Bounce won't stop that sinking feeling

91 per cent agreed that there should have been stricter limits on building on floodplains, 67 per cent favour a national disaster insurance scheme, 54 per cent would like the authorities to buy back land from affected landholders, while only 47 per cent believe more dams would be an answer.

Some politicians have suggested that insurers ought to pay out irrespective of whether property owners were properly insured. This proposition was only supported by 23 per cent.

The wash-up of all of this is that Anna Bligh still seems headed for defeat. She has a momentary edge courtesy of her flood performance, but if it hasn’t made more of an impact than this on voters while flood waters still linger it’s unlikely to be a significant issue next year when the election is due.

There has been some talk of an early “flood” election. This would cost Bligh her advantage.

She was marked-up for being non-political, yet voters still want to punish Labor. Imagine how much more they would want to punish if the cynical, manipulative, political Bad Anna returned?

The premier should bask in her high-standing now. Like the flood waters themselves, it won’t last.