Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise, with my colleagues Senator Fifield and Senator Ryan, to talk about the bushfire tragedy that is consuming our state of Victoria. Words are totally inadequate in expressing the devastation of lives and the terror that the bushfires have wreaked on the people of Victoria, and which continue to do so. It is up here on Capital Hill that the strength of words, the power of the pen and the conviction and persuasive eloquence of members and senators determines the direction of governance and, in many cases, the safekeeping of all Australians. Today, I humbly stand before you, Madam Acting Deputy President Brown, knowing that this counts for nothing. It makes absolutely not a sod of difference to those who have suffered or lost their lives in this inferno, where their preparations and best-laid fire protection plans have counted for nothing.

The people of Australia have been frozen in horror as we have been witnessing the continuing terror that rains down and consumes so many of our fellow Victorians—and, for many, their family and friends. This natural disaster that has taken more lives, more property, more homes and more livestock has sent a clear message to all policymakers at a state and federal level. People must always come first. Politics is irrelevant, except when it provides the support necessary to help people get through the trauma that has ravaged their families. Politics for politics’ sake has absolutely no part in this tragedy, nor is it a part of the Australian fibre. I would like to acknowledge the way in which this place and the other place have suspended business as usual. It has clearly demonstrated that families’ immediate needs are more important than the quick exchanges across the benches, and for this I am very grateful. I would like to also thank my colleagues on both sides for the tremendous emotional support and camaraderie that has been provided. The immediate and long-term needs of families need to be, and should be, considered independently and separately from any other considerations. This is a natural disaster of untold proportions that requires political unity of purpose and determination, and is not to be used for any political agenda.

My thoughts continue to be with the hundreds of Victorians who have lost their lives. The sheer terror that they must have endured in their last moments is beyond imagination. My thoughts and prayers are also with those in hospitals fighting for their lives, those recovering from fire related injuries and their friends and relatives who share their pain whilst they sit by their sides, hold their hands and provide what comfort they can. My family is the reason why I get out of bed every morning, my sons provide the oxygen I breathe, and it is incomprehensible to imagine what these people were thinking in their final moments.

Today we grieve for the O’Gorman family from Humevale, just one of many. Alan O’Gorman, a staunch member of the Liberal Party, lost his life fighting impossible odds side by side with his lovely wife, Carolyn, and their youngest child, Stuart. Only last Thursday they were celebrating with family and friends Stuart’s 18th birthday. Within days those same family and friends are trying to come to terms with the anguish of never seeing them again.

We have many friends who live in the area and we are anxiously waiting to hear that they all are safe. Liberal Party members consider themselves to be one big family, as so many of us spend so much time in each others’ company—in fact, many of us see more of each other than we do our extended families. My Victorian colleagues and I have spent a difficult morning concerned about one such family, and I am delighted to say that we have heard that they are safe and well. Our bonds are very strong on this side of the chamber.

Messages of support continue to come in from not only Australians but the global community, who have been witnessing the graphic scenes, listening to heroic stories of survival and crying over the pages of the newsprint every morning. I do not want to dwell on these; they are being covered far more adequately than I ever could. But I do want to take this opportunity to salute the many heroes—the emergency services and volunteers who have put their lives on hold so that they could make a difference. These people are our modern day Anzacs. They continue to put themselves in life-threatening situations to protect their mates, even as we speak. The magnitude of this generosity can only be appreciated when you look at the holocaust-like photos where the intensity of the heat has melted steel girders, of the houses that have imploded from within, of where the incinerated shells of cars have littered roads whilst the occupants have tried to beat the raging flames.

In the trail of destruction left in areas like Churchill, Kinglake, Whittlesea and Marysville, areas where so many of us have visited to enjoy the natural beauty and peace that they offered, CFA volunteers are securing the areas and ensuring the safety of emergency workers whilst they search for survivors. There are tens of thousands of these volunteers. Most will maintain their anonymity, but my heart goes out to them for their incredible strength, generosity of spirit and compassion. The tasks that they are undertaking are too extraordinary for words to pay tribute to. Some of these volunteers have attempted to describe the magnitude of the task they are undertaking—and, in their doing so, we can only appreciate the emotional and physical toll it is taking on them and their families.

To the thousands of Australians who are opening their hearts and homes to those who are suffering, I say thank you. The bushfire appeal is a wonderful example of the greatness of the Australian spirit, yet it is just one. Despite the difficult economic circumstances that so many families personally face, they have sacrificed what little they have for others. People in the bush have been ravaged by a 10-year drought, many are facing financial ruin, and yet they still give, whether it is in goods that can be used or equipment that can be utilised in such an emergency. The Australian spirit is known for its resilience, its strength, its capacity to pull together in extreme conditions, but most of all for its compassion.

It goes without saying that those directly impacted by this disaster will need our emotional, physical and financial support for a very long time—and it must be given, for as long as it takes. The volunteers who are dealing with the war zone-like conditions must not be forgotten. They too will need all our support once the imminent danger is past, because many have had to put their emotions on hold.

Neither today nor tomorrow is the day for recriminations, for finger pointing, for exclamations of ‘I told you so.’ There will be the right time for people to sit down, with cool heads, and assess what has happened and what measures, if any, could have been taken to minimise the enormous human loss. Property, houses, fences, equipment and communities can all be structurally rebuilt, but nothing can bring back loved ones who have been lost. There are many things that we may learn over the coming months that will assist us in safeguarding our homes and our loved ones, but this must be undertaken with goodwill and a unity of purpose. The blame game must be left behind and we must work together with one voice to rebuild and strengthen our great state of Victoria.