Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to concur with the remarks and condolences of both Senator Evans and Senator Minchin. Australia today speaks as one in sympathy, in support and with prayers for those who have perished; for those in the burns units; for the doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and paramedics; and for the unrelenting dedication to duty of the firefighting units, police, charity organisations and neighbours. It is impossible to fathom the pain and range of emotions that leave those afflicted bewildered by the ferocity of nature—a ferocity that has descended on our fellow Australians with forces beyond our comprehension. The forces of destruction, pain and destitution have taken their toll and now all of us here must do what is human but ultimately more powerful. Noting that we cannot remove their pain, we must do what we can do, which is show compassion. The evidence of that compassion will be in the blood given, the money donated, the bed given to a neighbour and the capacity to put aside the minimal and the parochial to concentrate on the task at hand. Most importantly, compassion will be seen in the durability of our attention to see this issue through to the best conclusion we can attain for those afflicted, knowing that other distractions will quickly become apparent before we have all finished the task at hand.

While the south burns, the north floods, and we are all the sinew which must make sure that the sentiment which is so uniquely Australian becomes a prevailing strength to bring all of us through. What can we offer those victims of nature—and, most disturbingly, in some instances, of the criminal and disgusting actions of those who knowingly and maliciously designed a course that would burn children and kill in the most horrific way and destroy families? We can pray that the weather works in favour of putting the fires out. We can pray that those in hospital pull through. We can deliver ourselves to a hospital and give blood. We can put our hands in our pockets and give what we can. We can promise to learn from our mistakes and make sure that we do not get ourselves in this position again. We must make sure that the victims of burns are given the best chance and those who have lost all are given the hope of a leg-up in their future life.

What makes a nation is not a government. That is merely a reflection of the people; it is not its centre. The centre is that definitive spirit that you can hear in our Australian accent, a peculiar self-deprecating sense of humour, our strong belief in opportunity for the underdog, our belief in our own capacity to quietly work hard without wanting laurels and, most importantly, the Australian ability to time and time again rally under a single banner when a crisis is before us. Putting aside our self and concentrating on the communal task will be the reflection of the highest aspiration of that wonderful goodness that is so seminal and makes us what we are and who we are here today.

Marysville, Murrindindi, Kinglake, Kinglake West, Bendigo, Bunyip, St Andrews, Churchill, Steels Creek, Humevale, Flowerdale—towns that may not have been noted much in the past in the further corners of our vast nation but to which all of Australia’s eyes are now turned. At the same time we do not forget the paradox of the pain in our north, with the floods that have already delivered tragedy to families in that region. We will not be forgetting Ingham and other North Queensland towns as they battle with another side of the destructive force that can be rent by nature’s fury. The tragedy of loss is always immense. It should not be belittled by numbers, as if there is some discerner of effect. The family that loses one member in the course of what are almost apocalyptic scenes is one member that nothing can replace. The vacancy is a hole in their lives forever.

When the role of the community is overwhelmed, it is only just that the state be called in to assist. In these fires the capacity of the community is reduced in its ability to deliver because of the extent of the destruction within it. But we all turn on the TV and what we see is ourselves in another part of our country. We see who we are and from within us we know we have to act and implore those in the appropriate positions to act on our behalf.

I did not know the adult in Kinglake whose remains were found with those of four children—they all perished together. But I pray that they are with our Lord. I did not know them, but I along with all here cannot bear the thought of the terror as we think of our own children. What burden do we shoulder and what pain can we possibly take away? We feel sadness with no repose, we feel anger with no direction, we feel desolate and search for a path that leads those most afflicted out of their pain. The only resolve is that the compassion of Australians is hard at work—it is at work today; it will be at work tomorrow. Whilst the memories are there, our compassion for our fellow Australians shall be the sign that we are a nation at its best when our fellow citizens are in greatest need. Our condolences are with the families, our boundless gratitude is with those hard at work in the hospitals and in the field, and our prayers are with the injured and deceased.