Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence. Will the minister please inform the House about the Australian Defence Force response to the recent natural disasters?

Stephen Smith (Perth, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. The response by the Australian Defence Force and its personnel in the face of natural disasters over the recent summer period in Australia has been magnificent.

It has been a terrific response. On the one hand it has been spontaneous and on the other hand it has been very well planned. I say spontaneous because we have seen the contribution in three different areas. Firstly, we have seen Army, Navy and Air Force reservists spontaneously take to the streets to help out their local communities. Secondly, we have seen local area commanders make decisions within their authority in the face of emergencies in their own local area. For example, this occurred when we saw recent floods in Carnarvon in my own state of Western Australia. Thirdly, of course, we have seen the much more formal and more broadly planned response when a state, whether it is Queensland or Victoria, in the face of an enormous natural disaster needs the assistance of the Commonwealth and the Australian defence forces.

We have seen that assistance come from members of all of the three arms of the service. I just take this opportunity to thank, for example, Colonel Luke Foster and Brigadier Paul McLachlan, who headed up our Operation Queensland Flood Assist task force; Brigadier Stuart Smith, who is currently heading up our Operation Yasi Assist task force; and Brigadier Robert Marsh, who headed up our Victorian flood assistance task force. These Defence Force Army personnel and the men and women who worked with them did a terrific job.

I just draw attention to one particular aspect of that contribution. Whilst very many of us saw Army, Navy and Air Force personnel out there literally mopping up—and I make this point advisedly—when Australians see Defence Force personnel out on the streets helping out, not only do they know that the Commonwealth and the Defence Force are doing the right thing; it also fills them with a great deal of confidence that at a time of urgent need Defence Force personnel are out there helping out.

The one instance I want to draw particular attention to is Army, Navy and Air Force personnel engaged in the aftermath of the flash flood and storm through the Lockyer Valley in Toowoomba evacuating over 400 people to the Forest Hill evacuation centre in conditions described by experienced pilots as some of the worst weather they have ever taken to the air in. I think this is a massively underappreciated act of great heroism that is worthy of again placing on record.

Most of us appreciate the great work that the Australian Defence Force do when it comes to, if you like, their core business—military, defence and national security issues. But occasionally we see the second great arm of the work that they have done consistently and throughout all of their period as the Australian Defence Force—disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. Often we see that as a response by a civilised country, Australia, wanting to be a good international citizen in areas in our region, whether it is an earthquake in Indonesia or a tsunami in Samoa or Tonga. Occasionally we see it on our own shores, as with the floods and the cyclones this year and the Victorian bushfires a year or so ago. It is a contribution individually and collectively that is massively appreciated by the people in distress, massively appreciated by the Australian people and deeply appreciated by members of this House.