Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

Over the past month or so we have seen some devastating weather effects wreaking havoc on the Australian summer. We have had the floods in the Carnarvon and Gascoyne region in Western Australia; and the Rockhampton and Emerald floods. And who can forget that dreadful day of the ‘inland tsunami’, as it is now being called, in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley? We have had the Ipswich and Brisbane floods; floods in New South Wales and in my own home state of Tasmania; floods in Victoria; storms in Victoria, the Northern Territory and New South Wales; some very serious bushfires in Perth; and, of course, Cyclone Yasi.

As the PM so eloquently put it, ‘We have had our summer of horror.’ It has been an incredibly emotional and difficult time for all those affected. People have lost their homes, their businesses, their employment and, more importantly, their loved ones. We all know how harsh the Australian environment can be. Just two days ago we had the second commemoration of the Victorian bushfires, and they immediately spring to mind when you think about Australia’s history of natural disasters. We have had more than our fair share. But these past weeks have seen a convergence of the floods, the cyclones and the bushfires at such an immense level and so close together that each disaster becomes more and more shocking to watch.

I know the people of my home state of Tasmania have been feeling great empathy for their fellow Australians as they deal with the ramifications of these floods. The people of Franklin would want me to extend my sincere sympathies to the families and friends of those who have been lost. Tasmanians have been fortunate in that we have had very few natural disasters, but whenever we have needed a hand from our fellow Australians it was always there. So at this time we want to lend a hand. We want to stand tall with all those affected and assist where we can. I know many Tasmanians have donated money to the disaster appeals. I know our SES volunteers have been to Queensland and assisted where possible. And, as I speak today, we have our firefighters ready to fly to WA should the exhausted fire crews over there need some support. Tasmanians have been playing a hand.

In my role as Parliamentary Secretary for Community Services last week it was my very great privilege to visit the communities of Toowoomba, Ipswich and Brisbane. I saw firsthand what these communities are experiencing—the incredibly difficult conditions they face as they clean up their homes and their businesses and pick up and move on with their lives. I spent some time with my colleague the member for Blair, talking to people affected. It was very clear that he has been and still is supporting and fighting for his local community.

I was pleased on that day to be able to announce that the Gillard government would provide additional emergency supplementary relief funding of over $1 million. This funding will be offered to organisations in flood affected areas of Queensland that currently have emergency relief services operating and are able to quickly deliver more help to those in need.

We certainly met a lot of people doing it tough in Queensland, but we also saw some great community service providers across the flood affected areas who are doing an amazing job supporting those who need it—organisations like Lifeline Community Care; Mission Australia; the Salvation Army; Centacare; and Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Queensland, based in Toowoomba. These organisations have been a focal point for the community and they will be pivotal as the recovery efforts in the coming weeks, months and years are undertaken.

We heard some remarkable stories—stories of children who are experiencing trauma; children who, after the floods, started to wet their beds at night; children who were frightened as they heard about Cyclone Yasi. There is much work to do. We have heard about marriage break-ups already and the increase in domestic violence as the stress on individuals increases. The people in these community service organisations, both the paid staff and the volunteers, have done a tremendous job. I want to place on record my thankyou to them all for not just doing their job but doing it even though they themselves sometimes were affected by the floods. There were some workers who had lost their own homes but who continued to volunteer and turn up every day to help others. It really does need to be put on the record.

It is great to hear about the courage and the spirit in which Australians have worked together in these disasters. I believe it is reflective of the mood across the country. Certainly it is reflective of the mood in my own electorate. We have seen Australians have community barbecues, raffles, concerts and sporting matches to support our fellow Australians who are doing it tough. If that does not make you proud to be an Australian, I do not know what will. We know that rebuilding infrastructure is one thing, and we have a plan to do that, but rebuilding lives is quite another. The emotional impacts will take years to resolve and those affected need to know we will all be there with them as they do that. Australians have a proud history of supporting each other during tragedies such as we have just experienced and I have no doubt this will continue to be the case.

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