Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

I am sure that we, and particularly my fellow Victorians, are all numb today because of the events over the weekend. We think particularly of those lying in hospitals at the moment who will carry the physical scars for life and who will clearly carry emotional scars as well. Many of those people have lost family and friends.

Victoria last week, with temperatures over 43 or 44 degrees, was dried to a crisp. We had a warning about Saturday, but no amount of warning can ever prepare people, even that extraordinary band of volunteers in Victoria. I give my thanks to the DSE fire officers as well. They were prepared as well as they could be, but you can never prepare for something like this. I spoke to a friend this morning who bought a fire pump on Friday, coincidentally. That saved his house. But they have lost between six and eight friends along their road—they are not sure how many at the moment.

What we have seen with this fire is also a tragic loss of young people and children, which historically has not been the situation. There have been horrific losses of young people.

There are many, I am sure, in this chamber who, like me, have been on the back of a fire truck and who know what it is like to not be able to see more than two feet in front of you and who know what it is like to have a fire turn on you and who know the fear involved. I cannot imagine the level of fear that drove people—who I am sure in the main had had fire plans prepared; the respective governments in Victoria over a long time have ensured from the start of summer that people were aware of their fire plans—to abandon in panic their fire plans and get in their cars. I do not think that any one of us can possibly imagine what that must have been like.

Someone said that these communities will come back together. They will. Houses can be replaced. But lives can never be replaced. We should spare a thought for those many farmers in Victoria who now have the heartbreaking task of going out and shooting stock. The sights that they will face, as many others in this chamber will know, will be horrific.

It is entirely appropriate that this condolence motion has been moved today. We are in my view a unique country, with the national parliament giving our condolences. Our national leaders are in Victoria at the moment, not to make politics but to make sure that those people know that every one of their elected representatives is with them.

In some respects, there is a sense of impotence in situations like this. There is also a heightened level of anger in relation to the way that some of those fires might have started. Clearly, as a community we have to ensure that there is calm in relation to those particular incidents. These have to be properly investigated by the authorities. We must remain calm until those inquiries have been carried out.

I believe that colleagues such as my very good friend Fran Bailey in McEwen and other members have been on the ground in their communities. For all that is said about us as members of parliament, we are close to our communities. We know our communities. While we are often the subject of ribbing and some dry humour, one of the greatest strengths that we have as a nation is that our members of parliament and senators, whether at the state, federal or local level, are close to our communities. That is something that we have to fight to defend.

Increasingly, there is an unholy alliance between us as humans and the bush. Lifestyle and other encroachments which have taken us out of areas of safety into areas that are more dangerous are issues that we have to confront as a nation. That ubiquitous gum tree can be both a peaceful friend and a very powerful enemy. I am sure that in due course when this is looked at and reviewed we will need to change some practices. But no-one is to blame for this—not any government of any persuasion—for not having done A, B, C or D. Everything that could possibly have been done was done, both before and during this fire.

On behalf of all my Victorian colleagues on both sides of the parliament, I thank that remarkable band of people who fight these fires. They feel fear. People say that they are fearless, but they are not fearless; they do feel the fear. But they go in there nevertheless. Victoria will take a long time to get over this, but I know that the Victorian community will do so in due course. I add my support to the previous remarks.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.