What’s happening?
It has been 12 months since Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit the Redlands. Homes were damaged, and power and telecommunications were cut.
The cyclone exposed weaknesses in disaster preparedness across the region.
Immediate recovery payments helped many residents in the early stages of recovery. However, concerns remain that reforms promised after the disaster have not yet been delivered.
“Locals haven’t forgotten Cyclone Alfred, but it feels like Canberra already has,” Mr Pike said.
“In the immediate aftermath, critical disaster recovery and hardship payments helped many families stay afloat, but financial support after a disaster is only half the job.”
“The real test is whether governments fix the weaknesses a disaster exposes or simply move on once the cameras are gone.”
Why it matters
Cyclone Alfred highlighted serious concerns about communication systems during disasters.
One issue raised was the National Messaging System, which was not operational during the cyclone.
“We were told this system would be ready by 2024. It wasn’t. Now we’re told it may not be available until late this year,” Mr Pike said.
“Alfred should have triggered an urgent fast tracking of this project. Instead, it’s stuck in the slow lane.”
Telecommunications failures were also experienced across the Redlands during the cyclone.
“During Alfred, telecommunications failed across the Redlands when people needed them most,” Mr Pike stated.
“The Minister committed to exploring options to expand the Mobile Network Hardening Program to areas like ours. But exploring options is not the same as delivering outcomes.”
“A year on, residents still have no confidence the network will hold during the next disaster.”
Local impact
Residents across the Redlands continue to raise concerns about disaster preparedness.
Island communities that were heavily affected by the cyclone are still waiting for long-term resilience funding.
Concerns also remain about weaknesses in makeshift housing on the islands that were exposed during the storm.
Mr Pike said the disaster should have led to stronger action.
“Too often, governments are quick to turn up after disasters with press conferences and sympathy, but when it comes time to fix what was clearly broken, urgency disappears.”
“I will continue fighting to ensure the lessons of Cyclone Alfred are not forgotten and that our community is better prepared for the future,” said Mr Pike.
By the numbers
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12 months have passed since Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit the Redlands, damaging homes and cutting power and telecommunications.
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$10.1 million was the original projected cost of the National Messaging System before the budget increased.
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More than $130 million is the updated projected cost of the National Messaging System, which has still not been delivered.
Zoom in
The cyclone exposed failures in communication systems across the Redlands. Telecommunications outages left many residents without reliable contact during critical moments.
Zoom out
The issues raised after Cyclone Alfred reflect wider concerns about disaster preparedness and emergency communication systems across Australia.
What to look for next
The community is expecting clearer timelines for the National Messaging System and improvements to telecommunications reliability during disasters. Calls for resilience funding for island communities are also likely to continue.
