Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is difficult to get up here tonight and talk of the tragedy that has befallen Victoria. The immensity of human loss leaves us shocked and deeply saddened. That shock and sadness at the unfolding tragedy in Victoria has been felt across the Australian community, yet it is truly heartening to hear that the public response was heartfelt and immediate. Reflecting the organic and genuine nature of the public support for those effected so terribly by the ongoing tragedy, Australians have immediately rallied behind those directly affected. From the outset, we have all recognised that this tragedy is a tragedy for our entire community, our entire country. So far, we understand that over 170 people have died, hundreds of homes have been destroyed and 25 fires still remain out of control. When the scale of a disaster like this dawns upon us, it brings into stark focus the harsh realities of the landscape in which we live.

In 1851 Victoria experienced its first taste of the terrible potential bushfires had in Australia’s south-east. Then, with 12 dead and over five million hectares burned, the cycle of drought and fire that we have seen culminate over the course of the weekend was made brutally clear to the early Victorians. It is therefore understandable that early Australians had trouble appreciating the beauty of the Australian countryside. The hot and dry climate to which they were exposed witnessed frequent droughts and frequent fires. Thankfully, as Australia matured as a nation, the beauty of the continent became more apparent to those generations that followed. We now have a deep and genuine affection for the land on which we live. Yet our collective history has been marked by the fierce potential that underscores our continent’s beauty. The events of the weekend make this terribly clear.

This morning I was in touch with the Victorian Ambulance Union. I know what a close-knit community the ambos are, and I wanted to inquire into the welfare of those out there working beyond the call of duty for our community. I was given a snapshot of the personal sacrifice and commitment that members of our community have made and continue to make as we speak. I was told of the example of Andrew. His story is just one example amongst many thousands, but it is the kind of act of bravery that has marked our community’s collective response to this terrible tragedy. At any other time Andrew’s story would be remarkable, but over the last few days I have been grateful to hear that Andrew’s story is not the exception to the rule but has been repeated in various forms throughout our Victoria.

Andrew is a long-serving ambo, he is a family man, he lives in Marysville and he is an upstanding member of his community. He has asked me not to mention his last name. He does not want any personal attention. As he made clear, he was ‘just part of a team’—a typical Australian attitude. A warning from the Country Fire Authority meant that Andrew was able to begin the evacuation of his family in time to be ahead of the fire front as it sped towards Marysville. While on the way to the evacuation point, Andrew stopped to help a woman who was trapped after a tree had fallen on the roof of her car. He sent his wife and children on ahead to the safety of the evacuation point and waited for assistance without transport of his own. Soon, a Rural Ambulance vehicle turned up and together the ambos rushed the lady to Buxton. Halfway there, the lady was transferred to another emergency vehicle and, as a result, was safely on her way to medical treatment.

Andrew, now with only the ambulance as transport, went back to join his family while the other Ambulance Community Officers, with transport of their own, did the same. Knowing that there were a lot of children and elderly at the Marysville evacuation point, Andrew knew that he could be of some assistance. After helping in the evacuation of others to the relative safety of Alexandra and with his family safely on the way, he took the ambulance and followed on. When they reached Alexandra, Andrew was joined by another ambo. It became apparent to both of them that the Rural Ambulance and the local hospital were both straining under pressure of the crisis. With this in mind, the two ambos then spent the night providing assistance to the wounded evacuees. These two professionals were primarily concerned with doing what they could to avoid overburdening the local hospital and making sure that those around them were safe.

Andrew’s story is one of selfless bravery, but what impressed me so much about Andrew was that he, like the thousands of others that contributed all that they could, was at pains to highlight the contribution of others. When retelling his story, Andrew’s primary concern was that I not talk simply of his deeds. He said that his work throughout the night at Alexandra was again ‘just part of team’. Andrew strongly commended the local station officer for his leadership. He noted how the other professionals and volunteers focused their entire efforts totally on the safety of others. But, above all, Andrew noted the contribution of the community in Alexandra. He said: ‘We were treated like royalty by the local community. They fed us. They clothed us. They washed us. They bent over backwards for us.’ Throughout this crisis, it has been Victoria’s communities that have shone.

Andrew is a part of this community and his acts symbolise what we as a community have the potential to achieve. Like many of those around him, Andrew’s home was destroyed by the fire while he was out helping to save the lives of others. Yet Andrew was very grateful that, unlike a shocking number of the others from his community, his family escaped alive. Tonight they will sleep safely at his parents’ house. Without the efforts of the thousands of Victorians like Andrew, the shocking number of lives lost so far could have been so much greater.

It is therefore with a great sense of pride that I note that the response of the government has been swift and has been totally supported by all sides of politics. Centrelink family liaison officers will be made available in relief centres in Victoria to provide counselling services. Social workers will be deployed in consultation with the Victorian Department of Human Services. The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment will be made available to those people adversely affected by the fires. It is $1,000 for eligible adults and an extra $400 per child. This payment will be made to those seriously injured and hospitalised, as well as to those who have lost their homes or whose principal place of residence has been destroyed or seriously damaged as a direct result of the bushfires. The payment will also be available to an immediate family member of those who, sadly, have lost their lives. We will provide funeral assistance for the immediate family of a person who has lost their life as a result of the fires. This assistance will be up to $5,000.

The Commonwealth Government Disaster Response Plan has been activated. Under COMDISPLAN, authorisation has been provided to deploy Army bulldozers and support crews to help fire protection efforts near Yea in north-east Victoria. The Defence Force personnel will help build containment lines surrounding the town, which is being seriously threatened with fire. Under COMDISPLAN, the Australian government is also providing hundreds of portable beds and mattresses to relief centres in the Baw Baw shire in West Gippsland. This is to provide emergency workers with facilities to get sufficient rest to continue their tireless and brave work.

The federal and Victorian governments are working closely together to ensure that the people and emergency workers in Victoria have all the support they require during this difficult time. Again, I note the bipartisan support of all parties in allowing us to move so quickly. Assistance will also be provided by the Australian government under the longstanding Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements. These include a range of assistance measures including partial reimbursement to the Victorian government to provide assistance such as grants for food, clothing, accommodation, emergency housing repairs and expenditure on public infrastructure restoration. The government has agreed with the Victorian government to establish the $10 million Community Recovery Fund to assist the recovery effort in affected communities. The Community Recovery Fund will cover immediate costs of clean-up and the removal of debris. It will also cover the restoration of community infrastructure damaged or destroyed in the fires, above and beyond the replacement of essential public assets.

The Australian Red Cross is accepting blood donations, especially to help burns victims. We understand that the response of the community has been incredible, but we must remember that the need is ongoing. In the midst of this immense tragedy we have seen the best our communities have to offer. Now it is our collective responsibility as a national community to do our best to help them rebuild their lives—a task that will be with us for years to come.

Judith Troeth (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to comment on the terrible tragedy that has hit Victoria, my home state, in the last few days. I would like people to imagine themselves in Victoria on Saturday, when it had reached 40 degrees by noon. At 3 pm I went outside my house and realised that the sun was hotter on my skin than I had ever known it. The wind was swirling in strong gusts. If it swirled in suburban Melbourne, I can only begin to think what it was like in country areas.

To me, it brought back memories of Ash Wednesday in 1983, when I lived in south-west Victoria near the South Australian border. I was teaching in Portland and the school was shut when the temperature reached 41 degrees. I travelled the Henty Highway to Haywood. The west wind was so strong that it moved the vehicle continually from the left-hand side of the road to the right-hand side. I collected my two youngest sons from primary school and took them home to the farm and we sat inside with the pets and waited. We were between the Warrnambool fires and the Mount Gambier fires. The air was smoky and the sun was a huge yellow orb in the west.

Fortunately, both of those fires were contained but not after terrible loss of human life—a tragic loss of 47 lives in Victoria and more in South Australia, where they took an equally terrible toll. Those fires came at the end of a very long drought period. All the vegetation on our farm was timber dry. The combination of great heat, strong winds and fuel to feed the fire proved lethal. That day is remembered as Ash Wednesday. Such a combination was also present last Saturday, 7 February. And the combination proved lethal as well, but with a much higher death rate, which, at last count, stands at 181 people.

We should remember that as Victorians we live in one of the world’s most hazardous bushfire zones and since the early days of European settlement Victoria has suffered regular and devastating fires. In February 1851—no doubt at the end of a long dry spell—Victoria endured Black Thursday. As detailed by Geoffrey Blainey in the Melbourne Herald Sun yesterday, bushfires were recorded regularly after the turn of the century—in 1919, 1926, 1932, 1939 and 1944. More than 70 Victorians died on Black Friday in 1939.

This summer has been no different, with a long period of extreme dry weather and searing temperatures. But the difference in 2008 was that the areas of Kinglake and Marysville, to name two of the towns that have been so badly affected, are more closely settled, with larger populations because of people seeking to escape the pressures of urban life in Melbourne. Both areas are also densely forested.

Perhaps I should mention the particular charms of Marysville, which has always held a certain magic for Victorians. It was established as a stopping point on the way to the Woods Point goldfields, with the post office established in 1865. With a permanent population of 519 people, the primary industry by far is tourism. There were numerous cafes, art galleries, restaurants and craft shops. Both the Cumberland and Maryland guesthouses, which were recently converted to modern day spas—were well known to generations of Victorians and favourite honeymoon destinations. The town was a base for the skiing industry, with the population doubling or tripling during winter as tourists visited Lake Mountain. Other natural attractions included bushwalks and Stevenson’s Falls, one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls. It is a scenic and peaceful place—or was—very close to Melbourne.

Many of the residents interviewed in the last few days have said that they will rebuild, and I do not doubt their passion and determination to do that. But one must ask: what will become of these towns with no economic driver to sustain them and with the process of rebuilding to take a very long time? Our hearts go out to the residents of Marysville, Kinglake and all the other towns so devastated by the fires. To have one’s life turned upside down by the loss of family, home and livelihood is something that is difficult to comprehend for outsiders. We can only try to offer help at every level to ease the pain while people rebuild their lives and their homes.

I also wish to acknowledge and applaud the heroic acts of all the agencies involved in the firefighting and the rehabilitation, such as the CFA volunteer firefighters in those brigades, paramedics, doctors, nurses and all those citizens who fought so hard for so long to try to save people, homes and animals and who tried to conquer the forces of wind and fire which raged against them. Australians are renowned for mateship in times of disaster and this was such a time. To survivors and workers: we are all thinking of you and the will is there to assist you to rebuild in every sense of the word.