Former One Nation candidate found dead in floodwaters
The 57-year-old man found dead in floodwaters on Queensland’s Fraser Coast has been identified as local dairy farmer and former politician.
Source: Bureau of Meteorology
A dairy farmer and former politician has been found dead on his own property after an unusual weather system delivered multiple storms and a days-long deluge to parts of Australia.
Emergency services were called to a creek at Boompa on Queensland’s Fraser Coast shortly after 11am on Monday after reports a man had been found unresponsive.
The man was declared dead after being found in Smothering Creek on Boompa Road, Queensland Police said.
The flood victim was later identified in media as James Hansen, 57, a former local councillor and One Nation candidate.
Hansen was a councillor from 2012 to 2024, serving on the Fraser Coast Shire Council and before that Woocoo Shire Council before it amalgamated.
He was One Nation’s candidate for Maryborough in the 2017 state election but finished second to Labor incumbent Bruce Saunders.
James Hansen was one of the region’s last dairy farmers. Photo: Supplied
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Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said Hansen was one of the region’s last dairy farmers.
“James had strong connections to our rural communities and was a passionate advocate for primary producers. He always stood up for his beliefs,” he said.
“My thoughts are with James’ family and friends as they come to terms with this sudden and tragic loss.”
Fraser Coast councillor Michelle Byrne, who represents Hansen’s old division one, said told Nine News his death was “terribly tragic”.
“Nobody, nobody wants to lose a family member, let alone in these tragic circumstances. My heart goes out to them,” she said.
An investigation into Hansen’s death has begun, with police to prepare a report for the coroner.
Flash flooding at Morayfield, north of Brisbane, where cars were lost. Photo: AAP
Further south, six campers were rescued after becoming stranded by floodwaters at a public campground in Leyburn in Queensland’s Southern Downs.
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They rescued three men aged 71, 47 and 26 and two women aged 68 and 26 without incident on Monday morning.
Torrential downpours across Queensland between Thursday and Monday left many rivers and roads flooded across the state’s south and east.
The highest recorded four-day totals were spread across the state, with Blackdown Tableland, near Rockhampton, getting 439.4 millimetres of rain to early Monday.
Lower Springbrook, near the Gold Coast, had 325.2 millimetres, while Nambour, near the Sunshine Coast, copped 314.2 millimetres.
Brooweena, inland of K’gari, received 299.6 millimetres.
Meteorologist Angus Hines said the system behind the downpours was unusual.
”The widespread rain bands with heaps of cloud cover, much cooler temperatures, and then the storms in that situation are really driven by what’s going on in the higher parts of the atmosphere,” he said.
On Sunday night, thunderstorms were briefly connected from southern Queensland to Bass Strait, as a swift-moving system passed towards Australia’s east coast.
The storm band raced over most states, propelled by strong winds in the upper atmosphere.
“But that steering wind sort of just tapered off through the night last night over [Queensland’s] Darling Downs,” Hines said.
Flood warnings are current for Warrill Creek and the Bremer River in the Lockyer Valley, the Macintyre and Moonie rivers in the south, and the Mary River near the Sunshine Coast.
Western Queensland also remains on alert, with warnings current for the Warrego River at Charleville, the Bulloo River in Quilpie, and the Barcoo River at Blackall.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Queensland’s weather would return to more typical spring conditions as the week continued.
Hot and humid days are expected to give way to more subdued afternoon showers and storms.
-with AAP
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