Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Islands are special places. As any island resident will attest, Australia doesn't have many populated islands, certainly not many permanently populated ones. Kangaroo Island and, off the coast of Queensland, my local island of Minjerribah are two of the largest, followed by Phillip Island in Victoria. Natural disasters on islands present unique challenges. What normally would roll down a highway and provide emergency and disaster relief services isn't easily available. To those on the other side: many islands rely on services coming down a highway and onto water transport even before they can get to an island.

Kangaroo Island's western national parks, which erupted in flames not once but four times over this break, were one of these examples. We in Redlands know that feeling, as much of our own island of Minjerribah was under flame just two years ago. At night our horizon was glowing in the distance like a bombing run—an ember that was burning orange across 15 kilometres of water. It reminded us each sunrise how remote an island can be, as that glow turned to smoke and that evil grey tail rose into the atmosphere and then trailed away from the scene of the crime.

But that's where the similarities between Minjerribah and Kangaroo Island end. Compared to Minjerribah, Kangaroo Island is in a wind tunnel. We can't even make wind turbines stack up in Queensland. Kangaroo Island's mayor, Michael Pengilly, pointed out that, at first, on that night, after a lightning strike, many weren't that alarmed. But, with each step of the way on Kangaroo Island, every turn became a worst-case scenario. Fire escaped the gorge that it probably shouldn't have. Fires joined and became a megafire. Fire moved faster than anyone could have predicted and turned in direction, maiming up to 100,000 livestock, such that the following day there was nothing but the echo of farmers euthanising. There was incalculable wildlife loss. Fire is the hardest element to understand. It revels in its mystery. It flares; it can disappear, change direction and flare again. In the end, on Kangaroo Island, it took more than 650 ADF staff, 300 Country Fire Service workers, a strike team of 47 New Zealanders and a Japanese C-130 before we ultimately prevailed, and even that was after the elements gave us a break and delivered 30 mils of rain. We need to recognise every one of those volunteers, and the thanks from Kangaroo Island echo in my ears.

We need to train volunteers in the city. At the moment, for city residents, it's simply too far to travel to be a regular, reliable member of a CFA or an RFS. We need to reconsider training in cities and have it deployed so that city residents can get the technical training close to home and the practical training by orbiting into the regions.

But on Kangaroo Island, for the 70 homes that lost everything, the only consolation was getting out alive. Some managed to move their stock successfully. Some moved their stock to a new location, only for all of the stock to perish in a subsequent fire. For the minority who were renting, their decision will be about replacement and relocation. But for owners—and that's the majority on Kangaroo Island—they know it's about rebuilding. That's why they want to stay on the island, and virtually all of them have. They concede, though, that they do need help in doing that. As Georgia and Olivia told me at the relief centre, the locals know exactly what needs to happen. And while the world's compassion was offering everything, including cans of baby food, on Kangaroo Island, not a single baby was affected. And this was a lesson to me: that we need to be giving financial support way more than the in-kind support, because what people need is direct and immediate help.

Teams from Services Australia worked long days with Housing SA. They've intensively case-managed every family that required help or just advice. Virtually all residents that were affected have been temporarily relocated and housed on the island. In fact, some residents simply went and furnished empty farmhouses, knowing they'd be needed, but not knowing who by. What that island knew is that they needed to provide a roof for every family that needed it.

Islanders pause and remember Clarrie and Dick Lang. They lost their lives in that fire by driving through a front a day after building firebreaks all day. The last movements of their vehicle are, chillingly, spray-painted on the road. Further down, the Western Districts clubhouse is gone. But Jade, working there, knows it'll be rebuilt. They are operating out of a dark, dank, brick change room—all that's left of their club. There are piles of animal feed and an open account at Petbarn to feed whatever animals need supplies. I met Cam and Isaac there. They'd just taken the Budget Pantech out and got it bogged. No-one's quite sure why they were there, but they're glad they got the vehicle out and they're safe, as well.

BlazeAid were at full strength, camping at the oval and doing the backbreaking work of dismantling fences and rebuilding kilometres of it. QStore were drying their stock after the downpour that came too late. At the recovery centre, Rob and Jackie meet every person that comes in needing assistance. Mayor Michael Pengilly was open—as was Rebekha Sharkie, the local MP—in giving me that opportunity to deliver the $70,000 that was raised by my island city specifically to help their island disaster. The donors included SeaLink; American College; Karreman Quarries; Sirromet winery; Bartons new and used cars; Walker Corporation; McGuires Alexandra Hill; Hogan's Wellington Point; Darwalla; Graham Leishman; the Redlands bushfire relief concert; Courthouse; the Punjab Curry Palace; the Redlands Sporting Club, Zyka's restaurant; a range of real estate agents, from RE/MAX to First National; Doug Barton himself; Stradbroke Island Events; IGA Alex Hills; a range of businesses donating a dollar for every sale; and individuals in my city, who all agreed that every effort would go into one account, and it would all go to Kangaroo Island.

In closing, through disaster and tragedy—through this tragic loss of life that every one of us is feeling in this building and beyond—may we band together, embrace those that have been affected and be sure that we make every effort that we can to ensure their recovery.

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