Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the enduring images of our Black Summer is of the Prime Minister trying to force a pregnant woman to shake his hand during a fly-in visit to the fire ravaged town of Cobargo. It's a photo-op that the Prime Minister wants to forget, but the image says so much about the approach of those opposite.

Leading up to the Eden-Monaro by-election in July, the Prime Minister and his ministers crisscrossed the electorate, promising to repair and heal our shattered communities and economies. With the cameras clicking away in June this year, the Prime Minister stood up and announced a round of funding for primary producers covering apple growers, forestry and wine producers. At the time, the Prime Minister made a big song and dance about the support the Liberals and Nationals would provide to primary producers in Eden-Monaro. It was a lifeline desperately needed—$86 million for the forestry industry, wine producers and apple growers, who were all hit by bushfires. It sounded great, but when the government lost the by-election, just two weeks later, all we heard was crickets from the Liberals and Nationals. It took months for the government to approach these industries about funding and, surprise, the dollars are still to hit the ground. With the cameras and the razzle-dazzle of the by-election gone, desperate communities have been left waiting, and it's cruel. The industries and businesses that the Prime Minister and the government promised immediate relief to have waited months for even the opportunity to apply for funding.

In the middle of the by-election the Prime Minister was full of announcements, but bushfire communities have been forced to wait too long for any follow-through, and it's time the Prime Minister and his ministers heard it directly from these communities themselves. Go back to Cobargo, sit down with people there and ask them how they're doing. I'll happily take any of you there—the Prime Minister or any of those ministers—but don't turn up empty-handed like last time. Bring an open mind and a willingness to help people who so desperately need it. We have been calling for months for an extension to HomeBuilder for those in bushfire affected communities. The impact has been enormous. Finally, we have got an extension, but if they apply after 31 December they receive a lesser rate than other people.

In the last four months I have clocked up 20,000 kilometres meeting with people, listening to their needs so that I can advocate for them in this very chamber. When I ask people how they are travelling, people from Tumbarumba to Kiah and from Cobargo to Bombay, they tell me the same thing—they feel abandoned. The whole nation heard it on Monday night during Q+A. Graeme and Robyn Freedman travelled from their burnt-out block in Cobargo to tell Australia they feel abandoned by this government during one of the darkest chapters in Australian history. We just heard then they are facing two crises this year—the pandemic and the economic recovery. What about the bushfires? What happened to that?

It gets worse. Having witnessed the heartache of the last bushfire season, 750 people in my electorate alone lost their homes. The government have done nothing to prepare communities this year for the fire season. There is a $4 billion mitigation and recovery fund and $200 million per year available to communities across Australia for recovery and resilience. In the last two financial years nothing has been spent. That's $400 million that could have been spent on assisting our communities.

The bushfire royal commission suggests the way forward, but the Liberal-National government is ignoring one of the key recommendations and refusing to invest in a sovereign aerial firefighting fleet. Don't allow this royal commission to go the way of the 240 other inquiries and investigations into natural disasters. Black Summer happened on this government's watch. Delivering on the recommendations of the royal commission should be core business for this government. But instead communities are left unsure and are doubting the commitment of the Morrison government.

Nothing has changed since last summer. While we wait for the government to do its job, people in my electorate feel abandoned. It is truly shameful, and I urge those opposite to get on with what the Australian public expects of them—meaningful delivery rather than just the same old photo op with no follow-up.

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