Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

While I am formally known as the member for Herbert, I am informally known as the member for Paradise, as the member for Lilley would know. A key message that I want to give to the parliament this afternoon is that North Queensland has reopened for business and that life goes on. There is certainly significant devastation in a small area of North Queensland, but Queensland is a very large state and all the areas to the north and south of the cyclone track are very much open for business. Those who have been planning trips to North Queensland—maybe for business, as a holiday or to see family—should go with confidence, knowing that they will be welcomed in North Queensland.

Also, it is good news that our wonderful and marvellous Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area has suffered very little damage and that those who want to go and have a reef experience can have that experience now. Indeed there is a kind of reverse outcome from the cyclone’s crossing the reef. While there may have been some small amount of damage to coral in a small area, one of the effects of the cyclone is that large volumes of water have been turned over, actually cooling the reef. Cooling the reef helps mitigate the coral bleaching that has been happening. Certainly the reef is open and is there for wonderful experiences.

When the cyclone was coming, it was unclear what the cyclone’s track might be. Cyclones’ movements can be notoriously erratic. The city of Townsville, my home town, was certainly prepared for it. We did what we normally do, because we are used to it. As I was in Townsville when Cyclone Althea devastated the city back in the early seventies, I know exactly what it is like to suffer a cyclone. So we prepared: we stored our water, we had plastic to keep everything dry if we lost our roof, we had food and cooking facilities. People filled up their cars with fuel and filled up their gas bottles.

But something that happened this time—and it has been referred to earlier in this debate—was the recognition of the need to have cash because the ATMs did not work. We get so used these days to working with plastic cards that when the ATMs do not work there is a real problem. I think our North Queensland community and others affected by cyclones around the country will come to the realisation that they have to add cash to the list of things that they have to do when a cyclone is bearing down on their community.

I want to pay tribute to Centrelink, particularly the Centrelink staff in Townsville but more generally the Centrelink staff in North Queensland who all moved to work together to look after the people affected by the cyclone. They were prepared to go to work when the cyclone hit. In fact, local staff went out of their way to help. In Innisfail on the afternoon of the cyclone there was a local Centrelink staffer at the office checking for damage, making arrangements for repair and making arrangements to get the office reopened as soon as possible. The next day Centrelink staff were on duty at the state government community recovery centres across the devastated area. Their local staff put Centrelink operations above their own needs and that is fantastic. Centrelink are now well regarded as being a wonderful customer service organisation, and they certainly demonstrated that in this particular natural disaster.

Indeed, staff worked with local banks to get cash into the local community, solving the problem that people were facing. Up to 60 staff contributed, backed by a range of staff across Australia in call centres and administration centres who also worked to help those affected by the cyclone. It is not widely understood that Centrelink staff from around the country were doing their bit to help the people of Innisfail and surrounding regions.

I now turn to the Defence Force. I want the parliament to understand that all three services were involved: Navy, Army and Air Force. They were adapting their war-fighting skills to support the community which supports them every other day of the year. Indeed, I am reminded that members of the 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in Townsville were in Innisfail, but they were also in Baghdad simultaneously helping communities that could not help themselves.

ADF members from as far away as Holsworthy were working with the Navy and Army from Cairns and with 3rd Brigade soldiers from Townsville. The ADF were able to move quickly. They were into Innisfail between the cyclone crossing the coast and the floodwaters rising, cutting off the highways. They were there in a timely and appropriate fashion. They were able to supply life support services until emergency management and civil authorities could take control and manage the situation. Altogether, about 600 troops were involved, with between 300 and 350 troops on the ground every day since the cyclone passed. They have not just been in Innisfail; they have been in places such as Mareeba, Milla Milla, Atherton, Mission Beach, Babinda and Tully.

Let me tell you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and let me tell the people of Australia about a 51 FNQ Reserve soldier. He worked tirelessly with his unit in Babinda. While he was working in Babinda, helping the people of Babinda, his own family’s house further south—in Silkwood, I believe—had been flattened. He was doing his duty as a serviceman, he was putting his duty as a serviceman ahead of his family, and that is very much to be commended.

All in all, the Australian Defence Force were able to contribute seven Army Black Hawk helicopters, three Army Iroquois helicopters, an Army Chinook, two Navy Seahawk helicopters, one Navy landing craft and three C130 Hercules out of Townsville. They were doing tasks like establishing water purification plants, distributing 16,000 one-man ration packs, establishing a field kitchen for supplying fresh meals for up to 700 people, distributing 4,000 tarpaulins and planning the provision of a bath unit. There was also a capability to provide up to 500 beds, a primary health care support team, environmental health officers and so on. Of course, 3CER from Townsville were there with their chainsaw team and heavy equipment clearing away the debris.

I was particularly impressed by the CH47 Chinook helicopter flying an entire electricity pylon tower from Townsville up to the Innisfail substation to ensure that that substation could be made operational and the power put back on—and I think a picture of that may have been seen around the country. It is not only Innisfail and surrounding district that have been affected; other cities and towns in North Queensland have been affected because, invariably, they have businesses supplying goods and services to the affected area. But they will come through.

I finish now with this thought that often, as we all know, a bit of good can come out of adversity, and we hope a lot of good comes out of this adversity. It will come out through rebuilding and strengthening community relationships, neighbourly relationships and rebuilding a community with new facilities. There are lots of good things that can come out of this adversity, but currently things are quite difficult, as the member for Kennedy will know. I wish the people of the devastated region well, and I commit the government to do what it can to help them in their time of need.

Debate (on motion by Mr Pearce) adjourned.

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