Supply chain disruption update – North Queensland Floods

7 February 2025

This brief provides information shared at the National Coordination Mechanism Meeting where the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), the Queensland Government and supermarket retailers provided updates on supply chain disruptions affecting North Queensland caused by flooding.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is the single end-to-end agency designed to respond to emergencies, help communities recover and prepare Australia for future disasters. NEMA works in collaboration with state and local governments, and it consolidates Commonwealth emergency management and resilience functions to enhance coordination, recovery effort, payments, data and information to enable better decision making and streamline service delivery.

Queensland Weather Update

• Heavy rain is forecasted across northern and parts of central Queensland, potentially affecting secondary roads currently in use. Moderate to major flooding continues in northeast Queensland, though waters are beginning to recede.
• Severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall may cause flash flooding and renewed river rises in northern Queensland over the coming days.
• the Herber and Murray Rivers continues under a major flood watch due to forecasted rainfall. Rivers downstream of Burdekin Falls Dam are falling but may see renewed rise again.

Affected Areas

• Water levels in roads to Ingham and communities north of Townsville have receded but remain under major flood warning.
• Flinders Hwy is open at Macrossan Bridge, but water level is close to bridge height and likely to rise over the next 48 hrs.
• The situation remains dynamic, while there are alternate routes, these are inconsistent due to rising water levels.
• Rail lines have been impacted and could be out of service for up to 3 weeks depending on how the situation evolves.
• On the Bruce Highway, the collapse of Ollera Creek Bridge has cut off major access to regions north of Townsville, including Ingham and Cairns. A temporary bridge is in place for emergency use during the day.

Retailer Update

• Major retailers advised that stock is flowing into Mackay and Townsville.
• Stock is now reaching Cairns, but due to the evolving situation and limited supply routes, gaps remain
• There are efforts to airfreight essential products into Cairns.
• Options such as interstate sea freight and longer delivery routes are being considered to avoid further pressure on the East Coast network.
• Retailers have requested curfew exemptions once water levels recede to support fast restock and relief efforts.

Member Action

Members are encouraged to monitor the Queensland Traffic portal for live updates on road closures to ensure the safety and viability of alternative routes and monitor the BOM’s National Warnings Summary for the latest weather updates.

Contact

The AFGC will keep a watching brief for any additional information released by the Government. Member companies are encouraged to contact Samuel Garcia (Manager, Industry Affairs | Supply Chain and Economics) for more information.

Samuel Garcia – Samuel.Garcia@afgc.org.au

For more information on the NEMA, email contact@nema.gov.au.

Shalini Valecha
Acting Director – Industry Affairs