Patrick Gorman (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On this sparsely populated continent, we have been reminded brutally that we are all connected. These connections run deep across Australia, and they are an acknowledgment that wherever we are this beautiful but harsh environment is both our biggest asset and our biggest threat. We are connected not just to the firefighters and professionals who have given so much of their time here in Australia but also to those who had never even been to Australia before and with an hour's notice jumped on planes to come here to help us. Unavoidable too is that the air we breathe, our impact on our environment and our climate are all connected. No nation, especially not Australia, can ever again pretend they're just one insignificantly small part of the international climate change challenge. Australia has been reminded once again that the lessons and connection of our First Australians to this land are essential to our collective survival.

Australia has responded as a family and grieved as a family. We grieved as we saw the image of toddler Harvey, dressed in a mini Rural Fire Service uniform, receive a medal honouring his dad. Harvey's dad, Geoffrey Keaton, was a volunteer firefighter. He was awarded a commendation for bravery and service, having died in the Green Wattle Creek fire. That was the first media report I read that made me cry about these bushfires. Like any parent, any Australian who has seen that picture of little Harvey, I think it will stay with me for life. It reminds us that the things that guide us in this place aren't just rational economic costings or where the next dollar will come from; it's the lessons, the tragedy and, hopefully, the hope of the national project we call Australia.

Thirty-three people have died in these bushfires. That's 33 people who won't return to family, friends or loved ones. On top of that, some 150,000 Australians every year volunteer to protect their communities from the threat of fire. The sacrifice of these brave Australians has saved thousands of properties and thousands of lives. For every one property lost in the fires, some six are saved by our firefighters. So, while it is a time for grieving, I think it is also a time to acknowledge what an amazing job has been done in the protection of life and the protection of Australian assets, and when we think about the estimated one billion animals that have died in this fire, we are again reminded just what an incredible job our firefighters and professionals have done.

Out of every tragedy, people are driven to action. In New South Wales alone, tens of thousands of new volunteers have signed up to become firefighters. That's more than six times the national average. This, Australia's largest national disaster, has tested us and we are reminded that the essence of being an Australian isn't a location, isn't an accent, isn't a love of beer, isn't being a bogan and isn't yelling a slogan. It's the ability to show compassion for one another, and to help out and do our bit. Every Australian has once again been reminded that we have so much more to do in mitigation and prevention.

In Western Australia, we saw the Stirling Ranges burn for a week. The Goldfields fires disconnected Western Australia from South Australia for 12 days. In our metropolitan area, communities in Rockingham, Lesmurdie, Kalamunda, Yanchep, Bullsbrook and others have had scares and sleepless nights, but we know that Western Australia has been lucky this bushfire season, so far. But, like many Western Australians, I look at the Darling Ranges which run along the back hills of the Perth metropolitan area. These hills are an ever visible presence across Perth. One day I fear the hills will face the same fate as we have seen in New South Wales in recent weeks; an out-of-control fire on the edge of the Perth metropolitan area is our shared nightmare. Hoping these things won't happen is not enough. We must continue to invest in our fire services and prevention measures so that the only red glow we see over the Darling Ranges is the rising of the sun every morning.

In my electorate of Perth, we saw the compassion of Australians for our brothers and sisters in the vast expanse that we refer to as 'the eastern states': kids running bake sales, completely unapologetic for their aggressive pricing strategies; small businesses donating their daily profits—Maylands Amcal Pharmacy and Picabar, a beloved bar in the heart of Perth, just to name two; and my and Jess's local pub, the Rosemount Hotel, will be hosting a 'with love from WA' concert, with a line up of more than 50 acts on Sunday 16 February, with all profits going towards bushfire recovery.

I also commend the Perth Mosque for the event they hosted in Hyde Park, with guest of honour Governor Kim Beazley, raising funds for bushfire recovery. Of course I also note that 555 Western Australians were sent to New South Wales and the great state of Queensland to support the fire services, including firefighters and logistic support.

I can't deny that the images seen on international television and the front pages of international newspapers have been of a devastated Australia. I was struck by the sincerity and extent of the condolence that were passed on to the Australian delegation at the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum which was hosted here in Canberra just a couple of weeks ago. It reminded me that we do need to send an international message that Australia will be, and eventually is, in recovery mode and that international visitors are still welcome—indeed international visitors are needed for our economy and for our communities. Send the message that Australia is back in business.

I encourage the government and the foreign minister to consider a tour of the diplomatic corps to communities as they recover and of course at the appropriate time. This will allow the nations of the world, through their high commissioners, ambassadors and consulates, to see that Australia is back in business. A model for this already exists. In 2011, following the Queensland floods, the Gillard Labor government did exactly this. I travelled with then Foreign Minister Rudd and representatives of some 80 countries as we shared the message that Queensland was back in business. It's now time to send the message that Australia is back in business.

I want to take the time to thank those countries who have offered aid—too many countries to list. I got an exhaustive list from the Parliamentary Library. Many, many countries offered assistance, but I do want to pass on thanks to the Canadians, Americans and New Zealanders who came here—many of whom are still here—to assist Australia and the 350 international personnel of international military support that have assisted Australia at this time.

We didn't want or need these fires. We didn't need them to remind us of the dangers of climate change. Again, the science tells us that the severity, frequency and intensity of such fires is one of the outcomes of global warming. Acting on climate change is in our national interest. I commend the comments from the member for Bennelong: he said that we can't say that this is a warning; this is a reality. Acting fast before other countries is how we build a safer Australia. Over the summer, those who deny climate change have become the quiet Australians, but people have been contacting me, and in the hundreds of emails I have received this summer about the fires there has been anger, anxiety, tension and a desire that we do more in this decade than we achieved in the last one.

Carol from Bassendean wrote:

The fires have to be the biggest wakeup call the country has ever had.

Laura from Bayswater in my electorate wrote:

My family do a lot to limit our carbon footprint: we commute by bike, we have solar panels on our roof … But without a sensible national policy, these personal actions, especially in light of the recent bushfires, seem insignificant.

Jane from East Perth wrote:

Deep and impactful policy that tackles climate change on multiple fronts is the only way we can avert further environmental degradation and extreme weather events.

Again, I will just add my condolences to everyone who has been impacted by this horrible disaster and say that it's been a privilege to be in this Chamber to hear so many beautiful speeches on both sides of the House as we collectively grieve as a parliament and as a nation. Thank you.

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