Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to join my colleagues in supporting this condolence motion on national disasters and to extend my deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones as a result of the Queensland floods. I also offer my condolences to those affected by the floods and the impact of tropical Cyclone Yasi. These two natural disasters, coupled with the recent bushfires in Western Australia, have dealt tragic and heavy blows to Australia but in particular to Queensland. Lives and livelihoods have been lost as the rebuilding effort continues there and it will be a sad and difficult time for those affected.

Australia has a long history of extremes—an ancient cycle. We are a land of droughts and fires and also floods which have brought tragedy and hardship to Queensland and to areas of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia this summer. As a nation we were shocked by the horrific scale of the devastation that the floods caused in Queensland. I visited Brisbane just after the floods and was very kindly taken around to see the devastation by Senator Furner. I saw for myself the extent of the impact of the floods in the city and the massive clean-up faced by many residents.

The floodwaters that had done the damage were gone but many homes and businesses were left ruined by the water and mud left behind. In fact, until you have experienced a flood yourself you do not realise just how much damage the mud left behind does. In some places that mud was at least a foot deep, and on occasions even more, and people were sweating over spades and shovels as they tried to shift it from streets, footpaths, driveways, gardens and homes. Those in the worst hit areas were still struggling to come to grips with what had happened. Huge piles of furniture, household goods and building materials were heaped up on vacant land along streets that a few days before had looked more like billabongs. In some places the scale of the wreckage brought by the water was overwhelming.

As Queensland and the nation band together to help repair that damage and rebuild those flood ravaged regions, it is important to remember that, while the damage is terrible and the rebuilding efforts significant, the biggest impact of these floods has been the loss of life. Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives—and Senator Boyce just read out the names of those people—as a result of the worst floods in Queensland’s history.

Last Thursday, just weeks after the tragedy in South-East Queensland, the state was again hit by natural disaster in the form of tropical Cyclone Yasi. In the early hours of last Thursday morning, communities in Far North Queensland were hit by winds of up to 300 kilometres an hour when a category 5 cyclone hit the Queensland coast. A number of communities—particularly in the Innisfail region—were severely damaged by the cyclone. Places that included Mission Beach, Innisfail, Silkwood, Tully and Cardwell were among the hardest hit. The Queensland government declared 19 local government areas across Far North Queensland to be natural disaster zones, including Cairns, Charters Towers, Croydon, Hinchinbrook, Mackay, Mount Isa, Palm Island, Tablelands, Townsville and Whitsunday. When we see the images of boats piled up, trees flattened and houses almost destroyed, it seems remarkable that the cyclone did not have a greater impact in terms of injury or loss of life. However, sadly, one young man died of asphyxiation shortly after the cyclone hit as a result of running a generator in an enclosed area.

The Commonwealth government is supporting the immediate and long-term recovery of communities across Far North Queensland, at the same time as helping Queensland recover from the worst floods in the state’s history. A $5.6 billion flood recovery package is being put together through the redirection of $2.8 billion in spending, deferral of infrastructure projects worth $1 billion and through a temporary levy that will apply to the 2011-12 financial year. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Attorney-General Robert McClelland last week announced Commonwealth government assistance for people affected by tropical Cyclone Yasi. Financial assistance will be provided under the natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements, the Australian government disaster recovery payment and the disaster income recovery subsidy.

These two natural disasters did not discriminate and hit individuals and businesses hard. A number of my parliamentary colleagues from Queensland, including my good friend Bernie Ripoll, were also caught out by the forces of nature and had to evacuate and close their offices during the worst stages of the floods and the cyclone. Queensland, under the strong leadership of Premier Anna Bligh, is united in its response to these disasters and Australians are behind it with donations and contributions to the rebuilding effort. I am sure the parliament will unanimously support this motion of condolence as we continue to pull together as a country to offer our sympathy and support to those affected by these natural disasters.