Local councils across Capricornia are being hit with a new bill from the Albanese Government, after the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) moved to scrap free flood-monitoring software relied on for decades to protect lives and property.
From July 2026, the BoM will stop supporting its Enviromon system, which provides councils with real-time rainfall and river-level data during flood emergencies as it moves to a US-developed software program called OneRain, which cannot be sublicensed, and so cannot be provided free to councils and other public bodies.
Councils will be forced to pay for expensive private systems or build their own, with local ratepayers left to pick up the tab.
For almost 30 years, councils, especially across Capricornia, have relied on the BoM system at no cost to issue timely flood warnings. Now, smaller rural and regional councils face annual costs of $10,000 to $40,000, while major councils such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast are looking at upfront costs of $500,000 or more, plus ongoing fees.
Federal Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry MP, said the move was a clear case of federal cost-shifting that puts both councils and communities at risk.
“This is the Albanese Government dumping its responsibilities onto local councils and ultimately onto local families, at the worst possible time,” Mrs Landry said.
“After a $90 million website blow-out, Minister Watt now wants ratepayers to foot the flood-warning bill.”
Mrs Landry said rural and regional councils were already stretched to breaking point.
“Councils across Capricornia are battling tight budgets and rising costs. Now they’re being told to find tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars just to keep accessing flood data they’ve relied on for decades.”
She warned the consequences could be deadly.
“This isn’t just about money, it’s about safety. Real-time flood data saves lives. Delays or reduced capability because a council can’t afford a new system could cost lives.
“In a flood emergency, access to life-saving information should not depend on a council’s bank balance.”
Mrs Landry has called on the Minister for the Environment, Murray Watt, and the Minister for Emergency Management, Kristy McBain, to step in immediately.
“The Albanese Government must reverse this decision and find a solution that keeps this critical flood-warning data free. Ratepayers should not be forced to pay for a service the Commonwealth has always delivered.”
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