Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please update the House on how the Morrison government is providing support and assistance to communities across the east coast that are battling the effects of devastating flooding?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for her question and the work that she's doing for her local community, particularly over the weekend, like so many other members, whether they're in this place or back in their communities right now. Particularly I think of the member for Lindsay, the member for Cowper and the member for Lyne, who are in those communities at this time, and I'm sure members from the opposition as well. As I just indicated, the government has been mobilising support to those flood affected communities, and we're receiving regular briefings on these matters, as we did across the weekend as the events escalated. And indeed they did escalate, from the time of early reports, when we were looking at flood levels reaching 2020 levels in the Hawkesbury-Nepean. We are now going back to 1961. As each update came in, the situation became more intense and more severe.

But the response was equal to that task. I recall very vividly the planning that was done around a particular flood event in the Hawkesbury-Nepean that would see an evacuation centre established in Olympic Park and a very serious exercise undertaken by the New South Wales government to prepare for such an event. I hope that provides comfort and assurance to Australians that with these events, as difficult and as serious as they are, the agencies and authorities that are there to provide the responses in these circumstances are highly professional, they're highly able and they're well supported by strong leadership and strong resource support from all levels of government to ensure that we can keep Australians as safe as possible.

We can't change the nature of these natural events, but we can ensure the best possible response. Today brave Australians—courageous Australians—are out there providing that support on the ground. The Australian Government Crisis Committee and the disaster recovery committee are meeting. Geoscience Australia is working in collaboration with the European mapping service, and they are distributing analytical spatial data. The Defence Force has commenced planning and assistance.

Then there are the simple acts that are taking place in the flood affected areas, such as at Penrith Quarry Materials. The member for Lindsay relayed to me the story. It stepped up to deliver urgently needed sand to help keep up the supply for those sandbags. Locals are assisting SES personnel with filling those bags. Indeed, up on the Mid North Coast, the member for Cowper went on radio and said, 'We need some GPs at the local evacuation centre.' Five answered the call almost immediately, then going on to visit other evacuation centres.

If it's flooded, forget it: that's the very clear message that this parliament is sending today. Get to high ground when flooding is imminent and follow those local instructions at all times and be available to hear the updates. Australians are doing it tough, but Australians are responding in the best possible way.