Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Two weeks ago I visited Fitzroy Crossing, a place you know very well. It's a town that went underwater in a record flooding event earlier this year. A hundred buildings were flooded, including homes and businesses, and the Fitzroy River bridge on the Great Northern Highway collapsed, vital infrastructure that connects East and West Kimberley. To give you an idea of how much water was there, the speed signs on the sides of the road in Fitzroy Crossing had dents on their tops, and that's where the propellers from the boats hit the tops of those signs.

I met with the Fitzroy Crossing Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services team, the team that was responsible for carrying out rescues of stranded locals before DFES and the Australian Defence Force arrived to lend a hand. During the state of emergency, while homes and businesses were going under water, the captain of the Fitzroy Crossing emergency services, Richard Oman, led teams that facilitated rescues of more than 100 individuals—in some instances, they needed to dive down into flooded homes, swim underneath doorframes and break windows to reach people inside. Even while their own homes were being flooded, the brave men and women of the Fitzroy Crossing Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services team were out in force around the clock saving lives.

Thankfully, not a single life was lost during the peak of the emergency. The efforts of those heroes were truly remarkable, and I commend them for their service during their community's dire hour of need. While the town is certainly still recovering, it's not closed for business. It's a beautiful place. I encourage people to go there. The causeway is now open. Caravans can get through. The peak season is now, so get on up there. Go and explore the beautiful Kimberley. It's a magical place in this world.