DECISION NO. CABINET MINUTE
BRISBANE, ~ I .,:::, /19 y_,
SUBJECT: _____c~y _c_1_o_n_c_K_1_n_n_1_f_r_e_d_. ______
______(Submission No. __.:I'._ •_°'·-·_•~--
l).SlY. .& • //_,. -9' .7.-4 • ,Jo Copies Received at S I ,Z /19 .1'~ p.m. /~4~" Copies • Made CIRCULATION DETAILS 1 GOVERNOR 21 Deci s ion Fi l e SIR JOH BJ.ELK 2 PETERS.EN - 22 • f ~ r ~ ...... 1 "~orv ('l MR . GUNN 3 ._/ 23 2...,__ J.,,,, • " . "" ' t. ' ' • '· I' . t•R . HI~ZE 24 t 4 I Af. ....--1' . ~opy ' 5 MR. lfHARro~ ../ 25 ~ ~-<. ~Lrr • ~vv · 6 MR • GIBSS 26 .,/, ' ~v~ • ~bm '"' I ~ u, ., 7 MR . AHERN 27 • -I ~ / _'.) Llt1Um L, I ,,. (" .,p;. 6 MR . LANE 28 {) f' I ...... --, . (' 9 rm . GLASSON 29 ~A--L • ' ' . v . 10 AUSTU1 30 rm . AA,;2/~-.... • 1 1 MR . PO VE LL 31 /\,\ .
12 32 - 13 MR . .j 33 TURNER - 14 MR . LESTER 3 4 - 15 MR . TENN I 35 ---- - / , .,/, - - ,,. -:' ,-.·...< _! ... / ('wJ,u 16 MR. HARPER 36 .. - . ,,ZY" - / / /~ '· // - / 1 17 MR. t:UNTZ "? 37 .~;..r....
18 MR . McKECHNIE 38
19 MR. J • • DECISION NO. CABINET MINUTE BRISBANE, 4 I • .z. /19 r.:f SUBJECT: ___c_ y_c_l_o_n_e_ 1_•1_·n_1_f_r_e_d_ -__ o_a_m_a_g_c~t-o~R-u_r_a_1~1-1o_l_d_i_n_g_s_~~~~~~~ Preliminary Report . a.m. ..30 Copies Received at /0 00 u I ....z /19 4 1-'R • HINZE 24 5 MR . 1·/HARTOt-1 25 6 MR . GIBBS 26 .. • 7 MR . AHERN 27 8 MR • LANE 28 • 9 MR . GLASSON 29 10 MR . AUSTU1 30 . . 1 1 MR . POWELL 31 12 32 - - 13 33 ~m. TURNER 14 MR . LESTER 34 . - --- - 15 .MR . TENNI 35 16 MR. HARPER 36 - 17 MR . MUNTZ 37 18 MR . McKECHN I E 38 - . 19 MR . J c 0 ' F I D E l l I A L c A '.I I E T 1·1 ,, ' I u T E Copy .10. 2l' !3risbane, 4th February, 1986 Decision •o. 48012 Suoou.ssion 10 . 432ll3 TITL2: Cyclone linifred . Submission clo. 43286 TITLE : Cyclone '!ini fre.:: - Damage to Rural Koldings - Preliminary Report. Cl\DINJ::T decided - l. That the following Local Authority Areas be decl.:irecl a • Natural Disaster Area for the :~uq>ose of receiving assi stance under the Conunonweal th/State Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements - the City of Cairns, the Shires of 1•lulgrave, • John:;tone. Card'.·rell, .nnchinbrook, Eacham, Atherton, 1areeba, llerberton, Cook, Douglas, and also any other fringe area wlnch might subseGuently be determined as having heen seriously atfectec by the cyclone or associated flooding. 2. That the follo;ang a"sistance measures be implementecl in relation to the 'eclared area:- (a) Grants for the Relief of Personal Han0shi~ • and Distress {b) Grants for the Restoration of Public /\ssets and .:mergency Protection and Repair ·~orks by State • Local and Semi-Governmental Authorities . (c) Conc~ssionel Loans to Primary Producers for Carry-on, Restocking and ~estoration Purryoses . (d ) Conces~ional Loans to Small Businesses for Re-establishment and Carry-on Requirements . 3. That the 1ionourable the 1linister for •·/e l fare Services, Youth anl Ethnic Affairs investigate the need for assistance to Churches, Sporting /\ssociations. an2 Voluntary non-profit organisations. 4. That in accordance with the terms and concHtions of the new Commonwealth/State Arrangements, advice of this L)ecision be forwei::ded to the Commonwealth Department of Finance. ~ . . . . . 2/ -2- Decision ..o. 48012 CIRCULATION: Prepartment anr' cooy to Deputy Premier and linis1:t:r .\ssisting the Treasurer. 0-?partment of Local Government ancl copy to Minister. Der>artmC!nt of t.ain Roads. ~partment of 'orks and co::iy to 'linister. l ~nartmcnt of Industry Develop.nent and co1>y to c1inister. Department of Primary Industri~s an ~ ({~/ • Secretary to Cabinet . • SECURITY CLASSIFICATION "C" Submission No. Copy No. FOR CABINET CYCLONE WINNIFRED 1. At approximately 7.00 p . m. on Saturday 1st February, 1986, Cyclone "Winnifred'' crossed the North Queensland coast near Silkwood in Johnstone Shire. Severe damage and flooding occurred over a wide area extending from Townsville to Cairns with the worst affected centres being Babinda and Innisfail. 2. Private Dwellings At least 1000 homes have been damaged. Clerks of the Court in affected areas are processing claims for personal hardship assistance from pensioners and others in poor financial • circumstances. 3 . Governmental and Local Authority Assets Much of the area is covered by f l oodwater. Many roads are • inaccessable and it will be several days before accurate damage estimates will be available. A preliminary inspection has indicated that damage to Declared and Shire Roads will exceed $1 million. 4. Primary Producers Bananas and Cane were the principal crops affected. Losses are expected to total many millions of dollars . S. Under the new Commonwealth/ State Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements, the Queensland Government may invoke all or any • of a range of pre agreed assistance measures once the State considers that a disaster event warrants the expenditure of relief monies . • 6. It is therefore recommended that:- (i) the following Local Authority Areas be declared a Natural Disaster Area for the purpose of receiving assistance under the Commonwealth/State Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements:- the City of Cairns , the S~ires of Mulgrave, Johnstone, Cardwell, Hinchinbrook, Eacham, Atherton, o Mareeba, Herberton and also any other fringe area which might subsequently be determined as having been seriously affected by the cyclone or associated flooding. (ii) the following assistance measures be implemented in relation to the declared area:- (a) Grants for the Relief of Personal Hardship and Distress. (b) Grants for the Restoration of Public Assets and Emergency Protection and Repair Works by State Local and Semi-Governmental Authorities. (c) Concessional Loans to Primary Producers for Carry-on, Restocking and Restoration Purposes . (d) Concessional Loans to Small Businesses for Re-establishment and Carry-on Requirements . (iii)that the Honourable the Minister for Welfare services, Youth and Ethnic Affairs investigate the need for assist ance to Churches, Sporting Associations , and Vo l untary non-profit organisations. (iv) that in accordance with the terms and conditions of the new Commonwealth/ State Arrangements, advice of this decision be forwarded to the Commonwealth Department of Finance . • J. BJELKE-PETERSEN PREMIER • BRISBANE 3RD FEBRUARY, 1986 . • • SECURITY CLASSffICATION "C" - CONtIOENTIAL fOR CABINET 43286 Subm1ss1on No.: Copy No.: ...... l I CYCLONE WINJfREO - DAMAGE TO Rll?Al. HOLOINCS Prelill.inary Report BACKGROUM> 1. On Saturday, 1 February 1986 at 7. 00 p. m. Cyclone Winifred crossed the north Queensland Coast at Silkwood 100 km south of Cairns. W1th wind gusts of up to 220 km/hr and local flooding, damage was caused l e to buildings and crops in an area e xtending 200 km from Cairns to Ingham and inland to Herber ton. More severe damage occurred in the coastal area e xtending from Babinda to Cardwell . • Departmental and officers of the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations have provided preliminary reports on damage caused to rural holdings. OAHAGE 2. Sugar Cane: There is an estimated 20 to 30% loss in y1eld of cane in the Bab1nda to Cardwell area. Cane in the less severely affected areas north and south of this have yield losses of 10 to 15~. Many • individual growers have na.1ch higher yield losses • The effect on cane growers' incomes will be much greater than the • estimated loss in yield because of reductions in cane quality and sugar content . Grower incomes in Innisfail may be reduced by up to 40% . The total production loss could be in excess of $40M . }. Horticulture: Horticultural crops damaged include bananas, pa.;paws, avocadoes and lychees. The greatest damage to bananas occurred between Innisfail and Tully with e total of approximately 200 growers and 3 000 ha suffering almost complete destruction. With no prospect of production until at least September, total losses are estimated at around $}OM, equivalent to one-thud of Australia's annual product.ion. 2 Up to 50 pawpaw growers comprising 50 ha have been affected, with tot al production estimated at $500 000. Many of these growers are sugar cane growers attempting to grow alternative crops. On the Atherton Tableland some avocado growers sustained fruit loss of between 20 and 60~ . Fifteen nurseries in the Cairns area suffered structural damage amount1ng to $40 000 - $50 000 and a reduced cash flow for the next 2 to 8 months . 4 . Agriculture: Damage to agricultural crops was confined to maize in the area of the Atherton Tableland south from Tolga and west to • Herberton. Although mostly early maize was affected by strong wi nds , some later maturing crops may suffer reduced yields through inhibited pollination. ·• 5. Livestock: A small number of dairy farms have been without power for over 48 hours. Considerable structural damage has been sustained in some areas and has resulted in isolated losses of housed 11vestock such as pigs and poultry . • 6 . Submitted for the lnformat1on of Cabinet. (N . J. Turner) • Minister for Primary lndustr1es Brisbane, a February 1986.