Chris Ketter (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I rise to pay tribute to the resilience of Queenslanders, particularly those affected by Tropical Cyclone Marcia. On 20 February this year, Tropical Cyclone Marcia hit the central Queensland coast. Residents in the Fitzroy district local government areas of Banana, Central Highlands, Gladstone, Livingstone, Rockhampton and Woorabinda, and in the Wide Bay-Burnett district local government areas of Bundaberg, Cherbourg, Fraser Coast, Gympie, North Burnett and South Burnett were adversely affected by Tropical Cyclone Marcia.

Hundreds of homes were completely destroyed and 48,000 homes were left without power. On 8 March this year I took the opportunity to visit Rockhampton and Yeppoon as I was keen to speak with locals—to meet with them, hear their stories and offer my support following the devastation of Cyclone Marcia. Of course, Rockhampton and Yeppoon were among the most adversely affected by the cyclone.

First and foremost, I would like to praise the efforts of the emergency service personnel, local government authorities, recovery teams and community volunteers who have all done an amazing job in very difficult circumstances. I would like to sincerely thank them for their efforts and their tireless work. The police and emergency services did an excellent job in evacuating hundreds of people from low-lying parts of the coastline. I would also like to thank the Australian Defence Force for their assistance, as well as those who came from around the state to assist in the relief effort. I commend the Queensland government and Premier Annastacia Palazczuk on their swift response to the crisis.

Particular thanks go to new Keppel member of parliament Brittany Lauga, whose electorate covers some of the worst-hit areas including Yeppoon and North Rockhampton, for attending the community morning tea that we conducted in Yeppoon and the Community Pizza in the Park in Rockhampton earlier this month to listen to those affected by Marcia and its aftermath. Brittany has been instrumental in assisting the community in her area in the recovery after the cyclone.

I would also like to thank the Mayor of Livingston, Mr Bill Ludwig, and the Mayor of Rockhampton, Margaret Strelow, for coming out with me to chat with locals and for giving up their time on a Sunday to meet with people. It is extremely important that we take that opportunity to get people together. I was informed on the day that the morning tea and the lunch that we conducted were probably the first occasions that many of the people had to come together to share their experiences and talk about what they had been through with tropical cyclone Marcia. I would certainly like to take the opportunity to thank the local authorities for the fantastic job that they did in clearing up the debris.

Whilst visiting Rockhampton, I was struck by the stories of prolonged power loss, food loss, infrastructure damage and the destruction of 14 heritage listed trees from Bunya Pine Avenue at the entrance to the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens. I note that locals I spoke to expressed a desire for the repairs to be completed by local builders. I was overwhelmed by the community spirit that was in evidence in Rockhampton and Yeppoon. I particularly mention Mr Bevan Slattery, who donated 40 generators to the community and 128 phone-charging stations. People can well imagine how important it is to have your mobile phone charged at those important times. The generators were used by the elderly and those with severe health issues that rely on electricity.

The courage of Queenslanders never ceases to amaze me. I saw the resilience of the people and the community at this very difficult time. In closing, I think that the media has a great responsibility to get the message out that all the towns affected are open for business and people should come and see them, particularly the worst affected areas of Yeppoon and Rockhampton.