Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Drought, and Emergency Management. Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison government is responding, through the provision of critical assistance, to the unfolding flooding situation in New South Wales and Queensland?

David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Berowra for his question, and I acknowledge his leadership of his community, which is also impacted. I also acknowledge members from both sides of the House, some of whom are not here today. They're in their communities, supporting them and making sure that every effort is being made to get them through their hour of need. This is a very dynamic situation and one which is changing by the hour. The last brief that I had from the Bureau of Meteorology says that not only is it in the Gold Coast area in Queensland but it stretches out into south-west Queensland, north-west New South Wales, the Central West of New South Wales and, obviously, right along the New South Wales coast, effectively to the Victorian border. It will continue to unfold, and we will have to continue to be agile in making sure we support New South Wales in their hour of need. They've already made nearly 780 rescues. We just say to people: this is your opportunity to lead and to make sure you do not get yourself in a situation where you are calling on emergency service personnel to come and save you.

We have worked as a nation to come together. There are 85 emergency service personnel from South Australia, Queensland and Victoria also now in New South Wales helping them, and their skill sets range from swiftwater rescue through to engineering and planning for the recovery. We will continue to work with them. Both Emergency Management Australia and the Australian Defence Force have liaison officers in the crisis centre to monitor the coordination and the scoping of what is needed in supporting the here and now, to determine whether or not there are any assets that are required from the federal government, and to plan for the recovery, making sure that we are looking ahead to ensure that that recovery starts immediately after the water abates.

We'll continue to work with the New South Wales government and Resilience NSW, together with Shane Fitzsimmons, who is the commissioner, in making sure that every effort is made and every plan is enacted and ready to go so that the people in these communities can feel supported. That's why yesterday we initiated our first relief payments under the disaster recovery payment agreement—$1,000 per adult and $400 per child. There is also 13 weeks of income support available for those individuals whose income has been impacted by this event. We are saying to people: please do not self-assess. This is your hour of need, and the Australian people will stand with you. Centrelink has a designated line open from 8 am to 8 pm every night specifically for you. This is there to help you. Please reach out. We will continue to support you as we work through this.

We are now waiting, and we will continue to work with New South Wales on further support and relief and recovery. That will take place once the water abates and we can make assessments. We are working with New South Wales to ensure every effort will be made in terms of that relief and recovery moving forward. Already our disaster recovery agencies are ready to stand up and support the New South Wales government in that recovery. Those people who are impacted and the New South Wales government know that this parliament will stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their recovery.