Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise today to discuss the final report from the Senate Select Committee on Australia's Disaster Resilience, which was tabled last week. First, I commend our chair, Senator Lambie, for her leadership, her passion and her commitment. It was a very well-led committee, so thank you, Senator Lambie. I will also start by thanking the secretariat. As Senator Davey said, this was a very complex and long inquiry that involved travelling to communities impacted by natural disaster rather than just talking to officials in capital cities. I also thank Ashleigh from my office for her passion and commitment in the preparation of the report and the inquiry.

It is very clear to me that we put a lot of time, effort, passion and money into disaster response, resilience and recovery, but I believe, after this committee, hearing the evidence and drawing on my own experience, that as Australians we're doing it all wrong. It is very, very clear to me that, instead of a top-down approach, we have to flip it around and start helping and supporting communities to become more resilient and able to be their own first responders. We have to start assisting them to do smarter things that they know need to be done but we don't listen to them on; we impose outcomes and responses on them. One of the most impactful hearings that we had was in the town of Fitzroy Crossing, which had just recently suffered from such catastrophic floods. It is no surprise that Western Australia, particularly the north-west, frequently faces the harsh impact of cyclones and persistent lows. This is nothing new, and it is something that is getting more severe and will keep happening.

My comments in relation to this report will focus on Western Australia. While I think there is much more to be done in Western Australia on a bipartisan basis, my comments are certainly not in any way reflecting on DFES. DFES does an extraordinary job in Western Australia, as do all of our emergency services—the ones who do it full time and those who are volunteers across our communities.

Having served as the minister for emergency management federally, I've had more than my fair share of witnessing the aftermath of floods, fires and cyclones and also the COVID-19 emergency. Overwhelmingly, as a former minister for defence and servicewomen myself, I was very impacted by the comments—not just in Fitzroy Crossing but, again, across the country—of people recounting their stories of when they heard a RAAF Hercules aircraft or they saw an Army vehicle drive in. They had tears in just recounting, 'I knew that things would be okay,' and inevitably they were. In Fitzroy Crossing, Mr Chuck Berger, the CEO of the Kimberley Development Commission, said:

… the ADF provided not only material support but also a reassuring presence. I will never forget iconic images of Fitzroy Crossing children watching, wide-eyed and full of excitement, the arrival of ADF Chinook helicopters.

The committee recommends that the Commonwealth enhance its engagement with local communities to leverage their knowledge for flood prevention and recovery through conducting community forums and consultations and incorporating traditional knowledge in flood management plans. It was very clear, in Fitzroy Crossing, that the local Aboriginal communities knew that this catastrophe was coming, but their comments and their pleas fell on deaf ears in Perth. Ms Sarah Parriman, the then deputy CEO of the Kimberley Land Council, said:

Aboriginal people should be listened to a little bit more. They know country. They know how the water moves—rainfall might cause flooding down there, but where is that going to go?

Again, that is something that we don't listen to nearly enough in terms of capturing local events.

Another issue that was of concern in Western Australia is the fact that, after natural disasters, the current Labor government doesn't do reviews. A great feature we noted when we went around to other states was just how quickly state governments, for example in Queensland and New South Wales, do reviews to capture lessons so that they can start implementing them for the next round of disasters. While it's not in the report, I would call on the Western Australia state government and the opposition to do more to capture the lessons and set up an organisation that is responsible not only for capturing the lessons but for coordinating responses.

In Fitzroy Crossing, some described feeling as if they were in a fishbowl in those first early days. With many officials travelling to the disaster impacted community, they felt that it was just to look at them and then move on. Vicki O'Donnell, the CEO of the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, said:

I appreciate that we have a State Government and I respect the government, but, gee whiz, we had every minister possible visit. Fitzroy Crossing had more ministers in five weeks than they have had in 50 years.

As Emily Carter, the CEO of the Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre, said:

Initially we had every Commonwealth and state government minister flying in here every second day saying, 'We feel for you; we know what you're going through, and we are in it for the long haul'—and then fly out again. We haven't seen or heard from them since.

There are overwhelming calls about the vulnerability of infrastructure in north-west Western Australia, especially critical roads, network and bridges. These concerns are well known and well documented but, as yet, unactioned. Single-lane bridges along national Highway 1, particularly in the north of Western Australia, are inadequate. All of these bridges must be reviewed and reinforced, because if one of those bridges goes out again, like in Fitzroy Crossing, the entire Highway 1 will be closed. The WA state Labor government have primary responsibility for identifying these risks and vulnerabilities. They have to do more, but so does the Commonwealth. Funding for the Tanami Road and the Outback Way must be expedited and reprioritised to improve connectivity and emergency response capability. Clare Smith, the CEO of the East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said:

If the Tanami Road had been sealed or at least made wet season proof we would have had secondary road access into the East Kimberley and the loss of the bridge wouldn't have affected us as severely as it has—

affected, as in they ran out of food and fuel and couldn't get medical attention.

Additionally, in WA, ports like Wyndham and Derby, essential for regional connectivity and emergency response, require changes to enhance their ability to receive food and emergency supplies in disaster situations. Similarly, airstrips need to be assessed and improved. In Fitzroy Crossing, guess where the airstrip was located? On a flood plain. So guess what happened when it flooded? The airstrip flooded and aircraft couldn't get in.

Michael McConachy, the managing director at Aviair and HeliSpirit, said:

The airstrip at Fitzroy Crossing partially went under water. When the ADF brought one of the Spartans in to land on it, it damaged the runway. They did three touch-and-goes and got sent away because the water table was so high. It restricted what we could fly in—

and also it restricted the evacuation procedures and options available.

Rebuilding is not enough. We must also focus on building back better once and for all, stronger and smarter, but doing it from the community up—talking to the community so that they can advise what is actually required. More robust communication networks are also essential during emergencies. Again, that was in evidence in Fitzroy Crossing. You don't put the power stations in the flood zone and you don't put the communication and telecom batteries on the flood plains or on a river plain, and they are exactly the sorts of things that had been done. Investment in technologies like portable satellite kits, mobile cell towers and hybrid power solutions—they can all significantly enhance local resilience, yet we're not doing it on a coordinated national basis.

Finally, I also want to mention that the National Emergency Management Stockpile is a great step forward, and I do commend the introduction of that. However, for Western Australia, as big as it is and as prone as it is to having its air, sea and land networks cut off—guess where Western Australia's stockpile is located? In Adelaide. So I would recommend strongly that we get one in Western Australia.