Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Queenslanders have had several tough months. For much of the summer we have been ravaged by nature’s fury. After the extended pain from years of drought, we have had to endure floods that have affected large areas of the state and, as recently as the last two weeks, have had to experience two cyclones—Anthony and the very catastrophic Yasi. While I imagine there are historical precedents for this succession of natural disasters, few of us in Queensland can easily recall when they might have been. But while we live in Queensland, and while we have confronted our own severe weather conditions, it is appropriate in this debate that we also acknowledge that other parts of the country have been suffering in recent weeks and in recent days. I extend my sympathy to my Victorian and New South Wales colleagues for the floods that have affected their states, and to my West Australian colleagues I extend my concern for the destructive bushfires that have so destroyed homes in and around Perth.

There is little doubt that in Brisbane the summer of 2011 will long be remembered for the catastrophic flood that inundated the city. But long before that occurred, other Queenslanders in places well removed from the capital had already had to face some of nature’s extremes. In places such as Emerald and Rockhampton, in the surrounding towns of Central Queensland and in the south, in the smaller communities such as Dalby, Chinchilla and, of course, in Senator Joyce’s own town of St George, the impacts from the floods were massive. In Theodore in Central Queensland and in Condamine further south, floodwaters reached record peaks and both towns had to be fully evacuated. In Condamine it happened twice. Across regional Queensland, houses were inundated, businesses destroyed and lives turned upside down by a massive body of water that just seemed to keep coming. Personal and commercial costs are massive and, like other parts of Queensland affected by the floods, these communities will take years to recover. If they are to do so confidently, they will need the support of all levels of government, not least federal government.

As the floods inundated the regions, the optimists amongst us dared to think that the worst of these disasters might be over. How wrong we were. Nature had more to give. On 10 January, an intense rain depression dumped massive amounts of rain in around the Darlings Downs, just west of Toowoomba, again with catastrophic consequences. The rain created what locals called an ‘inland tsunami’. In a very short time an unbelievable torrent of water cascaded through the city overflowing the watercourses and coursing through its usually quiet and picturesque streets. The city was ravaged. And just as quickly as it had risen, it was gone, leaving two people dead and Toowoomba itself severely battered and bruised. After that, the waters washed down the Dividing Range to wreak havoc on the small communities of the Lockyer Valley—Murphy’s Creek, Withcott, Helidon and Grantham, among others.

This condolence motion allows us to remember in particular the 22 people who lost their lives in this epic national and natural tragedy. It also allows us to recall that, even now, seven people are missing, feared lost. The floods did not discriminate. Those who died were young and old, workers and retirees, mothers and fathers, and sons and daughters. As accounts of the ways they lost their lives emerged, it was clear that almost all were caught off guard. They had little notice of the peril they faced. So quickly did the water rise, and with such speed and ferocity, that many had little time to escape and little chance to prepare. As tragic as this is, there can be little doubt that the death toll would have been a great deal higher had ordinary men and women not displayed extraordinary reserves of courage and bravery in their efforts to save others.

Having visited many of these communities, almost everyone has a story of survival and many acknowledge that they have been lucky. It is important here to acknowledge the heroic efforts of Queensland’s emergency services, the pilots of the helicopter rescue services such as the RACQ, the Army Black Hawks that responded so quickly to calls for help, and even the helicopter of the Seven Network organisation. Some of these rescues—out of trees, off roofs, from sinking cars, in the rain and all, increasingly, in the dark—were truly the stuff of which legends are deservedly made. These communities owe an enormous debt of gratitude to those who risked so much to save others. Many of the rescuers say that they were just doing their job, but in many cases it was a great deal more than that. They took enormous risks to save others. In most cases the people were complete strangers. In due course, I hope they will receive appropriate recognition.

After the trauma, havoc and tragedy of these events in the Lockyer Valley, the summer drama moved downstream as the floodwaters inundated Ipswich and, of course, Brisbane. There is now a debate as to whether the flooding in Brisbane might have been mitigated by a more appropriate management of the flood mitigation program through the Wivenhoe Dam. In due course, the Premier’s commission of inquiry will determine the facts. I welcome the inquiry, although I feel considerable regret that the Premier did not strive for a better political balance in selecting the members of the inquiry panel. It would have been a far wiser response to the trauma the community has experienced.

Whatever the findings of the inquiry, there are some things we already know or can safely and accurately speculate about. We know that the costs of this summer flooding and now the cyclone have been extraordinary, not only to individuals but to Queensland and the nation. As I said, 22 people died in the January floods but, since the flooding began in November, 35 people have actually lost their lives. At its peak in Queensland, riverine flooding covered 500,000 square kilometres—the combined area of France and Germany. Across the state, 200,000 people were directly affected by the floods, 260,000 households in South-East Queensland lost power and more than 4,000 people were in evacuation centres. In Brisbane, 11,900 homes and 2,500 businesses were submerged and another 14,000 houses and 2,500 businesses were partially covered by water.

Economic loss to Queensland is expected to be around $2 billion across the mining, agriculture, retail, tourism, rail and road transport industries. A further $2 billion of agricultural produce has been destroyed—wheat, cotton, citrus fruit, vegetables and sugar cane. Coal export losses alone are estimated at $480 million per week. Once again, the people of North Queensland have had to endure a devastating national tragedy—Cardwell, Tully, Mission Beach and Ingham are amongst the most severely affected communities. The impact on agriculture across the north has been widespread—the banana industry, the sugar industry, aquaculture and tourism have all been widely affected.

As we reflect on the massive costs to the community of this summer of extreme weather, some things are clear. I will remember forever the determination, the resolve and the calm stoicism in the way Queenslanders everywhere dealt with the traumas affecting their communities. Not surprisingly, some found the challenges too much. Who among us could say that they might not also have found it too much? Those who have been severely traumatised will need our support well into the future. As I went round the devastated communities, around the suburbs of Brisbane and around the Lockyer Valley at Grantham and Murphys Creek, I was struck by the resilience, good humour and determination of the people. People who had lost all seemed always to think that others had lost more. Despite everything, there was a grim optimism—an expectation that, notwithstanding everything that had happened, somehow everything would be okay. As senators, I believe we have a responsibility to see that that optimism is not disappointed.

Similarly, everyone who lived through this disaster could not help but be impressed by the extraordinary generosity of the community. There were the volunteers of the emergency services, the Queensland SES, the council workers, the community groups and we should not forget the members of the Australian Defence Force. But it would be a travesty if we did not acknowledge the massive contribution from those whose lives were only lightly touched by the floods and now the cyclone—all those who wanted to volunteer. Most people could not do enough for those who were amongst the most severely affected. Neighbours helped neighbours, but what was perhaps more remarkable was the willingness of thousands and thousands of strangers to come out and help, to respond to the distress of others just because they wanted to help.

No doubt many of us have stories of the way people were willing to assist. I recall turning up on Sunday, 16 January, at Sir Fred Schonell Drive in St Lucia, not far from where I live, to a scene of utter devastation. Rubbish which had been people’s lives was piled high on either side of the street. It was a continuous pile of indistinguishable items of junk. There I met Lauren from Wagga and her family. They had been on holidays in Noosa and, while there, had watched the events in Brisbane and decided they could not continue their holidays. They drove themselves down to Brisbane, they checked into the emergency centre in North Brisbane and they were bussed to St Lucia where they spent a day in the mud cleaning out the houses of people they did not know. There was also Marty Johnson, who lived in North Brisbane and was completely unaffected by the floods, but who decided that the best thing he could do was go down to the local Budget office and hire a tip truck. He spent the next four days ferrying junk and rubbish from affected suburbs to tips around Brisbane. These were truly remarkable examples of generosity and they were repeated right around the state. These are unselfish actions of which I think we can be immensely proud.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the strength of the leadership provided by our elected community officials across Queensland. Premier Bligh has been said to have had what might be called ‘a good flood’—in other words, to have been distinguished in the way in which she led the state. I confess that I am rather less enamoured of her performance which has, of course, been competent, but which has also been relentlessly partisan and political.

No less deserving of recognition have been the roles played by the representatives of local government across the state. Almost all have performed exceptionally and acted in the best interests of their communities. There are too many to recognise, but some deserve attention—the Central Highlands Regional Council, led by Peter Maguire; the Rockhampton Regional Council, led by Brad Carter; the Toowoomba Regional Council, led by Mayor Peter Taylor; the Western Downs Regional Council, with Ray Brown; the Ipswich City Council, with Paul Pisasale; and finally, of course, the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Campbell Newman. He without doubt lived up to his nickname of ‘Can-do’ Campbell. Councillor Newman and his council did much of the heavy lifting required to ensure that the impact of the floods in Brisbane was minimised and, after the floods had passed, that the city moved to a recovery plan as soon as possible.

We should also recognise the work of our parliamentary colleagues in the House of Representatives, Teresa Gambaro in the seat of Brisbane and Jane Prentice in Ryan among them. I especially want to mention Mr Scott Buchholz, the newly elected member for the new seat of Wright. Scott’s seat covers the Lockyer Valley, which bore the costly brunt of these terrifying storms and the floods that followed. As I have seen for myself, he performed magnificently, providing the kind of constant aid and support that a community has a right to expect of its members of parliament. Every one of these elected representatives offered distinguished examples of civic leadership.

We rightly mourn the excesses of nature. In the words of Dorothea Mackellar, we mourn the fury of the ‘flooding rains’ which can exact such a massive toll on our community. We especially mourn those who lost their lives so tragically and traumatically. The task we in this place now face is to do all we can to help rebuild the destroyed communities, to help them recover, as best they can, all they have lost. In doing so, we will help to renew and give promise for the future so that when the next floods and cyclones come, as surely they will, we will have learnt some lessons. In doing so, we will be as ready as we can be to face the natural challenges of living on a continent which, for all its beauty and indeed for all its grandeur, constantly tests those of us who choose to live here. I commend the motion to the Senate.