Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Hansard source

Obviously we concur with the thanks to the emergency service workers. Like Senator Reynolds, I have many friends who live in the area. It's an area of Perth where you have acreage that meets the outer suburban areas. In fact, a former staff member of mine, Rhys, was evacuated two nights ago at 2 am.

I want to acknowledge the huge kindness and generosity of the Perth community. There are all sorts of offers of help, as you can imagine. Being an area of acreage, there are prized horses and other livestock, which people all over the metro area are offering to agist. There are free meals being delivered. Just as we saw the Sikh community in the eastern states respond to the fire emergency, the Sikh community in Bennett Springs, a suburb that's likely to be threatened, are also out there working. That generosity, I'm sure, makes all of us as Western Australians very proud. I thank the minister for the response that the federal government has given.