Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Work continues in the recovery phase of ex-tropical cyclone Marcia in my electorate of Capricornia. This was the biggest storm in a generation to strike the Capricorn Coast. Destructive winds of up to 285 kilometres per hour demolished homes, uprooted trees as big as houses and shredded roofs and power lines. The Rockhampton, Yeppoon and Marlborough districts have been declared state disaster areas.

Deputy Speaker Scott, I want to stress that I have not been idle while here in Canberra. In the past 72 hours I have been pounding the corridors of Parliament House meeting with senior ministers and lobbying for help for residents, small business and industries in our region. There are many issues to face. Capricornia's primary producers have been dealt an overwhelming blow. Our pineapple industry and our horticulture, and tropical fruit sectors have sustained terrible losses. It is not only fruit crops that have been destroyed. Established fruit tree stock has been wiped out. Once replaced, it can take new trees four to seven years or more to grow to a mature stage where they can bear commercial fruit. This includes lychee, mango and avocado trees. One farm alone is reporting losses of between $600,000 and $1 million dollars. These are family farms that employ local people and are an important part of our economy. One of the horticulturalists is Wilson's lettuce farm at Emu Park which has sustained major damage. This farm supplies gourmet lettuce to Coles, Woolworths and IGA, from the Sunshine Coast to Townsville. I am anticipating an announcement outlining an assistance package for primary producers in the near future.

Households, families, individuals and the elderly are also suffering. Many people are finding it difficult to access basic assistance for food, clothing and accommodation. I am calling on the Queensland state government to amend the criteria for what is known as Immediate Hardship Assistance. The rules for eligibility set down by the state government require struggling residents to meet all the criteria. This should be softened to give ordinary Capricornians facing severe times the help they deserve. I have also been lobbying for workers who cannot earn their normal income, because their place of employment is shut down and for small businesses which cannot open to earn an income. Finally, I again want thank and acknowledge all of the people, both professional services and volunteers, who are working tirelessly to help those affected.