Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Mr Speaker, I rise to speak as the Commonwealth minister responsible for the Commonwealth Victorian bushfire reconstruction effort. Today the federal parliament marks the second anniversary of Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires and, once again, we are standing together as a nation to mourn and to rebuild after a natural disaster.

Yesterday our parliament reflected on this summer of extraordinary events. We mourn the lives lost; we recount the damage done. This summer, nature has again been relentless. All corners of our Federation have been in flood: Queensland and New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. North Queensland withstood the most powerful cyclone we have ever seen. And fires are ravaging suburbs and towns on the outskirts of Perth, razing scores of homes. Yet again our nation bears witness to nature’s fury. And yet again we see Australians bound together by courage, sacrifice and a generosity of spirit.

Two years ago, Victoria was tinder dry, forests and fields were parched by drought, there was below average rainfall and record high temperatures: ingredients for a catastrophe. Many Victorians will forever remember the extreme conditions on that Saturday. It was 40 degrees by 11 am, and the temperature climbed even higher throughout the day. On that day, authorities attended or patrolled 316 grass, scrub or forest fires. Furious wind, as if blasted directly from the furnaces of hell, whipped across the countryside—wind that not only accelerated as that day progressed but also cruelly changed direction to both intensify the fires and their danger.

February the 7th 2009 was a day that changed the lives of Victorians and indeed the nation forever. Black Saturday took the lives of 173 Australians. Parents lost children, children lost parents, families lost neighbours and friends and more than 800 people were injured, some with horrific burns. It will be forever etched in our memories.

People’s livelihoods were also shattered—more than 2,000 properties were destroyed, 430,000 hectares burnt out and hundreds of businesses were lost or damaged. Their losses were enormous. Today, we remember the loss. Importantly, we also pay tribute to the strength of survivors and recommit ourselves to supporting people and communities as they continue to heal and rebuild. The courage of these communities continues to be an inspiration. Many people are still coming to terms with their loss and the devastation and fear caused by the fires, but their determination is extraordinary.

On Sunday afternoon, I joined the Prime Minister, the Governor-General, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Victorian Premier, Ms Christine Nixon and, most importantly, community members to commemorate, at Federation Square in Melbourne, the two-year anniversary of Black Saturday and the Gippsland bushfires. At the service, a poem from 14-year-old Maddy Bartlett was read. Maddy’s poem is called ‘The colour of my town’. It tells of an innocent summer day when ‘blue sky was turned grey’. Maddy describes her world turning orange in the wake of disaster. Maddy lost her parents and her sister on Black Saturday. She was on life support for five weeks and in hospital for 16 weeks.

Like so many Black Saturday survivors, Maddy embodies the strength and courage that have seen people rise to meet these unfathomable challenges. Her poem describes the green shoots of hope that emerged after that grey and orange day. It is these green shoots of hope that we focus on as fire affected communities continue to rebuild.

The human spirit of strength and unity continues to underpin the reconstruction effort. I know that this spirit is widespread across bushfire affected communities. At the end of last year, I met with the Victorian Bushfires Bereaved Community Advisory Group. They are an incredible group who support and advocate for the bereaved community. They provide advice to government and community leaders and, most importantly, provide a voice for those who lost loved ones on Black Saturday. They, like many others, are adamant that their journey of healing can help support people affected by the bushfire tragedy but also people affected by the latest disasters in Queensland. Just yesterday one of them said to me that they she wanted to know what she could do to help the people of Grantham.

Government Response and Recovery

After Black Saturday, the Australian government committed to standing by these communities to help them rebuild their lives, their homes and their communities, to be there with them every step of the way. The previous Prime Minister is here with us today and I acknowledge his extraordinary compassion and leadership at the time. While there is still a way to go, the Australian government continues to be part of the rebuilding effort.

We are working in partnership with local communities, local government and the Victorian government. Together, much has been achieved, but much more is to be done. We are working on putting back the bricks and mortar and, importantly, supporting the indestructible spirit of community. We know that governments cannot replace what has been lost. But we have supported and will continue to support individuals, families, communities and businesses with payments and services that they  need to help them rebuild their lives.

Direct financial assistance went to around 59,000 individuals and families. Centrelink marshalled into action, and the defence forces mobilised. On the ground, we have, importantly, provided assistance to mental health services to help those deal with the loss and grief that they face.

For these communities, economic recovery is vital. Before the fires many of these towns were thriving centres of small- and medium-sized enterprise. We have provided income support for employees, small business operators and farmers, and concessional interest loans for businesses. The Victorian Bushfire Business Investment Fund—to which the Commonwealth contributed—has helped existing businesses get through the recovery and is helping establish new businesses in affected communities.

As of today, over 2,300 building permits have been issued in bushfire affected areas. Of the 1,600 people who lost their principal place of residence, almost three-quarters have either rebuilt, are in the process of rebuilding or have purchased a new home. In Marysville, Kinglake and Strathewen, some of the worst affected communities, primary schools have been rebuilt. I am very pleased to say that children are back at their rebuilt schools and kindergartens.

More than 800 projects identified in community recovery plans are being delivered, with new affordable housing units built in Marysville and Kinglake, so that more families have a place to call home. We know that not everyone has a new roof over their heads, but the rebuilding work continues  and determination is unabated.

The Australian government’s role in the response and reconstruction effort has spanned across many government agencies. I would like to acknowledge my colleagues the Attorney-General and my former Parliamentary Secretary for Bushfire Reconstruction, the member for Maribyrnong, for their important work.

Many local members also played important roles in supporting communities, and I acknowledge the extraordinary work of the former member for McEwen, Fran Bailey, as well as the current member for McEwen, Rob Mitchell. So many people lost their lives in their communities.

I acknowledge the member for Indi, who is here with us today. Her community was seriously affected. I acknowledge the members for McMillan in the Gippsland fires and the member for Bendigo in the fires that affected his community. The member for Casey is here. The fires came right down very close to the city and I know it was very frightening for his community. Local federal members, along with their state colleagues, have played important roles working with their local communities, healing and rebuilding.

I would also like to acknowledge officials in Commonwealth, Victorian and local government agencies—in particular the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority—for their work as part the reconstruction effort. It is very important work that continues today. But we know that there is a lot more rebuilding to be done.

We know that it is not only governments that have been acting. Black Saturday opened up an unprecedented spirit of giving by Australians. The Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund raised more than $392 million, including interest. It was the largest single charitable appeal in the country’s history. The fund has now been fully committed, supporting individuals, families and communities affected by this disaster. I would like to also thank the appeal board, who oversaw the distribution of the funds, and the Australian Red Cross for their administration of the appeal that so effectively harnessed the outpouring of generosity in the wake of those terrible events.

Prevention and Preparedness

Current conditions across our nation show us that we will continue to face natural disasters. We cannot always escape these disasters, but we have to make a real effort to ensure that lessons are learnt and we are better prepared in the future. A national standard for private bushfire shelters has been developed by the Australian Building Codes Board.

The Bureau of Meteorology is collaborating with fire agencies to improve disaster warning and response communications. New investment has been made in the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre to undertake research on the Victorian bushfires so we learn the lessons, to better prepare in the future.

What our agencies learned in 2009 is helping our response to the subsequent disasters—important lessons helping other Australians in their time of need.

Today

Today, Black Saturday survivors continue to rebuild their homes, communities and businesses and their lives. Finding the will to go on amidst deep grief is incredibly hard. It is the ongoing courage and determination of the Victorians who suffered on Black Saturday that serves as inspiration to us all. They are truly incredible people.

One of the things that I have noticed over the last few weeks is the way in which the Black Saturday survivors have reached out with empathy and compassion to fellow Australians that have been hit by natural disaster this summer. The residents of Kinglake held a 24-hour radiothon to raise money for Queensland flood victims. David and Lisa Robinson, both Black Saturday survivors from Kinglake, drove for days to deliver a truckload of supplies to flood victims in Warwick in South Queensland.

I think this comment from Kathy Stewart, really sums it up. She is the acting Vice President of the Kinglake community radio station. She said:

The bushfire survivors received unconditional love and support during 2009, especially from Queensland. We are all still grateful for the support post fires and we’re more than happy to help others in their time of need.

It is this capacity for people across our nation to reach out to each other in the spirit of compassion and strength that gives us hope. It is this spirit that reflects the deep commitment that we all have for each others’ welfare. Whether there are floods, fires, droughts or cyclones, we can and we will rebuild together.

And as we stand together in the wake of disaster again, we can draw strength and hope from the fire-affected communities of Black Saturday—communities that have shown us that, no matter how large the challenge of rebuilding after disaster strikes, we are up to it. Today we reflect on the unspeakable destruction of that very Black Saturday. We remember the tragedy of the 173 people who lost their lives. We pay tribute to the survivors. Their spirit inspires our nation.

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