Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

In starting my remarks today the first thing I want to do is acknowledge how Australians are so affected by the 33 people who lost their lives during the fires that we've seen in Australia over the summer period. Our deepest sympathy goes to their families, their friends and their communities, and equally for the three US firefighters who also lost their lives.

The extraordinary day in, day out efforts and courage of volunteer and career firefighters, the parks and wildlife people, the local people who helped each other, the Australian Defence Force, the animal rescue groups and all of the organisations who have and are helping communities—I want to acknowledge and thank them all. I want to thank those who are still out there fighting fires and those who will spend weeks and months after the fires patrolling the fire affected areas. It's a massive part of our firefighters' work that is often overlooked, and this is where so many of our volunteers spend so much of their time after a fire.

I want to acknowledge the local people in the fire affected regional communities, who've worked so closely together to support each other and their communities, for their resilience, courage and strength to face this challenge and deal with the rebuilding of communities and the long haul ahead.

I acknowledge the businesses, particularly small businesses in regional towns, who've supported and encouraged the volunteer firefighters. Several very serious fires have occurred in my electorate over the past 10 years or so, most recently the Yarloop fires around Yarloop, Waroona and Cookernup and several in our south-west. There have been other fires this year as well over the summer: in Nannup and Kemerton—just two. They were fires that were well controlled due to the efforts of our volunteers and career firefighters.

But no matter what the crisis is, Australians step up to help each other, even if they're suffering hardship themselves, and often taking the view that there's always someone worse off than they are. A wonderful example of this has been the Harvey Hay Run. It was instigated by Belinda Hall and her husband Joe from Cookernup—one of the communities that was so badly affected in those dreadful Waroona-Yarloop fires of 2016; in fact, those communities are still recovering four years on. The plan was to take hay from the south-west of WA nearly 4,000 kilometre to the Cooma area in New South Wales to provide feed. It was almost like one dairy area to another. The process started on 3 January and, as happens in our rural communities, word spread really quickly and soon there were eight road trains pledged to do the trip within about four days. Donations of hay ranged from a single bale—some of the big rolls and big squares—through to one company that donated 52 bales. There was hay in all forms. There was really generous support from individual local farmers—those who were so badly affected by the 2016 Yarloop-Waroona bushfires, those whose businesses and communities are still recovering from the fires four years on. These donations came from a farming community in our south-west in the middle of what is a really dry season that comes on the back of successive dry years where stockfeed, hay and silage are all in short supply and are very expensive. So they've committed their hay to those on the east coast that are worse off than they are.

We've recently seen significant increases in dairy pellet feed prices in the last two weeks as well, and this just shows you the generosity and genuine willingness of our local farmers to support their fellow Australian farmers who are so much worse off, 'They're 4,000 kays away but let's do our bit,' and that's what they did. This is the spirit, the courage, the resilience and the compassion that makes Australia a country that we are truly proud of—the country we celebrate and acknowledge on Australia Day.

Cash donations were also pledged to the Harvey Hay Run: $5,000 from a company; a $4,000 anonymous personal donation; and a lot of support from the people of Yarloop who lost their own homes from the fires four years previously. Phil and Paul Curulli offered their Cookernup property as a hay drop-off point—you had to get it together. The practical coordination, loading and logistics efforts mostly happened at Tommy Rose's farm in Roelands. Now Tom was really quick to volunteer his truck. He's a long-term farmer. He volunteered his time to be the driver. He volunteered his property and whatever practical support was needed to make this happen. Considering the various shapes and sizes of bales that were donated, Tom made sure they were all rebaled into squares that would fit on the back of those trucks. They were road trains, and they had to fit to travel well. His farm at Roelands was a hive of activity in those days and nights leading up to the run. We shared a few phone calls at the time. There was no doubt that they were all tired. They took an extra day and they had a barbecue and got together. I want to thank those who sponsored and supported the food and refreshment for those drivers and the people who supported them on their trip.

Eleven road trains left early on 18 January. It had taken just 15 days, basically, from the time that this was thought of to the time the trucks got on road. The drivers and trucks included professional haulers, transport and logistics companies—those who deliver every single day around Australia. And I've frequently said, as you know, Deputy Speaker Hogan, that Australia runs on the back of a truck, particularly for those of us in rural, regional and remote Australia. There were owner-drivers who put their hands up to deliver the hay, local farmers with their own trucks.

I want to thank each and every one of those drivers who donated their time and effort. I know the wear and tear on a truck from that distance. They were—I want to mention them; I think it's worth it: Joe Hall, Tommy Rose, Sandy MacPherson, Danny Jaimeson, Tim Bowman, Shane Tyson, Brett Catalano, Trent Cole, Rob Muldoon, Tom Skudder and Phil Slattery. What a great job they did to drive that 4,000 kays. There were a total of 22 trailers in that convoy, including 21½ trailers of hay, which was over 300 tonnes. What a great effort. Another half of the trailer had a range of other supplies and other donations that had been given.

When you think about it, the fuel costs were around $100,000. That was the expectation. A lot of donations were needed to fund this, and I thank everyone who donated. They received a lot of support along the road. Almost everyone driving with a CB radio offered their congratulations and support across the Nullarbor and beyond. They got a really massive fabulous reception in Wagga Wagga. The kids were along the streets, waving signs, waving to them, and there were streets that were closed just to allow them access, given that these were road trains.

I talked to Tommy Rose straight after this, and he said the drivers were all emotional at this point because they realised what it meant locally and because they were seeing the damage that had been done. They knew their efforts were really, really appreciated at that local level, and that meant the world to them. Given that they were heading towards the end of the drive—and they were tired, as you would understand—that really meant a lot. So to all of the people who turned out to welcome them along that trip: thank you. It meant so much to the drivers. I know they were really emotional about it and really appreciated that support.

There were streets around Canberra that were shut down. They had expected to have to skirt Canberra but were given an escort by police. The emergency services and plenty of other vehicles drove through Canberra. We were told that this was the first time that road trains had been driven through Canberra and on the Hume Highway. They had a police escort. There were around 40 or 50 police officers escorting this convoy from Narrandera to Cooma. I really want to thank the officers involved because they were so much a part of what these drivers, these road trains were able to deliver. The officers knew that they were there to support these people to get the hay to those that really needed it. I want to thank those who helped deal with the state regulatory issues, the NHVR and Scotty Buchholz, the minister.

They reached Cooma on 22 January. It had taken 19 days at that point, from the concept to the hay landing for the farmers to pick up. Seven of the road trains headed back the following day—those with just single trailers—and some of the hay was distributed by a south coast rural relief group. Four trucks, including Tommy Rose's, stayed on to deliver hay to various locations. They actually got to meet the farmers—and that was a profound experience, seeing those who broke down when the truck rolled in with some hay for cattle that they didn't have any feed to feed. I know what this meant to my farmers in Yarloop.

As I said, these guys had travelled nearly 4,000 kays. The four remaining trucks were escorted out on Wednesday. Belinda and Joe got home on Saturday. They saw their 17-month-old daughter for the first time in two weeks. Tommy Rose and some of the others got home the day before yesterday. We had a chat. He's now working on delivering some more hay. More donations came through while they were on the road as people were following their trip. They bought another 58-odd bales with the money that has been donated, and they're looking at how efficiently they can get this hay through to the drought- and fire-affected areas.

I'll just repeat that the drivers were profoundly affected by the warmth of the reception they got when they drove through and when they got to their destination, but mostly they were affected by the response of the farmers who were so desperate for that feed to feed their cattle. They will never forget the faces and the gratitude. Often it's what you can't say; it's the look on your face. That's what they saw, and they were really grateful for that response. I know that Belinda, Joe, Tom and all of those drivers wanted to thank everyone who helped out—not just those who made donations but also those who supported them with food and other support as they made their way across, their support crew, people who helped by fundraising and donating, and those who supported them by saying, 'Just go and get it done.' And that's really what we wanted—to just do it and to make this happen. I spoke to the wife of one of the drivers who got home on Friday. Courtney said Brett was just catching up on some sleep. What a good fella!

What our communities know only too well, through our experiences with fire, is that all of the affected communities will take a long time to recover and rebuild. This will also require really dedicated, capable local people who are listened to and who are committed to the long-term recovery process—local people who best understand how their communities work, what's needed and in what order, and how much can and should be delivered by local tradespeople and businesses.

I want to acknowledge the work of the PM, Minister Littleproud, Minister Hunt and Stuart Robert and all the agency people across the board who've made things happen quickly. They've done a fantastic job. We've heard that there is consideration of a royal commission. The PM has talked about this and is consulting with the states. We've heard repeatedly—I think everyone has—about the need for a range of measures including fuel and hazard reduction measures that draw on the practical knowledge and experience of local Rural Fire Services, volunteers and foresters—those who really understand what's needed in that space—and draw on Indigenous practices as well.

Finally, I offer my sincere thanks to all of the firefighters—volunteer, career and other—around Australia. I thank them for everything they have done and everything they'll continue to do. And I give a special thanks to our ADF men and women.

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