Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today, the Prime Minister and I toured regions in Queensland affected by Cyclone Debbie. I thank the Prime Minister for dealing with these events in Queensland on a bipartisan basis. Can the Prime Minister please update the House about the briefings we received today and the ongoing recovery effort from Cyclone Debbie?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, likewise, thank the Leader of the Opposition for agreeing to my invitation to join me today in north Queensland to meet with Brigadier Chris Field, the recovery coordinator. He is the Commander of 3rd Brigade and has been working with Chief Superintendent Kev Guteridge from Queensland Police and Assistant Commissioner Steve Barber from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services in a truly seamless operation. This is the biggest pre-deployment of Australian Defence Force servicemen and servicewomen in the anticipation of a natural disaster. Right now, there are over 1,300 personnel—maritime, air and land assets—deployed to recover from the disaster.

Let me describe to the House what we did. We flew this morning to Townsville, where we were joined by the brigadier. In Townsville we were joined by the member for Dawson. His electorate is the one that has been hardest hit by this cyclone. We then went by helicopter to Bowen. The speed of the reaction of the Australian Defence Force should make every single one of us so proud. Bowen, as the honourable member knows, is cut off by floodwaters both north and south. When we got there we met with the Mayor of the Whitsunday region, Andrew Willcox, who is absolutely on the case and was very appreciative of us going there together and participating in some joint squeegeeing—we have a unity ticket, at least on that. He noted that power was out and some telecoms services were out, and they could not get the technicians into the city, because they were in Townsville. Immediately, Chris Field said, 'Right, we will fly them in.' I have just had a message from the brigadier, who reports that the electricians have been delivered to Bowen, so I can report to the honourable member for Dawson that the specialists that are needed to get the lights back on there are in place. HMAS Melbourne, a hydrographic survey vessel, has already checked the Port of Townsville and the coal point at Abbot Point to ensure that they are safe for shipping, and it has also now delivered water and food to Daydream Island, which had been cut off and there had been a lack of fresh water. The big, twin-blade Chinook helicopters are at work. As we speak, one is moving pregnant women and ill people from Daydream Island to a hospital. That is happening right now. So the ADF is responding in real time with an efficiency that we are all very proud of.

I will just say a little bit—I know I am trespassing on the standing orders for a moment—but I think the Leader of the Opposition and I were both very impressed, as was the member for Dawson, that there was relatively limited damage to many structures built after 1985. It is quite clear that the building standards in recent years have made a very big difference. It underlines the fact that mitigation is absolutely critical in maintaining those high building standards. It was very instructive to see in many places all of the leaves stripped from trees, trees uprooted and cast to one side, and a relatively modern building appearing, whether it was from the perspective of the street or the air, to be relatively undamaged. That is very important.

The mayor assured us that, as at this time, there has been no loss of life, beyond the individual who was killed in the car accident that occurred prior to the cyclone crossing land. But, of course, there are isolated communities and there is more work to be done. But it has been a formidable effort.

I have to say that nature flings her worst at us again and again, and North Queensland feels the brunt of that again and again. But when Australians pull together, when they work together in a common cause, they can tackle anything. We can do anything. We can take on and respond to any challenge and any natural disaster. I mention the teamwork and the spirit of the ADF, the emergency workers, and people like Michelle O'Regan, who drove us around in Bowen. Her pumpkin farm has been devastated, but nonetheless she is getting back on the job and back into business. The people of North Queensland make every Australian proud, just as the ADF makes us all proud.

It was a shocking cyclone. The damage is being cleaned up. The next challenge is going to be floods. That will be a challenge right through Queensland. But, once again, I have no doubt that the spirit of Queenslanders, the spirit of Australians and the professionalism of our Defence and emergency personnel are equal to any challenge now, as they always have been.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on indulgence.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Obviously I endorse what the federal government and all levels of government are doing. I also want to extend a note of gratitude to the locals we met, and just to say to those who might be listening in North Queensland, or those who know people in North Queensland who have been through this cyclone, that we get that you will feel a slump and that a lot of people are actually putting on the best face possible. You realise that when you talk to the small business people who are cleaning out their stores and have had their stock damaged and you talk to people who might be professionals but they also have a farm on the side and have to work out the losses to their crops and stock. We understand that for you this is not a recovery of hours and days—and the cameras move on and the show moves on—but that, in fact, there will be a lot of paperwork and lot of sheer hard work. I think it will be the first time in recorded history that the schoolkids at home in Queensland right now will be happy to go back to school so that they do not have to do all the cleaning of their houses with their parents.

Nonetheless, it is a serious matter and we understand that, for the people affected, recovery takes a long time. If people are doing it hard, not just financially but also in the sense of how you put things back together again, and it seems such a mountain of work, I would encourage them to put their hand up and ask for a bit of help from their friends—and if people there see them doing it hard please ask if you can help.

The final comment I would like to make is that Australians can vote with their feet to support these people by taking a holiday in the region in the coming months. It is a beautiful patch of Australia, and we should all be getting behind them. Maybe a bit of domestic tourism in the Whitsundays would go a long way to helping the region.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.