The state-caused floods

For a long time, environmentalists have been warning us about the disastrous effects global warming will have in the future – citing drought as The Disaster That Will Devastate Australia If We Don't Take Action.

But it the end, it wasn't drought that proved catastrophic, it was flooding. Of course, those libertarians among us will realise that the state is utterly shit at planning and making investments, and—as Christopher Booker says—this case is no different.

For years, Australia’s warmists have been advising the authorities that the danger posed to the country by global warming is not floods but droughts: not too much rain but too little. One result, in Brisbane, was a relaxation of planning rules, to allow building on areas vulnerable to flooding in the past. As long ago as 1999, this was seen as potentially disastrous by an expert Brisbane River Flood Study (which was ignored and for years kept secret).

Now, this doesn't concern me much – planning permission laws are bullshit anyway, and anyone who's thick enough to build their house in a vulnerable area should be perfectly free to take that risk.

What does matter is when shitloads of money are malinvested.

Instead of investing in its flood defences, Australia spent $13 billion on desalination plants. (Queensland’s was recently mothballed because of the excess of rain.)

But out of all of the things the state did before the crisis, which was most disastrous? The orders given to the water company from Anna Bligh, the Premier of Queensland.

Last week’s most disturbing revelation, however, was the contribution to Brisbane’s flooding by the South East Queensland Water company’s massive release of water from its Wivenhoe dam upstream from the city (for details see “Brisbane’s Man-Made Flood Peak” on the Regionalstates blog). Instead of controlled releases through the previous week, the company allowed the level to rise to within a few inches of the top of the dam before releasing a vast volume of water, with devastating consequences for Brisbane 36 hours later.

Last spring, Queensland’s Premier, the drought- and warming-obsessed Anna Bligh, ordered the water company not to allow any releases from the dam because water was such a “precious resource” that none must be wasted.

You dun goofed up. What do you have to say for yourself?

"Hundreds of families across Queensland have been hard hit by the worst flooding in decades - in some cases, the worst on record," she said.

"The resilience of these Queensland communities is certainly on display but the worst is far from over and they need our help."

She said the flood crisis was "an unprecedented situation" in the state and urged Australians to donate what they could.

It's very nice of you to make an appeal for these desperate people, Mrs Bligh. But next time, will you make sure you don't cause any floods in the first place? Thanks.