Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice) Share this | Hansard source

It is with sadness that I rise today to reflect on the tragic loss of life in particular that has occurred because of two very severe weather events in New South Wales and in Queensland. We have heard from the member for Paterson and the member for Hunter about the devastating loss that was associated with the New South Wales floods. As the member for Paterson remarked, I joined him with the Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Emergency Services of New South Wales in touring Dungog, which was the worst affected town in terms of loss of life. Three lives were tragically taken in what is a town of only 2½ thousand people.

The floodwaters there were very severe, and they came very suddenly at a very early hour of the morning. At about 3 am the floodwaters rose; they rose very quickly. Unfortunately, that caught out some elderly residents of the town in particular. The waters were of such power, as has also been remarked, that they actually picked up houses and moved them. It was not like the house was damaged; it was literally just taken away and floated down the river. And you can imagine that the water needs to have an enormous power to have the ability to do that. The reality is that the impacts of this disaster in New South Wales, and the one in Queensland, are going to be very far-reaching: thousands of people have been evacuated, they have been displaced from their homes and from their communities; there has been extensive damage to public infrastructure; homes have been destroyed and damaged; businesses have been destroyed and damaged, and of course there is the subsequent loss of trade associated with that. It will be the case that communities, often small communities, are going to take some time to recover, and that is not an easy process.

It is important that all of those affected communities understand that both the federal government and the New South Wales and Queensland governments stand with them to assist. There are very long-standing arrangements for the way that we do that and they do work very well. The Commonwealth always seeks to assist the states when they respond to these things, and obviously they have the primary responsibility and the equipment and the resources to be able to do so. Whenever a disaster happens, I am always in touch with my state counterpart to make sure they are aware that the Commonwealth will do whatever we can to help, and that certainly happened in the case of New South Wales and, to a lesser extent, Queensland.

And while homes and buildings and public infrastructure can be repaired, I do just want to reflect on the lives that have been lost in New South Wales, those three lives in Dungog and another who lost her life when her car was swept away in Maitland, and the member for Hunter reflected on that. In Queensland, very tragically, five people lost their lives, including a young child and three members of the same family—I have discussed this with the member for Longman, and I know he will reflect on that in his comments—and that is a terrible loss of life in relation to this very severe storm.

I would like to acknowledge, as others have done, the efforts of the very impressive State Emergency Service. They have dedicated professionals and dedicated volunteers who come out to assist their communities in the event of something going wrong. When there is a very severe disaster in Australia, it is not always the case that government services can get to everyone instantly. It is just not possible to do that. What we rely on is communities helping out other members of that community. The communities in New South Wales in particular that I saw rose to that occasion of helping out the fellow members of their community, and I know that the same thing occurred in Queensland as well.

I would like to acknowledge their tireless efforts. What also happens in Australia—which I think is a wonderful reflection of our national character—is that, when one particular state is experiencing a disaster, everyone pitches in. If you go to a disaster in New South Wales, you will find people from Queensland, Victoria, South Australia. And it happens vice versa; it is always the case that states pitch together, and we assist by trying to explain what is required in getting the other states to help. They do so with a very open heart. It is always gratifying when moving around after a disaster to see the heart that people can take from the fact that the rest of Australia is pitching in to help them when the chips are down in what is the worst possible circumstances for a community. It is a great reflection on the way our system works and a great reflection on the people who volunteer to be a part of that system.

As I said, we always help in these circumstances; we always do what we can. In the case of the New South Wales floods, the Australian government and the New South Wales government have announced a comprehensive package of assistance which is available across a broad range of 17 affected local government areas. This assistance does not just come in the form of instant recovery. We partner with communities to assist them in what can be a very difficult and long-term recovery effort. That is what we will do in the case of New South Wales, and that is what we will continue to do as disasters, unfortunately, continue to afflict people around Australia.

We are in a uniquely disaster prone continent—fires, floods, cyclones. We are subject to the fury of nature on a regular basis in Australia, but the way we respond is a great reflection of the Australian character and I certainly saw that in evidence in my visit to the affected areas in New South Wales. I also know, from my discussions with the Queensland members of parliament, that it was on display in Queensland as well.

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