Julia Irwin (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with all members of this House in expressing my deepest sympathy to the families, friends and neighbours of the victims of the recent Victorian bushfires and the flooding throughout the state of Queensland. These tragedies remind us of the awesome power of the elements and the unforgiving nature of our environment.

As I watched the coverage of the Victorian bushfires, I could only think of the human tragedies, with the high loss of life and the destruction of property. These small rural communities have seen devastation on a scale that is hard to imagine. Each life lost was not a stranger but a family member, a neighbour or a friend. Their loss is felt by all Australians. At times of such tragedy we see our nation not as a collection of individuals but as a society. We are bound together in shared grief and compassion, and we are each reminded that our home is not the safe haven that we may have believed it to be. Human tragedy is not something that happens only in countries outside Australia. We can be just as vulnerable to natural disasters as people of poorer nations.

While we are familiar with the response of emergency services and the sacrifices made by so many of our wonderful volunteers, who give freely of their time and on occasions risk their lives, a disaster of this size calls on all of us to give a hand. In the face of such tragedy, all Australians come together as one community to help rebuild the lives, the homes and the towns that have been destroyed. That is the Australian way. That is mateship. Whether we live in cities, where such disasters are hard to understand, or come from places that face similar challenges, we have the compassion and belief in our shared destiny to offer our help.

In my own electorate on the urban fringe of Sydney, which includes a number of small rural communities, we share the dangers of fire and flood. These ever-present risks are only too familiar to many in my electorate. The memories of the Christmas Day fires of 2001 in the areas bordering the Warragamba Dam catchment are a constant reminder that another tragedy could occur at any time. This is of great concern to all residents in those areas.

I know that in response to these tragedies the people of Fowler will dig deep to help our fellow Australians when they are in such dire need. As I have seen in recent years, ordinary people in Fowler have given generously through ethnic communities, licensed clubs and other groups to appeals following the Canberra bushfires and the Asian tsunami. Given the scale of this tragedy, even in the midst of a financial crisis I know that the people of Fowler will exceed all other appeals in their generosity. That help should, however, be seen alongside the efforts that Australian governments can make, firstly, in rebuilding the lives, the homes, the businesses and the towns that have been destroyed. At this time, when we are considering projects as part of an economic stimulus, we should give priority to projects which can help us cope with natural disasters. While we should all realise that floods and fires are part of the Australian landscape, we must give priority to measures which can greatly reduce the risk of loss of human life and property.

In my own electorate, bordering the Warragamba catchment and the Blue Mountains National Park, there are constant calls from concerned residents for fuel reduction burning in those areas. By funding essential infrastructure and planning for the development of our towns, homes and farms, we may reduce some of the risks to property. But the most important need is for resources and facilities which can bring all Australians within reach of shelter at times of disaster. This is possibly the greatest challenge facing Australia today. Unless we are determined to meet the costs of protecting human life in the event of flood and fire, we will not have truly honoured those who have lost their lives in this tragedy.

These fears have been expressed by many of my constituents. In one email I received yesterday, a resident of Silverdale pleaded:

A coordinated plan has to be put in place at a local, state and national level to ensure that everything is done to prevent the terrible loss of life and property.

Please, please start putting these things into action so that this winter sees a major change and the recommencement of controlled burns throughout Australia.

Having listened to the heartfelt speeches of the members for McMillan, Gippsland, Casey and others in this debate, I am determined to ensure that this tragedy is not repeated in the electorate of Fowler.

On behalf of the electorate of Fowler, I extend our deepest sympathy to the relatives, friends and neighbours of those Australians who have lost their lives in this tragedy. I can promise the people of the affected areas the generous support of the people of Fowler and my own determination, along with that of the whole House, to see that in the future the risk to human life in these events is hopefully eliminated.

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