It will take two years and a budgetary allocation of no less thanUS$6 billion to rebuild the state of Queensland after the devastating floods, Premier Anna Bligh said today.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ms Bligh said the components of the reconstruction program had been identified and will generate jobs in the local economy.

Devastated by floods for six weeks after Cyclone Yasi, the state is beginning to recover. It is the the third most populous area in Australia.

Reports indicate that an estimated 86 percent of the road network has reopened and 94 percent of the local mines are partly or fully operational at the start of this month.

Nevertheless, the crops such as sugar and banana plantations destroyed may take longer to rebuild. The state supplies an estimated 80 percent of the steel-grade coal and contributes a fifth to the national economy.

The tourism industry, on the other hand, has picked up as some foreign visitors have started pouring in once more, Ms Bligh noted.

Running for re-election, Ms Bligh and her Labour Party, has gotten good marks for how she tackled the Queensland flood crisis.