The immediate phase of disaster recovery has concluded in the flood-hit regions of North West Queensland and that means that coordination of the response has transitioned from the Australian Defence Force to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority in conjunction with the Queensland State Recovery Coordinator.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ADF Joint Task Force 646, of 150 ADF personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force, provided the initial major emergency response to the unprecedented flooding disaster that also claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of cattle.
They are to be greatly commended for the quality of their work and Commander Joint Task Force 646, Brigadier Stephen Jobson was right when he said the shift to the State Recovery Coordinator, under the leadership of Major General Stuart Smith (Retired), comes after a carefully planned and coordinated transition period.
They travelled across the region with a team from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to discuss the initial response to the disaster and assisted with the council-led Carcass Disposal Strategic Master Plan.
The Task Force helped to save cattle in the shires of McKinlay, Richmond, Cloncurry and Carpentaria, and also delivered around 43 tonnes of livestock feed and 42,000 litres of aviation fuel, which enabled farmers and civilian pilots to deliver feed to cattle with their own aircraft.
The Royal Australian Air Force provided aerial reconnaissance to identify areas needing priority attention and continues to provide aerial imagery to help monitor progress.
Brigadier Jobson praised the work and dedication of Joint Task Force 646 who worked tirelessly to support the people of north-west Queensland.
“The men and women of Joint Task Force 646, have been proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Australians in the north-west region through this challenging time,” Brigadier Jobson said.
“Now it’s time to hand over the ongoing recovery support, activities and response to the professional team undertaking post disaster recovery.”
Congratulations on a job well done by the ADF - Derek Barry
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
