Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the condolence motion before the Senate today. This summer, as we cast our eyes over the front page of the newspaper, turned on the television or switched on the radio, we were confronted with devastating scenes of the full force of natural disasters in Australia and the devastation left in their wake. Floods and cyclones in Queensland, floods in South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania and, in the past few days, bushfires in Western Australia. Today I join with my colleagues in offering my condolences to all those people affected by these disasters. To the people of Queensland who lost loved family members—children, life partners, parents and siblings—I know there are no words that will ease the pain. Thousands of people are now without a home and many more have major damage to their homes. They have lost treasured personal belongings that cannot be replaced, including much loved family pets. Facing this reality, too, are the 68 families who have lost their homes to the devastating fires that have been raging through the Perth hills area in Western Australia over the past few days. I join with my colleagues in the Senate in saying that our thoughts are with you at this time of great loss and sadness.

I acknowledge the very valuable role of our national broadcaster, particularly ABC radio, and the commitment of ABC journalists, camera crews and production staff in alerting and informing people of the dangers in regions caught in or under threat of cyclones, floods and fire. Today we pay tribute to the very valuable contribution of emergency services personnel, police, medical practitioners, defence personnel, local councillors and volunteers. Your contribution is gratefully acknowledged and it will be remembered.

Also remembered is the second anniversary yesterday of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria that resulted in the loss of 173 lives and seriously injured more than 800 people, forever changing the lives of their families. Next week is the anniversary of the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 that caused widespread destruction across my home state of South Australia, where 28 lives were lost, and Victoria, where 47 people died. The devastation and the loss are great. In closing, I extend my heartfelt sympathy to all in Queensland affected by the floods and cyclones and to those in other parts of Australia affected by natural disaster, recent and past.