Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement on the bushfires that have ravaged New South Wales and Victoria this past weekend and on the impact of Cyclone Marcus on the Northern Territory.

Leave granted.

I thank the Senate. As Australians we know we live in a country whose landscape is unpredictable and where nature can bring us as much misery as it does joy. Sadly, this past weekend many of our fellow Australians have experienced that misery firsthand. Devastating bushfires have ravaged both Tathra on the South Coast of New South Wales and the Barwon South West district of Victoria. It is being reported that at least 88 homes have been destroyed, mainly in Tathra, but there remains the horrible prospect that there will be more, once we know the full scale of the disaster. Thankfully, there are no reports that lives have been lost, and I urge everyone in or near the bushfire areas to pay close attention to the advice of local authorities, to keep themselves as safe as possible.

Of course, our first concern is for the safety and needs of the people directly affected by these fires, especially those whose homes have been lost or damaged and the people who have been evacuated. The Australian government remains in contact with the New South Wales and Victorian governments and stands ready to provide any assistance requested to support these communities.

Australia's emergency services are the best in the world, and, on behalf of the local communities hit by these terrible fires and all Australians, I express my heartfelt thanks to all the emergency service workers and volunteers who worked so tirelessly over the weekend and continue to do so.

I also thank the men and women of the Australian Defence Force who are already providing clean-up assistance in the Northern Territory after Cyclone Marcus hit Darwin and the Territory on Saturday. Again, the Australian government stands ready to provide any further assistance requested to support these communities, and I'm sure all of the people of Australia join me in expressing our sorrow for those hardest hit by these natural disasters and our hope that those in the affected areas continue to be safe.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I thank Senator Cormann for his words and for the opportunity for the opposition to speak also today about terrible events that are, sadly, too familiar in this country. Perhaps few weekends more graphically illustrate that famous descriptor of Dorothea Mackellar's, of our land being one of beauty and terror and flood and fire. At one end of the country, we saw Cyclone Marcus, which swept through Darwin and the Kimberley; at the other end, terrible fires destroyed homes, farms and businesses in Victoria and at Tathra on the New South Wales South Coast.

It is good that there have been no deaths, only minor injuries, which, given the scale of these disasters, is extremely fortunate but also a tribute to the extraordinary skill and bravery of our emergency services workers and volunteers. Many homes and businesses stand today only because of their dedication and sacrifice, and we once again stand in their debt—the many thousands of people who consistently give up their time and risk their lives to help their fellow Australians at these times.

The damage from Cyclone Marcus is mostly confined to power damage and trees down. However, sadly, in the bushfire areas, it is a different story. In Tathra, more than 70 homes and businesses have been destroyed by a fire that came so quickly and with such force that many of those who fled had no time to do anything other than escape with their lives. It's a beautiful town, beloved as a holiday destination, and the damage and loss will be felt by many who have fond memories of time spent at the famous Tathra pub, on the wharf or just relaxing at the beach.

A short time before question time, I spoke to Mike Kelly, the local member for Eden-Monaro, who asked me to express three points in this contribution. Obviously, one is that there are many properties destroyed and damaged, and the assessment is still underway. He asked me to particularly pass on the thanks of the community to the very brave helicopter pilots who continued to engage in water bombing of the fire, in extremely difficult circumstances, as it approached the town. Finally, being a good fundraiser, he wanted me to make sure everybody knows there is a donation fund and to ask if we could please all contribute.

No less devastating, of course, are the losses in the south-western part of Victoria near Warrnambool, where at least 18 homes and businesses have been destroyed, along with a huge number of livestock, which will take a terrible toll on the farmers concerned.

In the face of this sort of loss and shock, we offer our words of comfort and our expressions of solidarity, but, of course, more is always needed. Government and communities are stepping forward in providing financial and emotional support. I thank my colleagues in New South Wales and Victoria for their quick response with financial and material aid and their pledges to ensure that the towns, farms and communities are not forgotten when these fires are out. Federal Labor stands ready to assist this government and the community in whatever way we can.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the Australian Greens, I would also like to express our sympathies for those people affected in the fires that have ravaged Tathra, Bega and south-west Victoria, along with people impacted by the cyclone that's recently hit Darwin.

The fires in south-west Victoria are in part of my home patch. This isn't far away from where my family live. Every time I pack up my bags and come to Canberra during summer, we know that there's a risk that I'm leaving my family in a situation that many of our neighbours are now facing. We've seen 18 homes destroyed around the towns of Terang, Garvoc, Camperdown and Gazette; 40,000 hectares burnt; a lot of livestock lost; and farmers who are now seriously suffering.

We heard this morning that in Tathra 70 homes and other buildings have been destroyed. Four people have been treated for smoke inhalation. We have seen a volunteer injured. And, by all accounts, we're extremely lucky that there have not been more casualties.

As we've heard, on the other side of the country, in the Top End, Cyclone Marcus has rolled through Darwin and, luckily, while the impact has resulted in schools being closed, some services being shut and electricity being lost, there are no major casualties as a result of that cyclone.

I want to commend all of those people in their local communities who have been affected by these disasters and who have rallied together to help each other. It's always, I think, interesting that when we're faced with adversity like this we see the best in people. We see people rallying together, helping their neighbours, ensuring that they're safe and, quite literally, giving them the shirt off their back. I want to pay tribute to the emergency service workers, many of whom are still working tirelessly to get fires under control, and those people in the Northern Territory who are cleaning up after Cyclone Marcus.

On behalf of the Australian Greens, once again, I'd like to express my sympathies to people who have lost property and people who have suffered hardship, including the farmers who have lost their livestock. We give thanks that, at this stage, we have not seen any serious casualties.

Derryn Hinch (Victoria, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I'd like to briefly add my tribute to the brave firefighters in south-west Victoria and in southern New South Wales, and to tell the people who have lost their homes and irreplaceable possessions that our thoughts are with them. Miraculously, as you've heard, in Victoria no lives were lost this time, but there are always losses in the animal world. Anybody in Victoria who has lived through Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday knows the power and the horror of bushfires. We don't and we won't forget the heroics and the community spirit in such dark times.

Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—To the families and communities who have been caught in the grip of this firestorm that has destroyed or damaged up to 88 homes and 42 sheds across two states, Australia is with you. If Victoria and New South Wales have proven one thing over the years, it is that your emergency service personnel in the fire brigades and Country Fire Authority have always put the safety of your communities first. I thank every one of you who have had sleepless nights defending life and property. Equally I say thank you for the preparation and training you all put in over your weekends to ensure the safety of your home states. To each of the farmers who have lost livestock, particularly around Cobden and Terang, I expect you to get every bit of help and assistance from my colleagues in this house to get back on your feet. My One Nation colleague, Senator Brian Burston, will be here for his New South Wales constituents, especially those in Tathra. It is not the first bushfire this country has had and it won't be the last. In this house we need to achieve agreement that those affected get our absolute support.

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On behalf of the Nationals I join with the Leader of the Government, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and leaders of other parties in this place to acknowledge the natural disasters currently impacting upon many parts of our country. The bushfires have devastated a number of communities and have resulted in the destruction of schools and property around Victoria as well as the New South Wales coast. We should reflect for a minute that these are very small communities. Almost no-one who lives in these communities is not known to everyone else, along with their houses and properties. These events have a huge impact on small communities. I take this opportunity to add my tribute to the remarkable fire crews of the CFA in Victoria and the fire crews who work round the clock in New South Wales.

As a senator for the Northern Territory I also acknowledge the impact Tropical Cyclone Marcus has had and continues to have on residents of Darwin, Palmerston, Coolalinga, Batchelor, Litchfield, the Tiwi Islands and a number of communities right across the Cobourg Peninsula. At its peak Tropical Cyclone Marcus was categorised as a category 2 system. The eye of the cyclone passed over the Darwin region, with winds in excess of 164 kilometres per hour, which caused power outages across Darwin and brought down trees, blocking roads. My latest advice is that Tropical Cyclone Marcus is now moving towards the north-west Kimberley. As you can imagine, the tropical cyclone has left behind a path of destruction in the Greater Darwin region. Hundreds—in fact, probably thousands—of trees have fallen, and many power lines have been downed. There have been widespread power outages. Power has now been restored to 11,000 customers, but 18,000 remain without power, including the majority of the schools in the Darwin area. I'm advised that around half of Darwin's traffic lights still remain out, so we urge caution on the roads. Until further notice I understand that there's some advice about boiling water, due to the damage to the water infrastructure.

I acknowledge the Australian Department of Defence has also provided some emergency clean-up assistance immediately. On behalf of the Northern Territory and Darwin, please pass on my thanks to those Defence personnel. It's a very difficult time. I urge all Territorians to be patient and calm as authorities coordinate the clean-up effort. I encourage everyone to give each other a hand. As Senator Di Natale has indicated, it is wonderful that, in the worst of circumstances, the best of people come out. I acknowledge and thank the Northern Territory police, fire, ambulance and other emergency service personnel, as well as all the volunteers that have come out of the woodwork, for their work at this difficult time. It is such a huge relief that we've experienced no loss of life as a result of any of these disasters so far. I implore everyone to heed the advice of the authorities, and apart from that, go to the ABC. People can keep up to date with the latest advice from the Northern Territory government, Emergency Management Victoria and Emergency New South Wales websites.