In year 5, I did a presentation on the 1916 Clermont floods. When faced with one of the worst floods in Australian history, with more than 60 dead, the township had the foresight to move. Instead of saying “we will rebuild!” they made the smarter decision to transport many of the wooden buildings of the town using steam traction engines to a new townsite on higher ground. As a child, I found this story inspiring, and I still do. 

Now, Clermont is copping it again. They have recorded more than 200mm of rain in just 24 hours – its wettest day in 110 years. Seeing images of the devastating floods and people being airlifted to safety is heartbreaking. At the same time, communities in Victoria are facing catastrophic bushfires.

These disasters aren’t happening in a vacuum. We know that fossil fuels are turbo changing climate change, intensifying extreme weather that puts lives and livelihoods at risk. Yet, the companies most responsible continue to rake in profits while the public pays for the damage and while communities are left to pick up the pieces.

Much like these companies paying for community events like a Christmas fair, the town needs a different kind of support now, we need the kind of foresight Clermont locals had 110 years ago. 

Coal companies must play a role in paying for the real costs of climate damage, including disaster recovery, resilience, and adaptation in the communities most affected.

We recently surveyed more than 500 Central Queenslanders, and the results are clear: 90% believe mining companies should put more of their royalties back into regional Queensland communities. Only 6.1% were neutral, and just 4% disagreed.

At a time when multinational mining companies are crying poor and lobbying hard to abandon Queensland’s coal royalty scheme, it’s vital that we uplift the voices of the people who actually live here, the people who carry the risks, who ride the booms and busts and who cop the extreme weather and aftermath. 

The government could put in place a Climate Pollution Levy on polluters which could raise much needed funds to go towards the climate damage these corporations are causing.

The government could also establish a Climate Compensation Fund to meet the needs of communities on the frontline of climate impacts and everyday households facing rising costs from climate change.

Clermont’s history shows us what real leadership and foresight look like. As climate change makes disasters more frequent and more severe, we need that same clarity of vision again. This time, it means making polluters pay, not just with words or sponsorships, but with real investment in the safety, resilience and future of the communities they profit from.