Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to add my voice to those who have spoken already today by extending my sympathies to all those people who have been affected by flood, cyclone or fire during what has been an horrific eight weeks. Our thoughts are also with the people of Wright. Eighty per cent of my electorate of Flynn has been affected in some way by floodwaters that have left whole townships and communities devastated.

The whole township of Theodore in Central Queensland was inundated by floodwaters. Every home and business was completely covered. Sixty-five homes have been condemned. In Emerald, homes and businesses have been inundated for the second time since 2008. Tourism has been shattered in our electorate. It is hard to imagine the heartbreak and suffering that is occurring in our regional communities. I have had visits to Flynn from our Prime Minister and our Premier, Anna Bligh, and Tony Abbott and Warren Truss, as well as many other ministers and senators. Many members of the House have contacted me by telephone, fax and text and wished us well in getting through our experiences.

I have visited all the towns affected by the floods and I can tell you, Mr Speaker, people are hurting out there. Small business owners and primary producers have slipped through the cracks. Some farmers have not been able to get their cattle to market because the roads to their properties have been closed for more than two or three months. In the case of farmers around Rolleston, it has been a year—12 months without being able to get their cattle to market because of the standard of the roads. Entire crops have been flattened and some farmers will not get a crop for another 12 months. Graziers in Central Queensland have lost thousands of head of cattle and we still do not know where some of those cattle are. Hundreds of kilometres of fencing have been flattened, machinery lost and buildings demolished.

The coal industry has virtually shut down. Mines are full of water and railway lines have been washed away. There are so many people involved and the damage to Flynn has been so widespread that I am reluctant to mention anyone’s name for fear of missing some people out. Needless to say, the police, the Red Cross, the emergency services, the mayors of the shires, the councillors, the council workers, the road workers, the Australian Defence Force and individuals have done a wonderful job in helping us to recover, and that recovery process is still in hand.

We must get Central Queensland working again, because until it does the whole of Australia will suffer. The $25,000 grants to primary producers and small business are proving almost impossible to access, and the offer of a loan at four per cent interest to affected businesses is, quite frankly, totally inadequate. The last thing our primary producers want or need is more debt. Local councils so far have not received any funding to commence the work of repairing our roads and our community infrastructure. In fact, a couple of the councils in Flynn have just received their NDRRA money for the floods that happened 12 months ago. I appeal to the government to adopt a Roads to Recovery model used to great effect by the Howard government. When aid or recovery money goes direct to the local councils approximately 99 per cent of it goes straight to the project. In the past, when this money has been passed through the Queensland state government, less than 60 per cent of the money has actually got to the bitumen. Local councils have the staff, equipment and expertise to get on with the job of rebuilding our communities. All they lack is the money. And if they have to wait for the state government to dole it out then the people of Central Queensland will be the big losers.

In closing, I appeal to the government to be mindful of the emotional stress and strain that these events have placed on our people in the affected areas. Please do not place extra strain on them by delaying the flow of money to our councils and affected areas. Distribute the money directly to our local councils and you will get value for money and provide necessary employment in our local communities. On the upside, all our dams and weirs are full.

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