Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has launched a royal commission into the state's devastating and deadly floods.
The $15 million inquiry, to be headed by Justice Cate Holmes, will examine the disaster, government preparedness and the emergency response.
Ms Bligh said the operation of dams, including the adequacy of water releases from Wivenhoe, would be among issues investigated.
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Ms Bligh said she expected the inquiry team to visit the towns and cities inundated by the floods so that local people could attend hearings and give evidence.
The terms of reference require the inquiry to examine the adequacy of forecasts and early warning systems, particularly regarding the flooding in Toowoomba and the Lockyer and Brisbane valleys.
The preparation and planning by federal, state and local governments and emergency services will also come under the spotlight.
Ms Bligh also wants the inquiry to report on the operation of dams across the state, including the release strategies from the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams, and whether flood mitigation was appropriate.
The inquiry will also investigate land use planning and development in flood-prone areas and the performance of private insurers in fulfilling claims
Ms Bligh said the disaster needed to be examined "forensically".
"The last three weeks have been truly shocking for all Queenslanders and now is the time to forensically examine the devastating chain of events and the aftermath," Ms Bligh said.
Justice Holmes is a sitting Supreme Court judge and was counsel assisting the Forde Royal Commission into child abuse in 1998.
She will be assisted by two deputy commissioners, former Queensland police commissioner Jim O'Sullivan, and the chairman of the International Commission on Large Dams, Phil Cummins.
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