Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon because there is a severe natural disaster occurring in my patch this afternoon. We have catastrophic conditions and fires from the Grampians area, with risks right up to Wyperfeld National Park. For those who live in that region, there is a lot of fear and anxiety. Many have left their homes now, under advice from Vic Emergency. I think it's important that, in this House, we keep our feet firmly grounded on why we are here—to stand up for our communities.

These conditions that are currently occurring across Victoria, with high winds up to 80 kilometres an hour, are not expected to abate until later tonight. The risks are high. There are many families who are now homeless. There are dry thunderstorms happening, with lightning strikes which have occurred overnight. Incredibly strangely, a freight train going from Adelaide to Melbourne last night started six fires as it was travelling through my electorate.

We in this House can't solve natural disasters but we can certainly reach out and support and be there to represent our communities, and that is my aim this afternoon. I am thinking of those who live in the beautiful Grampians National Park area, Dadswell Bridge, Pomonal—who have evacuated—Bellfield, Wartook and Roses Gap. Even the Western Highway is now closed between Horsham and Deep Lead, near Stawell.

So much of the southern part of Mallee is now in the warning area for fire. Can I urge anyone who happens to be on their social app and sees this: please, be constantly alerted by the emergency.vic.gov.au app and the warnings that are being provided. The ABC, of course, is providing up-to-date information as well.

I think of the councils and have reached out to them to let me know what can be provided, and I'm really pleased to say that the Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt, has already reached out with anything that he can provide. This is what we do in this House. This is bipartisan. We want our communities to know that they are loved and they are being watched over.