Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House:

(1)

express its deep shock and sorrow at the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency that have struck Japan;

(2)

extend its profound sympathies to the many families whose loved ones have been lost in this tragedy;

(3)

express its gratitude and admiration to the Australian emergency response personnel who are assisting in the recovery effort; and

(4)

pledge the support of the Australian Parliament and community as Japan comes to terms with the immense nature of this disaster and the long and costly process of reconstruction that lies ahead.

A little bit earlier today the Leader of the Opposition and I went to the Japanese embassy together to sign the condolence book for the people of Japan. Now we will rise together in this parliament to mark our condolences for the people of Japan. On 11 March Japanese rescue workers stood alongside international colleagues in Christchurch offering assistance to that shattered city. Today those very same rescue workers are still working side by side with colleagues from around the world, but this time it is in their own devastated nation. At nine in magnitude, the earthquake that occurred on 11 March was the strongest to ever hit Japan. Aftershocks continue and the outcomes of the serious nuclear situation which followed the earthquake and tsunami are still uncertain, and we continue to monitor that situation closely.

It is hard for any of us to come to grips with the scale of this disaster. For some they will best absorb its scale through the numbers, and the numbers are staggering indeed. The death toll today stands at 8,450, 12,909 people are still missing and a half a million Japanese people are homeless—staggering statistics. For some this will best come home to them through the images we have seen of this disaster: the photograph of a young girl hunched, crouched, crying amongst the ruins; the photograph of a soldier cradling in his arms a baby; the photographs of the determination on the faces of rescue workers as they have continued their work as snow lands on them. This is a huge disaster. For others perhaps the scale of it will best come home through the words of one Australian who is still in Japan and who gave us an insight into the horror of this situation. John Garnaut travelled to a town close to the epicentre of the quake. He wrote in an article for the Sydney Morning Herald:

THE satellite photo tells me there is a town of 17,000 people ahead. It is lying. There’s nothing there at all.

As we have seen during our own recent time of crisis, friends reach out to friends. The Australian government has reached out to Japan. The urban search and rescue team we deployed has completed its work and it will be returning to Australia later today, and I am sure we all join together in thanking them for their commitment to a very difficult task in testing conditions. Unfortunately, they did not recover anyone alive. In what is a very human gesture, they are leaving for the people of Japan much of their own gear—tents, generators—as a mark of friendship. Last week we also deployed Australian Defence Force personnel and an Australian C17 aircraft and crew to Japan. The defence minister has announced that these personnel will remain for another week at the request of the Japanese and United States governments, testament to the crucial role they are fulfilling in moving supplies around.

Today I announced that the Australian government has determined to contribute $10 million to the Australian Red Cross Japan and Pacific disaster appeal to send specialist aid workers to the region to support the work of the Japanese Red Cross and to provide displaced families and their host families with emergency relief equipment and recovery assistance.

Of course the Australian government’s priorities also are assisting our citizens who are caught up in this disaster. So far we have had no confirmation of any Australian deaths, and we hope that the two Australians still unaccounted for will be found unharmed. Our embassy is working on a 24-hour basis to locate all of our citizens and assist them to travel safely. Australian citizens leaving Japan have not only heaped praise on the consular officers but also on Australian airline staff who showed flexibility and compassion with a ‘Let’s just get you home’ attitude. I add my thanks and my admiration for the work of those people. They are great representatives of our nation at this time of crisis.

Returning travellers tell of their admiration for the composure and stoicism of the Japanese people. Theirs is a culture steeped in traditions of courage and honour, and these traits course strongly through the veins of everyday people who are emerging as heroes from this tragedy. They are living the ancient Japanese proverb ‘seven falls and eight rises’. The Japanese people will need great perseverance and resilience to rise from this fall; Australia will always be there to help as they do.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion moved by the Prime Minister. What can anyone say that adequately captures the terror and the horror of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami? Watching this footage prompted millions of Australians, I am sure, to mumble prayers of solidarity and sympathy for the victims, and gratitude that our country has so far been spared any comparable catastrophe.

Australians are united in grief for the people of Japan. The victims of this tragedy are our fellow human beings. They are also the citizens of our best friend in Asia—an ally, a trading partner, a democracy and a bastion of liberal pluralist values. We appreciate the skill of the Japanese people in engineering their country to withstand, to the extent human ingenuity can make possible, the ravages of earthquakes. We admire the courage of the Japanese people, especially their emergency services personnel but also the volunteers who have risked their lives to help in the rescue, recovery and clean-up. We especially admire the selflessness of those working to secure the Fukushima nuclear plant. Most of all, though, we feel for a great people as they rise to meet this crisis and we offer all the help we reasonably can.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a mark of respect, I invite honourable members to rise in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

Debate (on motion by Mr Albanese) adjourned.