Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know all members will join me in expressing concern about the coming bushfire season. Recent months, predicted temperatures and the big dry suggest that we are in for a shocker. We ask people to give early thought to preparation, including simple things like cleaning house gutter systems and removing any unnecessary fuel sources in and around their properties. I thank in advance our firefighters and other emergency services personnel, who will undoubtedly give their time and risk their lives no matter when the emergency occurs, typically including Christmas Day. Let's do all we can to lighten their considerable load and to express our appreciation.

Finally, let's end the arguments about climate change. It's a fact that the climate is changing. It's changing in challenging ways, and we should be doing all we can both to mitigate the causes and to adapt to harsher conditions. Let's think about our children and our grandchildren, and let's remember: the best thing we can do for our farmers facing challenging drought conditions is to mitigate and adapt and to help them build resilience.