Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to contribute to this motion on natural disasters and, in so doing, echo the remarks made by earlier speakers in expressing the sorrow felt by all Australians over the tragic loss of life as a result of these natural disasters and their impact on Australia and, in particular, my home state of Queensland.

Having spent a part of my life in western Queensland and its far north, I know many of the towns and communities impacted by these events. So, like many in this place, when I heard the Police Commissioner talk of an inland tsunami moving through towns like Toowoomba and on into the Lockyer Valley, it was hard to comprehend. After visiting the communities of Grantham and Helidon with Mayor Steve Jones a few days after the flood levels had receded and only damage remained, I found it difficult to imagine that the water which had passed through the area had done so much damage. I know these towns and their people, and they are resilient. In the last few weeks I have seen firsthand their determination to get back onto the land, clean out businesses, restore homes and start the long, slow and painstaking task of rebuilding their communities. The people of Queensland should feel confident that those on both sides of the aisle in this place support them wholeheartedly. Undoubtedly, the loss of life has been the hardest blow for these communities to bear. I know that the whole Senate is united in its shock at the extent of the destruction that these natural disasters have caused. I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences to those families suffering the most—those who have lost loved ones. Your loss is being felt by the whole Australian community.

I wish to praise the work of emergency services personnel, both their professional ranks and the marvellous volunteer forces, along with members of the Australian Defence Force, State Emergency Service officers and the many, many other organisations, groups and individuals who, without exception or hesitation, went onto the front line. They diligently and skilfully went about their work, often putting their lives at risk to protect the community and the public. Through the tragedy we have been touched and uplifted by many great and generous acts of people who were looking out for others. These stories have provided relief and encouragement to us all.

It is difficult to adequately explain the scale of the disasters that have impacted a significant proportion of Australia. The floods have been one of the largest natural disasters to ever hit our nation. As I address the Senate today, areas are still being impacted by flooding, waters are still slowly receding and only now are we able to begin to come to grips with the damage the water has left in its wake. In Far North Queensland, along the Cassowary Coast down to Townsville, the extent of the scars of Cyclone Yasi is becoming clear. Over 80 per cent of Queensland has been declared a natural disaster zone. If you put that in perspective, that is 61 of 73 local government areas.

The damage outside of Queensland has been equally widespread. Many Victorian towns have experienced the most significant floods in living memory. New South Wales has also been hit hard. I have seen firsthand the effects of flooding in areas in northern New South Wales, particularly on primary producers in the areas around the Tenterfield Shire Council, and understand the impact that flooding has caused for those communities, not only the damage to infrastructure—to bridges and roads—but also the loss to primary producers and in some parts their homes. South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania have also been impacted by floods and flash-flooding events. Western Australia, first hit by flooding in Carnarvon, is now experiencing bushfires in the south of the state. These fires are destroying homes, but they are not breaking communities.

The story in Far North Queensland, the Cassowary Coast, Hinchinbrook and Townsville, is one that has been seen in other parts of the state as the region moves from crisis response to the first steps on the road to recovery. The effects of Cyclone Yasi are still being dealt with by the state government and some people, even at this point, have not even had the chance to return to their properties to assess the clean-up work ahead of them. Australian Defence Force and emergency services personnel, together with many individuals and their communities, are now lending a hand in those regions to support the work ahead.

The images of flood and cyclones have gone around the world. I acknowledge the support, sympathy and offers of assistance extended to the flood victims from more than 45 governments and international organisations worldwide. Just to touch on some of the areas within my portfolio, the impact on the agricultural sector has been extensive. It has impacted on not only the agricultural sector but also the fishing and forestry sectors. In mid-December 2010, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences estimated that the heavy rainfalls and floods that had occurred up to that point had particularly affected our winter grain harvest. After ideal growing conditions in most parts of eastern Australia during the season, the untimely heavy rainfall at the early stage of the harvest led to a downgrading in the quality of wheat and barley crops. However, the rains and floods that followed over Christmas and the New Year were more widespread and damaging than could have been anticipated, and last week we saw banana and sugar production damaged by Cyclone Yasi.

ABARES has estimated flooding in eastern Australia is likely to have reduced the 2010-11 agricultural production by at least $500 to $600 million, including impacts on the production of fruit and vegetables, cotton, grains and sorghum, and has presented some further challenges for the winter crops. Livestock production has also been affected through impaired transport infrastructure corridors, causing impacts on the movement and processing of livestock. I have had an opportunity to meet with key livestock production facilities in the state’s south-east—particularly in the Lockyer Valley region—about these issues and the challenges they have to ensure that they continue to have open and clear supply lines to markets. This summer will now be remembered for unfavourable reasons. Every Australian can directly support local farmers and primary producers by buying fresh Australian produce. Even with external blemishes, Australian fruit and vegetables are still healthy, high-quality products that the community should support.

Turning to the road ahead, it will take time to rebuild lives, homes, businesses and communities. It will not be an easy process. Many areas of the country have already started the mammoth task of cleaning up and rebuilding. Other areas such as within Victoria are still in crisis response mode. Of course, rebuilding requires hard work and goodwill and this involves all levels of government, business, communities and individuals working together. The Australian government is working closely with the flood affected states in the recovery task. In terms of the immediate crisis response and assistance, the Commonwealth has had available a range of support mechanisms that have continued to be supported by both this government and previous governments—the Australian government disaster recovery payment, the disaster income recovery subsidy and the national disaster relief and recovery arrangements funding, the personal hardship and distress assistance and assistance for the replacement of essential public infrastructure. The Commonwealth government is working with the Queensland government and local councils to ensure that the communities that have been devastated by the floods can get back on their feet as quickly as they are able to. However, it will take a while for the rebuilding effort to be finalised.

In conclusion, I am humbled by the role I have been appointed to play in this process. The Commonwealth will stand together with Australian communities as rebuilding of the states occurs. As minister, I will continue to work closely with all governments and communities to see these areas rebuilt and supported in their recovery. As a Queenslander, I can do no less. I pay my respects and commend this motion to the Senate.