Council calls for Unitywater refunds to help flood recovery
Published 18 March 2022
Moreton Bay Regional Council is calling on Unitywater to refund excess water charges accumulated during the recent disaster clean-up that saw more than 2,000 homes affected by flood and storm damage.
Acting Mayor Jodie Shipway wrote to Unitywater urging them to come to the party and waive bills for homes in 400 of the worst impacted streets across Moreton Bay.
“Moreton Bay locals were quick to band together and help each otpher to recover from the recent flooding events, and that meant using their hoses or gernis to wash down mud from their homes and neighbours’ houses,” she said.
“It’s been a significant effort from residents, volunteers, emergency services and even the ‘Moreton Army’ to get things back to normal, but the result is that hundreds of residents will now have mounting water bills about to hit their mailboxes.
“I’m calling on Unitywater to help residents get back on their feet and to ease their anxiety by refunding excess water charges during that time.
“These people have already gone through enough so this would be a great peace of mind to know they won’t have to worry about the next water bill.
“I’ve provided Unitywater with a list of 400 of the most affected streets in Moreton Bay so that they can target those in need rather than a blanket response.
“This would help complement Council’s flood relief package for our residents, which included a one-off $250 rates relief for those who suffered significant damage from the disaster.
“We gave ratepayers an extra 30 days to pay their rates, and we released a $1 million Flood Recovery Fund for community and sports clubs to help them get back on their feet.
“There are community recovery hubs open in Redcliffe and Caboolture where residents can stop in and get all this info and more if they are needing help post the floods.
“And in less than two weeks’ time Council is hosting a Small Business Disaster Recovery Forum in direct response to businesses who’ve asked us for help accessing government grants.
“We had more than 120 businesses damaged across the region and over $9 million worth of damage, which is a major blow to our economy locally.
“Unfortunately, 48% of those businesses weren’t insured and a further 33% don’t know if they had adequate cover, so that’s why we need to do everything we can to help locals bounce back and get our economy booming again.
“Moreton Bay is united in recovery, but we need to do everything we possibly can to help our most affected residents and businesses so we can get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
For support and financial assistance, please visit: Support and financial assistance - Moreton Bay Regional Council
Businesses can register for the Small Business Disaster Recovery Forum online: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/small-business-disaster-recovery-forum-tickets-269303994497