Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I rise to associate the opposition with the remarks of the Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity. It was a miracle—we sometimes use that word too easily, but I think in this case it's fairly used—when you look at the fire damage in south-western Victoria or South Coast New South Wales, or the cyclone damage in the Top End, that no-one was killed. Any of us who've been up there in the days afterwards—for example, at Tathra 100 dwellings out of 500 were destroyed—know it's a great testament to the resourcefulness of the locals and to the emergency services personnel, both volunteer and professional, that there was no loss of life.

At the same time, I think it's important that this parliament records its recognition that for a lot of people the rebuilding task will seem very daunting. In the first 24 to 48 hours after these disasters there's a lot of adrenaline, a lot of attention; the media's interested; there are visits, and everyone's right there beside the people affected. But after that 24 to 48 hours, as the adrenaline subsides, there will be many of our fellow Australians who think, 'How do we start again?' The damage done will see the loss of school reports and photos, memorabilia which simply can't be replaced. The cost of rebuilding will seem daunting.

I want to conclude by saying to those Australians: it is legitimate to be unsure about what to do. There is no textbook reaction in coping with this adversity. I say to those Australians: please ask for help. And, if other people see them and see how they're coping, please ask them how they're going. Recovery is an individual matter, a journey that each individual and family goes through. It's important in this place that we encourage all Australians to look after the people who've been hard hit, because the recovery will take a long time for some of our fellow Australians.

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