Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister please outline to the House how the Morrison government continues to act in providing much-needed support to flood ravaged communities across Australia, including in New South Wales and in my home state of Queensland?

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

I thank the member for Moncrieff for her question. It's important to hear from the member for Moncrieff, as a representative of South-East Queensland. As we know, the devastation that is occurring in the floods across New South Wales is not just in New South Wales; South-East Queensland has similarly been impacted. That's why it's so important that we understand this current flood crisis extends beyond and across many state borders.

Once again, today I met with the Director-General of Emergency Management Australia, Joe Buffone, who is doing an absolutely sensational job. It was also Joe Buffone who acted for the government in leading the government's response at the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre, and he did a tremendous job there. He is doing another tremendous job now as the head of Emergency Management Australia. I also met with the Chief of Defence Force, General Campbell, along with the minister for emergency management, who is also doing an extraordinary job, as he always does on these occasions. And of course there was also the acting Minister for Defence.

We know that the rain and flood situation remains incredibly dynamic. There is a trough on the east coast that has merged with a trough extending from the Kimberleys to the east coast, causing heavy rain and inland flooding. There is severe weather, high winds and damaging surf, and heavy rain is forecast for the east coast. Western New South Wales, north-eastern South Australia, south-western Queensland and eastern Western Australia have been affected by inland flooding. Queensland, Brisbane and the Gold Coast have been impacted by heavy rain causing flash flooding.

In New South Wales there are some 1,700 SES volunteers responding, together with the New South Wales RFS and the fire and rescue squad, of which they form a part. Some 18,000 people have been impacted by evacuation orders. The defence forces are now marshalling together to support the clean-up effort; that was the basis of the meeting I had earlier today with the Chief of the Defence Force, as we put in plans to ensure we can move within days, and work in concert with the New South Wales government, to begin that clean-up operation. For now, they are very much involved with the services out of Nowra, supporting particularly the South Coast of New South Wales. As both the members for Gilmore and Eden-Monaro would be aware, today the risk very much moves to the South Coast of New South Wales, with heavy winds and the potential for trees to be felled and for people to be put at great risk. As a result the defence forces have also mobilised to that.

I want to thank the staff at Services Australia. They received 19,600 calls yesterday. Over $3 million in assistance has already been paid out, with much more assistance still to be provided. The government is responding to this crisis, and the government is standing with the state governments and working closely with them to ensure those efforts are coordinated. I thank everybody for the great work they are doing at this difficult time.