Mr Booth was one of the three people to present a submission to the government’s Katherine Region Flood Mitigation Advisory Committee and said he believed the recommendations in its draft report did not take a broad enough approach to solving the town’s flood woes.

Part of the submission includes the suggestion of a lake, which he asserts could provide both a flood mitigation solution and lifestyle boost for Katherine.

“If it was full most of the year as a recreational lake and, if it looked like a big wet season, the lake could be opened up to drain the water to make that catchment available for all those creeks off the river,” he explained.

“It would be a terrific benefit for the town.

“What it’s going to do, it’s not going to make major changes, but for some of the smaller floods, it will.”

Mr Booth, who lived in Maryborough during the town’s devastating 2011 flood, added that he wanted to see the government think outside the box and not waste the “piecemeal” $25 million allocated for flood mitigation in Katherine.

“I don’t think there’s anything really we can do in the town, and we can either throw [the $25m] away on ridiculous projects like levee banks and that sort of thing, or we can look bigger picture at something like a lake,” he said.

“It’s a piecemeal offer and major earthworks only transfer the problem to someone else.”

Mr Booth admitted $25m would not be anywhere near enough to build a lake and said he believed all levels of government, in addition to private investors, would need to get involved to make the concept viable.

“I know that there’s nowhere near enough money that the government is going to make available to Katherine from the sale of TIO,” he said.

“Let’s ask for federal money and let’s get [private investors] involved.

“Katherine is the crossroads of Australia – it’s time for politicians to become a bit visionary with how they see the town.”

Member for Katherine Willem Westra van Holthe, who chairs the committee, said a dam was considered but ruled out because of the associated cost.

“Given the cost of such a major infrastructure project, the committee considered that such a dam was beyond the scope of meaningful recommendations it could make,” he told the Katherine Times.

“As the local member, I welcome ideas that would provide measures to mitigate the effects of flooding on the town and potentially also provide infrastructure to support tourism and enhanced leisure opportunities for local residents.”

Katherine Town Council mayor and committee member Fay Miller, who mooted in November that a dam could be built “at the very top of the gorges” said she believed Mr Booth’s suggestion had merit.

“Considering our climate and lifestyle, there is no doubt that a recreational lake would be of great benefit to the residents of Katherine,” she said.

“It could also be an attraction that could encourage visitors to stay another day in Katherine.”