WHEN you slice through the political hyperbole, the $25 million the Northern Territory government has dangled in front of Katherine residents as a by-product of the sale of TIO is more about limiting damage at the ballot box in 2016 than it is about flood mitigation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The first indicator is that there was no communication with local governments about potential mitigation strategies prior to the announcement.
Given the time and resources required to create, model and peer review mitigation options, it appears as though the flood funding was simply identified as the most popular way to garner public support for the contentious “transfer of ownership” of TIO.
Further proof rests in the fact the $25m is nothing more than an arbitrary figure.
On November 13, Member for Katherine Willem Westra van Holthe told the community $20m would be provided if the insurer was sold.
Four days later, Chief Minister Adam Giles informed me $25m was on offer.
Where did the extra money come from?
There is little argument that moving our paramedics to the existing emergency services precinct – at a cost of about $8m – makes sense.
The problem is, that only leaves $17m and change to provide flood protection for town that boasts a river as its major feature.
Based on other mitigation projects in similar towns across the country, the government’s funding proposal is manifestly inadequate if it is serious about a solution to Katherine’s flood woes.
The Giles government seems set to learn the hard way that, when it comes to providing genuine mitigation strategies for flood-prone towns, carrots, political promises and oversized cheques do little to impede rising water and community anger.
