While this website is concerned about New Zealand news, we are very close to Australia in distance, in economic matters and in culture. The population of New Zealand is just over 4 million but another 500,000 New Zealanders live in Australia. Many of them live in Queensland because it has a warm climate and offers well paid jobs.

The floods in Queensland cover a huge amount of land – perhaps as much as 1 million sq km, about 4 times the area of New Zealand. More than 22 cities and towns are flooded. Many roads, railways, airports and shipping ports are closed. Houses and shops are flooded. Farms are covered with water and animals have drowned. Food crops are under water. Queensland grows pineapples, mangoes, cotton, wheat, sugar and vegetables.

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and most of that comes from Queensland but coal fields are flooded and there is no transport to move coal.

The floods began with rain early in December after a long period of drought. A tropical cyclone hit Queensland at Christmas time, bringing very heavy rain. Rivers have flooded and in some places the water on the land is 9m deep and the rain has not stopped yet.

It could be at least a week of good weather before the flood waters disappear.

The cost to the economy of Queensland will be huge.

Questions

1. Do you think climate change has caused these floods? The last major floods in Queensland were in 1954.

2. What are the dangers for local people during the floods?

3. What will they have to do after the floods?