Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of Family First, I join with this motion and express my profound sadness about the devastation caused by the natural disasters which have lashed our country—the floods, the cyclone and the bushfires. Family First also extends our deepest sympathies to those families who have lost loved ones and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by these disasters. What we have witnessed over the past month or so has been a disaster on a scale that is unimaginable in modern Australia. The loss has been extraordinary. Many families and businesses have lost everything. It is almost impossible to fully comprehend. People who have devoted their lives to building their families, homes, farms, businesses and communities have seen them wiped out just like that. It is a disaster that is still unfolding. In my home state of Victoria we have faced more floods. Yesterday a Glen Waverly man died after falling from his storm damaged roof. It was another sobering reminder of the devastation that has hit our country and affected so many families.

Only a few days ago I was up in the northern parts of Victoria to see some of the damage firsthand and speak to some of those affected by the floods. Places like Echuca, Rochester, Kerang and Horsham bore the brunt of Mother Nature. The stories of the victims are nothing short of heartbreaking. It is difficult to imagine what these people must be going through—seeing everything they have worked hard for simply destroyed. I think the full ramifications of what has occurred are yet to be fully realised. The damage bill is growing every day and the losses are still being counted. The economic cost to agriculture from the floodwaters in Victoria alone is estimated to reach $2 billion. In Queensland the figure is even higher. Many communities are still cut off from power and other services. People’s livelihoods are up in the air and many people still missing. What this tragedy has also done, however, is reveal the true meaning of the great Australian spirit. No sooner had the floodwaters started to recede than thousands of volunteers came out in their droves to help their fellow Australians and to help their local communities. It was a case of Australians helping fellow Australians, not because they knew them personally or had some long-term connection to them, but because they were fellow Australians in need of a helping hand.

Not only have we had floods across the country, we have had cyclones and bushfires too. Only two years ago Australians were left shocked from the devastation caused by the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. It has been a difficult path in those two years trying to rebuild what was so quickly taken away. However, as each day passes, the people of Victoria have continued in their struggle to restore the affected areas and rebuild their lives. I can assure those victims of the recent disasters that our commitment will be the same. We are united in our resolve to see these areas prosper once again. The clean-up will be enormous but the resilience shown by the Australian people is inspiring. As a nation we will get through these disasters together.