Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion of condolence in relation to the natural disasters that our nation has faced this summer. I particularly want to offer my condolences to those impacted by the floods that swept across Queensland. Also, I want to place on record the impact that the extreme weather events in Queensland has had on the people of Dawson. Firstly I want to assure the victims of these floods that they are in the thoughts and prayers of the people of Dawson. I particularly want to extend my sincere and heartfelt sorrow and sympathy to those who have lost family and friends in that inland tsunami, as it has been called, that swept through Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. As the member for Wright said earlier this week, the fact that those people had no warning of what was to come that day made it such a terrible tragedy. I also want to acknowledge the good work that the member for Wright has done in this difficult time and acknowledge the passion and commitment that he has displayed for his people. The electors of Wright could not have picked a better representative.

I happened to be in Brisbane when the flood waters reached Ipswich and Brisbane City. While I was in Brisbane I was able to participate in the clean-up efforts that happened directly after that. What I witnessed when that huge army of volunteers turned up to help clean-up the city is something that will stay with me for a very long time. It was heartening to see, especially after witnessing over the previous couple of days people having their possessions washed away in flood waters down the Brisbane River. I want to pay tribute to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and his team at the Brisbane City Council who so competently coordinated the flood clean-up effort. It was really an amazing effort. Heaven forbid that a flood event of that nature should happen in the Mackay region or in the Dawson electorate, but I would say that the exemplary mobilisation effort that Brisbane City Council achieved could be used in the regions of other councils.

While much of the destruction in the south-east corner of Queensland was very well publicised through the media, I put on record some of the impacts that the extraordinary La Nina weather events this summer have had on the people in my electorate of Dawson. Some might say that the electorate of Dawson dodged a bullet because we are one of the few regions in Queensland that were spared from the extraordinary floods that happened, but towns and cities in the electorate of Dawson did receive record rainfall, which has impacted, and there was the impact of the two cyclones in the last fortnight. While we have not had the floods, this has been no normal wet season in the north. In fact, we have already had rainfall in some places that is more than double the annual rainfall.

I have spoken before in this House about the impact the record spring rainfall has had on the sugar industry. It is important to realise the impact the rain that fell before Christmas is having on the sugar industry in Dawson. The Mackay region has had over double its annual rainfall since January 2010. As a result of the spring rainfall, there are over 645,000 tonnes of cane left standing in the paddock that was unable to be harvested in 2010. That is cane that farmers, millers and local businesses in the Mackay region will not receive any payment for.

One of the cruellest effects on the sugar industry is that the rain has not only made it too wet to harvest this year’s crop but also has ruined much of the 2011 plant cane. To replace this plant cane will cost local farmers about $1,800 a hectare. So the economic impact of this unusual wet season is going to be felt for a very long time to come. Some cane growers in the Mackay region reported that they did not suffer any damage from either of the two cyclones, just more rainfall, as if they had not had enough. Other areas, such as Proserpine, have received 4,000 millimetres since January 2010, when the average rainfall is 1,500 millimetres a year. That has left them with $18 million worth of cane in the paddock. That is one of the regions that was also hit by Cyclone Anthony and received strong gales from Cyclone Yasi.

Farmers of the Burdekin region have probably been the hardest hit economically by these weather events, with over three million tonnes of cane left in the paddock. That is very damaging to that small town. The Burdekin region was also impacted by Cyclone Yasi, with most of the cane being lodged or blown over by strong gales. I drove through that area and it was an unbelievable sight. It is heartbreaking for some of those farmers. I will continue to call on the government to assist these people where possible.

I also want to make some special mention of the local governments and the professional way in which they prepared their communities when Cyclone Anthony and Cyclone Yasi were bearing down on the coast during the past weeks. As a former councillor from the Mackay Regional Council I know that local government is called upon to prepare the community for every cyclone season. I know the special effort that is put in by local mayors, staff and councillors to prepare for these cyclones. I want to make special mention, today, of Mayor Lyn McLaughlin and her councillors and staff at Burdekin Shire Council. It was very good to be with Councillor McLaughlin at the disaster management meeting when Cyclone Anthony was bearing down on the coast. It was actually heading right for their town at that point in time.

On the night that Cyclone Anthony was to cross the coast at that town, thinking I was doing the sensible thing, I tried to escape down to Bowen only to find that the cyclone had changed its trajectory and was now travelling south so that the eye of the storm would cross directly over Bowen. But Cyclone Anthony was a very mild cyclone. The damage was limited and the next day I made my way around the town. There were trees that were blown over and some damage to property. I spoke with locals but they weathered it fairly well.

I have to say that it was nothing compared to the storm that was Cyclone Yasi, which bore down on that town and others in the electorate of Dawson. Again, I stayed in Bowen on the night that that cyclone crossed the coast. It was horrendous. The wind was nothing like I have ever experienced. There were things flying through the air that should not have been flying through the air. The next morning, when I inspected the damage I was surprised that it was not worse, given the extent of that wind. Relatively, we were spared from any major destruction. Certainly the thoughts of people in Dawson were with those who were in the thick of it—in Cardwell, Mission Beach and other communities in that area—when Yasi crossed the coast.

The images of the destruction caused by the cyclone will serve as a warning to anyone living in North Queensland that we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and we must always be prepared. There is a growing concern in my electorate that we may not have been prepared as well as we could have been. Late on the Monday night before Yasi crossed the coast many in Mackay, in the ‘brown zones’ as they call them, received a text message and automated phone call—the sort that many people receive the night before an election, I suppose, from political parties. But this message said that those in low-lying areas should be prepared to evacuate. I am not sure whether it was a good idea to send a message to people at 10 o’clock at night when the cyclone was 1,700 kilometres off the coast, but that is going to be a matter for debate when the emergency response is reviewed.

What is troubling the people in my community is that although they were told to seek higher ground and evacuate their homes there is no evacuation centre in Mackay. In fact, there is no evacuation centre in the electorate of Dawson, which is one of the hotspots for cyclones. There is none in Bowen, the Whitsundays or in the Burdekin. This is something that needs to be addressed. Evacuation centres must be built or identified because it is something that the state government identified in the aftermath of Cyclone Larry. In fact, the issue pre-dates that. The chief executive officer of Burdekin Shire Council told me the other day that he recalled former Premier Peter Beattie telling local government officials gathered at a conference in 1997 that the state government would begin a process of gathering funding for, and rolling out, cyclone shelters in the north. This has not happened.

Another matter that troubled the local community in Mackay and the Whitsundays was that there was no local ABC radio broadcast to keep locals informed of what the local situation was. It was syndicated somewhere else. This meant that locals were hearing reports from south or further north, closer to the cyclone, and not getting the relevant local information. The local ABC radio station in Mackay is only rated for a category 3 cyclone and because Cyclone Yasi was a category 5 it meant that our area received the broadcast from elsewhere, although it was quite obvious that the cyclone was not bearing down on the Mackay region. On top of the category 3 cyclone rating of the radio station building, it is also located in a flood zone. So there is some sense to what the ABC did but there could have been broadcasts from other places within the city. As the Mackay Regional Council Mayor Col Meng said, this really questions the ability of ABC to call itself the state emergency broadcaster. These are issues that will have to be addressed, hopefully by next year’s wet season and cyclone season.

Community radio stations such as SweetFM, run by David, Merle and the crew in the Burdekin, did stay on air in the thick of it, supported by other volunteers bringing in food and stuff for them. That was absolutely fantastic. Even our commercial radio stations—Scotty on Sea FM, Cliffo on Hot FM and Hammo on 4MK all did their bit to inform the local communities of what was going on.

I also want to place on record my appreciation for Mayor Col Meng and his team at Mackay Regional Council, Mayor Brunker and his team at Whitsunday Regional Council, Mayor McLaughlin and her team at Burdekin Shire Council and Mayor Les Tyrell and his team at the Townsville City Council. Their efforts over the last couple of months recovering from the record rainfall and preparing for and leading up to Cyclones Anthony and Yasi are to be commended.

As I mentioned, I spent the night that Yasi hit in Bowen. The next morning I toured Bowen and, as I said, I was very surprised at the low level of destruction, given the level of the winds the night before. I ventured north from there to inspect the towns of Home Hill and Ayr in my electorate and the suburbs of Townsville that are in my electorate. Unfortunately for me I could not get through as the Bruce Highway was cut just before Home Hill. I understand it was cut just above Brandon, as well. Basically, that blocked the whole town in.

What I saw were dozens and dozens of vehicles waiting, stranded. They belonged to people waiting to return home. They had evacuated the cyclone zone and they had to wait an entire day not knowing whether their homes were still there. They may have had loved ones that they needed to contact and could not. It was a tragic thing for me to see and there were people who were quite distressed about not being able to get back to their homes. To me, that shows that there is a definite need for Bruce Highway funding, particularly funding for flood-proofing areas, to be kept in place.

I eventually did get to the Burdekin, to the towns of Home Hill and Ayr, a day and a half later. There was enormous damage, with trees down everywhere, but the community have rallied to clean up the place. There is no extensive damage to homes. In some cases, you could put that down to divine intervention. I saw two big trees which, if they had fallen a particular way, would have basically flattened Home Hill State School or one of its buildings. Another tree, instead of falling on the kids’ play equipment, fell on a fence. It is unbelievable to see the near misses there. There were, as I said, a few victims who sustained damage to their homes, and that is tragic.

Up in Townsville, we have had the same situation—a lot of trees have been blown over. It does look like a bit of a war zone, but the council, the community and the ADF based up there have been making a tremendous effort to get Townsville back on track. I understand there are some Townsville residents who are still waiting for electricity to be connected. They have been a week without power, so I suppose things are getting a tad tedious in that regard.

There are calls to look at undergrounding power lines in the north, and that is something that the state government is going to have to focus on. I know that would be a very expensive exercise but, looking at the disruption to people’s lives and businesses and the cost to the state of the constant repairs when these things strike towns every year, there could be a cost benefit in undergrounding.

I will close by saying to the people in my electorate, and to those elsewhere in the state and the nation who have suffered loss because of the natural disasters this summer, that I join the House in offering them my sincere condolences.

Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in continuation on this condolence motion. I have already spoken in this House about those lost and those left behind grieving. We also need to acknowledge those people who have lost their homes and personal belongings, and the damage that is doing to them and their lives. Such disasters can result in not just physical damage but psychological damage.

I finished yesterday saying that the best way those in this House could try to understand what it was like to be one of the people who lost their belongings was to read the writing of someone whose home and family was in the Lockyer Valley about that fateful day in January in which they convey their experience in their own words. This gentleman, a father and husband, wrote these words for me and I would like to put them on the record:

On the evening of 11th January our home was inundated by the Lockyer Creek flood. All belongings were either washed away or destroyed, the flood leaving little but the shell of our house. After a 2 day wait to access the home we were left with the soul destroying job of emptying the remaining belongings for collection and disposal. We were alone, with no resources and exhausted by stress and a lack of hope. I saw little future for my 2 children, my wife and myself.

At the point where it appeared that it could not be worse a second flood arrived. This time it wore the orange uniforms of the Gold Coast SES. Kristy Heitmann led 3 units from Southport, Carrara and Runaway Bay. Seeing the distress in the eyes of my family they insisted that we stepped back and allowed them to do all the work. Their compassion and understanding went well beyond the call of duty at a time when we were on the edge of breakdown.

Enormous effort went into searching through the wreckage for any items salvageable, items we would never have found in our state. A donation from the Gold Coast residents and Council was made of a simple clothes basket, containing towels, soap, toothbrushes, coffee and many other simple luxuries that are taken for granted in normal times. There are moments in life when even simple actions can change lives. Their timely arrival, sympathy and understanding as well as their plain hard work allowed us to stand back, reassess our situation and begin the path to recovery.

Leaving our home Kristy and her orange army went on to help many others in our area and I know they are now working in Cairns at Tully and Mission Beach helping more families, tirelessly and selflessly. I cannot imagine how many more people have been helped by them and all the volunteers involved in this disaster recovery, to the Army, State and Federal Authorities, individual volunteers and especially the SES thank you from my family.

Those words come from a man called Brett. Brett is my brother. They lost everything. But they picked themselves up and they are moving on. I cannot imagine what they went through. I have seen some of the footage. When they tried to get back to the house the first time, we saw a massive river flowing extremely fast and a roof sticking out of the middle of the river—and that was their home.

The second lot of footage showed the days after and the destruction in the home. The fridge had been lifted off the floor and was sitting sidewards on the kitchen bench, half hanging in mid-air. Belongings were taken from one side of the home to the other. There were toys in my niece’s bedroom, but they were not her toys; they were toys from some other home that had been pushed into her bedroom. They were amazing scenes. There were many sentimental items lost that day—items sentimental to our whole family. These included my mother’s ashes. But those losses mean nothing, because my brother Brett, his wife Jenny, my niece Shawnee and my brother Robbie are safe.

We have seen a lot of good come out of this. My brother told me the story of when they turned up at the evacuation centre. They walked in looking absolutely devastated and a very large gentleman standing at the door put his hand out to my brother and said, ‘What happened to you guys?’ and my brother told him. This large gentlemen shook my brother’s hand and said, ‘You are coming home with us.’ I want to acknowledge Mick—‘Mick the truck driver’—and Shelly who have taken in my brother and his family. They offered them a place to stay for as long as they need. They bought the children new school uniforms. They did not know my family, but they put out a helping hand.

That is just one story, but there are so many stories out there. We have heard so many people, in speaking to this motion today, talk about the complete strangers who just came out to help. It was absolutely incredible. It is a sight that we have never seen in this country before. We know that in times of disaster Australians stand up and help each other. We have seen that time and time again. But I have never seen it to the extent that we saw it in January. I know that those in Central Queensland and Rockhampton, who went through those floods in December and early January, also saw that incredible spirit. We heard from the member from Capricornia that they all got together and they filled those sandbags and they protected their town and each other. It was just incredible to see.

My electorate of Petrie is one of the very fortunate electorates in Queensland that has remained relatively untouched as far as floodwaters. There was minor flash flooding here and there and a bit of damage—not to in any way take away from the damage that was received in some community sporting organisations and so forth that are still trying to recover—but we did not lose lives or homes. But I do not know of too many people who do not know someone who has been affected. My community have come out with absolute strength and have fundraised, baked, sewn, knitted and collected. They have not stopped from day 1. They have jumped on buses to help. Businesses have put backhoes on trucks and have gone into industrial areas and have helped dig mud out to help other businesses and homes. It has been incredible. As I said, I think my diary is full of fundraising events coming up. I do not know when it is going to stop.

I spoke to a lovely lady recently. She is a pensioner in one of our local retirement villages. She rang after the government mentioned the flood levy. She wanted to know how long the Premier’s flood relief fund was going to go for because, as a pensioner, she will not be paying the levy and she wanted to know how she could donate $20 a month for the next 12 months so that she could do her share. She was very worried that the Premier’s fund might not continue for 12 months and wanted to know how she could get this money to us because she could not pay it all at once and needed to pay it monthly. I am sure that there are many, many people out there like that who are helping.

One area that has been talked about a bit—certainly by the member for Blair and some of the other members whose electorates have been significantly affected—is our schools and how many schools have been affected. I thought that this was one area where I could help in my electorate by gathering our schools together and helping them—and they were eager to help—to make sure that what they were fundraising was getting to the right schools and that we were getting the right stuff to the right schools. We have heard from some members that sometimes our hearts lead our generosity. We race out and donate clothes, fridges and everything else but we need to stop and say, ‘Is this what they need?’ They may already have five fridges, but they might need some clothes, a bed or something else. We need to make sure that our generosity is matching the needs in the community.

I started with a list of 120 schools that were impacted by the floods and we now have it down to about 50 schools that still need assistance. We are matching up schools; they are adopting each other. They are doing fundraising and the kids are becoming pen pals and building those personal connections. I will talk in much more detail at another time in this chamber about the schools and how they are progressing in that program, but I would like to acknowledge some schools now. Aspley East State School has adopted Ipswich East State School. Ipswich East State School has 580 students. One-third of those students have lost their homes. In addition, the Ipswich East State School was significantly damaged. Water went through their science room, their special education room and their music room. The whole of the outside-school-hours care, which is run by the P&C, has lost absolutely everything.

Aspley East State School, which has adopted Ipswich East State School, did a ‘free dress, gold coin’ donation the other day, where a teacher did a chalk mural on the ground that showed the Brisbane River and the mountains all the way through to the city and then out to Moreton Bay and coins were laid on the lines of the mural. They raised $1,329 that day. I know Ipswich East State School is very grateful for that. A local individual from my electorate, Terry Skinner, rang me up after hearing Ipswich East State School’s story and he is donating an electric piano, which we are dropping down there next week. The music teacher is very grateful for that wonderful donation by Terry.

St Paul’s State School, after seeing the list of schools, said they could not just adopt one. They adopted Arcadia Valley State School, two hours north of Roma. It is a little school that probably no-one has ever heard of—it has only five students. The principal only moved to the school this year. His home has been flooded out. He is living in a shed with his wife while it gets repaired. The principal is also the groundsman, as would be the case in most very small schools. His wife is the cleaner for the school. The water went through the one and only classroom. They have lost their early learning childhood books and toys for the kids—the box of Lego is gone—and those sorts of things. St Paul’s School of Bald Hills has adopted this school. They have donated $1,000. It is a permanent adoption and they will be doing a lot more for them. They have also given a financial donation to Brassall State School, which we heard about yesterday. This school was significantly damaged. They have one phone line now and the internet connection is very poor, so they are hard to get through to. They will get $2,500. St Paul’s has also adopted Milperra State School, which predominantly takes new refugee migrants. They have given them $6½ thousand to begin with and will be doing a lot more work for them.

These are just some of the stories. Bounty Boulevard State School, Deception Bay North State School, Grace Lutheran Primary School, the Lakes College and Taigum State School have all put their hands up and said ‘Yes, we want to adopt and help these other schools.’

Unfortunately, just as I was finalising the list of the schools that still need help from the floods, I got the new list of schools that have been affected by Cyclone Yasi. That is a long list, including Tully school which needs to be bulldozed and rebuilt. So there are many schools that are damaged because of the cyclone as well and we will endeavour to help them.

Our hearts go out to all the people who have been affected by these floods and the cyclone. I know the members for Blair, Oxley and Wright have worked extremely hard. It has been devastating for them to see the effect on their communities and the lives lost, but these members are working day in and day out to help rebuild them. I am sure their communities would not mind if I spoke on their behalf to say thankyou to those federal members for what they are doing for their communities. I echo the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister in the debate on this condolence motion. It has been a difficult time for Queensland, it will continue to be a difficult time in the reconstruction, but the Australian people are strong and resilient. They are kind and compassionate. They will rebuild their lives and they will do it with our help.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the outset of my contribution to the debate on this condolence motion on the natural disasters, I acknowledge the very moving speech by the member for Petrie and also the speech before her by the member for Dawson. We in this House cannot be anything but moved when we hear the personal stories that have been so eloquently told to us in this place.

I join with my colleagues on both sides of the House and the crossbenches to add my condolences, along with those of the people of Higgins, to the people whose lives will be forever scarred by these disasters.

The past two months have been a most extraordinary period for Australia, one which we will never forget and hope never to relive.

While the floods, cyclones and fires have directly affected communities in the states of Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, all Australians, regardless of where they live, mourn their loss, understand their pain, pay tribute to their courage and celebrate the uniqueness and generosity of the Australian spirit—a fighting spirit that will not be broken, no matter how hard Mother Nature may try.

We have been in awe of the events that have hit both our cities and our regions and, like all disasters, they have been totally arbitrary in where and who they strike.

This motion was originally intended as a condolence motion for those affected by the floods and Cyclone Yasi in Queensland and Victoria; yet, even while the clean-up continues in those states and the reconstruction commences, only this week we hear of more homes lost to bushfires in Western Australia. We also offer our sympathy and support to them, and I am sure the member for Pearce will speak of this later.

I particularly acknowledge the tragedy of 35 lives lost. So many of us were moved to tears listening to Scotty Buchholz, the member for Wright, as he spoke of the people in his community who did not make it. Words do not do justice to the unimaginable grief that their families, friends and colleagues must be experiencing. What these tragedies have proved is that we are a united people and our sense of who we are is not determined by state boundaries. We have pulled together for a common cause: to help rebuild communities in disparate regions of our continent, even those regions separated by great distance.

It was the pre-eminent historian Geoffrey Blainey who referred to the ‘tyranny of distance’ as a defining feature of Australia’s history and a constant obstacle to our development. With Federation, we made our first concerted attempt to overcome this obstacle. Since that time our identity has only become stronger. While we may live great distances from one another, our generosity is not confined to such geographical limitations, nor is our sense of nationhood diminished. This is most evident during tragedies such as these.

The charity we have observed from our fellow Australians, and the mindfulness they have shown towards those who are suffering and destitute, has been inspiring. If there is any comfort to be found in these horrible events it is that Australians have confirmed their commitment to one another in the most spectacular way. The images we have seen on our televisions, and the stories we have read in newspapers and heard in this House, tell of large-scale suffering and loss but also of courage and kindness. It is a testament to the will and endurance of Australians that those affected have dealt with this situation with such grace.

The fallout from these disasters is immense. It is not just the lives lost, but the permanent setbacks so many now face as they struggle to rebuild their lives. Businesses have suffered, workers have suffered, and basic goods and services are in scarce supply, forcing up the cost of living. Economic recovery will be a slow process, and for many it will be years before they can rebuild their lives.

On 7 February Victoria commemorated the second anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, during which a horrific 173 people were killed. While much of the infrastructure building has been completed, the task of rebuilding lives is ongoing. This will be true of the floods as well.

I want to offer my sympathy and condolences to those in my home state of Victoria who have been affected by the floods that struck the western and central areas of our state. It is incredibly lucky, and due in no small measure to the work of emergency services and volunteers, that there were no fatalities in Victoria. Yet recovery is no less difficult for those whose livelihoods have been wiped away. The damage caused to property, as well as to vital infrastructure and amenities, has been significant. In particular we offer our sympathy to the people of Kerang, Horsham, Pyramid Hill, Quambatook, Allansford, Wycheproof, Panmure and Culgoa, who were the hardest hit by the flooding. We are inspired by their courage and fortitude in the face of such widespread destruction.

Although the events in Queensland meant that the floods in Victoria were not given as much airtime, it is important for the nation to reflect upon the many personal stories in the south as well as in the north.

We are grateful to our state emergency service volunteers, police and emergency workers for the remarkable job they have done and we thank them. Their dedication and year-round training ensure that our state is prepared for these terrible events. The losses incurred would undoubtedly have been much higher were it not for their efforts.

We thank the many Australians, including so many from my own electorate of Higgins, for their generosity in donating money and goods to their fellow Australians and for their willingness to help. It will be a long road to recovery. To all those people who are being touched by these disasters our prayers are with you, as is our support. You must know that you are not alone.

Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the Prime Minister’s condolence motion on the natural disasters which have occurred over the summer. On 16 January this year I spoke at an ecumenical service that was pulled together by Father Kevin Dillon in Geelong. I thank Father Kevin Dillon for pulling together that service, which I think was an important occasion for the people of Geelong to express their grief and their solidarity with the people of Queensland and, of course, a growing number of people in Victoria.

During the ecumenical service, I spoke of a story which had been reported in the Courier Mail and referred to in the Prime Minister’s contribution on this motion earlier this week. It was the story of a young pregnant woman who was swept from her home by the wall of water in Grantham. As she was swept away she was able to grab hold of a downpipe while holding onto her young baby, but from there she lost her grip and was swept to a nearby railway line where her foot was caught by a sleeper. And from there she was literally in a struggle against the force of nature, a struggle which she could not win. Her baby was torn from her arms, and it is thought that her baby is the youngest victim of these terrible floods. She herself would have been a victim but for the fact that a few minutes later she was saved by a helicopter pilot whose story also featured in the Prime Minister’s contribution on this motion.

You can look at all these statistics, as terrible as they are, around this tragedy. Almost all of Queensland was affected, more than 10,000 people were evacuated and more than 30,000 homes were affected. There were record flood levels in Victoria. I echo the comment by the member for Higgins that some of the events and stories that have occurred in Victoria have not received the same airplay given to the events that occurred in Queensland. But there are enormous difficulties being experienced by people in parts of Victoria associated with these floods. Indeed, within my own region, in the Barwon area there were 500 calls made to the SES associated with local flooding. Of course, in our region it was nothing like it was in other parts of Australia.

You can look at all of that, and you can look at the 35 people who have lost their lives. But to truly understand the significance of these floods, you have to think of that young woman who a month ago held her baby safely in her arms but is now faced with an unimaginable pain for the rest of her life. Whilst this was a moment of incredible tragedy, it was also a story of tremendous courage. That helicopter pilot I mentioned, Mark Kempton, and his crew plucked 28 people from the raging waters. I am sure that many of their lives were saved by the actions of Mark Kempton and his crew.

You can look at the selfless actions of Pauline Magner, who perished in these floods in Grantham but, it is thought, in the process was able to put her grandson Jacob in a position of relative safety within their house such that Jacob was able to survive the floods and is alive today. You can look at the courage of Rob and Jim Wilkin, again from Grantham, who saw this unprecedented wall of water coming towards them. They had the opportunity there and then to get to higher ground themselves but in that moment decided instead to take the time to warn their neighbours about what was coming and to get them out so that they could reach higher ground as well. When the wall of water came through they then got in their boat and managed to pluck a number of other people from the torrent. It is thought that their actions, in the space of just a few moments, were the difference between life and death for another 16 people. And, of course, you can look at the amazing story of Jordan Rice, which has been spoken of by many people in this debate. He asked rescuers to save his younger brother first but, unfortunately, they were unable to save Jordan.

This is also an extraordinary story of Australians pulling together in a really tough time. The number of volunteers who put their hands up to help in the clean-up and rebuilding of Queensland in the immediate aftermath of the floods was truly amazing. Tens of thousands of people registered to provide their assistance in the clean-up. In the days immediately after the floods went through Brisbane, we were all struck by the visions on the television of queues in excess of one kilometre long of people registering to volunteer to help clean up. Of course, across the nation, in a very short period of time indeed, $180 million has been raised by ordinary Australians to help their fellow Australians in a really difficult time of need.

In all of this, one group, from my electorate, have not had their story told and I would like to spend a moment describing their contribution in the last few months. Centrelink’s emergency call centre in Geelong is our country’s only 24 hours a day, seven days a week emergency call centre operated by the Commonwealth. I was glad to see that the Minister for Human Services in her contribution to this debate specifically mentioned this call centre. As it happens, the call centre is located just around the corner from my electorate office in the centre of Geelong and it is designed to be the first to go into action when natural disasters such as bushfires and floods occur. It gives the Australian government an immediate response capacity, not to replace 000 calls but to offer information on evacuation options and recovery plans, to deal with requests for financial assistance and to cope with the overflow of calls being made to state and local emergency services.

One can imagine that these are very difficult calls to deal with. In my time I have had a bit to do with call centre workers and I think it is hard to imagine more difficult calls to have to deal with than those coming into Centrelink’s Geelong emergency call centre in recent times. These calls would be emotionally taxing and would have to be handled with the utmost sensitivity and professionalism.

During the floods, more than 100,000 calls were made to Centrelink’s Geelong emergency call centre. They included calls from people who had lost their homes or businesses and people who were unable to locate their families and friends. Four teams of 10 people worked rotating 12-hour shifts in the call centre and it was in constant operation during this crisis. So I would like to place on the record the appreciation of the Australian people for the work of the staff of this call centre. They did great work for their country and they certainly made their community very proud. Today it is my honour to acknowledge them as being part of the local Geelong contribution to the events of the last month or so.

Many emotions are felt in the context of natural disasters. We feel an enormous sense of grief for those who have perished, and today during this debate we think of their families and friends. We stand in solidarity with all of those Australians who have been affected by these natural disasters. We let them know, as the member for Higgins stated in her contribution, that they are most definitely not alone. I think it is also appropriate that, as a result of this crisis, Australians feel a quiet sense of pride in the amazing coming together of the community and the nation. People really pulled together as one, in the most Australian way, in the most difficult of times.

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With the advent of the 2011 new year came floods, fires, cyclones and storms across the country. The ferocity of these events and the damage they wrought over several states shocked and distressed many. I think there was hardly a dry eye in this House when the member for Wright shared with us the grief of his community, which perhaps sustained the greatest loss of life. We understand their pain, as my colleague the member for Higgins said, and we pay tribute to their courage. We have been touched by other accounts in the media and in this place of the acts of heroism and the generosity of spirit of the Australia community. From beyond our shores have come messages of support and comfort.

In dozens of evacuation, recovery or disaster control centres, from Grantham and Murphys Creek to Emerald, to Rochester, to Echuca, to Grafton or the Brisbane showgrounds, thousands of people, mostly volunteers, have been striving around the clock to help Australians who have suffered terrible loss. In places such as Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Dalby, Horsham and Dadswels Bridge, people devastated by the loss of homes and businesses have been buoyed by the support they have had from good Samaritans who turned up when they were needed most. Battalions of people, including my friend and former colleague the former member for Riverina, the Hon. Kay Hull, were cleaning out homes and shops as soon as the floodwaters had sufficiently receded. Most had no special connection but they had come in their dozens with broom, mop, shovel and sometimes gurneys and even bobcats and trucks to lend a hand and to make a difference. It was a time, as someone observed, that we experienced the ‘worst from Mother Nature but the best from human nature’.

The devastating floods are a sobering reminder of our vulnerability to unforeseen events. We have become accustomed, regrettably and unfortunately, to natural disasters that occur every year, whether they be bushfires or cyclones, floods or drought. In my home state of Western Australia, following on from the disastrous fires that burned so many homes in Toodyay on the eve of the new year in 2009, we again experienced, this year—just over a week ago—a freak storm in the Avon and terrible bushfires, while recovery efforts continued following floods in Carnarvon and the Gascoyne River in the electorate of Durack.

Emergency services across Australia have been stretched, and I would like to comment, as others have done, on the extraordinary effort made by these extraordinary people who conducted the search, rescue and recovery effort across Australia. Our emergency crews performed magnificently. This fact was brought sharply into focus again when cyclonic winds devastated part of my own electorate of Pearce. The towns of York, Northam, Toodyay and Beverley were all hit on 29 January by winds that ripped the roofs off houses, felled powerlines and trees and left much of the Avon region without power for several days, and were responsible for the death of a local identity.

I am very grateful to the President of the Shire of York, Mr Pat Hooper, and the President of the Shire of Northam, Mr Steve Pollard, for the briefing on recovery efforts they gave me, and in particular to York shire chief executive officer Ray Hooper and to President Pollard for making time to assist me with a visit to many of the damaged properties and town infrastructure, including the Avondale Primary School in Northam. My thoughts are with those families and businesses and with the many elderly people who were particularly affected, and those who have sustained severe damage. For one family I visited, almost the entire roof had been ripped off their house and the beams of the roof snapped like matchsticks. The children were terrified and traumatised to the extent that they did not want to go back inside the house. So it will take time—many months indeed—to restore their homes and the business premises, and I wish them a speedy recovery. But, above all, for all of those who are victims of these catastrophic events, it is usually once the initial requirements have been attended to that much later on reaction sets in—and I know that with the Toodyay fires it was some months afterwards that the depression and sadness set in. This is the time when people need our continuing support, assistance and grief counselling.

I want to record my admiration and thanks for the tremendous work done in my electorate by FESA, especially incident controller Paul Leiper, to Julie and her team from DCP, the local police, the York Health Services and Centrelink, who once again performed speedily and magnificently. There was also the York Country Women’s Association, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and the many individuals who responded to that particular crisis. The speedy declaration of the national disaster and the support offered by Premier Barnett and the Western Australian government was very much appreciated. I was grateful also for the timely advice and assistance from the federal Attorney-General, the member for Barton, who provided information for the affected area.

Just weeks after these storms, Pearce and the neighbouring electorate of Canning were hit by severe bushfires, the horrific images of which I am sure many of you have seen. In Pearce, approximately 1,170 hectares has been burnt throughout the areas of Brigadoon, Baskerville, Millendon, Red Hill and Herne Hill, and some parts of the Shire of Chittering. But I am very pleased that on this occasion no houses were lost. Nevertheless, many people were required to evacuate their homes and to endure a very anxious wait.

The risk of bushfires is a constant concern to people living in many parts of the Pearce electorate and almost every summer there is a serious incident. The people of Pearce understand the threat and they can sympathise with the people of Roleystone and Kelmscott as they face the terrible loss of property from the recent fire. I am sure that residents of Pearce would join me in wishing the people of Canning a speedy recovery from their heartbreaking losses.

From speaking to my parliamentary colleagues in Queensland in the days following the floods, I know that they have also seen the emergency services putting in similarly extraordinary efforts to those I have witnessed in my own electorate. There is little doubt that a highly professional response to the initial emergency saved many lives and provided effective support to many thousands of victims. The challenge will be maintaining that ‘can-do’ attitude after most of the volunteers have gone home, when residences are still uninhabitable, the railway lines are still out and the legalism is beginning to trump common sense.

However, the emergency services personnel who put their lives at risk, the residents who faced disaster without panic and their loss with brave spirits, the volunteers who pitched in without being asked or told to help are representative of Australians at their best. It is important not just for us as a country but for those people in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, and particularly in the Durack, Pearce and Canning electorates, whose lives have been irrevocably changed by catastrophic events well beyond their control.

My staff and I extend our best wishes for the recovery effort and we stand ready to assist our colleagues in any way that we can.

David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have begun yet another parliamentary year with the spectre of tragedy and a pall of grief hanging over our deliberations. Only two years ago we stood in this place reflecting on the devastation of the Black Saturday fires. With those tragic stories still in our minds, we now confront the destruction wreaked by floods and fires across this nation. The natural disasters of the summer, particularly in Queensland, northern New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, have underlined both the harsh brutality of the Australian landscape and the inherent compassion and generosity of the Australian people. Even for those communities who were far removed from the events in Queensland and the other regions that were most badly affected by flood and fire, these were disasters that struck a blow at all of us as a nation.

Like most Australians I watched as great swathes of Queensland and Victoria were submerged by floodwaters, and we have seen homes burn in Western Australia. I heard the stories of those who did not survive or those whose loved ones were swept away or lost to fire. It has been a summer of extraordinary catastrophes that seemed to cascade one on top of the other, and with each expression of natural force came more homes, more property, more businesses destroyed, more lives lost. The tragedies of this summer will linger in our collective memories for many decades to come. For those who lived and survived these tragedies I can barely begin to imagine the horror that they have faced or the dark days that are still to come.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the many fine contributions to this condolence motion. In particular I wish to acknowledge those members who have spoken with such force about their own personal circumstances, who have spoken with force about the impact of these natural disasters on their communities. It is in moments such as these that we see the great power of representative democracy, where individuals can come forward and not just advocate for the interests or the demands of the communities that they represent but reflect and amplify the feeling, the loss, the suffering, but also the hope, of their communities.

I can stand here today with the great fortune of not having been personally affected by these tragedies but, as I said earlier, I think as Australians we have all been greatly affected by what we have seen. But I do stand here today to ensure that it is recorded in the Hansard that the people of my community, in the Lindsay electorate, wish to acknowledge that they too grieve and wish to show their compassion and empathy towards those who have been affected by these events. My community is divided by the mighty Nepean River, part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment. With the Nepean River running through the heart of our electorate, ours is a community that is no stranger to flooding; indeed, much of the electorate of Lindsay is located on the flood plain. I have no doubt that that is in the minds of those locals who remember the flood events our community has experienced in the past and that is why so many members of my community have mobilised to contribute, to raise funds and to show their expressions of support for those who have been affected by these natural events.

I wish to take a few moments now to record just a few examples of some of the individuals and groups in my community that have made a contribution to the collective national fundraising effort and to the collective national effort of extending sympathy and assistance to those in need. I wish to acknowledge the 10 Penrith Panthers players who travelled to Ipswich to help out with the recovery. Captain Petero Civoniceva has a special connection with Ipswich, having played as a junior in the district. He told our local paper, the Penrith Press:

I just don’t think the vision of the floods we saw on television gave it justice. It was just utter devastation and for two days we helped people in any way we could. We just moved from house to house offering our help, and ended up with shovels and wheelbarrows on the first day and knocking out gyprock walls and ceilings on the other.

It just really made me think if this had happened to me what I would do.

I think that for Australians, as we spent summer, the time that so many of us enjoy spending with our families, as we looked on, that was a question we all asked ourselves: ‘What would I do if this happened to me?’

I also wish to acknowledge local entertainers who teamed up with the many clubs, pubs and restaurants in my local community that hosted and held fundraising events, some of which included the Penrith Paceway, the Penrith RSL and the Log Cabin. I also acknowledge the Red Cross volunteers in my local community who have worked tirelessly to raise funds for the relief effort. In particular, I acknowledge those women who were involved on Australia Day, battling what was oppressive heat in Penrith, out at the Penrith Lakes walking around with their tins, raising money for this cause. I acknowledge our local Bunnings stores who, through their barbecue stalls and donations from customers, raised more than $8,000 for the Premier’s flood appeal.

I acknowledge a local small-business person, Rob Gibson. I know that there are many others, but I record his contribution to also recognise the efforts of those who have equally made such a contribution. Rob Gibson, who runs a business, CleanOff High Pressure Service, spent a week helping to clean homes in Queensland that had been affected by the floods. Now, having done that, he is donating 10 per cent of the proceeds from all of the jobs that he completes until the end of March to the flood appeal.

I acknowledge the Penrith City Council, which has offered technical assistance to a number of the Queensland local government authorities. Those authorities are under enormous strain at the moment and are trying to continue to deliver the very basic services that communities affected require. I know that nine of our local SES volunteers have also travelled to flood and cyclone affected areas in Queensland to lend their expertise.

Last Sunday I attended a fundraising relief concert held at the Blacktown Bowman Hall organised by the New South Wales Philippine Community Council. I know many local residents were in attendance at that event and I understand that, in total, approximately $20,000 was raised at that event. It struck me that many people who were involved in that concert from the local community that were of Filipino background showed a particular empathy having come from a country that faces many of these natural disasters and has done so on a great scale in recent times as well. I acknowledge their contribution as Australians of Filipino background towards the relief effort.

These are just a few examples, and I know that there are so many more in my community, but I wanted to record them to ensure that it is known that our community stands side by side with those other communities who are now seeking to rebuild themselves out of the debris that these natural disasters have left behind.

I thank all of these people and acknowledge the efforts they have contributed in their time, their strength and their money. I know there are also many people in our community who have prayed for those who have been affected by these natural disasters.

Many communities have been wiped out physically by these natural disasters, but the spirit that binds those communities remains. I believe it is out of this spirit that we as a nation, determined to demonstrate our resilience, our compassion and our mateship, will begin the process of helping those in these affected communities to rebuild the infrastructure that they need and to rebuild their communities.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the contribution by the member for Lindsay to this debate on the condolence motion on the natural disasters. From time to time, we experience significant events that become etched into our national memory. The flash flood that ripped through Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley on 10 January 2011 was such an event. The torrent was so unexpected in its arrival, so brutal in its power and so terrible in its destruction that we will remember it forever.

In the days that followed that terrible event, Australians watched the crisis unfold as floodwaters spread from the mountains down towards Brisbane. We watched as homes and businesses were flooded. We watched as businesses were literally washed down the river and smashed against bridges. We watched as a tug boat operator carefully guided huge chunks of debris past bridges and wharves to the relative safety of Moreton Bay. We will never forget those images.

Every Australian will remember the floods in a different way, but we all share deep and heartfelt sympathy for those who have lost loved ones, homes and businesses. And our sympathy extends to those Australians who have suffered through Cyclone Yasi and the Brisbane floods as well as the flooding in Central Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and the bushfires in Western Australia.

In the face of these extraordinary natural disasters, Australians have demonstrated extraordinary resilience, courage and generosity. While the floodwaters roared through Toowoomba, brave emergency crews and bystanders plucked stranded motorists from their cars and saved people desperately clinging to trees and debris. Sadly, one hero, teenager Jordan Rice, made the ultimate sacrifice—losing his own life after insisting that his younger brother be rescued first. By the time his rescuers returned, Jordan was gone. Once the water began to recede, Australians responded by giving millions of dollars to the Premier’s flood appeal and by arriving in Brisbane by their thousands to help with the clean-up.

In my electorate, numerous local clubs, pubs, community groups, churches and individuals have held fundraisers and made substantial donations to the flood victims. Entertainers have donated their services to help at fundraising events. Local performing arts groups have held a variety show and raised thousands to support the flood appeal. Rotary clubs throughout the mid-North Coast region have been working to raise money and provide emergency assistance.

In Brisbane, thousands of Aussies arrived at volunteering centres. Some even drove from Sydney to help. Armed with shovels, mops and gum boots, they set off to spend a day helping total strangers clean mud and debris from their homes and businesses. Australians can truly be proud of the way they responded to the flood crisis.

Although spoken over 300 years ago, the words of French moralist Bruyere describe perfectly the response of the Australian public to the flood crisis when he said:

There exist some evils so terrible and some misfortunes so horrible that we dare not think of them, whilst their very aspect makes us shudder; but if they happen to fall on us, we find ourselves stronger than we imagined, we grapple with our ill luck, and behave better than we expected we should.

The floods in Toowoomba and Brisbane reminded us of the awesome power of nature, but they also reminded us that Australians can be counted on to help when disaster strikes.

In my own electorate of Cowper we did not escape unscathed from the flooding, with much of the Clarence Valley experiencing significant inundation. The towns of Ulmarra and Maclean, Minnie Water and Wooli were isolated for some days. We saw inundation in areas around these towns but, fortunately, the levee system held to prevent major damage to these centres. Unfortunately, many local farmers and business owners have experienced significant disruption and damage as a result of this flooding.

The Leader of the Opposition was kind enough to visit the region and he saw firsthand the impact that these floods had on local businesses and particularly on primary producers in the area. In particular, we saw significant destruction of the local sugarcane crop, with a loss of new plantings and young crops, which will certainly manifest itself in a very low yield in around 2012, when the crop for that year should be down by as much as 50 per cent. Our local fishing industry suffered badly. Having suffered difficulties in recent years, these latest floods set the industry back further. Local dairy farmers also suffered the impact of this local disaster.

It is worth noting that almost every corner of my electorate has been affected by flooding at some stage in the past two years—from the Macleay valley in the south through the Nambucca and Bellinger valleys, Coffs Harbour, the Orara Valley and of course the Clarence valley. Natural disasters have become an expected part of life on the mid-North Coast. But, despite the fact that we expect floods to come, the damage is never easy to repair and the lost wages and income are gone forever.

One aspect of natural disasters that is often overlooked is the impact of infrastructure damage on local councils. Local councils are responsible for most of the roads, bridges, footpaths, sewerage systems, drainage and other local facilities. At the best of times, councils struggle to pay for the maintenance and repair of these facilities. When natural disasters strike, finding the money to pay for reconstruction and repairs is almost impossible. Even with Commonwealth and state government assistance, some important local infrastructure simply cannot be properly repaired within a reasonable time frame, if at all. Damaged in the devastating floods in 2009 in my electorate, some rural bridges and roads have only just been reconstructed, and at least one important regional road link is not yet fully repaired. These local pieces of infrastructure are vital to regional communities, and the reconstruction task force in Queensland must ensure that local councils have sufficient resources to quickly repair and rebuild the roads, bridges and other facilities damaged by the floods.

The scale of the natural disasters that we have experienced in the past few months is unprecedented. Seventy-five per cent of Queensland is a declared natural disaster area. Much of northern New South Wales has been declared a natural disaster area, plus areas of western New South Wales that perhaps will not see flood peaks until late March. Victoria has suffered through widespread floods. Western Australia, as I have said, is struggling with bushfires.

In the face of these daunting challenges, Australians have shown the world that we will not be defeated. No matter what nature throws at us, we will rebuild. We will help our mates through tough times. We will come back bigger and stronger than ever. On behalf of my electorate, I would like to make it clear to the people of Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales that we feel your pain, we will support you through these most difficult times and we will be there to help in the future.

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The sheer scale of the natural disasters that have affected so many parts of Australia but most particularly Queensland is, quite simply, unparalleled. Floods, cyclones and fires have all done their utmost to wreak far too much havoc across the nation. We know that three-quarters of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone, but I want to make it clear today that the effects, the grief, the shock and the empathy have been felt far, far more widely than that. Like all Australians, my thoughts remain with those who have lost so much in these tragedies—those who are still dealing with the daily grief of having lost family members or friends and the thousands who have suffered shattering effects. Across Queensland, people are already starting the mammoth task of cleaning their properties and reconstructing their homes, businesses and lives. I stand here today to assure them that they will not do so alone.

Whilst in Adelaide we may be far, geographically, from the devastation of the floods, in all other senses we have been right there. We have felt the pain, we have grieved the loss and we have resolved to rebuild alongside our fellow Australians. I rose to speak in the chamber today because I wanted to highlight to those affected the truly remarkable and generous solidarity that I have witnessed in the community that I am lucky enough to represent in this place. The overwhelming message that we send you is to reassure you that we will stand with you in your time of need. I also wanted to place on record my gratitude to those who have stood up as local heroes within the portfolios that I represent and the fact that we will use these portfolios to help ease the recovery process and help the long process of rebuilding.

I cannot explain the generosity that I have witnessed firsthand in my local community. Like so many other members in this place, my office and I have worked hard to assist with fundraising. Standing outside various shopping centres with a bucket in my arms, I cannot tell you the number of times that total strangers who were walking past placed money—in some cases loose coins and in many cases the last note out of their wallet—in that basket whilst remarking: ‘I have already given, but I can’t forget those pictures. I can’t forget the images, the stories I’ve heard, and I’m more than happy to give again.’ We kept hearing this, time and again, in all different parts of the electorate. We heard it from people who had a lot but also from people who had very little but who were more than willing to donate that little.

There were a group of dedicated Adelaidians who organised, wrote, directed and pulled together a charity ‘SA 4 QLD’ pantomime within just a week or so. I must say that the embarrassment and humiliation that I personally felt by taking part in said pantomime was well worth the over $100,000 that was raised in that one night by that one group of South Australians.

My electorate office has become a collection point for the Shoe Boxes of Love initiative, with over 200 shoeboxes being donated from across South Australia. People are bringing these boxes to do anything and give anything that they can to help the pain of total strangers on the absolute other side of our continent. So, to those of you who are affected, I can say with absolute confidence that you are not alone, and the people of Adelaide most certainly stand right with you.

Just as the community will not walk away from the recovery task, neither will the government. Over the previous weeks we have heard some amazing stories of courage. We have heard of some remarkable heroes—from the rescuers, from the SES personnel, from the Army and from a whole range of different service organisations—but there are also thousands and thousands of untold stories of local heroes, of people doing small things within their community and standing up and being counted when it really mattered. I think it is really important that we hear some of these stories too. I would like to take a little bit of time to share with you some of the stories of courage and generosity that I have been lucky to hear from within the portfolios of child care and employment services as well as to inform the parliament what we will be doing in those portfolios to assist with the recovery.

On the days when the floodwaters were at their highest there were a number of instances throughout Queensland of parents physically not being able to collect their children from child care because of localised flooding. One can only imagine when going through these sorts of ordeals how much harder it gets knowing that you cannot be there with your young child during what is a terrifying experience for you both. One such case was at the long day care centre at Withcott. It had become completely isolated. The centre could not be reached by parents; the children could not be reached by their parents. That was on the first night.

That evening staff members went above and beyond the usual call of duty, caring for five very anxious and very scared little people throughout the night because they could not be with their parents. Although I would expect nothing less from the hardworking and dedicated early childhood care staff throughout this country—we are so lucky to have them—this was obviously a particularly difficult day on the job. It was handled with the utmost calm and professionalism. It was done without expectation of thanks or recognition. Today I give credit to the staff members of the Withcott Early Childhood Centre for that extraordinary contribution.

Some 21 Queensland long day care centres have been identified as having significant flood damage that will require medium and in some cases longer term remediation. Nine outside school hours care services have been affected seriously, with most of these services located on the grounds of local primary schools. In addition, 36 family day care services have been affected by floodwaters. Significant damage has occurred in at least 17 of these cases. You can only imagine the double tragedy of losing your house and your business in the same go, because of course that is where they work from.

Many more childcare services have been both directly and indirectly affected. In the case of these services the damage means so much more than a badly damaged building. It means challenges for families in finding alternative care arrangements for their children. It means the loss of a business, which in some cases provides the income for an entire family. It means children losing a home away from home, one which they have formed a personal attachment to and become comfortable in.

There are some remarkably heart-warming responses from local communities, giving all they can to help affected childcare services. In addition to government support to get these centres repaired and back up and running, there has been a tremendous response from communities right across Queensland. The Riverhills Childcare Centre and Kindergarten suffered major flood damage. After the inundation, a volunteer who had come to the area to assist in the clean-up saw the damage and reported it to their church and then arranged for members of that church to become involved. Pretty soon there were over 100 volunteers involved in the clean-up and in donating toys and books so that the centre could recommence operation.

The church assisted in getting the service up and running. They are now planning the next steps of the rebuild. While the children are currently in alternative care and the rebuild will take some time, all associated with this service are determined to get it up and running as soon as possible. A huge amount of progress has been made as a result of the local contributions. The walls are already going up on the rebuild.

Like those communities, the Australian government has acted to provide immediate assistance to childcare services and families using child care in flood affected communities. Measures under local emergency provisions have included providing favourable treatment for absences of care or due to service closure. This decision alone has allowed families and childcare services to access an additional $12.4 million in childcare benefit fee relief just during this emergency period.

Families experiencing financial hardship as a result of the flood disaster have also been able to more readily access the special childcare benefit, which covers the full cost of child care. As at 30 January 2011, around $1.1 million in special childcare benefit entitlements had been provided to affected families. Rules relating to operational subsidies will also be relaxed for eligible childcare services under the Community Support Program to smooth out potential decreases in funding where fewer children have been placed in child care during the emergency period.

As in child care, we will ensure that within employment services we step up to look out for those fellow Australians who have been affected. As always, it is the case with large-scale disasters that those who are hardest hit are often those who can least afford it. There are more than 73,000 unemployed Queenslanders living in flood affected areas and their resources to cope have been sorely tested over the past weeks. I wish to assure the people of Queensland, and indeed all Australians, that all the necessary assistance has been provided to these job seekers and to the employment services that support them.

To ensure that much needed income support has continued to flow to job seekers who have been affected by the floods, Centrelink has implemented a number of measures. Flood affected job seekers are eligible for an exemption of up to 13 weeks from their usual participation and job search requirements. This means that those who have been hardest hit will continue to receive payments from the government without having to actively look for work or take a job if one is offered when they are working on their own rebuild and putting their lives back together. It will allow these individuals to concentrate on rebuilding their lives and supporting their family through the difficult time in the immediate aftermath of the flooding. Activity and personal contact interview rules have also been relaxed, and Centrelink staff have been asked to review any penalty decisions that were made immediately prior to the floods.

Of course, it is not just job seekers who have been affected as a result of the floods but also the hardworking staff who provide job services to the unemployed in these areas. There were 26 employment service providers across 112 sites that were impacted as a result of flooding in Queensland. To put this in context, those services were working directly with over 29,792 job seekers. Fortunately, once the floodwaters had receded and the necessary clean-up and repairs were completed, the majority of employment services were able to reopen and, in the spirit that characterises so many of the hardworking individuals who provide these support services, many immediately applied their minds, their money and their materials to ways that they could help their communities to recover.

One service provider, Mission Australia, established a temporary call centre to assist Volunteering Queensland to manage the many calls from the public wishing to volunteer for flood recovery tasks. Mission Australia volunteers handled over 1,000 calls on behalf of Volunteering Queensland. There was a clear need, and the agency used its organisational capacity and facilities to provide the rapid response that was required.

I should also add that it was not just employment service providers that were willing to pitch in. There were local job service providers who were inundated with calls from their clients asking for advice on how they could come and help, on how they could assist. Job seekers have assisted—whilst being under no formal obligation to do so and in receipt of no remuneration to do so—with cleaning, land clearing and fence repairs.

There have been countless stories, right across Queensland, of people stepping up when the community required them to do so. I want to put on the record just how proud of and grateful for all of those efforts I am.

Obviously, the reconstruction and recovery phase has begun and I believe that in the weeks and months ahead Queenslanders and other Australians will be well served by our employment services. Their priority will be for locals to secure the jobs that will flow during the next phase.

However, we also have to be realistic. The loss of housing and infrastructure, much of it essential to those local economies, has been absolutely incredible. The construction effort will require skills and labour—and, for some months and even years, much additional labour, which will not always be available across the vast distances which were affected by the floods. Acknowledging this, the Prime Minister has announced a doubling of the size of the relocation assistance pilot for people on income support and the directing of it to Queensland. This means that up to 4,000 eligible job seekers who want to get a job helping out with the reconstruction efforts will now receive financial support from the Australian government to move to Queensland with their families and assist with the rebuild.

The only thing that I think will linger longer in my memory than the images of beautiful, sunny Brisbane literally under water or some of those horrific images of cars floating down streets—images that you would never normally dream of seeing—is the strength and determination of Australians, including Queenslanders, in giving generously and in helping each other, their families and neighbours, to rebuild. On the days that the floodwaters peaked, I, like so many Australians, sat watching in awe of the utter devastation caused. It seemed unbelievable, and the task of recovery and rebuilding seemed so very great. But we are already seeing the spirit and the determination of so many to step up and make that a reality, and it is important that, as a parliament, we note that right around Australia there are people who are committed to helping out their fellow Australians during this very tough period.

Of the portfolios I hold, there is one that I have not mentioned yet today: that of the status of women. I want to place on record that I think there is nothing that embodied Australian generosity, and the resilience of Queensland, better than our two female leaders, Anna Bligh and our Prime Minister, doing an extraordinary job, standing up and coordinating these efforts to rebuild. They have done a tremendous job to date. I have every confidence that we will see a state rebuilt stronger and more beautiful than ever. I also want to place on the record my sympathies for and my heartfelt empathy with the people who have suffered during these national tragedies. But we endeavour to rebuild and recover together.

Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the people of Macquarie, I rise today to offer our deepest sympathies to all Australians affected by the natural disasters which have taken place across our nation in recent months. To all who have made a contribution to the relief effort, whether through donations or a simple hug, during these dramatic and testing circumstances: I acknowledge your selflessness. Australia is a nation with a huge heart where mates help their mates in a very practical way. Communities met and mastered challenges—and, of course, we all know there are more ahead—not with words but with conviction and compassion, by putting their commitment to care for their fellow Australians into action.

Across our nation, roads, bridges, rail lines, power, telecommunications and utilities were destroyed, damaged or cut off, homes and cars were destroyed and, sadly, Australian lives were lost in natural disasters that will live long in our memories. Few states were left untouched, with floodwaters also surging into New South Wales and Victoria, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. As rivers breached their banks and raging waters and flash flooding reached record levels, so too did the Australian spirit. Every day revealed a new challenge. The media coverage graphically displayed the tragedy as it unfolded, touching the hearts of all of us as we watched desperate acts of courage, and inconsolable despair and grief as communities mourned their losses and counted the personal cost. After the floodwaters had subsided, we were all inspired by the massive response of thousands of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to lend a hand as the mammoth clean-up got underway.

The people of the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains are no strangers to natural disasters and can empathise with the flood and fire victims, having experienced the flooding of the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers as recently as 1990, with peaks in excess of 13 metres. Fires also ravaged the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury in December 2001.

As recently as last week Sydney temperatures exceeded 40 degrees in a week-long heatwave that broke all living records. Fires in the Megalong Valley, Ebenezer, Blaxland Ridge and Mulgrave were brought under control by the hardworking Rural Fire Services brigades of the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains, avoiding what could have been another potential natural disaster.

I make a very brief mention of these events to highlight that there are many Australians who would feel a connection to those affected by the recent floods and fires, and with that connection come the understanding, support and mateship that are necessary in the emotional recovery and rebuilding process.

In the Hawkesbury local resident Toni Walker was responsible for organising the Shoe Boxes of Love campaign that saw locals buying items that would be appreciated in the flood ravaged areas of Queensland, using a shoebox as the packaging, wrapping them and then dropping them into either the Hawkesbury Community College or my office. Over 300 boxes were collected from Hawkesbury residents in just two weeks from the start of our project—a great achievement. The boxes were transported to Queensland by Robert and Paul Campbell’s Charter Refrigerated Transport, while Hawkesbury Self Storage in South Windsor donated the packing boxes for transport and the University of Western Sydney Hawkesbury campus gave us the use of a van and a driver to get the boxes to Charter Refrigerated Transport. It was a great team effort.

I have lifelong friends in Gatton. They have a business in Laidley. I have chatted to them in recent weeks and during the tragedy. In fact, I spoke to my dear friend while she was sweeping out the business. At that point in time she was still standing knee-deep in water. She described how, while some of the businesses there would be able to start again and it would be a long road ahead to rebuild, there would be many that would be unlikely to recover and start off again.

In Central and South-East Queensland in excess of 17,500 homes were flooded or isolated by floodwaters, along with 3,000 business premises. In Far North Queensland, Cyclone Yasi damaged homes and businesses, flattening fields of sugar cane and destroying approximately 80 per cent of the banana crop, as well as leaving nearly 200,000 people without power at times last week.

In New South Wales, Weddin, Wellington, Warrumbungle, Cootamundra, Coonamble, Harden and Young shires were all declared natural disaster zones. In Victoria thunderstorms and flash flooding left 25,000 without power. In Tasmania heavy rain and flash floods ravaged the northern coastal areas, while Western Australia is battling fires that, as of Monday, had seen 59 homes razed.

Our hearts go out to all who have lost loved ones and personal possessions. It is vital that we acknowledge the efforts of all of the hardworking men and women from the emergency services organisations—the fireys, the police, SES workers—and the countless volunteers who worked day and night across affected states to answer the calls of those in need. Their work and service continues. I understand some of the SES volunteers from Macquarie dived in and went to help our neighbours in northern New South Wales. In that same vein 1,200 Australian troops were called to action, providing much-needed expertise, strength and emotional support to those in need.

During the floods three C130 Hercules from the Richmond RAAF Base aircraft and mobile air load teams were active throughout Queensland for Operation Queensland Flood Assist. Their tasks included delivering groceries to Charleville and Bundaberg, delivering rations to Mackay for use in Rockhampton and dispatching more than 100 tonnes of groceries from RAAF Richmond to RAAF Townsville, where they were then trucked south.

On New Year’s Eve a C130 Hercules transport aircraft with Defence staff on board took off from the RAAF Richmond airbase with a flexible habitat—a 100-person purpose-built temporary accommodation for residents of Emerald, 900 kilometres north of Brisbane. On Tuesday, February 1, two C130 Hercules from RAAF Base Richmond headed to Cairns with an aeromedical evacuation team to evacuate hospital patients before Cyclone Yasi hit. This highly successful operation saw 173 patients transferred from Cairns area hospitals to Brisbane. What made their effort even more courageous was that it took place in the dead of the night and was organised with very little notice. A C130 transported 40 litter patients, 13 walking patients and one family member as an escort, while another C130 took 32 litter patients, 10 walking patients and one family member. Two C17A Globemasters from RAAF Base Amberley also assisted in the operation, transferring another 101 patients.

RAAF Base Richmond’s cyclone support did not stop there. They have been supporting Operation Yasi Assist consistently since the cyclone hit the North Queensland coast last Wednesday night. On Thursday and Friday last week a pair of C130 Hercules flew into Cairns with mobile air load teams and forklifts from Richmond and Amberley. Their task was to unload cargo from the aircraft and break down that cargo at the destination. On Saturday, 5 February they sent one Hercules with communications equipment, water and food to Innisfail via Townsville. They also sent two Hercules loaded with groceries, one carrying 11 tonnes and the other with 13 tonnes, to Cairns from Richmond. Once in Cairns, the groceries were used to stock shelves for local residents. They did the same again on Sunday. The presence of an Australian uniform provides hope, comfort and strength. These men and women do us proud. To you all, we offer our gratitude and sincere thanks.

It is vital that we not lose sight of the fact that this rebuilding process is as much about healing the hearts and minds of the flood and fire victims as it is about rebuilding roads, power lines and bridges. It is important to pause and pay our respects to the victims of the floods and cyclone in Queensland and their families and, in so doing, to also reflect on the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of lives that were saved by the collective efforts of professional and well-trained emergency services personnel, police and volunteers.

I again extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones, and to the people who have lost their homes, their livelihoods and their personal treasures. May you be comforted by the spirit of community and mateship so remarkably demonstrated by the unflinching courage of the rescuers, the professional management of the emergency response teams and the army of volunteers who spread to all regions during the crisis and clean-up. It is a long road ahead. It is at times like these that the Australian spirit inspires us to action, and this action will be required for a long time ahead.

Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Materiel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too wish to add my sincere condolences to those who have had loved ones ripped from their arms by the terrible events of the last few weeks, to those who are still suffering and still recovering from the floods, the fires and the cyclone that have devastated so many parts of Australia this terrible summer. It is very clear that the worst of times bring out the best in us. We have seen evidence of that by the truckload over the last few weeks.

We have seen it from the men and women of the Defence Force on the ground and in the air, from those who have been maintaining our Black Hawks, our Chinooks, our Sea Kings, our C130s and C17s and our Bushmasters. We have seen it in the incredible work of all of the emergency services personnel, local counsellors and frontline healthcare workers, and people—and they have been mentioned previously in this debate—who volunteered their time to set up emergency facilities and feed people. We have seen it in the work of the people of Brisbane, people who have opened their arms—who have picked up brooms, shovels and mops—to help out total strangers whose homes have been damaged by the floods.

We are a good people in an unforgiving land. When bad things happen we are capable of doing some amazing things. We saw evidence of that not just in the streets of Brisbane or the streets of Rockhampton or Tully or elsewhere; we also saw it many miles away in the streets of my electorate, in the streets of Bankstown. We felt it through our television sets. We sat glued, night after night, in disbelief when we saw floodwaters rising through Rockhampton and then through the CBD of Brisbane. We were shocked at the sight of cars being washed through the streets of Toowoomba by raging floodwaters. I remember thinking, as I was going to bed on 2 February, the night before Cyclone Yasi came through Far North Queensland: ‘What will happen when I wake up? Will the people of Far North Queensland still be alive when I wake up tomorrow morning?’

Our response so many miles away has been one of incredible and overwhelming generosity. On 14 January, I went to my local train station, Bankstown train station, with some local SES volunteers to raise some money for the victims of the floods. I was hoping that between 6.30 and 8.00 we would raise around $500. I was stunned when we raised more than $3,000 in just those 2½ hours. So we decided, ‘That’s not good enough. Let’s keep going.’ We went to Bankstown Centro, our local shopping centre, and we had people throwing $50 notes at us. We had one man give us $500 cash. There were lots of people emptying their purses, giving us every coin they had in their purse. There were lots of mums and lots of grandmothers who would give a two-dollar coin or a five-dollar note to their grandchildren and ask them to come up to us and put that money in our tin. Others apologised that they did not have any money to give.

I think people were so generous in large part because they were so affected by what they had seen on television. Another reason they came up to us was that standing next to me were men and women in orange uniforms, the men and women of the SES. That is why they reacted in such a powerful way. It reminded me of the respect that the community has for the people of the SES.

I would like to use this opportunity to mention some of those men and women who helped me over the course of those three days: Michelle Niven, Denise Lynch, David Johnston, the incredible Jordan Ross, who got one donation for $500, Eileen O’Hea, Kathleen O’Hea, Stuart Miller, Carol Bassam and David Drake. Carol and David are not in Bankstown anymore.  They are up in Far North Queensland helping out with the clean-up after Cyclone Yasi. They will be joined by four others from Bankstown SES.

This is just one example of the generosity of spirit of the people of my community. There have been many others. Many organisations have put together fundraisers at short notice. It is not unique to Bankstown—I am sure many members have had the same experience in their own communities—but I want to pay tribute to them, to their generosity and to the time they have taken. The Lebanese Muslim Association raised $15,000; Bankstown City Council gave a cheque for $20,000; Bankstown Sports Club came forward with a cheque for $25,000 and $20,000 worth of furniture; Bunnings at Bankstown raised $3,900 through a sausage sizzle; Bankstown Lions Club, about $5,000; the United Muslim Women Association, $10,000; Bankstown RSL, $8,000; Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, $12,000; and Vietnam Sydney Radio, $45,000. I spent two hours on the radio urging people to donate. We got $10,000 in two hours. One little girl, who was eight years old, rang up to donate $50. I asked her why she was donating, and she said: ‘Well, it’s what I saw on television. I need to help people like me,’ and I thought that was really touching.

The Vietnamese-Australian Charity Organisation held an event called the Golden Heart charity dinner. They have done this before. The Golden Heart charity dinner was first held after the bushfires two years ago, and they raised $50,000 that night. This time, the call went out, the invitations went out, and 1,000 people responded to that invitation within three or four days. It was all sold out. They had 200 or 300 people that they could not fit in—people said they just wanted to stand at the back of the room. They raised $145,000 in one night. Let me use this opportunity to thank the man who organised that, Dr Vinh Binh Lieu, who subsequently was named the Bankstown Citizen of the Year.

I also thank the Chinese association of Western Sydney. They held a similar event and raised more than $120,000 in one night, including one donation from a gentleman named Henry Ngai, the owner of a company called ABC Tissues. His donation was $50,000. I went to a Chinese lunar new year event hosted by the Indo-China Chinese Association New South Wales last Saturday. It was a week after Cyclone Yasi had torn through Far North Queensland. I told them that that cyclone hit Far North Queensland about midnight on 2 February. That is an important date, because it is also New Year’s Eve for our Chinese and Vietnamese friends. It meant that we were moving from the Year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit. The Year of the Tiger is supposed to be a ferocious year; the Year of the Rabbit is supposed to be one that is calmer. Certainly the Year of the Tiger has been a very ferocious year. I told them that I would like to think that that cyclone was not as deadly as we feared that it might have been because, just as it struck, we moved from the Year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit. I do not know if that is true or not, but I hope it is and I hope that we have a calmer year after the ferocity of the last few months. That day they raised another $20,000.

There are many other organisations who I have not mentioned or whose work I am not aware of at the moment, but what I do know is that the people of Bankstown and the people of Cabramatta already have raised close to half a million dollars for their fellow Australians, and we are not a wealthy community. I am proud of the way Australians have responded in the worst of times over the last few weeks, this terrible summer, and I am proud of our community for the way that we have responded.

Debate (on motion by Mr Clare) adjourned.