Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday, 5 August, a powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Lombok. The earthquake has so far claimed at least 300 lives, with over a thousand people injured, and has left a staggering 270,000 people homeless. That's more than the population of the whole of the Northern Territory. Meanwhile, further west in the Indian Ocean, at the southern end of the subcontinent, the people of Kerala have been hit by severe flooding that has claimed at least 35 lives, with many more injured. The flooding has led to the evacuation of more than 100,000 people, which equates to, pretty much, all the people in Darwin. These tolls look set to rise even further as more victims are found in the rubble of houses and buildings and are found far from where they were washed away. These numbers represent people living in our Indo-Pacific region, near neighbours to the north. In fact, the flight from Darwin will reach the Indonesian people in less than three hours.

The Top End's Indonesian community, along with the wider Darwin community, have rallied to show their support with a fundraiser last night. They've raised $20,000. It is yet another great example of the generosity and helping spirit of Territorians. I give my condolences to the people of Indonesia and Kerala.