Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cowan for bringing this motion forward today. I also welcome in the gallery Mr Dinko Tomac, from the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The floods that struck the Balkans last month were truly devastating. At least 49 people lost their lives, while thousands were evacuated from their homes. Some were temporarily evacuated, while others are yet to return even to this day. The economic cost of recovery is estimated to be well into the billions of dollars. After talking to Mr Tomac a little earlier about Bosnia-Herzegovina, the price tag is about $1.5 billion. I know from the Serbian ambassador that the estimation is that $2.5 billion dollars of reconstruction is necessary there. They have seen much of their infrastructure—their roads, rail, electricity, water supply and sewerage reticulation—damaged, some beyond repair, as well as the devastation to the vital agricultural lands of those countries in the Balkans.

Large parts of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia are facing a very long road to recovery. During my visit last year to Serbia, it was clear to me that the country and, as a matter of fact, the region were very much in the process of rebuilding after years of civil conflict and economic uncertainty. The floods have now made this road a very long and arduous one.

As a First World nation, we know the difficulty of rebuilding following extensive national disasters—for instance, the Queensland floods. We know the pain that is borne by the people and the economic cost that is borne by a nation. Therefore, we know that recovery tasks, in relation to the Balkans, are almost impossible for a small nation to bear by themselves.

Much of the world has lent support during and following the Balkans disaster. Many people with heritage from the region live in my electorate. Fowler has a very large enclave of people from Bosnia, from Serbia and also from Croatia. I have attended a number of fundraising functions recently. The Serbian community in Australia has now raised about $1.5 million over the last month. I attended the Serbian flood appeal at Bonnyrigg Sports Club last Monday. The rain did not deter the hundreds of people who turned up and they raised over $200,000 on that day. Bonnyrigg Sports Club has been a primary meeting place for the local Serb community and it is no surprise that it is taking a leading role in the fundraising efforts. Club president, Ned Bogicevic, and general manager, Jason Woods, together with hardworking board members such as John Pavasovich, have all taken a leading role in the relief for flood victims. I also took part in the humanitarian concert organised by the leaders of the Serbian community, including Stan Jankovic. The concert was held in the Serbian culture club in Middleton Grange and was a great success.

While individuals and communities across Australia and around the world have come together to provide assistance during these devastating floods, Australia's reputation as a generous and compassionate nation is under question at the moment. This government's decision to cut $7.6 billion from our foreign aid budget is preventing Australia from contributing to the aid effort in relation to this situation. While countries much less fortunate are lending a supporting hand, Australia has failed to contribute one cent towards the flood relief efforts in Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia. Those opposite, clearly embarrassed by the lack of contribution and action, repeatedly draw our attention to Australia's contribution to global organisations such as the United Nations and the International Red Cross. Those contributions are the minimum for a First World nation like Australia. Once these donations trickle down through the large and wide-reaching international organisations, it is likely that no significant assistance will flow directly to the people of Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia.

Australia has had its fair share of natural disasters. We know how difficult it is to deal with natural disasters—both during them and in the aftermath. Australia is a wealthy country and, more importantly, we are a nation with considerable experience in disaster relief efforts, as well as engineering flood mitigation measures to protect affected communities. We should not be turning our backs on these countries affected by an unprecedented natural disaster. We are a wealthy country. We are a country that cares and we should always remember the contributions that Serbians, Bosnians and the Croatians have played in contributing to the modern face of Australia.

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