Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I am very grateful that the member for Kingsford Smith placed this motion on Cyclone Pam before the House. I am also particularly grateful for the depth of feeling that has been expressed by members across both sides of the chamber in relation to this matter, because from time to time our friends in the Pacific may mistakenly believe that their concerns and the fate they experience from these terrible events go unnoticed. But clearly the debate today demonstrates otherwise.

One of the things I am most grateful for in representing the seat of Chifley in this place is the diversity of the people who make up the seat, but in particular the members of the Pacific Islander community, who form a very strong community within Chifley. Their community and other nations within the Pacific experience these horrific events from time to time. I have members from the Australian-Fijian community who have had to respond to the terrible aftermath of cyclones through their area, as well as the Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga. And obviously I have some residents who are originally from Vanuatu. They all experience these things, and while they may in their own way deal with these things as a fact of life in the Pacific, it does not make it any easier.

There are two things that stand out. One is the immediate aftermath. A number of members have reflected on the types of challenges that confront Vanuatu in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam. There is not just the aftermath itself but also the ongoing reconstruction process. I was very moved by some of the things the member for Corio indicated in his contribution tonight. And it was not just Vanuatu that was affected. Tuvalu and Kiribati have also had to deal with the effects of Cyclone Pam. In Tuvalu, for instance, not only has water supply been damaged and buildings affected by flooding, but the human impact is of great concern. In some cases skin infection in children under 12, trauma cases and respiratory illnesses have been reported, and there are also people in need of psychosocial support. The Ministry of Health has asked for health professionals to support the central hospital there to allow medical staff to go to affected islands and backstop clinics. There has been an additional request for medicines, mainly intravenous fluids and oral rehydration salts, in addition to 1.3 tonnes of medical supplies that New Zealand kindly offered and sent.

It is also disturbing to hear reports from the Red Cross that 50 people are now living in a school and assessments are required to determine whether they can rebuild or whether more shelter materials are required. In Kiribati 107 houses are reported to be destroyed on one island alone, and the response there has been hampered by disruptions to communications and damage to infrastructure that has made access to those areas to reach people and provide assistance exceptionally difficult. The other challenges in reaching the affected islands in the north include the fact that only one ferry is able to be used to reach that remote location. And obviously a storm with such impact will affect communications, and that has been experienced there. It may be the case that after further assessments are undertaken a call will be made that greater support will be required than what is being provided up to this point.

We know that coordination and logistics support will also be of benefit. We on the opposition side welcome the assistance that has been provided by the Australian government and stand shoulder to shoulder with the government on that. It was also enormously pleasing to see the foreign minister visit Vanuatu and express the well wishes of the Australian people towards our friends who have been affected by this across a number of countries in the Pacific. We hope that Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati will be able to get back on their feet relatively quickly, knowing not only that there will be resources support but the support of our well wishes towards them, and we do wish them all the best in their recovery.

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