Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party, Assistant Minister for Children and Families) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the whole country would be aware, Queenslanders have been fighting raging bushfires across the state this past week. Many from my electorate of Capricornia have been courageously fighting fires for a week or more. Finch Hatton, Dalrymple Heights, Eungella, Campwin Beach, Sarina Beach, Carmila, Blue Mountain, Sarina Range and The Caves were all affected, and thousands of residents were evacuated. Some residents in Eungella were even evacuated by helicopter to safety.

On the edge of my electorate and that of the member for Flynn lie the townships of Kabra and Gracemere. The residents of these towns were saved by an inch. My heart goes out to young George Bird's family, friends and the Rolleston community after he died in an accident while trying to put in a fire break. My heart also goes out to all of those who have lost their homes, their sheds and their farms.

I believe I speak for everyone in this place when I say: we are thinking of you, and you have this government's full support in recovering. Our hats go off to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services crews, the volunteers of the rural fire service, the police, ambulance, SES volunteers and residents working around the clock fighting these fires.

One volunteer, in particular, sticks in my mind. Joan Lennox has been at Eungella, tirelessly cooking her heart out to keep the firefighting workforce fed. As the old saying goes, an army marches on its stomach and, while there are no machine guns or hand grenades involved, the operation of fighting fires is not that far removed from a military one. Every volunteer, regardless of their role, is vital to the whole operation. The effort of Joan and her team is paramount to the success of the campaign, and she is battling fatigue just like the rest of them.

Credit too must go to Mackay, Isaac, Rockhampton and Livingstone councils for their well-managed disaster plans. We have seen more evacuations than I think I can ever remember seeing, and I'm quite sure this has led to minimal damage being caused by what have been ferocious fire storms.

The fight is not yet over though: Queensland is still burning, and all areas are on high alert with their fire plans. The heatwave has not ended, and the same conditions that have aided the fires to date are set to continue. As I travel around affected areas, the communities amaze me with their generosity and tireless assistance. Many local businesses are rallying to provide food and water to the rescue crews. Mackay Regional Council even had to issue an announcement requesting people stop donating supplies to emergency services and the evacuation centres as they were experiencing a surplus of supplies.

I am enormously proud to be the federal member for these communities who in hardship rally and fight. While the fight is not over, I know that these small communities will grow stronger and, in true Australian spirit, get on with it until at last the fire is beaten.