Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Science) Share this | Hansard source

In October this year I stood at this dispatch box and gave a speech in regard to the state of the roads in the Shire of East Pilbara. What I said back in October is as follows:

In February, Cyclone Zelia devastated road networks in the Shire of East Pilbara. For eight months, the shire has worked incredibly hard and negotiated in good faith to secure funding, with $26 million required to rebuild 10 damaged roads, including vital access routes to the Western Desert communities—

including the community of Punmu—

The response from the state and federal governments has been, frankly, insulting, with the current proposal totalling just $12 million. Instead of funding a like-for-like rebuild, they are prescribing a deliberate downgrade of roads that will fail once again when the next cyclone inevitably hits.

Since I spoke those words, nothing much has been resolved to overcome the issue of how we're going to finance the repair of the roads in the Shire of East Pilbara. I call on the Minister for Emergency Management to work harder to solve this issue for the people who call the Shire of East Pilbara home. The reality is that the emergency relief system that requires councils to fix roads impacted by natural disasters and then seek reimbursement is no longer sustainable. As we head into cyclone and bushfire season, it is high time that we had a total rethink and did a total redesign of how we deal with damage caused to key infrastructure by natural disasters.

I don't want you to take my word for it, Mr Speaker, because I have got some wonderful correspondence from a lady called Edith Costello. She is the CEO of Punmu Aboriginal Corporation, and she has recently addressed a letter to the Prime Minister, dated 22 November 2025. If it hasn't arrived yet at the Prime Minister's office today, it will get there shortly, maybe tomorrow or the day after. I want to make the point that the Prime Minister may not have seen this letter yet, but I have assured Edith that, when his office receives the letter, they will take its contents seriously and they will take serious action. This is her letter to our prime minister:

Prime Minister,

I write with respect on behalf of the Martu People of the Punmu Community in Western Australia.

I have voted Labor my entire life, and my family has supported your party for generations. This letter is written in good faith and with respect—but also with urgency.

We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking to be heard.

I understand that the full reality of life in very remote communities may not always reach out, and I write so that you can hear it directly.

Punmu is a remote aboriginal community carrying heavy responsibility with limited resources. We manage essential services, safety, housing, health and governance under conditions that most Australians will never experience. We are doing everything we can, but we cannot do this alone.

Punmu is a strong, self-reliant community. We operate three successful, community-owned and community-run businesses. We have a zero crime rate not because of neglect, but because of strength, leadership and self discipline. Our children attend and are supported by our local community school.

At the same time, many families are living in extremely difficult conditions. Most homes are no longer safe to live in and have been deemed irrepareable, yet up to fifteen people are living in these houses.

Martu families rarely complain. However, I have had mothers come to me in tears asking for tents so their children can sleep safely instead of enduring insect infestation while they sleep.

Our access road is in VERY poor condition, damaging vehicles and limiting access to essential services.

Federal support to assist the Shire of East Pilbara to rebuild and maintain this road would make an enormous difference to the safety and wellbeing of our people.

My family and I have supported your party our entire lives. This letter is written with loyalty, urgency and honesty and with belief in a government that is accessible and understands its people.

I do not seek publicity. I desperately need practical support and a direct line of communication.

I write in good faith and with respect, asking only to be heard.

I would be grateful for the opportunity to speak with you personally or communicate directly via email.

Kind regards

Edith Costello

CEO Punmu Aboriginal Corporation

See this speech in context