Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and Administration) Share this | Hansard source

I too would like to add my comments on the extraordinary events at Beaconsfield over the last couple of weeks, which essentially almost took over the lives of that community and the state of Tasmania during that period. I firstly express, along with others in this place, my sincerest condolences to the family and the friends of Larry Knight, who, tragically, did not survive this terrible incident. Quite bravely, they delayed the funeral of Larry so that there might have been some possibility of his mates attending as well.

I recognise the impact of this event on the community and also some of the community leaders who played a very important part in representing their community throughout the sometimes traumatic two weeks. I pay particular tribute to the Mayor of West Tamar, Barry Easther, who at all times held a demeanour that can make not only him proud of the way that he conducted himself but also his community. He did a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances, as did the mine manager, Matthew Gill. Mr Gill was under enormous pressure and maintained his focus for the whole time on the rescue of the workers, particularly on the safe rescue of Brant and Todd after they were discovered to be alive. That was something that I know was focused on through that time, but also that these were a couple of guys who were also his mates. I think that has in the circumstances passed through some of the events—that these guys were also his mates.

I also pay tribute to the work of the unions, who quite obviously have a strong fellowship and relationship in the mining industry. That was reflected by the work of the rescue workers, whether they were those from Beaconsfield mine itself or those from the broader mining community across the country who turned up to add to the effort. I think that demonstrates the camaraderie in the mining community, particularly between mining workers, who quite often work in different mines across the country. They understand what it is all about. They know what it is like to be underground working, and they understand the circumstances that their mates might have been in. That, I imagine, was one of the things that drove them to continue to work on driving this process forward. I also pay tribute to the paramedics and all of those who were involved.

Finally, I do not think I can put into words the feeling of elation I had as I woke up on Tuesday morning, when my alarm went off at about five to six, to hear that the guys were just coming out of the ground. To flick the TV on to see them actually walking out was something that for me was essentially beyond words. I wish Todd, Brant and their families all the very best of fortune. There is a lot of speculation about what might be coming their way, but I do not think any of us can imagine what they went through down there. Perhaps we might learn a little bit more as the story starts to unfold. But they deserve every piece of good fortune that comes their way.