Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the weekend, I visited two towns in my electorate, Trentham and Bullarto, at the heart of a region which was recently struck by frankly incredible storms. The winds uprooted hundred-year-old trees, turning them into kindling; they tore roofs off houses, brought down powerlines and damaged towns' drinking water. Touring the region with the CFA and Hepburn Shire, frankly I was astonished that there hadn't been loss of life. It looked like parts of the Wombat forest had been completely clear-felled, and this is a forest that has not had logging for a long period of time. I know other members here have electorates that have been affected as well.

In talking to the SES, the CFA, Parks Victoria, DELWP and council officers, I heard how they began that night responding to calls, before being forced back to their sheds. It was just unsafe for them actually to be out. I heard of their utes being literally lifted off the road and having to brace against fallen trees just to stay safe. Even then, it took them hours to cut through roads to get to safety. So strong were the winds that they couldn't hear the sounds of the chainsaws that were in their own hands. Not only is it a miracle that no lives were lost, but, in the middle of the night, a baby was born in Trentham. In the worst storm in a generation, the population went up.

I want to say thank you so much to everybody in the community who looked after each other: Trentham, Blackwood, Barkstead, Bullarto, Greendale, Musk, Korweinguboora, Little Hampton, Lyonville and all of the towns across Hepburn and Moorabool shires. Our thoughts are with you today. We must make sure that we recover after this— (Time expired)