Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to bring to the attention of this house the plight of more than 20,000 residents, households and businesses in the electorate of Calare who've been without gas after a flood-related pipeline rupture along the Macquarie River between Bathurst and Oberon. I continue my calls for urgent financial assistance to help those living through this crisis. We need a natural disaster declaration and the financial help it brings.

If this unprecedented event had occurred in a capital city, I'm sure it would have been front-page news and funding would've been rolled out at the very first press conference. But this emergency has gone largely unreported and unnoticed by the city media for almost a week. While the state government has this afternoon declared the event an energy supply emergency, this does not bring with it any disaster assistance for our residents; it's all about the supply of energy. The New South Wales Energy and Utilities Administration Act, under which it was made, may ration electricity or get you a road transport permit faster, but it certainly does not deliver the financial help which we desperately need and which other communities already have.

There are 20,000 residents and households who had no heating, hot water or ability to cook for themselves. Both large and small businesses ground to a halt or drastically reduced their operations. Many are still shut. Cafes were forced to throw out thousands of dollars worth of food and ingredients. Hotel rooms were eerily vacant. Defence, manufacturing, and food and timber processing were all hit hard. A huge number of permanent and casual workers were stood down without pay. Livelihoods were damaged. Hospitals, commercial laundries, aged-care facilities, retirement villages, seniors and vulnerable residents, families, residents with disabilities and volunteer organisations such as Meals on Wheels have all been under great strain. It has caused chaos, fear, uncertainty and a whole lot of suffering.

Sadly, the silence in response to my calls for a natural disaster declaration have been deafening. There has been nothing from either the state government or the federal government. Our residents need help, and they need it now, so tonight I repeat those calls. We need this declaration to be made on the double. Thousands of people are hurting and are in need of assistance. Other areas facing emergencies brought on by storms and floods are already disaster declared. And let's be clear about this: the pipeline rupture was directly caused by an extreme weather event, the same one that has caused all the flooding. It's clearly all part of the same natural disaster, and our residents and our businesses should be getting exactly the same level of support as other parts of our state and nation.

The disaster recovery payment, disaster recovery allowance, business grants and all other assistance must be put in place to help everyone affected by this emergency. People hate it when different levels of government play the blame game. Both the state government and the federal government need to make a clear statement about whether they support a disaster declaration being made and how much they're putting on the table to help—no ifs and no buts. We have local residents in need and the buck-passing has to stop. If this had happened in Sydney, they'd be shovelling money out the door to help.

As our communities do in hard times, we come together. We've had drought, bushfires, COVID, a mouse plague and storms, and now this. I'd like to thank the three councils for the roles they've played in so many ways to assist residents facing this crisis. Lithgow, Oberon, and Bathurst councils wasted no time swinging into action to help residents get access to hot showers all over the region. We're getting through this together, and we couldn't have done it without the scores of council staff; police, firies, both RFS and Fire and Rescue, and ambos; community organisations; tradies, contractors and volunteers who have worked so hard. Thank you to the gas companies for working with our communities in a cooperative way; we need it to continue. Thank you also to the cafe and restaurant owners who have provided free food to those in need. To the neighbours who have shared their heaters, blankets, kettles, cooktops and showers: it may seem trivial, but it's made the world of difference.

We've all done our best, but we need financial assistance and we need it now. The state and federal governments can't afford to waste any more time. It's not good enough. I again call on them to get this done. Make this disaster declaration. Deliver to our communities the help that we need. Our region will not be ignored.