Selected

Scott Morrison is set to have a national emergency declared on Friday, following the devastating flooding across NSW and Queensland.

The decision came despite Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk earlier saying the state would not need the measure.

"The time for that national emergency (declaration) was probably a week ago," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Thursday, before her call with the prime minister.

"So we've actually gone past that. The floodwaters have gone down, they've subsided, and ... those (state) disaster declarations will be lifted on Sunday."

The prime minister said there had been a misunderstanding over the impact of the national declaration, which would have nothing to do with the flow of funding.

"I will be having a meeting with the governor-general when I return to Canberra and we will be advancing those issues, having undertaken appropriate consultations with the premiers of Queensland and NSW," Mr Morrison said.

The national declaration would allow the Morrison government to access stockpiled resources and removed red tape.

It's the first time such a declaration will be made, with the law only coming into effect in 2020 following the Black Summer bushfires.

Mr Morrison, who toured flood-hit areas of southeast Queensland on Thursday, said federal cabinet would meet on Friday to look at further assistance following the "inland tsunami".

"We will stand with those communities as they go through the rebuilding process."

A meeting with Governor-General David Hurley has been scheduled for Friday night in Canberra.

Labor MP Justine Elliot, whose electorate of Richmond takes in the Ballina region that had been hit by the floods, claimed the government had ignored affected residents in the area.

"People are suffering when we are not part of that announcement," she told ABC Radio on Thursday.

"Many people can't access housing or money and they need urgent assistance, and what we have seen since the flood hit is rolling incompetence from the state and federal governments."

Neighbouring MP Kevin Hogan said there was an overwhelming feeling of trauma and pain.

"This is a multi-year recovery for our region," he told Sky News.

The government has paid out more than $480 million in federal disaster payments to more than 414,000 people in NSW and Queensland since the floods.

Of that, $310 million has been paid out to 268,000 people in NSW, while $170 million has been paid to 146,000 in Queensland.

ADF troops assisting with the clean-up are set to increase to 5748 by the end of the day, with that figure expected to rise to nearly 6540 by the end of Friday.

The Insurance Council of Australia has estimated the damage bill from the floods to be more than $1.7 billion, with that figure expected to rise.

More than 118,000 claims have been made following the disaster, of which 44,193 were from NSW and 73,823 were in Queensland.

The council's chief executive Andrew Hall welcomed commitments from the government to make communities more resilient to natural disasters.

"The Insurance Council and insurers have been calling for an increase in federal government investment in this area to $200 million per year, matched by the states and territories," he said.

"This infrastructure and mitigation investment is vitally important to prevent future harm and devastation to these communities, as we know flood events will inevitably repeat."

© AAP 2022

Photo: Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seen inspecting flood damage in the suburb of Milton in Brisbane, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AAP Image/Darren England)

A Victorian man has died from encephalitis as Australians are warned to take the risk posed by the condition seriously.

The state Department of Health said the man, aged in his 60s from northern Victoria, died on February 28 and an autopsy revealed the cause of death as Japanese encephalitis.

It is investigating how he contracted the virus.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time," a department spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We strongly advise people take steps to limit their exposure to mosquitoes and avoid mosquito habitats such as stagnant water."

There have been seven confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis in Victorian residents, including the man who died.

The Encephalitis Society, an international peak body for the disease, is calling for greater recognition and awareness of JEV in Australia.

"Encephalitis is a code-red condition that remains under-recognised," chief executive Ava Easton said.

"As Australia faces ongoing extreme weather conditions we are urging all Australians to equip themselves with knowledge about this very real disease and to not dismiss it as a low-risk probability or something too rare to talk about."

Dr Easton warned, given recent floods in Queensland and NSW, mosquito-borne viruses responsible for causing encephalitis "will be proliferating".

It comes as the federal health department is investigating dozens of suspected JEV cases, with at least nine confirmed infections nationally.

NSW Health on Monday said two people from the Victorian border with confirmed JEV were being treated in hospital.

"Several more people in NSW are undergoing further testing, and more cases are expected to be confirmed over the coming days and weeks," NSW Health said in a statement.

One Queenslander has also been confirmed to have the disease.

Four South Australians are "strongly suspected" to have JEV, all of whom have required admission to hospital, SA Health said in a statement.

In recent weeks, JEV has spread to dozens of piggeries across Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the disease was in 42 piggeries across the country.

"It's been pretty constant for the last week, but we are monitoring," he told ABC Radio National on Monday.

Last week, Australia's chief medical officer declared JEV as a nationally significant communicable disease incident, triggering extra resources for states and territories.

JEV spreads to humans through mosquito bites and cannot be transmitted from person-to-person, nor by eating pork products.

It has been more than 20 years since JEV was detected in humans. The last outbreak was in Australia's tropical north in 1995.

In most cases, human infection with JEV is asymptomatic, but about one per cent of infections can progress to serious disease including brain inflammation.

Two vaccinations are available for protection against JEV in Australia, with older people and those aged under five at a higher risk of developing a serious illness.

Anyone working or camping in regional parts of Australia with high mosquito activity is warned to use repellent and cover up with loose-fitting clothing.

© AAP 2022