Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

Australians understand that we now live with the reality of natural disasters dominating our news cycle. Where once upon a time there may have been a season for floods or a season for bushfires, it is now a constant concern. If we only see the coverage of these matters on television, we count ourselves lucky. But as I stand in the parliament of Australia today I am deeply aware and moved by the fact that there are thousands of our fellow Australians who are trying to rebuild after weeks of catastrophic inundation and, indeed, to continue the rebuilding process from previous flood events.

It is true to say that in times of tragedy and crisis, Australians like to believe that we help each other. This is actually true. Adam Lindsay Gordon famously talked about courage in one's own trouble and kindness in another's. This was an ethos that emerged in the 19th century but, I believe, it pleasingly remains true today. Our government believes that this is what we should do. It is our fundamental role to support Australians when they are in need.

My remarks today initially will be about my department, Services Australia, which has been on the front line of efforts to assist flood-affected communities across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania in the most recent events. We activated the Australian government disaster recovery payment and the disaster recovery allowance in response to this September and October flooding. Since then, I can report to Australians that Services Australia has answered more than 22,000 calls for assistance, processed more than 42,000 claims for emergency payments and made payments of almost $44 million to support more than 53,000 Australians. Hundreds of Services Australia staff have been redeployed to help individuals and families get back on their feet. We have had dedicated Commonwealth public servants on the ground at 11 different locations. We have sent mobile service centres—the one-stop-shop Services Australia buses—to Victoria and Tasmania. Staff will stay as long as they are required. Because those impacted by floods often require more than emergency monetary assistance, Services Australia social workers have provided helped almost 2,000 of our fellow Australians dealing with the life-changing consequences of these terrible disasters.

The commitment to help Australians impacted by natural disasters was also reflected in last month's budget. Extra funding and workforce will ensure that Services Australia continues to support the community during emergencies over the next year and its planning and response to future emergencies, because we know that they will come. There is funding for more than 2,100 additional staff in this financial year. This will enable the agency to continue digital customer service delivery and on-the-ground mobile support whenever and wherever Australians need it. There will also be an extra 200 staff recruited to support our customer services safety net Australia wide. These additional staff will go where the need is, including regional and remote Australia, to support customers experiencing vulnerability. Up in the far north, 100 Services Australia staff will be based in Cairns and $2.4 million—courtesy of the lobbying of the formidable member for Lyons—has been allocated to increase service delivery staff and services in Sorrel in Tasmania in our south.

Because we know that natural disasters are a direct consequence of climate change, there was $9.3 million in the budget for Commonwealth climate risk and opportunity management program. This will allow successive governments to improve the policies, programs, services delivered to the Australian community to address the challenges of climate change.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:49 to 11:59

My own electorate and the neighbouring areas that I have been fortunate and privileged enough to represent for nearly 15 years were amongst the communities to feel the impact of the most recent flooding inundations in Victoria. The Maribyrnong River breached its banks. It will take some time for our area to recover. I visited flood affected areas in the local government areas of Maribyrnong and Moonee Valley on the day of the flooding and the days after. It was actually shocking.

This sedate river, usually a place of gathering for recreation, exercise, park runs, football and netball, had become a stranger. It was a menacing presence. The river was wide. Mini lakes were created across football ovals and netball fields. The pace of the river, the momentum, was a threat to homes and businesses, lives and livelihoods. The flood high-tide marks, halfway up interior and exterior walls, only tell part of the story. It's the disgusting sludge, it's the debris that covers floors and yards, it's the stench of ruined carpets and furniture that fills the air. The piles of hard rubbish on the footpaths surrounding the houses were a constant reminder on those days and for weeks thereafter of the full extent of the work ahead that is only revealed once the water retreats.

But I'm pleased to say that, as the water receded, it was replaced by a remarkable determination from the community to triumph over adversity. These were residents, many of whom were affected by the floods themselves, who put everything aside to help their neighbours, especially those who are elderly and those who are not able to get around on their own or without support networks. It's the local school communities at St Margaret's and Moonee Ponds West Primary School reaching out and helping the families of the children enrolled there.

It's people like my very good friend Judy Ingram, President of the Friends of the Maribyrnong Valley, a group that's worked to preserve and improve this community asset for more than 35 years. Judy's physical impairments have not prevented her from seeking grants and organising volunteers to plant trees and control weeds along the Maribyrnong River. But all that work was washed away with the flood, covered by a layer of silt and mud. But Judy has told me that she's determined to return the area to the place that locals fell in love with during the pandemic lockdowns: the walking tracks that became a respite from that strange, cloistered existence we found ourselves in; the very lungs of the north-west. Judy and the Friends of the Maribyrnong Valley are working with other community groups and local, state and Commonwealth levels of government because she said that's what's called for in times like this. In Judy's modest words, it's the spirit of Australia.

Darren Symington and his family also felt that spirit of Australia after being flooded out and then, unfortunately, becoming the victim of callous, opportunistic looters. At a time when Darren and his family were legitimately overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation and the body blows, we were able to offer assistance. I can happily report that he and his family are moving into a new rental home very soon. While Darren has said that he wouldn't want to go through another flood, he said the little caring gestures of his neighbours have been something he will hold forever: a chat, an offer of help, those who dropped in food. He said in times of stress he normally loses weight, but he's put on five kilos thanks to one too many Zinger burgers!

I want to single out his children's teacher, Kim Simmons, from Moonee Ponds West Primary School. I thank you for bringing the plight of Darren and his family to my personal attention so we could all work to help take away some of the burden, so that the parents could go back to being parents to their children, not wondering about what would happen to them. It's the way the community wraps itself around its own that makes the seemingly unbearable bearable.

I'd like to acknowledge the CEO of Maribyrnong City Council, Celia Haddock, and her team from the council. I want to acknowledge all the council workers, the Victorian government staff and the member of Victoria Police for working so seamlessly together. I also want to acknowledge Helen Sui, the CEO of Moonee Valley City Council, and her team for the work they do. In particular, I acknowledge again that often on the front line of disasters it's not necessarily the Defence Force who are first in, although they do a great job; it's quite often our modest garbos, council workers and gardeners from the local council depots who are leading the response.

I acknowledge the Services Australia teams who were swiftly deployed to flood areas, and the wider team for making the claims process so relatively painless. I want to give a special shout-out to the dedicated and skilled team of orange overalled heroes from the Victorian SES. These are people we don't think about when things are going well, but they're the ones we turn to in the hour of our greatest need. They did 60 waterborne rescues in the Maribyrnong area alone on that Friday morning as the river rose very quickly.

I acknowledge my federal colleague Daniel Mulino, who shares the Maribyrnong River valley representation; Katie Hall, our member for Footscray; Ben Carroll, the member for Niddrie; and Danny Pearson, the member for Essendon. The last two, Ben Carroll and Danny Pearson, are ministers in the state government and diligent in their efforts. I also acknowledge the state member for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell, for reporting issues in that area of the floods. I acknowledge my fantastic electorate staff, who fielded hundreds of calls. To each and every person who volunteered time, money and resources and to every organisation who contributed, thank you.

The floods will keep coming. Cyclones will keep coming. We'll still have to battle bushfires and drought. But also what will keep coming are Adam Lindsay Gordon's famous words: 'Courage in one's own trouble, and kindness in another's.'

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