Matt Smith (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Thursday last week we were informed that Tropical Cyclone Narelle had reached category 5 levels. This is an incredibly dangerous system with winds up to 250 kilometres an hour and the potential to impact right across Cape York Peninsula. On Thursday we hit the phones, calling into the communities of Lockhart, Coen, Cooktown, Hope Vale, Wujal Wujal, Aurukun, Weipa, Pormpuraaw, Napranum and Mapoon to ensure that they were prepared and ready for what was coming.

It went from bad to worse. A small but powerful system was bearing down, looking to hit Coen directly and then move across the cape. We were spared the worst of it. Princess Charlotte Bay is shallow. It sucked some of the power out of Narelle, which arrived as a category 4 and rapidly diminished once it hit the land. It also took a hard right and spared Coen, taking out some of the stations. There was a lot of damage to shed infrastructure, and a couple was stranded on the Moreton Telegraph Station for a day or so while the floodwaters from the Wenlock rose.

On Saturday I flew up to Coen to meet with Premier David Crisafulli, with the member for Cook and with Mayor Robyn Holmes. All three levels of government were available for the people of Coen to have a chat to. What we found in Coen was a community that was resilient and happy. They were grateful that they were spared the worst of the cyclone, but they were prepared. This is not our first rodeo. We do cyclones fairly regularly. The thing about the Far North—and the thing that I'm most proud of—is how our community bands together in times like these.

There are new community members in Coen. It was their first cyclone. Sara, who runs a bush pantry there, and her husband broke down one day, actually, and they decided to stay in Coen. There wasn't a mechanic in town. Mike was a mechanic, so he bought the place. It was their first cyclone, and they were so impressed at how the entire community got together and made sure that everyone was going to be safe for the upcoming storm. On Sunday I went to Weipa to inspect the damage there—same thing. The North is resilient, and the North survives.

I do want to illustrate a story which I think shows who we are as the Far North. On Thursday night I got a text from Coen: 'Preparations are good. We're in the pub.' Okay! Couldn't fault the logic! On Friday during my phone calls to all the communities to make sure everyone was okay—the mayor of Lockhart River was on the plant—my favourite text was again from Coen on Friday night. 'We're all good. The power's back on. We're back in the pub.' Fantastic! A full circle moment! I love the Far North, the resilience we show and the way we look after each other, and it just shone through again.