Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I wholeheartedly support this motion, on behalf of the Australian Greens and my colleague from Tasmania Senator Milne. I congratulate Senator Barnett and Senator Polley on formulating the motion. What a remarkable story has unfolded in Beaconsfield in the last two weeks. Indeed, it has created world headlines. At the end, it has given a great deal of enjoyment to people who are in a world full of troubles. It has given inspiration that, when human beings get together, they can be stopped by nothing in coming to the rescue of fellow human beings in trouble.

There is a tragedy involved which heightens the enormity of the success, and that is that Larry Knight will not be there for his family into the future, and no contribution we can make will reverse that fact. Condolences go to his family, to all his associates and to everybody who is going to grieve that loss from the Beaconsfield community. On the other hand, Todd Russell and Brant Webb and their families and their associates are now out in the light of day, but in a very different world from the one from which they set off to undertake their job on Anzac Day.

I want to spend a moment on that. I am personally quite concerned about the glare of publicity that greeted these men when they came to the surface. They are in the beautiful community of Beaconsfield; they are in the beautiful community of Tasmania. It is undoubtedly one of the best places in the world to find yourself living with your family. But they are now in the glare of world publicity. I note reports that offers of millions of dollars are being put in their direction. I note that Oprah Winfrey may even be looking for a story. One has to be concerned that it is this sequel to coming to the surface which has to be endured by these men and their families that may change things and take away from them more than it gives.

I urge the greatest of caution there, and I think we all have a role to play in that. You have to understand that the impact on these men will be ongoing. They were trapped for two weeks. Everybody did all they could and successfully got them out of that. They are now trapped in a different set of circumstances of a very deliberate construct. We have to be very concerned that these men and their families will survive that. I think we all have to think a lot about not leaving them to their own devices in those circumstances. A bit of counselling rather than somebody with a chequebook would be a very fair and giving thing for these men in these circumstances.

There are inquiries to come as to how this tragedy took place. They need to be meticulous and they need to have an eye to preventing such tragedies into the future. Mining around the world, from which we all benefit, is a very dangerous pursuit. Thousands of miners lose their lives each year. One can only think with horror of the miners who have been entombed underground and who have never been reached by rescuers. This is a dangerous pursuit, and anything that can come out of this tragedy that will help the safety of miners, not only in Tasmania and Australia but around the world, has to be applauded. So let us hope that the inquiries come up with answers that will make it safer for miners into the future—not just here but right around the world.

Again, I say congratulations. I endorse the congratulations to everybody who has been involved in this spectacular success in bringing these two men to the surface—not least, of course, the people of the community of Beaconsfield. I hope their lives settle down quickly. I hope their hopes and aspirations for the future are fulfilled. I have a word of congratulations and admiration to them for the way in which they have endured the last two weeks and have been able to celebrate these two men coming back to the surface.