Queensland floods
© unknownQueensland Floods
The lessons of Brisbane's deadly 1974 floods were ignored and it most not happen again, the judicial inquiry into Queensland's latest flood disaster was told at its opening session yesterday.

In his debut submission to commissioner Cate Holmes, counsel assisting the inquiry Peter Callaghan SC said the experience of Queensland's floods more than three decades ago -- in which 14 people died and thousands of homes were inundated in January 1974 -- had been forgotten.

"There was no comparable commission of inquiry into those events of 37 years ago. This commission affords an opportunity to ensure the lessons that must be learned from this occasion are recorded for the future," Mr Callaghan said.

"In this way, it might be hoped Queenslanders are neither condemned to the fate of those who cannot remember the past, nor left vulnerable at the hands of those who might choose to forget it."

The commission, which plans to hold hearings around Queensland over the next 11 months, has been instructed to examine all aspects of the flood crisis, from the timing of dam releases to the accountability of insurers.

Twenty-two people have been confirmed dead since January 10 as a result of the disaster that struck Brisbane, Ipswich, the Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba , and seven are missing with little hope for their survival. A further 13 deaths have been linked to flooding around Queensland since November 30.

In her opening remarks, Justice Holmes said the word "flood" was an oversimplification of what had occurred. "Wide swaths of Queensland were desolated . . . The events encompassed river flooding, stormwater inundation, rainwater runoff, flash flooding and -- in the Lockyer Valley -- what has been aptly described as an inland tsunami."

The hearing was told Justice Holmes would keep to a "very tight timeframe", with an interim report to be delivered by August 17.

"Our initial focus will be on what can be done in the short term to improve safety for next summer . . . A final report is due on January 17, 2012," she said.

The commission's website is open to submissions from individuals, businesses, community groups and government.

Submissions relevant to next summer's wet season should be submitted by March 11, while those addressing the inquiry's other terms of reference must be received by April 4.

Mr Callaghan said the proceedings would be streamed online, offering an unprecedented level of public scrutiny.

"All who have an interest can assess the matter in which the evidence is received and tested, and any concerns about political interference can be laid to rest," he said.

Mr Callaghan said no amount of legal argument would derail the inquiry, because it had the power to order witnesses to answer questions or produce evidence.

Witnesses at the inquiry will have no right to silence on the basis of self-incrimination.

Parties who wish to be legally represented will be able to apply when the inquiry resumes.

Justice Holmes said yesterday she had already held informal visits to Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.

She was accompanied by deputy commissioners Jim O'Sullivan, a former Queensland police commissioner, and Phil Cummins, an international expert on large dams.

The inquiry is expected to cost $15m to run.

A schedule of hearings will be available on the commission's website, at www.floodcommission.qld.gov.au.