Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—As we gather today, all of us are very mindful of the efforts and sacrifice of thousands of brave Australians who are responding to the ongoing bushfires in north-east New South Wales and South-East Queensland.

Let me update the Senate on the situation to date as well as the broader response of the government to the fires and their aftermath. In New South Wales, fires continue to burn across large parts of north-east New South Wales. As of this morning, there are more than 65 fires burning. More than 1,300 firefighters and support personnel, along with 78 aircraft, have been battling these fires. Tragically, three people have lost their lives and dozens more have been injured, including firefighters. The Rural Fire Service estimates that 150 structures have been lost, including a large number of homes. Evacuation centres have been established. The Prime Minister met with some of the affected communities yesterday.

Whilst conditions have eased in New South Wales over the weekend, we can't draw any comfort from that. Fire weather conditions are expected to worsen tomorrow. A total fire ban is in place across entirety of the state. The Premier of New South Wales has declared a state of emergency across New South Wales. A catastrophic fire danger has been forecast for the greater Sydney and greater Hunter areas tomorrow. This is the first time such conditions have been forecast for Sydney since the new fire danger ratings were introduced a decade ago.

Fires are also continuing to burn in South-East Queensland. There are reports of property loss but no confirmation of numbers. The situation is ever changing, and a state of fire emergency has been declared across 42 local government areas. Dangerous fire weather conditions are expected to return on Wednesday for parts of South-East Queensland. I should note that we're also watching Western Australia with concern, where severe to extreme fire dangers are forecast today over southern and central fire weather areas.

The government is working very closely with our state and territory counterparts. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous national effort taking place, with interstate firefighters travelling from the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

The Director-General of Emergency Management Australia activated COMDISPLAN on 31 October. Firebombing aircraft have been in action against these fires, and the RAAF have transported firefighters from Canberra, Adelaide and Hobart to Port Macquarie.

In New South Wales, disaster recovery assistance is being provided under the jointly funded Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, and assistance is available for the mid-north coast bushfires and the northern New South Wales bushfires. The assistance available is extensive. The on-the-ground assistance is administered by the New South Wales government, with the disaster welfare assistance line available on 1800018444.

We're also providing additional financial assistance through the Australian government disaster recovery payment. This is a non-means-tested payment of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for children. It is available to those whose homes have been lost or directly damaged, who have been seriously injured or who have an immediate family member who has lost their life. The payment has been activated for the local government areas of Armidale, Clarence Valley, Glen Innes Severn, Kempsey, Mid-Coast, Nambucca, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Richmond Valley, Tenterfield and Walcha.

As well as the Australian government's disaster recovery allowance, there is a short-term income support payment to assist those who have experienced loss of income as a direct result of the bushfires. The allowance has been activated for the local government areas of Armidale, Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Glenn Innes Severn, Inverell, Kempsey, Mid-Coast, Nambucca, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Richmond Valley, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha. Both the disaster recovery payment and the disaster recovery loans are administered by the Department of Human Services, and anyone adversely impacted by the bushfires in New South Wales should contact the Department of Human Services on 1802266.

The government is also in close contact with Queensland authorities in relation to the activation of disaster assistance. Assistance through the jointly funded DRFA can be made immediately by the Queensland government to help people in need. As soon as there is a better understanding of the on-the-ground situation, the Australian government, with the state, will provide whatever assistance is needed to help affected communities with their recovery.

Australians can be confident that every part of the Australian government stands ready to assist with what is before us. All Commonwealth agencies have been activated and are prepared to assist state authorities and the communities. This is particularly so in the case of the Australian Defence Force, whose full resources will be available to assist where they can. I can report to the Senate that the Minister for Defence has directed and authorised all locally based commanders to provide immediate assistance wherever it is required in response to emerging circumstances.

These are difficult days for many communities. No matter where we sit in this chamber, we're all in awe of the professionalism, bravery and dedication of our emergency services workers and volunteers. They have inspired us all. They embody the best of us. On behalf of the government and, I'm sure, the Senate, I would also like to express our thanks to the employers who have emergency services volunteers in their ranks. Thank you for your understanding. We know you're short-staffed, but thank you for supporting your staff as they support our community.

It's vital, in coming days, that Australians follow the advice of the emergency services. Though heartbreaking, houses and gardens can be replaced, but family members can never be replaced—they just can't. Your safety is more important than any property or animal you might consider protecting. Please follow advice. Please be aware of your surroundings. Please take no chances. Whilst there are still difficult days ahead, we can draw strength from the way all our people are responding. As the Prime Minister has said, we are seeing Australians helping Australians. We can be proud of our people. And we're determined to do everything we can to help those same people get back on their feet.

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

On behalf of the Labor Party, I join Senator Cormann in expressing our condolences to those who have lost loved ones in these bushfires. I pay tribute to the emergency personnel, to the volunteers and to all those who have shown such courage in their efforts to protect our fellow Australians. I join Senator Cormann in urging all in affected areas to listen to warnings and to stay safe. As Mr Albanese made clear, both publicly and in his telephone call to the Prime Minister, Labor stands ready to work with the government and affected communities in any way we can assist.

As at a short time ago, up to 60 fires were burning in New South Wales and in excess of 45 in Queensland. An unfathomable 970,000 hectares have been burnt in New South Wales and a further 11,000 in central Queensland alone. Tragically, three of our fellow Australians have died. Many have been injured, including firefighters. Behind these numbers are our fellow Australians—Australians facing the most extreme, traumatic circumstances, Australians facing the loss of homes and, worse still, Australians facing the loss of loved ones. Again, I pause to express our sympathies to those whose loved ones have lost their lives and to wish a speedy and full recovery to all who have been injured.

In New South Wales 150 homes have been destroyed and in Queensland over a dozen. Most horrifyingly, it appears that the worst is yet to come, with deteriorating weather conditions predicted tomorrow. Western Australia and South Australia are also facing serious threats. It is a national tragedy and a national emergency. Right now, today, there are families grieving, communities in danger and courageous Australians fighting these fires. We're with them and ready to support them in any way we can in this crisis.

But I will say this: it is the responsible thing to do, when we are through this current crisis, to focus on what we have to do to keep Australians safe. When I was climate minister, scientists were already warning of longer and more intense fire seasons. Regrettably, these warnings have been proved correct. Individual weather events can't be directly linked, but trends can, and we need a plan to keep Australians safe by dealing with the risk of more extreme weather events.

But today we focus on the immediate crisis and those dealing with it: the rallying of emergency personnel and volunteers; people coming together to support one another; and the images we see on our televisions, the stories we hear on our radios and what we see on social media. At a time of trouble in the world what we have seen is in many ways the best of Australia: the way in which we can come together. So I say to all those who are impacted by and facing the threat of this crisis—to all of those confronting it—and I know I speak for all of us in this place: we stand with you.

Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the Australian Greens to speak about the bushfire and climate emergency that our nation is facing. We share the sentiments that have been expressed already by the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, and we too express our deepest sorrow and grief at the lives lost, the homes lost and the habitat lost from these catastrophic bushfires.

These are truly heartbreaking scenes. We are so grateful to the women and men putting their lives on the line to contain these unprecedented fires, and all the people supporting them right now; our volunteer firefighters, our professional firefighters and all of our emergency service personnel are heroes.

On the latest updates, tragically, three people have died and over 150 structures and homes have been lost. There are still 47 fires burning in my home state of Queensland and a state of emergency has been declared in 42-odd local government areas. There are at least 60 fires burning in New South Wales, and the Premier there has also declared a bushfire emergency. Indeed, New South Wales fire authorities have issued their first-ever catastrophic warning. What is unfolding is a direct threat to human lives, and we extend our deep gratitude to all of those working around the clock to keep people safe.

What is even more scary is the context in which these fires are happening. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service's Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has said that above-normal temperatures and below-average rainfall will continue to dominate the coming months. He said:

We have got the worst of our fire season still ahead of us. We're not even in summer yet.

It's truly terrifying to think that we haven't even entered the traditional bushfire season yet. Of course, our bushfire season is now fundamentally altered. Our bushfire season has extended to become almost an all-year-round threat. For the first time, fires are raging in both the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time. The days of Australian firefighters helping out in California in our winter and vice versa are likely to be over.

We cannot say we weren't informed that this was going to happen. In 2006 a report was handed to the Howard government by the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology that fire and extreme fire-rating days would increase significantly by 2020. We're already in that future. They told us that the fire season would extend and that the window for crucial prescribed burning would narrow. What Australian climate scientists predicted in 2006 has come to pass, and governments have had every opportunity to act and have failed.

The question for us is whether this parliament will continue to fail those communities. Australia's greenhouse gas pollution right now is the highest on record. The mining and burning of coal and methane emissions from gas extraction continue to rise. The complete lack of climate policy in this country is simply pouring fuel on these fires, making them more likely and more intense. We owe it to our communities to rapidly transition to a renewable energy economy and unlock the thousands of new jobs in those communities.

Thoughts and prayers are not enough to protect the Australian community from future megafires. We need science. We need action from government to rapidly drive down Australia's pollution and, in the process, create those tens of thousands of jobs across the country and keep our communities safe from drier, harsher conditions that are unfolding before our very eyes. This parliament should be doing everything within our power to minimise the risk of losing human life, property and habitat, and that means doing everything we can to stop a climate breakdown. If we in this parliament don't commit to doing this then we'll be back here delivering another statement on another tragic national disaster, with shorter and shorter gaps in between.

The Australian Greens do not want statements like this to become frequent and regular. We want to see communities right across the country be safe from harm, and we commit to continuing to work for just that.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Leader of The Nationals in the Senate, I stand with other political parties to put on the record our thanks to our volunteers. We've had devastating fires that have burnt across large parts of New South Wales and Queensland, claiming three lives, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones who are so tragically affected. More than 30 people have been injured, including 20 firefighters. Our volunteers and paid responders, all professionals, continue to put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe. In some cases they've lost their own homes whilst they're out protecting others from the fires—fires that are having a devastating impact on many communities, and the lion's share of these communities are represented by National Party MPs right across regional New South Wales and Queensland. They're out there now on the ground, doing what they can do to support their communities.

There are Kevin Hogan and Michelle Landry, George Christensen worried about Bowen, and our new Nationals member for Cowper, the Kempsey boy, Pat Conaghan—his community has been through so much in the past week, and it isn't over for them yet as they mourn the loss of life. David Gillespie in Taree is with his community, and Barnaby Joyce and his community are grappling with the loss of life and the devastating impact on the Glen Innes community, which was the former home of Senator Wacka Williams. Llew O'Brien up in Wide Bay is also heavily impacted in Queensland.

This week these MPs are able to be with their communities to do what they can for them, and it shows that, in the midst of such hell, we've seen the very best of regional Australia stand up and support and aid their neighbours and friends. I'm sure everyone in the Senate will join us in thanking them and appreciating their efforts—the Rotary clubs; the Lions clubs; and the local branches of CWA, the Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul and the Salvos are all providing what comfort they can.

It isn't just the human toll. Community infrastructure, telecommunications and power infrastructure, bridges, schools and volunteer fire stations have been destroyed. More than 1,300 firefighters and support personnel, along with 77 aircraft, have been battling these fires. Evacuation centres have been established and remain active to support fire affected communities. Our first concern is for the safety and needs of those directly affected. People need to stay alert as fire weather conditions are predicted to worsen again tomorrow and through the rest of the week. We're also watching WA with concern.

I urge everyone to stay aware of their surroundings and follow advice from local emergency management authorities. If you're asked to leave by our authorities, for your safety, leave. Our government has made assistance available as quickly as we can. Minister David Littleproud has already acted to provide assistance both to support the front line and to provide financial assistance to individuals and communities.

We'll continue to support to disaster affected communities and stand ready to provide further assistance as required, because it's the right thing to do and because we're part of these communities. We're experiencing the shock, horror and exhaustion of the fires with our communities and we're wishing everyone the very best over the coming week.