Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to move a motion in relation to the bushfires in Victoria.

Leave granted.

I thank the Senate for its cooperation. I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

records its deep regret at the loss of at least 108 lives as a result of Victorian bushfires that are continuing to threaten the state;

(b)

notes that four of these were children and the threat of these fires is not yet over;

(c)

expresses its heartfelt concern for those under hospital care suffering from severe burns and other critical injuries; and

(d)

conveys its thoughts and prayers to the families of the deceased and injured whose pain and suffering is shared by all Australians.

This motion is inadequate in dealing with the scale of the shocking tragedy that is currently taking place in Victoria. It is our intention to debate this condolence motion briefly and then to seek to adjourn the Senate as a mark of respect for those who have lost their lives, for those who are injured and for those who are awaiting anxiously news of their family and friends.

This is a disaster on a scale unimaginable in modern Australia. I think it has certainly snuck up on us in the sense that each day it seems to have grown in its enormity. The death and destruction that have been wreaked by these fires are unimaginable, and the speed at which they occurred and the lack of opportunity for people to escape the fires are extraordinary and frightening. We have lost many lives. The current official figure stands at 108, but the expectations are that that figure will go much higher and that there are many others who have lost their lives and have yet to be found or identified. I know many people throughout Australia are waiting anxiously for news of their loved ones. I travelled over to Canberra last night and I know that one of the flight attendants was most concerned about her relatives whom she had not had word of. There are thousands of people around Australia in a similar situation. It has been an enormous tragedy, a shocking natural disaster, one that exceeds Ash Wednesday and other major fires that we have experienced in the past, and the full extent of the damage and the deaths is not yet known.

As well as expressing our support to those who have lost loved ones, to those who are injured and to all those waiting for news of their family and friends, we also need to pay respect to the firefighters who are currently on the front line still dealing with enormous fires. The volunteer and bushfire brigades are the permanent firefighters. I understand some have come from Tasmania today to assist. They all do a fantastic job, putting their lives at risk to try and protect the community and the public. In fact, most of them do it unpaid, out of their sense of community. Their courage and the commitment those firefighters give to their communities never cease to amaze me. Also, SES and ambulance officers and all those others who have volunteered their services to assist these communities are responding in a tremendous way in the face of this terrible tragedy, and we recognise and honour the support that they are providing and the courage that they are showing.

Mr President, I am able to give the Senate an update from the information that the government has to hand as to the current situation, but I stress it is developing and I think the official figures at the moment do not reflect the extent of the tragedy. As I have said, the most recent count is 108 confirmed fatalities. Seven hundred and fifty houses have been destroyed and 3,733 people have been evacuated from their homes. The Prime Minister announced yesterday that the Australian government would support the Victorian government by whatever means possible. The Australian Defence Force has already provided 150 mattresses and portable beds for relief centres in Baw Baw Shire. The ADF has also supplied tents, stretchers and sleeping bags for 200 people, and heavy equipment to assist with establishing control lines in Yea township.

Two additional Erickson Air-Cranes and two Sikorsky S61s have arrived in Victoria to support the two Victorian Erickson Air-Cranes. I understand that other fire brigades, from New South Wales, ACT and South Australia—and, I think, from Tasmania today—are deploying crews to assist in Victoria because the threat of fires continues. Obviously, there is also an enormous amount of work in mopping up.

Mr President, I know the whole Senate is shocked by the extent of the destruction that these fires have caused. I know that Canberra residents in particular will be very much aware of the damage that fire can do, having gone through a very bad fire in 2003. They suffered the enormous impact this has on communities beyond that particular fire, but the impact on the community and families spreads much further. Victorians will need our support, not only in the coming days but in the years ahead. As I have said, the government has announced an assistance package just as a quick response. There is obviously much more to be done, and that will be done over coming days and weeks.

I also urge all Australians to be generous in making donations to assist in the recovery. Australians always respond very well to these sorts of events with their support. I remember going up to the local shops on the day of the tsunami and finding the Red Cross already had a table set up. A couple of mature-age ladies were already out collecting and I had only heard the news about an hour and a half before. The community has a tremendous capacity to respond—not only practically, as they are doing in Victoria now, but also with financial support and by offering whatever support we can to those families affected. So I do encourage Australian citizens to donate.

I also want to join with others in making the point about how devastating deliberately lighting fires can be. Some still do not seem to get the message about how destructive such activity can be. It is very important we continue to ram home the message that that behaviour will not be tolerated and severe penalties will be applied. The best response is to try to make sure people do not engage in such activity. There is nothing funny or thrilling about the damage that it causes.

Mr President, it is an evolving situation. We are still awaiting more information as events unfold. It is appropriate today that the Senate makes its only business this expression of condolence and support. I acknowledge the cooperation the government has received from the opposition and the minor parties and Independents in facilitating what I think is the appropriate management of the chamber today. We obviously have important business to deal with and we will need to get on with that in our committee work and in the parliament in coming days. But we seek today to recognise the enormous tragedy that is occurring in Victoria, the speed and extent of the destruction from fire that has not been seen before in this country. I think we are all shocked by just how widespread the destruction is and how fast all of this occurred. Our main concern is to express support for those still waiting for news of their loved ones, to record our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones and, of course, to mark the terrible loss of life and the loss of so much human potential with those who have died. I thank the Senate for its cooperation and urge all senators to support this appropriate remark of respect, as I am sure they will.