
The floodgates, which are adjustable barriers that control water flow, are proposed to sit in Saltwater Creek, which runs through central Bundaberg.
Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn said while the community was hesitant about the levee, she hoped residents would welcome floodgates.
Helen Blackburn says she is hopeful the community will be on board with floodgates. (ABC News: Johanna Marie)
"In this particular event that we've had, if we had floodgates, that would have stopped a lot of that water coming in."
Back visiting her gutted Bundaberg East home, Ms Harris said she was confident her family would bounce back.
"We're a long way off returning, but the light in the tunnel is there. We can see the goal we've got to work towards," she said.