Jennie George (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to speak on the condolence motion moved by the Deputy Prime Minister, and I do so because it is through me that in a collective way the citizens of the electorate of Throsby can extend their sympathy, empathy and compassion to all the people who have suffered in this unspeakable national tragedy.

The people of the Illawarra know a little bit about human tragedy. It is a mining region and up until the events of this week the greatest national tragedy in peacetime in fact occurred in the Illawarra. The Mount Kembla mine disaster of 1902 led to the deaths of 96 men and boys from the village surrounding the mine site. That human tragedy followed another mine disaster in March 1887, when 81 men and boys were killed at the Bulli mine. Our local paper on 2 August 1902 had this to say about the events of the mine:

A gloom was cast over the whole district on Thursday last when it became known that a dreadful explosion had taken place at Mount Kembla a few minutes before 2 o’clock at a time when there were upwards of 250 men in the mine. The explosion resulted in the roof of the mine tunnel collapsing and imprisoning the men.

So I say that it was, until this week, the largest peacetime land disaster in the nation’s history. In human terms, a third of the village’s male population died in the tragedy. Thirty-three women were left widowed and 120 children were fatherless.

In recent times, since I have become the member for Throsby, I and my colleague the member for Cunningham every year participate in the commemoration of this disaster at a place called Windy Gully, an eerie place where many of the miners were buried. So it is in that context that the region, having itself lived through and understood the history of human tragedy, understands and grieves, and I am sure that each and every person in our communities, in both Cunningham and Throsby, is really heartbroken by the events in Victoria.

The motto that we commemorate each year at the Mount Kembla mine disaster commemoration is this: ‘The past we inherit and the future we build’. So despite the devastating events early in this century I think that there is a message of hope to all those communities who at this present time are indeed in grief and mourning. Regrettably, now 7 February 2009 will probably go down in the annals of our history as the darkest day in Australia’s recorded peacetime history. We all know about the events of Black Friday in 1939, Ash Wednesday in 1983 and the more recent Canberra bushfires that my colleague the member for Canberra spoke about this morning. But this day, 7 February, so graphically commented on by the member for McMillan yesterday in the House, we will remember always as a day when 400 fires burnt across that state in the most severe weather conditions recorded. As the member for McMillan said yesterday in talking about this disaster, there was the inescapable disaster in the face of an indestructible force, the awesome fury of the fire and the unprecedented trauma it created.

I have never visited the villages and towns of Kinglake, Marysville or Flowerdale, but somehow I feel over the last few days that I really understand the grief of that community and see what would have been idyllic towns and hamlets set among that beautiful natural scenery. You really feel that the names of those towns will for ever be etched in memory—Kinglake, Marysville and Flowerdale. How could we ever forget? And how could we ever forget the time when the Deputy Prime Minister was moving the condolence motion and just in the course of her speech another dozen or more people were added to the list of those who have lost their lives?

At last report, I think the number of people who have perished in this enormous inferno is registered at 181, let alone the hundreds who have been burnt and injured and the people who have lost not just loved ones but property and livestock—even, in a sense, their own identity. It is absolutely devastating. One can only imagine the horror and grief that surrounds all of those communities. It is important that as politicians we let people know in Victoria and in the areas affected that the nation is with them and that we are doing what we can, in prayer, sympathy and contribution, as this disaster unfolds. For the coming weekend, portents of heatwave conditions again are very worrying for all concerned.

To all my colleagues directly affected—the members for Bendigo, Ballarat, Indi, McEwen, La Trobe, Gippsland, Casey and Wannon, and others who will speak today about the terrible situation in North Queensland, with the flooding there—I just want you to convey in your own way the condolences and sympathy of the people who I represent in my electorate of Throsby. We are all absolutely stunned by the magnificent heroism of the firefighters—people who put their lives on the line in these really tragic circumstances that have confronted these wonderful communities. I want to acknowledge the efforts of the state and federal police, members of the emergency services, councillors, government personnel, defence personnel, medical teams, nurses and doctors dealing with burns victims and other injuries in the major hospitals in Victoria, all those who have participated in the bushfire relief funds, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other agencies. Last night when I came home I turned on the cricket, and even at the cricket there was an enormous gesture of commitment by the people and the team, who I understand are also visiting the affected areas this morning. Very importantly, I want to acknowledge the volunteers.

I just want to recount a little cameo. I rang my former PA who worked with me at the ACTU—a wonderful woman by the name of Denise Power—and I was not able to get through to her. She had previously lived in Arthurs Creek, very close to the affected area, and has now moved to Fran Bailey’s electorate of McEwen. I could not get through to her so I sent her a text message and asked, ‘Are you okay?’ She said, ‘Yes, Jennie. I’ve been working down at the Diamond Creek Community Centre.’ I replied, ‘You’re a good girl, Denise.’ I did not mean that in a patronising way but meant to say: ‘It’s people like you who we as a nation can always rely on—the good, kind community- and civic-minded people for whom nothing is ever too much trouble.’ There would be hundreds of Denise Powers working in all those community centres, doing what they can to aid our NGOs in that very important work that they are undertaking.

I also particularly want to acknowledge the efforts of the Prime Minister. He was in the right place; he should have been there with the people. They are obviously going through a terrible time and I think that to have the leader of the nation and our minister for families remaining with those communities is very important. My thoughts are also with the Premier of Victoria. I think the Leader of the Opposition said it well when he said, ‘We have to do as a nation whatever it takes to deal with this immense tragedy.’ The member for New England, who spoke just before me this morning, talked about taking the politics out of the issue and how important that has been. That has not failed to register with our communities.

In that regard, I want to read a message that was emailed to all members of parliament yesterday. By chance it is from a constituent of mine. I want to read it because I want it to go into the Hansard record. Mr Steve Lewis of Flinders probably expresses in this message to the Speaker the views of people outside the parliament. He wrote:

Being a train driver, I have neither the stature nor the eloquence of speech that the honourable members have. Having been a volunteer with the SES and Fire Brigade for 20 years I realize the problems being encountered by both victims and rescuers. My emotions well up and feelings go out to those involved.

Today I watched Parliament and was taken aback by the speeches. Never before have I been so proud to be an Australian. Here were my representatives putting into words what I could not and to a nation that I could not. It goes to show what a great country we are. Aussies don’t all fly the flag, have an Aussie flag tattoo or know all the verses of The National Anthem. But like all families, when ones in trouble, we all come to the rescue.

To put it simply: You blokes made me very proud today.

Mr Jenkins, please thank The Honourable Members for myself and other ordinary Aussies.

So, thank you very much, Steve Lewis, for taking the time to convey in your own words the expressions of feeling that I am sure are shared across the nation.

The rebuilding of lives and communities is not going to be an easy task, nor is it one that can be completed within a short period of time, as the member for Canberra rightly pointed out. But I think these devastating events, as with those in our nation’s history that I referred to earlier, will bring out the same qualities of resilience, strength and stoicism, with Aussies one and all pitching in to do whatever they can in their own way to assist in dealing with this enormous tragedy.

In conclusion, on behalf of all the citizens of my electorate of Throsby I want to say that we are grieving with you, we feel for you and we empathise with you. We pay tribute and commemorate the lives that have been lost and feel for the victims. And we want to thank the firefighters and all the volunteers, without whose help it could have been so much, much worse.

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