The barramundi fishing season in Queensland officially opens on the 1st of February each year, following a seasonal closure from November 1st through to February 1st.
This closure is vital for the protection of the species as it occurs during the critical spawning period, allowing barramundi to reproduce without the added pressure of fishing activity. During this time, the fish are able to spawn and strengthen their population, helping to ensure that barramundi numbers remain healthy and sustainable for years to come.

‍
This seasonal closure plays a pivotal role in the long-term conservation efforts of barramundi. It not only supports the fish during their most vulnerable period but also helps to safeguard the future of barramundi fishing in Queensland. The decision to close the season during spawning times ensures that the fish can reproduce successfully, which is essential for maintaining a healthy and thriving population.
For anglers who are eager to fish for barramundi once the season opens, it is essential to adhere to the regulations in place. The minimum legal size for barramundi is 58 cm, and the maximum size is capped at 120 cm.

‍
In addition to size regulations, there are also possession limits in place to help prevent overfishing and maintain sustainable practices. Each person is permitted to possess a maximum of five barramundi, with a boat limit of 10 fish if there are two or more anglers on board.
By respecting the seasonal closures and abiding by the size and possession limits, anglers play an important role in ensuring the ongoing health of Queensland's barramundi populations.

This year, for the first time ever, two recipients were awarded the Shire Citizens Award at the Hinchinbrook Shire’s Australia Day Awards presentation. Rita and Keith Phillips were both worthy winners for their significant contributions to the community.

Along with Rita and Keith, Coen Luxford won the Young Shire Citizen Award, for his amazing contributions.

Keith Phillips has been recognised for his vital contributions to the Lower Herbert community, including his leadership in building the Lower Herbert Seniors Centre, a 21-unit apartment complex in Halifax. Alongside his wife, Rita, Keith donated land, funds, and countless hours to establish the new Meals on Wheels centre on Eleanor Street.

Rita Phillips was acknowledged for her voluntary work with Meals on Wheels and the Anglican Church. She played a key role in redeveloping the Meals on Wheels facility, coordinating volunteers, managing finances, and ensuring its sustainability. As Warden and Lay Minister for the Hinchinbrook Anglican Diocese, Rita oversees church operations and organises the monthly Conroy Hall Markets.

Together, Keith and Rita were both worthy winners of the award and their dedication and generosity have profoundly impacted their community.

Despite their enormous dedication to the community, they stress that they do not do these things for awards.

“The community has been very good to us since we’ve been here, and we just like to give something back to the community,” said Keith Phillips.

“Just to be nominated is a great thing, I think it’s great to get recognition by people in the community that think you’ve done things for them, and to receive the award is just as special.”

Rita said she was overwhelmed with the win.

“We don't do things to be out front, I like to be behind the scenes, and we're just fortunate that we can help people,” said Rita Phillips.

“There's a lot of vulnerable people here that need help either through Meals on Wheels or even our Lions Club and winning the award is just a bit overwhelming.”

Shire Young Citizen Award was presented to Coen Luxford for drumming at all local ANZAC Day parades, his involvement with the Ingham Theatre Group, and serving as Junior Sports Captain and now Senior School Captain at Ingham State High School. In 2024, Coen represented the Hinchinbrook Electorate as a State Junior Member in the Queensland Youth Parliament, attending Parliament House numerous times to represent the region.

Hinchinbrook Shire Australia Day Awards Ambassador Mirusia Louwerse was present on the night, and she presented awards, gave a speech and sang the national anthem.

At the Hinchinbrook Shire Council Australia Day Awards, many other awards were given out too:

Junior Sports Award
Liam Fascetti

Senior Sports Award
Ally Rhodes

Junior Cultural Award
Kaitlyn Rapista

Senior Cultural Award
Alan Giles

Individual Achievement Award
Helen Stanton

Community Event of the Year Award
Dean Schifilliti Shield held by Herbert River Junior Rugby League

Beryl Prior Memorial – Service to the Community Award
Evlyn Bailey
‍

Cassowary Coast Regional Council is reminding anglers to dispose of fish frames responsibly to maintain clean public spaces and protect the environment.

Here’s how you can help!
Take It Home: Avoid unpleasant smells and pests by freezing fish frames until bin collection day.

Enrich Your Garden: Fish frames can be great for soil enrichment! Compost or bury them to provide essential nutrients or turn them into a natural fish emulsion fertiliser for your plants.

Donate to Science: Support sustainable fishing by contributing to Fisheries Queensland’s Keen Angler Program, which collects fish skeletons to monitor key fish stocks. No experience is needed - just store your fish frames in the provided sampling kit and contact Fisheries Queensland for collection.

Why Responsible Disposal Matters
   • Keeps public areas clean and odour-free.
   • Reduces waste while promoting sustainability.
   • Supports research that helps manage fish populations.

To participate in the Keen Angler Program, email FisheriesMonitoring@daf.qld.gov.au to register. Target species include barramundi, coral trout, snapper, mackerel, and more. Data collected helps assess fish stock health and contributes to sustainable fishing practices.

By following these simple steps, we can all do our part to protect our waterways and support a healthier environment for future generations!

Tucked away in the heart of Queensland, the small village of Macknade became an inaccessible island when rising floodwaters submerged everything but a handful of homes. Surrounded by vast sugarcane fields and waterways, Kimberley Veltmeyer and her family found themselves stranded, clinging to hope and each other. With a mix of preparation, determination, and creativity, they endured, keeping spirits high through art lessons, home-schooling, and a tight-knit neighbourly community. In the face of nature’s fury, this family and their neighbours learned just how resilient they truly were.

Marooned In Macknade A Family In Isolation

‍
Outside Ingham, nestled between waterways and surrounded by fields of sugar cane is the tiny village of Macknade. It was here that a small family became trapped as the unsafe, murky waters rose, making their little street of six houses an archipelago and their own home an island.
Local teacher and mother, Kimberley Veltmeyer, and her family prepared for the floods as best they could when they were notified by colleagues of its impending arrival that first Friday, the 31st, after school.
“My husband Steven got the fuel, the wine and the cheese, and I got everything else... We quickly drove to Halifax and filled up our own sandbags and moved everything up higher, sacrificing our buffet, dining tables, piano, everything to put our belongings up even higher.”
She never expected the waters to rise as high as they did, and so Kimberley knew this would be a long isolation. With her daughter, Skylah, of school age and a teacher herself she kept everyone as busy as she could to stop the feeling of isolation and cabin fever from setting in.
They have done the best they can on what locals call ‘Macknade Island’. Bounded by the Herbert River on the south and east, the Seymour River on the west and the Hinchinbrook Channel to the north and with the John Rowe bridge condemned, they waited out the flood.
“We've been having art lessons, painting and drawing, building the perfect paper plane. Today we went over equivalent fractions and long division. We've reorganised every cupboard and we watch the dead animals and rubbish float past”
By day seven, they had read almost all their books and played every board game. They stayed positive and hopeful while their two adjacent families evacuated, sharing supplies with the neighbours who remained and checking in on each other by hollering out the windows, becoming firm flood buddies.
“When we call out we need a beer, the neighbours always have a six-pack. If anyone needs fuel, we siphon out the last bit of the mower and we crane our necks to see the blue in the sky. Seeing all the birds flying past, knowing there must be dry land somewhere, and developing keen eyes to see any crocs, snakes and toads.”
“With no power, intermittent internet and phones that only work every two days, and clean water that's only just come back on, this disaster, this hasn’t broken us. It's only made stronger.”
They continued to hope that it would be over soon as Ingham began its cleanup and repairs. They were grateful that their own little archipelago of neighbours was there for each other when not even the SES could make it to such rural properties like theirs.  

On the 8th day, they received emergency fuel supplies by helicopter. Kimberley says that as they watched the road marker’s water levels rise and fall, they’ll remember this disaster for a long time and were glad that they prepared as much as they did.

Monday 3 February
Hello Hinchinbrook,

What a crazy week we have had. I am in Forrest Beach and whilst I am safe there were a few homes with bad flooding, I am thinking of everyone in Ingham who had no choice but to leave their homes, I cannot begin to imagine what that must feel like.

This has been a week of firsts to me, my first natural disaster. Back in Adelaide our natural disasters are most likely bushfires, but they have never affected me. Now, my first month in Hinchinbrook and we have been hit by the worst flood in recent memory.

At Forrest Beach flooding is minor, despite a few homes close to the beach, on Fern Street, but after seeing the Queensland Ambulance Service video flying over Ingham it almost doesn’t feel real to me. At the beach we are isolated and unable to get into Ingham and it’s hard to believe what is happening is real.

In other firsts this week, on Monday 3rd February I went door knocking on Wattle Street and although everyone on the street were safe, a couple were deeply concerned for their parents/parents-in-law located on Fern Street.

The woman, Maria Boeyen, was deeply concerned for her parents, flooding had been getting higher and higher each day.

Monday morning it was chest deep, but her mother with Alzheimer’s and her father refused to leave. I reported back to the Disaster Management Group and it was made priority one. The Queensland Fire Service (QFS) located here in Forrest Beach left immediately, but although in the presence of safety professionals the couple on Fern Street continued to refuse. A small group of the Disaster Management Group and myself decided taking Maria to her parents place would convince them to leave and on arrival at the home, Maria’s parents accepted help almost immediately. Shortly after a QFS operator was wading through the water holding the family dog. After seeing this Maria was delighted and said, “If he’s giving up his dog, he's coming.”

While I am safe in Forrest Beach, limited phone reception and lack of power is making life dull, I continue to get in touch with my mum every morning who is deservedly worried. But it’s okay and I guess we just have to wait it out.

Wednesday 5 February
I was woken at 3:30 in the morning today with my fire alarm blaring, it shook me awake, I couldn’t imagine a worse wake up. I predict the humidity made it believe there was smoke.

In other news I managed to slowly get back into work today, I interviewed some neighbours and checked up on the family on Wattle Street to see how they were doing, and it was nice to feel more connected again.

Thursday 6 February
I think today was the hardest day so far, it hit me at how tedious this is, and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being isolated, and stuck.

In brighter news, I managed to get into Ingham today, I visited the fire and rescue and Ingham power station. It was nice to get out of Forrest Beach. But I couldn’t have a normal day could I, my car battery decided to die.

Friday 7 February
With a flat battery in the car, I can no longer charge my phone in it but luckily for me the North Queensland community is an amazing one. The Forrest Beach Shops and Takeaway have been amazing during this week, allowing people to turn up and use their generators to charge devices.

I also got in contact with my colleague Sherie and her and her husband came to Forrest Beach for me with a solar panel to charge devices, and a mobile jump starter for the car.

Saturday 8 February
I made the mistake this morning of checking Ergon Energy’s Facebook page first thing, and I was frustrated to see that some places in Forrest Beach had received power but I was still without. Of course, I was thrilled for the rest of the Forrest Beach community, we had been isolated and without power for almost a week, so it was great everybody could enjoy some peace and quiet without those generators going!

Feeling sorry for myself I sat outside charging my phone with the solar power Sherie had given me, although I was feeling upset and sick of it, excitement was rising as I saw Ergon Energy trucks driving around completing checks. At 12:39 I heard a cheer from my neighbours, and power was back!

Monday 10 February
After a long week, I am starting to feel back to normal, I have a new battery on my car, a full tank of petrol and best of all - air con!

I understand that although it may be a while before things get back to normal, we can be proud of ourselves and should acknowledge how lucky we are to live in this region surrounded by the wonderful people.

This community is strong and with potential flood warnings continuing tonight, I believe we are resilient enough to make it through another one, but fingers crossed we don’t have to!

The flooding in the Hinchinbrook Shire has left thousands of homes and people without power, as Ergon Energy made the decision to turn off power on Sunday 2nd February.

At Ingham Substation on Thursday water had receding and Ergon energy were completing tasks, to gain an understanding for when power is likely to be turned back on.

Area Manager Herbert for Ergon Energy Katrina Lennon announced that they will turn it on as soon as possible.

“We are getting it on as soon as possible. It will be a staggered approach, because they're all set off different feeders, so not everyone's lights are all going to come on at once,” she said.

“We treat our most critical sites so we prioritize that to the critical infrastructure in town, so that we can get those main priorities re-energized sooner rather than later, so that will see a staggered approach happening as soon as this cell is working.”

Treasurer, Minister for Energy and Minister for Home Ownership David Janetzki MP understands what people in Ingham and surrounding areas are dealing with and mirrors Katrina Lennon’s expertise.

“We have over 100 Ergon staff around Ingham ready to help with any connection faults,” he said.

“This community has suffered so much over the last few days, and Ergon and the state government is throwing everything in support of them, while there may be a slim chance of re-energisation of the substation today, everything is being done and if it is re-energized, it will be one of the quickest ever to come back online.

“The people of Ingham have suffered, and the state government is throwing everything in support of it.

“Already, Ergon, this week, has put on reconnected 20,000 homes across North Queensland, and I pay tribute to their staff that are working around the clock to deliver for Queensland.”

Ingham Substation was re-energised on Thursday 6 February.

Minister for Communities, Amanda Camm MP was also present at the substation and said she is working hard to get power back to the community.

“My department is working very closely with Minister Leahy's department in the community recovery effort and while we are still in the midst of this disaster, everybody and all resources of the government are working very hard to reconnect power to this community,” Amanda Camm MP said.

Nick Dametto MP Member for Hinchinbrook said he thanks the Ergon Energy team and all their efforts to try and get the substation up and running as soon as possible.

“It's no secret, we've been going through hell right here for the last seven days,” he added.

“We're not out of it yet. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. Connecting supply chains is paramount right now, but also connecting your electrical network around the Hinchinbrook Shire so we can get power back into those homes, those businesses, so we can start to get on our feet, is our priority.”

‍

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has been on the ground in Ingham and surrounding areas, tirelessly working to support the recovery of communities devastated by severe flooding.
In addition to serving snags to emergency services, David Crisafulli, MP, has been providing critical updates to the community and coordinating the deployment of support teams from the south to assist with recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
While he acknowledges the exceptional work of the SES, firefighters, and other dedicated organisations, David stresses that the path to recovery will be long and challenging.
“I said to Queenslanders, that we will be here and we will see this job through and to have Canberra rowing in that same direction will make all the difference because it's going to be a long, hard road,” David stated.
With the river receding but power still out, water systems disconnected, and roads cut off, David spoke of the immense difficulties faced by those in and around Ingham.
He praised the efforts of Ergon Energy for their outstanding work in restoring power to those who had been cut off:
“To the local Ergon staff as well as those across the state, you have done amazing work, truly amazing work. To see those homes connected in Townsville and Palm and Giru in a short period of time was amazing.”
David emphasised that he and his team have been working around the clock to ensure that the state government is doing everything possible to restore power, water, roads, food, housing, and infrastructure to affected communities.
Claiming “When we build back, we build better.”
Disaster assistance payments are being delivered, and David reiterated that his team is working closely with emergency services at every step of the recovery process.

“This is a team effort and we’re here until the job is done.”

David also reminisced about his childhood, reflecting on how the current floods are comparable to the devastating 1967 floods that Ingham experienced.
“Growing up in Ingham we would always talk about the 1967 floods - many locals believe this one could be worse.”
Lastly, regarding the reconnection of communities by road, David spoke about rebuilding the bridge at Ollera Creek, emphasising that it will be stronger and more resilient than ever, further strengthening the Bruce Highway.
He also revealed that they have secured Canberra's commitment to help fund the project.
David took a moment to thank the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for their vital role in opening a temporary bridge, ensuring that essential services could reach Ingham during this critical time.

Nick Dametto

No politician wants to face a local disaster in their region. However, Nick Dametto, the Member for Hinchinbrook Shire, has stepped up to support his community by diving into the heart of the crisis.

Nick explained the difficulties the region was encountering and shared his own personal experience of the tragedy:

“Personally, it's been a very busy couple of days here across the Hinchinbrook Shire.

“We've seen everything from the flood waters rising all the way through to them subsiding.

"We have gone from a scenario of trying to save people and get people out of their homes to now, being in a situation where it's switching over into what we call recovery mode.

“We're starting to see emergency services getting out there and doing the important work of getting the community back on track.  

“We have Ergon workers out there doing everything they can to restore power to the area.  

“What I've seen is a community working together in the hardest of times.”

Mr Dametto said that his most important job to date is connecting people with the right services to get them the help they need during this devastating time.

“I've been on the ground here since Monday afternoon, and we've been doing all sorts of things in conjunction with the local disaster management group SES and emergency services to try and make sure that we're getting food to people.

“We're getting fuel to people so they can refuel their generators, everything from organising and helping organise busses and personnel into the town as well as ferrying around.

“We've had the premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli. We've had a number of ministers. Dave Janetzki, energy minister, Amanda Camm, Minister for Communities, as well as Dan Purdy, our Police Minister, visit.  

“Being able to get around and show them exactly the devastation has been important, not only to tell the story of what's happened here, but to advocate for the federal and state funding that's necessary to get us back on track.

Nick explained how the community was coping with such a catastrophic event:

“In the community, you've got to understand, people have lost everything.

“People have lost everything that they've owned.  

“Many going without insurance because of the exacerbated price of insurance premiums across the north, insurance has become unattainable for many, and some have gone without, and now will go without because they have not got that backup and support morale.  

“People's patience has been tested through this event, and they have a right to feel worn out and tired from what's happened.  

“But what I have seen, and this was what makes me immensely proud, is the community spirit shining through.

“I've spoken at nauseum about emergency services and the ADF staff that have been helping out, but we've had community members that have just stood up.  

“They don't wear a badge; they don't have a job title in this they've just fed the community.

“Thank you to everyone across the Hinchinbrook Shire who's banded together to get through this together, people who have done the best in the most trying of circumstances.

“I'm just completely heartened to continue hearing those stories coming through as flood-affected areas become reconnected with the rest of us across the Hinchinbrook Shire.  

"I want to ensure that everyone who has contributed feels recognised and appreciated. We couldn't have done it without all of you, and I sincerely thank you for everything you've done."

After heavy rainfall on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February, rivers across the region recorded major flood levels, leaving Ingham and surrounding areas inundated in flood water.

The Herbert River at Gleneagle on Monday 3rd February peaked at 10.23 metres at 8:20am, over two metres above the major flood level (8 metres).

The Herbert River at Trebonne peaked at 15.85 metres at 10:14am, almost four metres above the major flood level (12 metres).

At Ingham Pump Station the Herbert River reached 14.91 meters at 10:40am, two metres above the major flood level (12 metres).

At Halifax the Herbert River water level peaked at 5.66 metres at 10:44pm, major flood level for Herbert River in Halifax is 5 metres.

‍

For more than seven days, the Bruce Highway connecting traffic both north and south in the Hinchinbrook region has been cut off from both essential resources and access to surrounding areas due to the closure of a vital link in the region’s infrastructure—the Ollera Creek bridge on the Bruce Highway.
In a critical response to provide the community with necessary supplies, a temporary bridge was erected.
State member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto, explained how the temporary bridge was a game changer for the region:
“Having the temporary bridge go up was a real changing of the gears when it comes to getting the services and the equipment to get Hinchinbrook Shire back on track.
“Seeing those the first Ergon Energy trucks coming across the bridge was quite uplifting, that extra help was on its way.”
As the floodwaters began to subside, the priority became restoring access from both the north and south. To support this, the temporary bridge was closed on Saturday 8th February for further restoration.
Essential access to assist the Ingham community was provided by Queensland Rail via a small bus on the rail tracks.
Then finally, on Monday 10th February at 8pm, the Ollera Creek Bridge opened for freight, supply, and emergency vehicles heading north to Cairns.

The bridge opened ahead of schedule but the early opening aimed to support freight movement before potential flooding impacts north of Ingham in the following days.

On Tuesday 11th February the Bruce Highway at the Seymour River (between Cardwell and Ingham) was expected to close.

Queensland Police coordinated the movement of freight, supply, and emergency vehicles.

From Tuesday afternoon onwards the bridge was open to general traffic, with traffic control and speed restrictions in place until further notice.

The people of Ingham were thrilled with the announcement as they can now travel south.

Fire and Rescue teams have been flying into Ingham from all over the state to help those affected by the devastating floods.

Senior Fire Fighter from Cairns Nathan Sandford was flown into Ingham from Cairns on Sunday afternoon.

Nathan said they worked from sunset to sunrise.

“Initially, it was welfare checks, and if anyone was unwell or in need of getting evacuated, we evacuated them,” said Mr Sandford.

“Unfortunately, due to a lack of resources on all emergency services parts, we had nowhere to take them. Once we got them to high ground and dry land, they were told to try and speak to family members or make their way to the evacuation centre if they could.  

“We took them somewhere safe because they were obviously in the lower areas, anywhere from a meter to maybe two meters of fast-flowing water through their houses or around their houses.  

“We used our motorised swift watercraft, which handles the fast-flowing water.”

Nathan said they had two crafts operating and his craft only evacuated between 20-50 people.

Calls for assistance were going through the Fire and Rescue Inspector Jack Emeleus.

“In a normal world, people would ring triple zero, Firecom would assign a job to the nearest truck, and they go and get the job. In this world, there are so many jobs, and we have boat crews, which have to be flexible; they don't know who to give it to,” explained Inspector Emeleus.

“Firecom pins me a job. We have a chat. I'm aware of where all my teams are at the moment. I look at the team that's most capable of doing that job because each boat has slightly different capabilities.

“I allocate the job, and then I have a triage list, which I maintain; I keep track of all the jobs, and when they're completed, the cruise advisor tells Firecom, we mark that off the list and go to the next job.”

Now jobs emergencies and evacuations have calmed down Inspector Emeleus said they are conducting damage assessments.

“We are doing damage assessments in between jobs, our crews this morning have been out to three different evacs or medical checks,” said Inspector Emeleus.

“We have replacement swift water teams arriving tomorrow, and their main tasking will be damage assessments, but they're all capable of doing rescue as well.

“We will have three motorised boats and three full teams in here, and another full team still in Halifax tomorrow, and when they're not doing emergency tasking, they'll be out doing damage assessments.

“My team's done about 350 damage assessments in the last 24 hours, and that information is available now to council and Ergon, who can make some decisions about what to do next.”

Inspector Emeleus said that although his team will be receiving relief, Queensland Fire and Rescue’s next job will be installing a flexible habitat that can accommodate 90 people.

“It is a large tent for 90 people, 30 of whom will be our staff who are managing the incident, and the other 60 beds will be available to SES volunteers to help with the cleanup,” said Inspector Emeleus.

“It’s going to be set up near the Catholic school, the college, that's our next major task.”

The community in Hinchinbrook has been in urgent need of support as locals recover from the devastating impacts of the recent floods.
One of the major challenges residents have faced is the widespread power outages. SpinFX Electrical has been at the forefront of efforts to restore power to flood-affected homes, working tirelessly to get people back on their feet.
In addition to this, the company has been collaborating with wholesalers in Townsville to ensure that essential supplies are delivered, helping other electrical companies in the area continue their recovery efforts as well.
Alongside this, the company has also been supplying generators and has been subcontracted by a company in Townsville to get a telecom site up and running on Palm Island.
Owner, Jesse Spina, stated how the weather has been tough for recovery efforts:
“It has been challenging for our staff, because they've had their own personal affairs to attend to as well.
“Which in my opinion, comes way before work.”
Jesse explained how the community has been extremely supportive in their efforts to help restore power in the region:
“It's so heartwarming, especially in such a devastating time for our community.”
On a personal note, Jesse explained how hard the floods have been on the Ingham community:
“It's heartbreaking,” he shared.
“Up until recently, probably the last five years I've lived on a cane Farm in Macknade, so I've never actually been in Ingham during a flood and to see the destruction and what's happened here is just, it's, it's devastating.
“It's gonna take the community a long time to recover from this.”
Jesse stated that Spin Fix want to help the community as much as they can:
“We are locals, and we're supporting local, that's the main thing.
“We want to help as many people as we can.”

The Ingham community is in mourning after two tragic deaths occurred during the ongoing flood disaster, highlighting the devastating impact of the severe weather conditions.
On Sunday, February 2, a 63-year-old woman tragically lost her life when an SES vessel, carrying her and five other passengers, overturned in the floodwaters. A bystander helped the remaining passengers back into the vessel, but, unfortunately, the woman was later found nearby, having passed away.
Just two days later, on Tuesday morning, the community was struck by another tragedy. An 82-year-old woman was discovered deceased in a cane paddock near Bemerside, Ingham, after being reported missing the previous evening. She had last been seen inside her two-story home around 6pm on Monday.
These heartbreaking incidents underscore the overwhelming severity of the floods currently ravaging the region. The loss has deeply affected the local community, casting a shadow of grief over the area.
Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, spoke out on the tragedies:
"There has been a loss of a life in floodwaters in Ingham.
"That's a really tight-knit community, our thoughts and prayers are with the family.
The community’s thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims during this incredibly difficult time.

‍

Disaster hit primary producers, small businesses and not-for-profits in seven northern Queensland council areas can now apply for concessional loans to assist with their recovery from the sustained rains and flooding endured the past week.
Loans have been activated for the local government areas (LGAs) of Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Townsville and Yarrabah, provided through the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA)
Disaster Assistance Loans up to $250,000 for eligible primary producers and small businesses and up to $100,000 for eligible not-for-profits will help re-establish operations by covering costs relating to:
   • Repairing or replacing damaged plant and equipment
   • Repairing or replacing buildings
   • Resupplying stock or livestock
Essential Working Capital Loans up to $100,000 are available to help operators carry on business operations, including paying salaries or wages, creditors, rent or rates.
Primary producers can also access freight subsidies up to $5,000 for the movement of stock, feed, machinery, fuel, water, and building or fencing materials.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said the assistance activated today is important to supporting the North Queensland community during this challenging time.
 “Farmers, businesses and not-for-profit organisations are central to the North Queensland community, and we know that heavy rainfall and severe flooding has made it difficult for them to stay open.”
“We’re moving quickly to activate financial assistance for impacted communities.
“The Albanese Government will continue working hand in glove with the Queensland Government to support them through this event and into recovery.”
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery Ann Leahy said disaster loans provided a way forward for hard-working North Queenslanders in need.
“When disaster events strike, it’s often those who can least afford it who are most affected and unable to recover quickly,” Minister Leahy said.
“We have unlocked support for affected farmers and small businesses to help get them back on their feet.
“These loans follow the activation of Personal Hardship Assistance and council support for large parts of the region.
“Our government will continue working with the Commonwealth to extend further relief measures where required.”
For loan applications visit the QRIDA website, www.qrida.qld.gov.au, or call 1800 623 946.
Primary producers interested in freight subsidies can contact Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries on 13 25 23 or via www.daf.qld.gov.au.

AT A GLANCE
   • Flood affected primary producers, small businesses and not-for-profits in seven NQ LGAs can now apply for concessional loans to support recovery.
   • Disaster Assistance Loans up to $250,000 and Essential Working Capital Loans up to $100,000 are available to eligible operators in Burdekin, Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook, Palm Island, Townsville, Yarrabah.
   • Loans will help with repairs to equipment, replacement of stock, loss of income, and the continuity of operations.

‍

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables reopened its two Herbert mills to employees on Monday (10 February) to begin the clean-up and recovery effort.
General Manager Operations Mike McLeod said Victoria and Macknade mills got power back on over the weekend, and electrical crews were doing safety checks before each area was made accessible. He said the focus for the first couple of days would be on cleaning up and assessing damage.
“This was a very significant flood event and we know there’ll be losses and damage to our infrastructure, particularly our cane rail network.
“It’ll take a couple of weeks to get a detailed picture of what we’re dealing with. As we understand the situation, we’ll finalise our work plan to get our factories and rail network back in order.”
Mr McLeod said the flood event would put some pressure on the Herbert maintenance program.
“We’ve lost time like everyone else, and of course many of our people have been directly impacted by the flood. But we’ve managed flood disasters before and we’ll manage this one.
“We’ve got an excellent team up here and good resources. We’ll work through the process and reorganise our work program to get the factories and rail line ready for the 2025 season.”
Mr McLeod said he was proud of the extent to which Wilmar and its employees supported the Herbert community during the disaster.
“Our people were out and about, lending a hand and giving practical support where they could.
“We donated two ute-loads of 15L bottles of water to residents at the Ingham Evacuation Centre, and ran a sausage sizzle for people staying there.
“We also set up a portable crib room at an employee’s front yard at Forrest Beach, and it became a bit of a community hub. It was somewhere locals could charge their phones, have a coffee, enjoy a bit of air-conditioning and have a chat.
“It was really appreciated.”