John Murphy (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too share with my colleagues in this place the enormity of the devastation of the floods, the more recent cyclone in Queensland and the fires in Western Australia. Despite the tragic losses and the incredible task before us, the marvellous Australian spirit will no doubt be critical in helping rebuild towns and lives affected by these natural disasters.

I am very fortunate in my electorate of Reid in Sydney because it was not at all directly affected by the natural disasters. However, losses for Australians in one part of our country are also felt by all of us in other parts of the country. We also remember particularly those who have lost loved ones and their homes and the many who are still without power and water. We pray and hope for the safety of those still battling the bushfires in Western Australia. We are thinking of you and we are working hard to help you. Everyone has seen the haunting images in the newspapers and on our television screens and heard the reports from distressed victims over the radio and we have all felt their suffering and their anxiety.

I also take this opportunity to wish my parliamentary colleagues who have been directly affected by the floods, cyclones and bushfires all the very best in the recovery effort. I know the member for Oxley lost his entire office with floodwaters completely submerging the building in which it stood. Fortunately, no-one from his office was harmed in the floodwaters and that is of course the most important thing. Who could have imagined that a town like Toowoomba, which is some 700 metres above sea level, could have such a devastating tsunami? It is unthinkable.

For the lives lost, we send our sincerest sympathy to the families at this extremely difficult time. To the businesses and farmers, we offer our resolve to rebuild the vital infrastructure necessary to enable them to recover as soon as possible. To the families struggling to overcome everyday challenges, we offer you our earnest efforts to provide effective and timely services for your needs. To the SES crews, the police and the countless volunteers, we thank you. To the Defence Force personnel who put their lives on the line to save the lives of others, we cannot thank you enough. After many years of drought, floods are a double hit for Queensland. For the flood affected towns and regions in Victoria, the Black Saturday bushfires are still vivid in everyone’s memories. These events put our lives in perspective and remind us of what is truly important.

This environment brings out the best of the Australian qualities of mateship and stoicism. They call on all levels of government to make decisions in the best interest of the people. We are talking about a natural disaster that has cost Australia billions of dollars in income and destroyed billions of dollars worth of wealth. This is not just a river bursting its banks or an unfortunate accident affecting a small part of Australia. The floods have affected an area larger than New South Wales, the state from which I come. It is in everyone’s interest to finish the clean-up as quickly as possible. It is in all Australians’ interest to get those ports and railways open, prepare local economies to function again, provide jobs for those affected and ensure our society functions as it should without undue delay.

Australians from all corners of the country were shocked and saddened by the ferocity and damage of the floods and have been quick to offer assistance where they can, whether it be practical support by opening their homes for emergency accommodation or by putting their hands into their pockets to donate. This, however, is not surprising. Australians are a very compassionate, empathetic and generous people. We do not like to see others suffering. International aid efforts are also a reflection of our generosity.

In my own electorate of Reid, I attended a Friday afternoon prayer session at the Gallipoli mosque in Auburn where the local members raised $12,000 for the Premier’s Disaster Relief Fund. The imam presenting the cheque on behalf of his members added that he wanted to make sure that the money would go to the people who really needed it. It goes without saying that the mosque has made a tremendous donation and their generous thoughts for the Queenslanders affected will be very much appreciated. Last Friday, Communities for Communities hosted a charity golf day and dinner at Barnwell Park Golf Course in my electorate. I attended the dinner and fundraiser. I also acknowledge the amazing fundraising efforts of Communities for Communities, established by the inspirational Lance Brooks. At the dinner, I was very pleased to meet many of the participants during the day, who were delighted that the funds raised were going to the Queensland recovery effort. They raised in excess of $30,000. These were just two outstanding fundraising efforts in my electorate of Reid in Sydney’s inner west. I know that there are many more individuals, businesses and organisations who have really put their hearts into raising much-needed funds to help our Queensland neighbours and I thank them for their superb efforts.

We cannot overlook the generosity of the people in Australia and indeed our international neighbours for their support. As the Foreign Minister noted during the immediate clean-up, he received countless calls from our international neighbours, offering their support and resources to help us in our hour of need. We are not without friends, let us not forget. And we are also not without means. We will rebuild. Together, individuals, families, businesses, insurance companies and local, state and federal governments, we will restore these areas. Already, the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment has helped over 100,000 Australians and provided nearly $136 million to people in need. I am very pleased that the government has also ensured that the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements were provided almost immediately after these events. The assistance is provided to rebuild essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges and schools. It also offers grants of up to $25,000 for small businesses and primary producers for the clean-up and recovery as well as concessional interest rate loans of up to $250,000 for small business operators and primary producers, as well as freight subsidies of up to $5,000. The government was also quick to provide the personal hardship and distress assistance. These are important measures that were available as soon as possible and will help many victims of the floods.

The response teams should be commended for their timely efforts. As we reflect on the magnitude of the floods in Queensland, we reflect that our great, vast land has indeed wrought a history of climatic battles, as has been referred to by other speakers in this debate, and famously encapsulated in that magnificent poem My Country by Dorothea Mackellar. Unfortunately, I do not believe that these will be the last or the worst natural disasters our country will face. Indeed, it is more important than ever to prepare ourselves for any future natural disasters to minimise the loss of human life and destruction to industry and personal property. Today, and over the course of this condolence motion, I have listened to the many heartfelt and personal contributions both from the government and the opposition. I am deeply saddened by the individual stories of those who were caught, helpless in the natural disasters, and the consequent losses.

As I have previously mentioned, it is these extraordinary events that put our lives in perspective and highlight the importance of good governance to help people through such adversity. There will be tough decisions to make and they may be painful in the short term, but I believe that they will be beneficial in the long term. We cannot deny the magnitude of the disaster and expect homes, schools, businesses, ports, railways and roads to rebuild themselves. Indeed, this road to recovery will be very much a group effort.

In concluding, as we pause to remember those who have been lost and grieve with those who have suffered we can look to the future with confidence, knowing that the nation is behind the recovery. As our government continues to provide assistance to affected communities, on behalf of the people I represent in the federal division of Reid, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to everyone affected by the recent natural disasters that have beset our beautiful country.

See this speech in context