Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Prime Minister’s condolence motion. I will start by giving my condolences and the condolences of people across my community to those who have lost family members and loved ones in these terrible floods. When we talk about the floods, we are not just talking about those that hit South-East Queensland in early January; we are also talking about the floods that affected the whole of Queensland over the Christmas period and many towns throughout New South Wales and Victoria. We have also seen Cyclone Yasi—a cyclone of epic proportions, the like of which we have not seen in our history—hit North and Far North Queensland, and in the past week we have seen terrible fires hit Perth resulting in the loss of many homes.

These are certainly tragic circumstances and ones we should reflect on. Many lives have been cut short, many young lives that were yet to start. Our hearts go out to those lost ones and to all of those who are grieving and who will grieve for a long time to come. In this the first week of parliament for 2011, we also reflect on the second anniversary of the Black Saturday fires that hit Victoria. That too is a reminder of what this country can throw at us. We have seen the worst over the last few weeks and we have seen the best. I thought it best, in trying to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who has lost everything, to read the words of someone who has been affected by the floods in the Lockyer Valley but, considering the time, I am not inclined to start those words. I await an opportunity to read those words at a later time.

Debate interrupted.

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