Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

North Queensland has been inundated by floodwaters over the past two months. Many homes in the electorate of Herbert have been impacted and continue to be impacted today—from Bluewater in the north and Wulguru in the south to Kelso in the east and Magnetic Island in the west. Thousands of local families have suffered because of the extremely wet start to the year. Some homes have been inundated by water. Others have been swamped by sewerage. Most homes and businesses have had mould growing on the walls, ceilings and floors. The damage has run into the thousands of dollars for many.

Townsville has a heart like no other region. People are tough, but they deserve better than the crumbs that they've been served up by the Albanese Labor government. While the Prime Minister made a cash splash to win votes in the south-east following Tropical Cyclone Alfred, North Queensland was begging for help more than six weeks after the flood impacts. The level of disdain shown by this Prime Minister reached record heights when he flew into Townsville for a media stunt and then left hours later—jumped on his private jet—to attend a Labor Party fundraiser. The speed in which the PM left North Queenslanders to fend for themselves was rivalled only by the speed in which he threw cash at every possible voter in the state's south-east.

It makes absolutely no sense and is grossly unfair that the Prime Minister applied one set of standards to funding arrangement eligibility in the south-east corner and another, less favourable approach, to residents in North Queensland. After the advocacy of the North Queensland community turned into a loud roar, so loud that even a prime minister couldn't ignore it, he finally announced additional support to cover the broader Townsville region last week. But, as with everything from this Labor government, there's a catch. I received thousands of messages from desperate locals who are still being told they aren't eligible for financial support despite being severely impacted. We have instances in Kelso where one person in the household was deemed eligible but the other person, living in the same residence, was deemed ineligible. That is totally unacceptable and yet another example of bureaucracy gone mad. The messages I've received have been heartbreaking. Jenny wrote to me:

I'm immunocompromised and feeling unwell, mould all through my house, water leaked through my walls and I've been rejected.

Another wrote:

my mum Margaret was evacuated … and her house got water all through it. She lost everything mate. Why is the government rejecting her claim?

Prime Minister, I call on you to urgently review this flawed policy and ensure the people of North Queensland can finally get the help they so desperately need instead of being treated like second-rate Australians. Prime Minister, this is not your personal slush fund to buy votes in the south-east; start treating Townsville with the respect it deserves.