An independent review has found Brisbane City Council delivered an “effective, strong response and recovery effort” to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The review assessed the effectiveness of the 2022 Brisbane Flood Review recommendations and how Council responded to the tropical cyclone weather event in March 2025.
The review, conducted by former Governor and Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul de Jersey, commended Council’s approach to public transport, sandbag distribution and waste management during what was a highly unpredictable weather event.
In his report, Mr de Jersey observed “speaking to people in the street after the event, word was that Council did a good job”.
“We can’t prevent severe weather in Brisbane, but being prepared can make a huge difference,” said Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner.
“Brisbane is committed to learning from every severe weather event, including Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
“It was fantastic to see Mr de Jersey’s review recognise the strong and effective response our council delivered and commend the commitment of our staff,” he said.
The severe weather system brought damaging winds, torrential rain, flash flooding, significant disruptions to services and damage to infrastructure across the city.
Brisbane had not experienced a tropical cyclone since 1974. On 10 March 2025 ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred brought 275.2mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period, which exceeded the highest daily rainfall total experienced in January 1974.
Strong winds of up to 63km/h were recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology in the Brisbane area and 75km/h at Brisbane Airport which caused trees and powerlines to fall. There were 56,935 Brisbane customers left without power.
Mr de Jersey found Council “pursued every opportunity to ensure the community was apprised of the event as it unfolded and provided practical advice based on the best weather-based information and predictions available”.
It was also determined the 2022 recommendations had been “conscientiously, advisedly and effectively attended to”.
The Brisbane City Council Tropical Cyclone Alfred Review had 12 recommendations, which included strongly advocating to both the State and Federal governments for:
- the continuation of vital real-time data through the Federal Government’s Enviromon system, which the Bureau of Meteorology is planning to decommission;
- improving the gap between response and recovery for disaster recovery funding; and
- a Commonwealth/State funded Voluntary Home Purchase Scheme.
In the review, Mr De Jersey acknowledged local government’s limited capacity to influence, let alone control, the exercise of responsibilities of other tiers of government.
It was also recommended for Council to continue its promotion of Brisbane’s Severe Weather Alert, refine its use of evacuation centres and sandbag self-service centres and build on the established success of the Emergency Dashboard.
All 12 recommendations made by former Governor and Supreme Court chief Justice Paul de Jersey following Tropical Cyclone Alfred will be actioned, the Council confirmed in a statement.
“We must all work together to build a more resilient Brisbane and we will now action Mr de Jersey’s recommendations to further boost our resilience,” said Lord Mayor Schrinner.
“I thank Mr de Jersey for leading this independent review as his expertise has ensured we learn from this rare event and enhance our preparedness and resilience for future challenges.”
Mr de Jersey’s review also recognised the enthusiasm and altruism of the people of Brisbane who wanted to “get things done” and how in challenging times “our wonderful people draw on an indomitable spirit”.
It was concluded in the independent review that Council had “performed very well” and the people of Brisbane “rose outstandingly to the challenge”.
“Our goal is to ensure Brisbane is prepared, protected, and able to recover quickly from severe weather,” said Deputy Mayor and Civic Cabinet for City Governance, Fiona Cunningham.
“By assessing the effectiveness of previous recommendations and identifying areas for improvement, we aim to enhance our city’s resilience and ensure the safety of our community in future events.
“Mr de Jersey’s acknowledgment of the enthusiasm and spirit of the wonderful people of Brisbane is something we should all be proud of.
“Together, we can make our city stronger and safer in the face of future challenges.”
The full review is publicly available on Brisbane City Council’s website.
