Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister outline the measures the government is taking to assist those in the Hunter region and the mid-North Coast of New South Wales who have been hit by flooding and severe weather in recent days? Can she update the House on the situation?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Chief Government Whip, who represents the Hunter region in this parliament, for his question. As many members of parliament would know and as Australians around the nation have been seeing through the pictures on their TV screens and the reports in the newspapers, there are communities in the Hunter region and on the mid-North Coast of New South Wales that have been seriously affected by floods. Yesterday afternoon the New South Wales government declared natural disaster zones in the local government areas of Bellingen, Clarence Valley, Kempsey and the Upper Hunter. New South Wales authorities estimate that over 3,000 people are currently affected by evacuation orders. The townships of Manning Point, Harrington and Crowdy Head are isolated, and that isolation is expected to last three to four days, with a further 850 people affected. The SES have been doing the great work that they do when we face natural disasters. They have received almost 1,500 requests for assistance since Sunday. They have been very busy indeed, and we thank them for their work.

Sixteen schools and a number of roads are closed. I understand conditions are expected to worsen over the coming period. Of course, the federal government, working with the New South Wales government, through our emergency management personnel, who do such a great job, is closely monitoring the situation. The government is providing assistance to individuals, businesses and primary producers who have been affected by the severe weather. Together with state authorities, we are acting quickly to provide that assistance. Individuals and families whose homes and essential household items have been damaged or destroyed will be able to apply for personal hardship and distress grants to help them with emergency food and clothing and to restore housing. We want people to be able to get that assistance very quickly.

We are making available concessional interest rate loans of up to $130,000 for small businesses and primary producers and up to $25,000 for voluntary, non-profit organisations to ensure that they can get back up and running. Transport freight subsidies of up to 50 per cent will assist hard-hit primary producers with moving livestock and fodder. Funding will also be provided to restore and replace essential public assets such as roads, bridges and schools in affected areas. As always, we stand ready to provide further assistance should it be necessary.

The people in these regions in New South Wales are the most recent Australians to be hit by natural disaster during the course of this year. This is a year in which Australians around the nation and most particularly in Queensland have suffered the full force of nature's might. We have clear arrangements for working with state governments and local governments in such emergency situations, and those arrangements are working to provide emergency relief right now. My thanks go to all of the hardworking Australians, including volunteers, who are helping their fellow Australians during this time of need. I am sure we all well and truly wish for the weather to give us some respite and that the communities affected are back up on their feet as quickly as possible.