Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in this place today to speak about Cyclone Debbie. Cyclones present a very stressful time for a community. Having experienced cyclones such as Althea, Larry, Yasi and others that have passed down the Queensland coast, I have firsthand experience of the distressing impacts on a regional community. Watching people's homes being completely demolished and people living without power and basic services for weeks is very stressful for families. The loss to the economy and the often-forgotten mental health related impact on a community can be devastating, especially for the elderly, the frail and people living with disabilities. In my previous life I had to plan for services and support to be delivered to vulnerable people in our community before and after a cyclone, and I can assure you that it is incredibly stressful—not to mention the devastation where lives are lost. I pay my respect and sympathy to the families who have lost loved ones during extreme weather events.

But what is truly amazing in regional, rural and remote communities is when people come together and provide the most amazing support to each other, often to people they do not know, in what we would call incredibly challenging and difficult times. Luckily in Townsville we have great infrastructure and people on the ground to deal with such dramatic weather events: Lavarack Barracks Brigadier Christopher Fields, who was appointed to lead the state recovery activities; the Townsville defence forces, in particular the engineers; the police; the fire brigade; the SES workers; the Queensland government; the Townsville Health and Hospital Service; the local disaster management group, led by the Townsville City Council. They all did a magnificent job in what were extremely difficult and challenging circumstances.

Townsville was very lucky regarding Cyclone Debbie, but our neighbours to the south were hit very hard by this severe weather event. The impact on communities in terms of rising insurance bills as a result of a cyclone with the force and impact of Debbie is also staggering and often forgotten. In some cases, people are left in a position where they can no longer afford to pay their insurance bill and are left very vulnerable after extreme weather events.

I also speak on behalf of the Palm Island community, where I say they dodged a bullet. Palm Island is a community that is more than two hours ferry ride from Townsville. It has no cyclone shelter at all. This is a community that is reliant in some cases on generators for electricity, and there are numerous mobile black spots. A large majority of Palm Island residents do not live in homes that are cyclone proof, with some people living in tent-like accommodation. If Cyclone Debbie had crossed the coast and hit Palm Island, as it appeared to be predicted to early on Saturday morning, this would have devastated this community. Palm Island needs a community cyclone shelter. It is one of the barest necessities that a community should have during a natural disaster. We know cyclone shelters can and do save lives. I will fight hard for a cyclone shelter for Palm Island, because the community there deserves one and is in desperate need of a cyclone shelter.

With tropical cyclones being a regular occurrence in tropical North Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology plays a vital role in Townsville. The Bureau of Meteorology provides lifesaving services for the North, and its work during disasters like Cyclone Debbie and, in 2011, Cyclone Yasi is absolutely critical. That is why whispers of this government potentially moving staff from the bureau are life altering for people in North Queensland. We need to have secure knowledge that the Bureau of Meteorology will be situated in the heartland of some of the worst natural disasters in this country. We need to know that we have that service provided to us. We must be able to keep their finger on the pulse. They liaise with the community. They sound the alarm bells when needed. Our community needs all of the staff and the Bureau of Meteorology to stay in Townsville.

I would also like to commend the radio stations. In a severe weather event such as a cyclone, the radio station is the lifeblood and the voice to the community. In our city, we had a number of extraordinary radio stations that went out of their way to seek contributions from members of the public. They then collected these contributions of food, water, shampoo, conditioner, soap and things of that nature, and they delivered those to the communities in need just south of us.

I call on the Turnbull government to commit to the fact that we will not just have our cyclone related staff in metropolitan areas.

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