Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Emergency Management, Senator Watt. Can the minister please update the Senate on recent rain and subsequent flooding recorded in central and northern New South Wales and in the Gold Coast hinterland?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I thank Senator Sheldon publicly for the tremendous work that he is performing as the government's Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery, a new position that was created by this government in recognition that our disaster affected communities need all the support that they can get. I personally thank Senator Sheldon for visiting around a dozen communities in the short time that he has held this role and for providing excellent advice to both me and the government more generally about what those communities need.

I think all of us have noticed that over the last week we have been closely monitoring and responding to another difficult weather system, particularly over central west and northern New South Wales, as well as some severe thunderstorms in South-East Queensland. The worst of the flooding over the weekend was in the Namoi River in Gunnedah, with several streets, low-lying properties and businesses inundated. I know that all of our thoughts go out to the communities that have been affected, particularly throughout New South Wales. There were also strong fears that Lismore would again see localised flooding, but fortunately forecasts there were downgraded. The Wilson River, which runs through Lismore, only peaked to minor flooding levels this time, well short of the level required to top the flood levy there.

I want to commend both the paid and volunteer personnel of the New South Wales SES for the tremendous work that they did to predeploy resources to affected areas, and to assist vulnerable people who were still recovering from the last floods earlier this year. The action that the SES took in getting ready for these events before they hit went a long way to ensuring that people were kept safe. As of late yesterday, the New South Wales SES had received 898 requests for assistance, including 64 flood rescue activations. South-East Queensland was also affected, particularly the Gold Coast hinterland.

Sadly, this flooding has taken the life of a young five-year-old boy in Tullamore in New South Wales, after the car he was travelling in was swept away by flood waters. Again, I know that all of our thoughts go out to that family, and it's another reminder of the life-threatening danger that floods provide. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sheldon, a first supplementary question?

Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister remind the Senate of the weather outlook for this summer and advise on how the government is preparing for these potential disasters?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sheldon for the question. As I've previously told the chamber, the Bureau of Meteorology has officially declared a La Nina event for Australia, with above-average rainfall predicted for most of the east coast of the country this summer. Given that this will be our third successive La Nina event as a country—something that I'm advised is incredibly rare—the risk of flash flooding and severe flooding is even higher than we have seen previously. That's why it's vital that our emergency management agencies are working to their best ability to make sure that we are prepared.

Earlier this month I formally launched the National Emergency Management Agency, or NEMA, bringing together the capabilities of Emergency Management Australia and the National Recovery and Resilience Agency into a single agency. NEMA brings together the capabilities of both agencies to provide support, prepare for future disasters, lead the response when disaster strikes and remain deeply connected with communities during recovery. Last week I announced Mr Brendan Moon as the new coordinator-general of this new agency. Brendan is one of Australia's foremost natural disaster professionals. (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Sheldon, a second supplementary question?

Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister outline what else the Australian government is preparing for communities for these potential natural disasters?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I've said before, good governments plan for the best and prepare for the worst. That's what we've tone in establishing a new agency, in appointing one of Australia's foremost disaster professionals to head it and in taking additional action as well. It's why teams from NEMA have been out meeting with all states and territories to discuss their preparedness plans well ahead of this high-risk weather season. The briefings included a scenario based discussion based on the BoM outlook to better understand the risks and enhance collective preparedness for the upcoming season.

But how we respond to natural disasters must not just be about the immediate response. Last sitting this government introduced amendments to the disaster ready fund legislation. These amendments will ensure that the full $200 million allocated in the fund per year is spent on disaster mitigation while maintaining our commitment to support communities as they recover from disasters. We've also been rolling out important funding in New South Wales under the Emergency Response Fund for disaster mitigation projects. It's what Australians deserve, and it's a far cry from the 'I don't hold a hose'— (Time expired)