Senate debates
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Questions without Notice
New South Wales and Queensland Storms
2:57 pm
John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Payne. Will the minister inform the senate what arrangements are in place to help New South Wales communities affected by the recent East Coast storms and floods.
2:58 pm
Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Thank you for the question, Senator Williams, because the parts of New South Wales that were heavily impacted obviously are very familiar to both of us. Several weeks ago, between 20 and 23 April, a large part of the New South Wales coast, from Sydney to the Hunter area, was battered by the most intense East Coast low that we have seen since the storms of the Pasha Bulker in 2007. Severe flooding affected the Hunter Valley. It inundated homes. It isolated communities for days, and it actually claimed the lives of four people.
Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
On Wednesday 23 April my colleague the federal Minister for Justice and the New South Wales Minister for Police and Emergency Services announced a very comprehensive joint Commonwealth and state assistance program under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements. That assistance provided help for state agencies and local councils, for small businesses, for primary producers and for non-profit organisations, as well as immediate assistance to individuals.
Senator Cameron interjecting—
Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
On the Friday of that week it became increasingly clear that the extent of the damage was extraordinarily serious. The then Acting Prime Minister, Mr Truss, the Minister for Justice and I announced additional government assistance in the form of the disaster recovery payment and the disaster recovery allowance for those who were hardest hit in the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Central Coast and the mid-north coast regions. The Department of Human Services is responsible for administering both of those payments.
As at the close of business yesterday, we had granted 29,272 disaster recovery payment claims, which is a total of $36.9 million, as well as 253 disaster recovery allowance and equivalent ex gratia assistance claims. We have also taken over 39,660 phone calls in response to the New South Wales coast storms and flooding. (Time expired)
3:00 pm
John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister inform the Senate what the government has already done to help affected communities, particularly in the immediate aftermath of these storms and floods?
Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
The Department of Human Services was able to respond very quickly because we have a series of regular emergency responses in place. We actually had 25 of our own service centres in the affected areas closed by the effects of the weather, which had quite an extraordinary impact on business. Most of those centres endeavoured to reopen on the Friday, albeit with very large generators in place to assist them. They were opened by 27 April. We have also been working in the recovery centres at Dungog, Cessnock and Raymond Terrace.
Gillieston Heights was completely isolated and the SES very helpfully took six of our staff in a boat to a hill which was effectively surrounded by a moat to enable us to support the community there. I have enormous respect for the work that my departmental staff did and the work that those SES volunteers do to ensure that we can support the communities. (Time expired)
3:01 pm
John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I thank the minister—
Senator Cameron interjecting—
Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Senator Cameron, can you just be quiet for at least this final segment.
John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Mr President, could I ask that the clock be started again.
Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Yes, you can commence again, Senator Williams.
John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Can the minister advise the Senate how affected communities have responded to the support from the government?
3:02 pm
Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
On the Monday I went to Raymond Terrace, to Maitland and to Dungog where people were killed, where homes were completely destroyed and where the inundation was something like I had never seen before. The farmers had not been able to access roads to clear away dead and drowned stock, so cattle and horses were still across the roads and everywhere else. Water was still preventing movement of a great number of people. In Dungog, in particular, tragically, one gentleman had saved five friends in his apartment block and lost his best friend. He was supported, amazingly, by the local community, state authorities and the Department of Human Services as well. In Dungog, food banks and clothing banks were set up.
Senator Cameron interjecting—
He is all yours, Senator Wong! Later in the week, when I was able to visit both Wyong and Gosford with the members for Dobell and Robertson—and previously of course with the member for Paterson—I found that those communities were very grateful for the contribution of all of those— (Time expired)
Senator Cameron interjecting—
Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper and that Senator Cameron desist.