Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australia is yet again living through a summer of natural disasters and heartache. Communities across Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales are recovering from some of the most devastating bushfires this country has ever seen. I extend my condolences to communities in the electorates of Gippsland, Parkes and Lyons during this very painful time.

Queensland too was not immune from the fire danger. At one stage, in early December, the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service reported 54 fires active across an area spanning two-thirds of the state: south to the New South Wales border, west to the Northern Territory border, east to the coastline, and as far north as Charters Towers. Larger indeed than many Western European countries. These fires destroyed vast tracts of grazing land in the north towards the gulf as well as in the Western Downs in the south-west. I extend my condolences to the farmers and related industries affected by this fire event and I commend their exceptional community spirit during this time. We saw, of course, volunteers in the local rural fire brigades who were out fighting fires knowing that back home their own property was burning.

For the second time in as many years, Queenslanders are also experiencing a heartbreaking clean-up following flooding and cyclone damage. Brisbane residents watched in horror as tropical cyclone Oswald left a trail of destruction as it made its way down the eastern coast of Queensland over the Australia Day weekend. Memories of the devastating 2011 floods resurfaced as rain continued to fall and the Brisbane River once again reached peak levels. Indeed, talking to some of the older residents in my electorate, they said it was more like the floods of 1974 where we had rain for so many days. Some of you will remember that in 2011 we watched the floodwaters come up in relatively sunny weather. Meanwhile, an army of volunteers including members of the University of Queensland—and once again we saw the younger generation come out in their hundreds—descended on suburbs in my electorate like Auchenflower, Torwood, Milton, Toowong, Taringa and St Lucia to help sandbag local residences and businesses.

Trees were knocked down across the electorate, cutting roads and leaving around 220,000 homes in the Brisbane region without power. The Brisbane River, which swamped thousands of homes two years ago, broke its banks in several areas and water entered some low-lying areas which were badly flooded in 2011. In my electorate, some evacuations did take place in Torwood Street in Auchenflower, but fortunately the high water levels in the Brisbane River, although they continued throughout the week, did not actually flood liveable parts of the homes. It was a frightening time for many people in the Ryan electorate, but thankfully we were spared any significant devastation and have learnt from past events and so we were able to respond quickly and effectively. I must commend the Brisbane City Council, which was able to produce more than 147,000 sandbags, and I can testify that our leader, Tony Abbott, was down there with Teresa Gambaro, the member for Brisbane, personally filling them.

The Brisbane City Council attended to more than 200,000 calls at the Brisbane City Council contact centre. They also provided important updates for the people of Brisbane through their Facebook and Twitter pages.

I acknowledge the work of the Queensland government under the guidance of Premier Campbell Newman. Working with our local councils, Premier Newman and his team were quick to assess the situation across the state and to activate a number of measures which will help residents as they recover. The government also started the Queensland floods appeal 2013, and I acknowledge the generous donations from some of our large corporations in contribution to that appeal.

The State Emergency Service worked tirelessly throughout the entire week, responding to more than 1,200 calls for assistance. Within four days more than 700 jobs had been completed. I thank the SES volunteers who helped so many people in the Ryan electorate. Once again we saw neighbours helping each other. Where I live, all four roads that I could use were cut off by fallen trees, yet the neighbours got out with their chainsaws—a little larger than Kevin's but nonetheless with the same spirit that the member for Griffith had—and they were chopping enough of the trees so that emergency vehicles could get through to people who needed assistance.

I also thank the Energex crews who worked over the course of the weekend, despite dangerous weather, to restore power to homes and businesses across Brisbane. Within four days of the event more than 110,000 homes and businesses had power restored and the rest followed shortly after.

I acknowledge the work of Connected Inc., a charity with which I am involved, who are dedicated to helping people in hardship. Connected volunteers—and I stress that everyone at Connected is a volunteer, and no-one is paid—worked around the clock to provide essential items for people affected not only by tropical cyclones in Queensland but also by the fires interstate. Indeed, they sent emergency supplies to communities as far away as Tasmania. I congratulate the CEO and founder, Craig Michaels, and president, Gwen Braeger, and their committee for their quick response and outstanding efforts at this time. Everything they provide is free, and I know they are on call to anyone who needs things, from those early emergency personal kits right through to furnishings for their homes as they start to get back on their feet.

I thank all the local volunteers, like those from the University of Queensland Student Union, who assisted in sandbagging homes and businesses not just in the Ryan electorate but also in the neighbouring Brisbane electorate. Although the storm impacted our city we must consider ourselves fortunate in comparison with the communities in Central Queensland, South-West Queensland and the Lockyer Valley who are only now beginning to see the real impact of this weather event.

Having witnessed a natural disaster in my own electorate just two years ago—and, as the member for Moreton will testify, many residents are only today getting back into their homes—I can understand the heartbreak many people will now be experiencing as they move into their recovery phase. On behalf of the people of Ryan I extend my condolences to the families and businesses who have lost so much in this natural disaster. However, I have no doubt that Queenslanders and, indeed, all Australians will once again prove their resilience during this tough time.

See this speech in context