David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

May I adopt and support all of the words of support and sympathy from all senators on this motion about the devastation of this summer’s natural disasters, particularly the words of those senators from Queensland, who in the recess over the Christmas period, in December and January, have been through so much; a nightmare. I also support particularly the words of my colleagues from Western Australia Senator Eggleston, Senator Back and Senator Cash. I personally extend my sympathy and support to all of the flood victims, particularly those around Brisbane and in the South-East Queensland region. The nightly sights on my television have been absolutely horrendous and I do not know how those people have got through this as they have. I also want to acknowledge the people of northern New South Wales and Victoria. They have also been the victims of Australia’s weather. Lastly I acknowledge the more recent victims of Cyclone Yasi, in North Queensland.

I now turn to my home state of Western Australia to talk about the floods on the Gascoyne River at Carnarvon and in the Gascoyne region generally. In mid- to late December of 2010, heavy rainfall from a monsoonal low caused major flooding of the Gascoyne River. This river is approximately 100 to 200 metres wide at most points extending out almost 1,000 kilometres into the hinterland of Western Australia. The flooding was around the town of Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth. The flood was unprecedented in its level, being 7.79 metres. The previous highest flood occurred in 1960-61, measured at 7.62 metres. The flood caused severe damage to a considerable number of plantations, small businesses and residences in Carnarvon and caused devastating damage to the small town of Gascoyne Junction, 170 kilometres east of Carnarvon, and many pastoral stations along the Gascoyne River. Some 105 pastoral stations and 19 remote Indigenous communities were very severely affected, and inestimable stock losses were reported right across the region. This region is almost larger than the state of Victoria.

Other consequences included Carnarvon being completely isolated by road. The Gascoyne River bridge was closed, isolating the people on the north bank of the river. South River Road and the East Carnarvon road were flooded and the North West Coastal Highway was closed. So all of the towns virtually from Shark Bay through to Karratha were isolated. A natural disaster was declared, covering five shires, and a major emergency relief effort was activated by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia. Arising from this, many state and local government agencies became immediately involved in an extensive relief effort. Actions taken included approximately 150 people being relocated to temporary accommodation at a relocation centre established at the Carnarvon Civic Centre, in the centre of Carnarvon, as we have heard from Senator Cash. The Department for Child Protection managed the centre. Emergency Services officers travelled to Gascoyne Junction to verify the needs of community members there. Approximately 20 requested to be located to Carnarvon, and DCP assisted with that request. Approximately 20 others chose to remain.

The State Isolated Communities Freight Subsidy Emergency Management Plan was activated by FESA. The plan ensures that disaster victims are not subjected to increased freight costs arising from a disaster. Bear in mind that goods coming in from the East had to do almost 1,000 kilometres more to get into these communities. Flights were arranged to deliver essential food, water and other supplies to Carnarvon. Two helicopters in the region assisted with welfare and supply work. FESA’s volunteers and the Carnarvon Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service assisted in unloading and distributing food and water pallets. FESA contacted isolated communities and stations to determine their needs and distributed essential items to them accordingly. Resupply of essential items was maintained until road delivery services were established. This took some weeks. Managed egress for civilian traffic was continually assessed to ensure access to roads as soon as possible. Additional seats on flights in and out of Carnarvon were made available by Skywest. Skywest reconfigured its cargo flights to allow passengers to be transported back to Perth.

Further heavy rainfall in the Gascoyne catchment occurred in the first week of January, and a second flood, of 6.5 metres, occurred. Damage on this occasion was not extensive, but roads had to be closed and major delays occurred in repairing major infrastructure such as the roads. Since 1960, levee banks have been built around the town of Carnarvon, despite a normally dry Gascoyne River. I should say that, for many years in a row, the Gascoyne River is simply a dry river bed. But increased development and agricultural land use have occurred around the flood plain adjacent to the river. The Gascoyne region is located in the north-west of Western Australia, as I have said. The resident population is 9,865 people. It is concentrated in the key centres of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Denham and Gascoyne Junction. According to the Department of Local Government and Regional Development, gross regional product in the Gascoyne is about $638 million, representing a 0.4 per cent share of the state’s economy. Key industries are agriculture, fishing, mining and tourism. Carnarvon itself has a population of 6,200 persons and supports three main industries: mining, including the salt mine near Lake Macleod operated by Rio Tinto Dampier Salt, which is the town’s largest employer; agriculture, particularly horticulture as well as livestock on nearby pastoral stations; and fishing, particularly in the close-by prawn fishing grounds.

Carnarvon’s agricultural industry relies heavily on the Gascoyne River. The Carnarvon horticultural district is situated on the fertile delta of the Gascoyne River, which provides irrigation for much of the region. Most crops are typically grown on microdrip irrigation using water from below-ground aquifers in the river. The dry subtropical climate, fertile soils and irrigation techniques used mean that the region is able to produce a wide range of temperate, tropical and subtropical produce across all seasons. The majority of activity is carried out on 170 plantations covering an area of approximately 1,500 hectares. The industry supports significant seasonal employment, often for itinerant workers in harvesting periods. In 2009-10 the gross value of agriculture produced for Carnarvon was $75 million during the year. The most significant crops in volume are bananas, tomatoes, table grapes, capsicums and mangoes.

The pastoral industry is also an important contributor to economic activity in the broader Gascoyne region. There are 80 pastoral stations in the region occupying an average lease size of around 125,600 hectares. The majority of livestock disposals from the Gascoyne area are sheep, cattle and fat lambs. The total value of pastoral industry production in the Gascoyne region in 2007-08 was $22 million, and $6 million for wool. The floods have resulted in extensive losses to horticultural produce, livestock, farm equipment, soil, local infrastructure and private dwellings and businesses. Almost all 170 plantations have suffered severe flood damage.

The state’s Department of Agriculture and Food does not currently have an official estimate of the impact of the floods on agricultural production; however, one estimate from growers suggests that horticultural production is damaged to the extent of about $60 million. Estimates provided by Main Roads Western Australia say the cost of repairing the 220 kilometre stretch of the North West Coastal Highway is approximately $15 million, with the cost of repairing other roads in the region being a further $15 million. Other losses and repairs have not yet been quantified, but they are extensive.

A national framework known as the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements specifies the level and types of assistance provided by state and federal governments to victims of natural disasters. Flood victims at Carnarvon are receiving the same assistance under this arrangement as flood victims in Queensland and Victoria, and, at the time of preparing this information, more than flood victims in New South Wales, where no moves have been made to access these funds. Assistance under the Australian Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements provides up to $5,000 for electrical inspections and repairs, up to $10,000 to replace white goods, floor coverings and other household and businesses effects and up to $25,000 for primary producers and small businesses for clean-up and recovery costs. The cost of making these payments is equally shared by the Western Australian and Commonwealth governments. In addition, the WA government has implemented and funded a program to provide plantation owners with topsoil to enable them to resume production as soon as possible, and I want to thank Mr Mark Lewis of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Food for assisting in the provision of that scheme. The Commonwealth has made immediate payments to affected citizens of $1,000 per adult and $400 per child.

Donations to the Perth lord mayor’s relief fund for the Gascoyne River flood have now reached $1.3 million, in addition to $100,000 contributed by the government of Western Australia. Major donations have included $100,000 from Rio Tinto Dampier Salt, $50,000 from Santos, $50,000 from IGA, $20,000 from the City of Perth, $10,000 from Apache Energy and $10,000 from the Commonwealth Bank. These funds will be distributed to Carnarvon and Gascoyne victims based on local advice and decisions.

WA government agencies and the local shires, I am told, will continue to work closely together to assist flood victims, but the relief available will not come close to covering the losses of those most severely affected, be they in Western Australia or in Queensland.

Most of the business owners who were most seriously affected have commenced the slow and expensive process of returning their operations to production and viability. Most do not have flood insurance as this is unavailable to almost anyone whose business or house is located outside the levee banks in Carnarvon, so many will suffer enormous financial loss arising from the loss of their crops, loss or damage to equipment and plant and delays in restoring their businesses to production. For some, including several plantation owners and the owners of the Gascoyne Junction hotel and store, their businesses are beyond physical and economic restoration.

I will now turn to what has recently happened in the last few days as a result of more than 85-kilometre per hour winds sweeping down from the Darling Range through the outer eastern suburbs of Perth. A total of 68 houses were lost at Kelmscott and Roleystone, in the City of Armadale, with 32 seriously damaged in an out-of-control bushfire. It is still extremely dangerous for many people to return to those houses. This is a very serious disaster for people living in those suburbs in Perth. It was declared a state natural disaster. Eight hundred hectares were damaged in this particular fire, 12 people were hospitalised with smoke inhalation and one firefighter is in hospital after being hit by a fire truck; but, thankfully, nobody has died, to the best of my most recent advice.

We will be able to claim Western Australian Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements and immediate access to funding for families through the Department for Child Protection, giving up to $3,000 to those who have lost their homes and $1,000 for damage. A total of 1,600 people who were subjected to this fire are without power. The state of Victoria provided two type 1 helicopters with 21 Country Fire Authority officers to assist in the management of that particular fire, and I am very thankful to them. The Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund has been set up to take donations for those who have been affected by the fire and, as you can imagine, with 68 houses completely destroyed a lot of people are finding it difficult to find somewhere to stay.

Let me come back to that fire: it is approximately 40 kilometres south of the Red Hill, Brigadoon, Baskerville, Millendon, and Herne Hill fire, which is to the north-east of Perth, requiring 100 people to be evacuated. Two sheds, a water tank and fencing were destroyed over an area of approximately 1,170 hectares. That fire was apparently started by a tree branch falling on electrical infrastructure in the very windy conditions that we all confronted over the past few days. That fire required 100 firefighters to deal with it.

There has been some outstanding work done by our firefighters. I know the Albany firefighters travelled up from Albany to fight the fire at very short notice. Other firefighters from right around Western Australia have been called on to deal with these completely out-of-control and very serious bushfires. I compliment the police. They have had the unhappy task of evacuating people, leaving animals, leaving vehicles, leaving houses to be destroyed by what is, as I have said, a very serious fire. I want to compliment the FESA officials for the way they have dealt with this tragedy. They have had some very unsavoury tasks to perform. The councils involved, local authorities, have done a remarkable job.

I want to also mention Don Randall. It is in his electorate that we have lost the 68 houses. He is obviously not in parliament today; he is assisting with other people, including the local state member, Tony Simpson, helping people to access what funds they can, seeking to provide them with assistance and helping them in any way he can. I lastly want to say that the Victorian Country Fire Authority provided those two helicopters. I thank them most sincerely.

This has been a very serious tragedy for Perth in terms of these out-of-control fires. I am very thankful that nobody has lost their life. There is enormous upset and tragedy for these people who have lost their possessions, in many respects all they ever owned, because they were given very limited knowledge and warning about this fire as it swept down the escarpment on the Darling Range. I am amazed that we have not lost any lives.

I support this motion. It has been a most difficult two months right around Australia with these weather events.