We right away have twenty-two towns or cities which have been possibly roughly flooded or removed since a roads have been cut off to them. That represents a little 200,000 people travelling an area that’s bigger than a distance of France as well as Germany combined.”

A senior official has described the flooding in Queensland, Australia, as a disaster of "biblical proportions".

State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the economic impact would be severe, with huge costs compounded by lost income from mining, farming and tourism.

Rockhampton, where 77,000 people live, is the latest city bracing for impact, amid warnings of 30ft (9m) floodwaters.

More than 20 other towns have already been left cut off or flooded across an area larger than France and Germany.

The crisis has been triggered by Australia's wettest spring on record. At least six river systems across Queensland have broken their banks. The floods have affected about 200,000 people, and many have been evacuated.

"We're still directly battling floodwaters, we haven't seen the peak of the flood yet at centres like Rockhampton," said Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who toured the stricken areas.

Government in action

Who’s in charge on the Murray-Darling Basin, and how anything ever gets done is quite a confusing issue. After a lot of arguing and promises, a new collaboration between the state governments (NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD and SA) and the federal government was initiated in 2007. Then Prime Minister John Howard promised $10 billion to help implement a unified management plan. Some have welcomed the Commonwealth’s involvement, while other states (especially Victoria) have been very reluctant to give up their state responsibilities in favour of a federal ‘take-over’. These bodies work with the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) to deliver environmental programs. Proposals and initiatives must be collectively agreed upon through the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council.