Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to update parliament on the steady but painful progress of flood recovery in my electorate. Five thousand two hundred properties in Moreton—4,200 homes and 1,000 businesses—went under in January. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh represents suburbs in the state parliament that are also in Moreton. The Brisbane River is our boundary. I still recall Premier Bligh's courageous words as the floodwaters rose to their peak and claimed more and more houses:

As we weep for what we have lost, and as we grieve for family and friends and we confront the challenge that is before us, I want us to remember who we are. We are Queenslanders. We're the people that they breed tough, north of the border.

With those inspirational words, Premier Bligh galvanised all for the recovery ahead. I am proud to say we are still standing—some of us a little shakily but we are still standing. It has not been easy. Some of us are lucky enough to be back to life as it was before the floods. Some battles with insurance are still ongoing and many people are still waiting for the builders to repair their flood damaged homes. For others, there are tougher times. The Premier's disaster relief funding, as well as federal government disaster payments, have been a godsend to many, along with some generous community groups. I thank the many generous Australians who supported the Premier's appeal. While countless thousands pitched in to do what they could, some went above and beyond. When Premier Bligh said, 'We are bred tough in Queensland,' she was talking about people like Michelle and Carl Matolat, who opened their home to an elderly couple left homeless by the floods. She was talking about people like Kylie and Shelby Robinson, who converted their basement into a flood relief centre to coordinate food parcels and replacement goods for their community. Then there are heroes like long-time Chelmer resident George McLachlan. George's cheerful and optimistic attitude was a great inspiration to his neighbours in the aftermath of the flood. He sadly passed away last week at the young age of 97. I am proud to have met him and to have recognised him with the Moreton Australia Day Award this year, presented in conjunction with Lady Killen.

As the recovery continues, there is much we can learn from the flood. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, which I chair, is conducting an inquiry into the operation of the insurance industry during natural disasters, because there seems to have been such a range of advice, support and service given to my constituents. Obviously this is not a witch hunt. We all know that we need a strong insurance industry. However, we also want to ensure that we can respond appropriately to future disasters from the lessons we have learnt from recent disasters. This is what happened after Cyclone Larry. The insurance industry was shocked by the scale of the disaster and changed a lot of practices. The Insurance Council of Australia shares this view and I welcome their generous cooperation and leadership in this regard.

The inquiry comes to Graceville in my electorate late next month before heading to the flood affected communities in Ipswich, Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. Then we head to Cairns and Innisfail to hear about their experiences following Cyclone Yasi and Cyclone Larry. I look forward to reporting back to the House in the months ahead on the outcome of the inquiry. (Time expired)