Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the floods that have recently impacted so much of Australia's east coast. These floods have impacted both urban and regional areas right up and down Australia's east coast, but I want to focus today on the impact that they've had on my electorate and the community that I live in. I want to speak in particular about the way in which these floods have disrupted the lives and businesses of thousands of people in my electorate. They've affected suburbs such as Sunshine, Footscray, Ascot Vale, Keilor—suburbs in the heart of my electorate or bordering my electorate.

I want to speak in particular about the people who live in the suburb of Maribyrnong, a suburb where dozens of families are still unable to return to their homes. There has been no more confronting experience that I have lived through as an MP than walking through that suburb in the days after those floods, seeing street after street where all of their furniture, all of their possessions that defined their lives were out on their front lawns. To see the lives of families, individuals, children impacted so dramatically; to see children unable to return to school; to see small businesses unable to operate—some of these families may not be able to return to their homes for three or six months, or even longer.

I spoke to one father who, because of the speed with which the water rose, ended up on the roof of his house with his wife and their four children. Their plight was captured by the helicopter of the local news station. They were rescued by a boat. Their story was told very eloquently by his youngest daughter, eight years old, to the news live on camera that night. She told of the incredible relief that she felt being plucked off the roof and taken to land nearby. There are so many other stories just like that, of families who were in harm's way. Fortunately, at least in the community that I represent, nobody has suffered serious injury, but so many people were, as I said, in harm's way.

What struck me was the resilience of individuals, the resilience of families and the resilience of that community, but also the community spirit—neighbours helping each other. Again, there were so many stories, stories of the SES doorknocking the night before and of neighbours looking out for each other. There was the story of an elderly woman who was brought to the community centre, to safety the next morning, by her neighbours who had checked in on her multiple times the night before. There was the story of another elderly person who had decided to stay in their home, knowing the patterns of the river, having lived in that house for decades, but whose neighbours brought her a pair of gumboots, so that she would be better placed to survive the perilous 24 hours that were ahead.

In the days following, volunteers from neighbouring suburbs descended on that suburb in their hundreds to help people manage the incredibly difficult task, physically and emotionally, of clearing out their houses, not only of their possessions but of carpet and of fixtures. It was an extremely difficult few days.

Then walking around that suburb in the days after the flooding I saw people driving from across town, people driving from dozens of kilometres away, to drop off bags of groceries to people who had been the most affected.

I want to acknowledge the work of so many volunteers: the SES, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the local businesses who donated clothes and toys for children. It really was an all-in effort. Government did its bit. I want to acknowledge the local council who set up a resources hub at the Maribyrnong Community Centre the next day, which so many people took refuge in. They also did their best with cleaning up all of the mud across so many streets and doing hard rubbish collections across so many areas.

Federal and state governments chipped in with emergency payments that I think help many people but, of course, I do want to acknowledge that there is so much more left to do: the longer term project of helping people manage their insurance, the longer term project of providing individuals and families with mental health support. I also want to acknowledge that there are some concerns in the community, and I want to help people manage any ongoing concerns that they have.

This has been an incredible process. The community stood up for each other. I want to say to people that my thoughts are with those still affected, and me and my office are here to help you with any ongoing concerns.