THE head of the Queensland Reconstruction Taskforce, Major General Mick Slater, has weighed into the most controversial issue arising from the state's floods, saying he believes the operators of the Wivenhoe dam were not to blame for much of Brisbane being submerged.
A barrage of criticism has been aimed at SEQWater after suburbs of Brisbane and Ipswich were inundated a month ago. Some experts say the dam should have been drained of significant amounts of water in the days leading up to the flood.
But General Slater, who played a key role in the rebuilding of north Queensland after cyclone Larry, said the rules for operating the dam may need to be revised but there was nothing to suggest SEQWater had "mishandled" its management role.
"There has been a lot of criticism at times on Wivenhoe by people who are uninformed or who have been ill-informed,'' he said. "The commission of inquiry is looking into that, and I see no reason why the commission won't give a comprehensive assessment of how the dam was handled. But I've certainly seen nothing to indicate at this stage that it was mishandled."
He is highly respected for his impartiality and expertise in reconstruction issues so his opinion may stem some condemnation of SEQWater.
He added: "If the dam was managed in accordance to the rules and procedures set in place, then I think it's difficult to criticise the operators for doing the wrong thing.''
The policy for running the dam, built after the disastrous 1974 floods, stipulates a capacity of 1,165,000 megalitres (described as 100 per cent) to maintain water supply for Queensland's south-east.
During a flood, the artificial lake can hold back up to 225 per cent, or an additional 1.45 million megalitres. On January 11, at the height of the floods, the dam peaked at 190 per cent while water was being released. It had been as low as 15 per cent in mid-2007.
The Liberal opposition leader in Queensland, John-Paul Langbroek, has tipped its operation as an area that might become highly politicised in coming months.
General Slater refused to be drawn into the row over Julia Gillard's flood levy.
"I don't care where the money comes from, I want the money," he said. "My job is to make sure taxpayers get best value for their dollar. It's up to somebody else to decide the best place to get that taxpayer dollar from.
"That's the professional view on the levy. My personal view is that if the government says, 'Slater, pay the flood levy,' then I'll pay the flood levy. If they don't tell me to pay then I won't. But they'll get the money from somewhere.''
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