John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek the indulgence of the House to briefly say something on the anniversary of tropical Cyclone Larry and also to make some comments on tropical Cyclone George.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister may proceed.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is the first anniversary of Cyclone Larry, which devastated Innisfail and other parts of Far North Queensland. In the condolence motion debate earlier we spoke of the remarkable capacity of emergency services in this country to come together—to come together without fuss and to come together in a spontaneous manner. This certainly proved to be the case in the wake of Cyclone Larry. The response of the local community, the extraordinary cooperation between the Commonwealth and Queensland governments and the rapid integration of the relief services is something of which the entire nation, particularly those affected by the cyclone, can be proud. I acknowledge the cooperative way in which the Queensland Premier worked with me and also the local government bodies and the two local members—the member for Leichhardt and the member for Kennedy.

I also pay tribute to the extraordinary leadership once again displayed by General Peter Cosgrove, who was appointed head of the Operation Recovery task force. He demonstrated that remarkable capacity he illustrated in his earlier calling to bring Australians of all walks of life together in a purposeful, cooperative effort.

I should record that the total contribution of the Commonwealth government to the relief of the impact of Cyclone Larry has been $277 million. It is an extraordinary sum of money. It is an illustration of the extent of the devastation. It is also an illustration of the appropriate—I stress ‘appropriate’—generosity of the arrangements which have been put in place by the Commonwealth government in these matters. That $277 million involved $236 million provided directly to affected communities in Far North Queensland, $40 million advanced to the Queensland government under the natural disaster relief arrangements and a $1.1 contribution to the Prime Minister’s and Premier’s Cyclone Larry relief appeal.

Finally, and most importantly, I pay tribute to the spirit, the resilience, the sense of hope and the optimism of the local community, so typical of the great capacity of Australians to pick themselves up and bounce back in the face of great challenges and great adversity.

In marking the first anniversary of Cyclone Larry, I draw attention to the terrible devastation caused by tropical Cyclone George earlier this month around Port Hedland in Western Australia. Tragically, three people died in this cyclone: Craig Raabe, Debra Till and Sydney Baker. We extend our condolences to their friends, to their families and to their workmates.

The Australian government has activated financial payments to help those who have lost their homes due to Cyclone George. To date, about 340 people have applied for this assistance and Centrelink is working to deliver it quickly to those in greatest need. As I indicated in a discussion with the Premier of Western Australia, Mr Alan Carpenter, the Commonwealth government stands ready to help the Western Australian government through the longstanding natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements. Once again, the spirit of the local community has been remarkable and underlines the great capacity of Australians to respond to and recover from these natural adversities.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I support the remarks made by the Prime Minister on this the first anniversary of Cyclone Larry and also in relation to Cyclone George. It is precisely one year ago that Cyclone Larry smashed its way into Innisfail and the surrounding areas of Far North Queensland. Cyclone Larry did enormous environmental damage, social damage and economic damage. Winds of up to 290 kilometres per hour left thousands of people homeless. The cyclone trashed businesses and all but wiped out the banana industry. As the relief effort continues, I would like, on behalf of the opposition, to pay tribute to the people of Far North Queensland for their inspiring spirit and for never wavering in their determination to rebuild that community. It is a great spirit to watch in action.

I also pay tribute to the relief works which have been coordinated by General Peter Cosgrove and for the leadership that he has shown. I also pay tribute to the contributions which have been made to the rebuilding effort by both the state government of Queensland and the Commonwealth government. In addition, I pay tribute to the remarkable representational vigour of the federal member for Kennedy in ensuring that neither federal nor state governments forget what happened in that natural disaster.

Another terrible tragedy befell the nation recently, as the Prime Minister has just remarked, and that was the death and destruction wrought by Cyclone George. Again on behalf of the opposition, I support the Prime Minister’s remarks in support of those who have lost their lives, the scores of Australians who have been injured and those who have had their homes destroyed.

The violent and stormy winds unleashed by the cyclone resulted in unimaginable and unbelievable havoc in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. With howling winds at over 250 kilometres an hour, it was the most violent storm to hit that region, I am told, in 30 years. Temporary accommodation at Fortescue’s Pilbara railway was smashed, power lines were severed, phone lines were mangled, sewerage was cut off, homes were destroyed, trees were uprooted, towns and communities were torn apart and many were injured. Most devastating of all was the loss of three lives. Our thoughts and our prayers are with the families of Craig Raabe, Debra Till and Sydney Baker.

Cyclones are not rare in this country but the intensity of Cyclone George was. These events bring home the all too clear and unmistakable reality that we are all subject to the elements in this country and there is often very little that we can do, other than to prepare, rebuild and move on as best we can.

On behalf of the opposition, I welcome the assistance which has been provided by the state government of Western Australia and by the Commonwealth government. Once again on behalf of the federal opposition, I extend our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones. We also offer our support and thanks to the relief workers who are now at work seeking to repair their community and to restore the lives of the people in those communities to the greatest extent that is humanly possible.