Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to put on record some comments about the floods in New South Wales and, in so doing, talk a little bit about my area, the Northern Rivers. I live in Lismore and I am very familiar with floods, having experienced a lot of them over many years. So I will also talk a little bit about that. But firstly I would like to associate myself with the comments that the Prime Minister made in the House yesterday on the floods and also to express my sympathies to the people who are caught in floods and are having to deal with their impacts. I would also like to acknowledge and commend all the voluntary services—the SES, the Rural Fire Service—and all the charitable agencies who get very involved at flood time. I would also like to acknowledge local governments because they do a lot of work in flood time. They have various mechanisms in place in my area such as a mobile phone alert and all sorts of other things to make sure that people get to know what is happening. The workers do an enormous amount of work and a lot of that is voluntary. There are a lot of good employers who ensure that people who are volunteers with the SES are able to take that time off work and not be penalised. There is often talk about whether we should have certain legislation around areas like that, but my experience at home is that there are a lot of good employers, and I say 'well done' to them.

During the floods in my area, on the north coast on 8 February the estimated damage at that point was $7 million and climbing. This was just an initial assessment before all of the assessment work was done by the local government area. That was an early and rough estimate, because there was also a lot of damage to the roads. But we can repair those. And I have spoken in this place before about the tragic loss of life that happened in my area.

In our country we have a very good response system. I will not say that we are lucky, because it comes down to a lot of hard work and effort on the part of communities, agencies and governments. We respond with a team approach and respond very well as we have expertise in this area. As the parliamentary secretary will know, that expertise is being tapped region-wide, and in fact internationally, in emergency services and management and in our response to natural disasters. Various neighbouring countries often ask us for assistance in that area. People look to us and the way we respond. We are helping in various areas and there will be a lot more interaction in that area.

I also would like to mention our Defence Force personnel. I have lived in flood areas for a long time. I heard the honourable member for Blair talking about Ipswich. I grew up in Ipswich and I live in Lismore, so I have always been in flood areas. I have been involved with floods and lived in houses I have raised about floods. I live on the river now. On Australia Day the water came across my land. I did not go out, which was unusual for Australia Day, because I could not get out. It was the first Australia Day I spent at home and not out at public functions. Instead I watched the water swirl around me. So I know a bit about floods.

I heard the member for Blair talking last night in response to the report. He said that the 1974 flood in Ipswich was a bigger flood but there was less damage because we now have such huge urban development. That changes the nature of the way the floods go and the impact and damage they cause. That is one of the things we are still trying to catch up with. One of the challenges of urban planning and development is how we plan around floods, because so many places have been built on flood plains.

Another issue to do with floods and insurance concerns the fact that in some areas just because you live on a flood plain the premiums go up exorbitantly even though you may not have been flooded. This has been happening for some time. In one area near where I am insurance is $2,000 without flood cover and $6,000 with flood cover. This is another issue that we are trying to grapple with.

They are the only comments I would like to make, and, because I do involve myself in debates about floods and insurance and all the issues that arise with them, I would like to associate myself with the comments that were made.