Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence: I thank the Treasurer for his update and report on events in North Queensland. He rightly refers to the enormous contrasts in our country. That we could have such heat, fire and tragedy in the south and then extensive flooding in the north is quite extraordinary. If I may refine slightly the figures that the Treasurer quoted, my understanding is that close to two-thirds of Queensland is flood declared, around half is drought declared and a quarter does not have any declaration at all, so clearly there is a significant part of the state of Queensland that has endured all of the contrasts of weather in a very short period of time.

I am reminded also that many of these people in North Queensland who are seriously affected now by flooding are the same who endured the effects of a cyclone not all that long ago—the cyclone that will be remembered, I think, by all Australians because it brought on the great banana drought, which helped us to appreciate how much we enjoy bananas as a part of our lifestyle in this country.

There are people enduring many weeks of flood inundation, especially in the Gulf of Carpentaria. There will be many months that these people will be cut off from the outside world. I referred, when this matter was discussed last week, to the loss of stock and the loss of property throughout that area. These people are used to wet times, and they are set up to deal with them. But sometimes this goes on a little too long for even the bravest of friendships not to be tested.

I welcome the government’s commitment to provide support and assistance. We particularly think today of the families of the three people who are feared lost in these floods, especially the family of the five-year-old boy who, it seems, may have been taken by a crocodile. These are especial tragedies that add to the misery and the grief that are being endured by the whole community.

I compliment the government on sending Brisbane based minister Craig Emerson to North Queensland to keep a direct eye on what is happening in that regard. I thank him also for taking the member for Herbert with him on his aircraft. Senator Macdonald and the member for Herbert are North Queenslanders and they have geared up their offices to provide direct care and assistance and a pipeline to people who are in need. But I am aware also that the emergency services, the local councils and the various government agencies have moved quickly into action to provide assistance wherever they can.

Again, another major reconstruction effort will be required in North Queensland, and again it will be ongoing. It will take quite some time. One of the issues that arose out of the cyclone was a commitment to upgrade a substantial part of the road system north of Townsville, and some of that work is underway. But, then again, floods can sometimes be so big that even the new roads go under water, and I hope that this experience will demonstrate again to all Australians that we do need to have an all-weather road system in Far North Queensland and to commit to that kind of construction effort, as well as to restoring the property, the livelihoods and the wellbeing of those people who are affected by this flooding. In some parts of Australia we have streets in ashes—in other parts, streets covered by water. And we need to help all of those people as best we can.

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