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Anne Easby-Smith, left, and Trace Robbins, right, who work for House Speaker John Boehner, help to prepare the Rayburn Room on Capitol Hill in Washington,Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, where members of the House of Representatives will pose for pictures at an oath of office ceremony with Boehner. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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The U.S. Capitol is seen amid reflections from inside the Cannon House Office Building on the last day of the 112th Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. On Thursday, all members of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate will be sworn in as the 113th Congress begins its work. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2012 file photo, a man walks in front of the Capitol in Washington. The debate in Washington over taxes and spending is likely to continue damaging the fragile economy well into 2013. The political standoff has already taken an economic toll, creating uncertainty about the future and discouraging consumers from spending and businesses from hiring and investing. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
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FILE - This Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, file photo shows the Capitol dome on Capitol Hill in Washington. The brinkmanship in Washington over taxes and spending is likely to continue damaging the fragile economy well into 2013. The political standoff has already taken an economic toll, creating uncertainty about the future and discouraging consumers from spending and businesses from hiring and investing. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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Clouds roil over the White House in Washington on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, as Washington has less than 48 hours to avert the “fiscal cliff,” a series of tax increases and spending cuts set to take hold on Jan. 1. Republican and Democratic negotiators in the Senate were hoping to reach a deal to avoid going over the cliff on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer of Md., pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, where he urged House Republicans to end the pro forma session and call the House back into legislative session to negotiate a solution to the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
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President Barack Obama walks past a Marine honor guard as he steps off the Marine One helicopter and walks on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, as he returned early from his Hawaii vacation for meetings on the fiscal cliff. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Hope for disaster deal by end of week
The Queensland government says it hopes to agree on the terms for a new disaster funding deal with the federal government by the end of the week.
The federal and Queensland governments had been blaming each for holding up the deal, called the National Partnership Agreement (NPA).
But state Treasurer Tim Nicholls says he's hopeful terms can be agreed in the next few days.
He says one of the terms he wants guaranteed is that council costs to repair damaged social infrastructure, such as parks and sporting facilities, will be covered.
It's intended that the new deal will be a modification of the NPA that was struck with the former Bligh government after Queensland was hit by floods and Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
"I'm hopeful that the federal government will see their way clear to supporting the recovery effort in Queensland by the end of the week," Mr Nicholls told ABC radio.
On Tuesday, the state treasurer said recovery costs and economic impacts from the latest flood disaster are expected to be more than $2.4 billion.
Meanwhile, the army is preparing to leave the devastated city of Bundaberg after completing their task of repairing major infrastructure.
Army personnel will hold a cricket match and a community event on Wednesday, to say goodbye and good luck.
The army's last major task was to build a temporary bridge to the worst hit area of north Bundaberg.
The federal minister responsible for Queensland's flood recovery, Joe Ludwig, said the state and federal governments met on Tuesday to discuss the deal.
"The state government needs to provide details to the Commonwealth of what assistance they believe is required," Senator Ludwig's office said in a statement.
"The federal government is ready and willing to work with the state government and always has been."
Premier Campbell Newman said "very productive" negotiations were now underway between the state and federal governments.
"That will see not only money coming back to Queensland, as has already been probably promised, but also a deal that sees us helping some of the primary producers that were hit particularly hard," he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said the deal would also allow infrastructure to be built to a better standard.
"I'm sure all Australians, not just Queenslanders, will want to see their money spent in that sort of way," Mr Newman said.
"If the Commonwealth get on and do the sort of things they've been saying and promising we will be able to get the funds to put Queensland back together and that's what we want."
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