Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to tell the House the story of Jim Ferguson, Claire Browning and Chris Holloway—three SES volunteers based out at Daisy Hill, which is around the corner from my place in Logan City. In the early hours of Saturday, 1 April, at Luscombe, they were in a tinny navigating by an app on their phone through the floodwaters when they came across a family stranded on the roof of their home. There was a mum, two kids, a grandfather and two dogs on the roof. They called triple 0, but nobody was able to reach them, and so instead these three SES volunteers and one other person took it upon themselves to pull this family to safety, literally moments before the house itself was swept away. Without Jim, Claire and Chris, it would not just be the house that was gone; it would be the family that was gone as well. I sat with them and the member for Forde at a volunteers breakfast a couple of Saturdays ago, where we got the opportunity to thank these volunteers and, indeed, all of the volunteers. We saw up close their humility. We saw their efforts to minimise their own contribution and to try and maximise the contribution of others.

That story about the SES volunteers is a really remarkable story, but in another sense it is not entirely a surprising story. It is how we roll in our part of the world. It reflects the professionalism of our first responders, the selflessness of our volunteers and the willingness of local people to look out for each other and to look after each other. I have said this before, Mr Deputy Speaker Mitchell. You have heard me say how proud I am to represent the community that I grew up in, live in and love, but I have never been prouder than in our response to the flooding of the Albert and Logan rivers.

What we saw early in April was easily the worst devastation I have seen in our community in my lifetime. A life was lost, an Eagleby man, roads were cut, homes were inundated and some were swept away. Power was lost, lifelong possessions were destroyed and mud and the smell of that mud hung around long after the water subsided.

In response, our community was flooded with kindness and our community was flooded with selflessness. I saw it in the offers of help that came flooding in even before the rain had stopped. I saw it early on the Sunday morning of 2 April as I was inspecting some of the damage just over the border into Forde. I looked up, and from the hills, people who had seen my car were coming down the hill to see how they could offer to help. I saw it in the briefing at the SES headquarters at Daisy Hill, where the firies from all around were working out how to coordinate their efforts with the SES.

I saw it in North Maclean, with Linus Power and Annastacia Palaszczuk, our premier. I saw it in the Scouts who were cleaning up the house that we visited. I saw it in Alf, also at North Maclean, who went out of his way to thank the firies who had bailed him out at his place. I saw it on Arthur Road, in the place that Linus Power and I hosed out and helped to clean up—Lynda and John's lifetime of possessions. We tried to make some sense of order as we carried their possessions out of the house and onto the footpath for the council to pick up. Then, not long after, we were joined by the Ahmadiyya community. And I saw the Fijian seniors community—Surendra Prasad and his friends—make a donation to Lynda and John to help them get back on their feet.

I saw it on Bayes Road at Logan Village, with Bunnings, Youth Off The Streets and young kids delivering sandwiches and Easter eggs—all volunteers, hosing out houses and feeding other volunteers. I saw busloads of volunteers, with their boots and their brooms, leaving Logan Metro each morning, including a big contingent from Access Community Services.

I saw it when the Broncos visited Logan Brothers, supporting us just as we support them. I wanted to note while the member for Grayndler is here that the Broncos have not lost since they visited Logan City more than six weeks ago! I saw it when Bill Shorten visited. We got a briefing from councillors, who had been working around the clock—the emergency response team and the leadership of the mayor. I saw it at Logan Tree Farm and with the Logan House Fire Support Network—Ailsa's business there had gone under. I saw it at Beenleigh Multisports, I saw it at the Alan Wilkie Bridge and I saw it at the town hall meeting that Bill Shorten and I had at Eagleby, listening to people's concerns. I saw it in the leadership of our state members—from Linus Power, as I mentioned, but also from Cameron Dick and Shannon Fentiman. Shannon's own house went under and she still spent her time helping others.

This motion is a way to say thanks to everyone who pitched in, and an opportunity to say again that I am proud of our community and proud of our response to the floods.

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