James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to add my voice to that of other senators to express my sincerest condolences to those Australians who were affected by bushfires this summer. There have been very many fine contributions to this debate today from all sides of the chamber. I do so as a senator for the great state of Victoria, which has been heavily hit this bushfire season.

The loss of life, property, wildlife and habitat has been particularly severe in eastern Victoria. It is a beautiful part of my state and our country. Growing up, my parents took my brother and I regularly to camp in the Croajingolong National Park in East Gippsland. The Wingan Inlet campsite near Cann River was a frequent family holiday destination. It has a beautiful river, a fantastic beach, great walking tracks, an incredible boardwalk and a small number of quiet campsites. It's so popular that it has a ballot system in peak season for camping. I think my parents particularly appreciated the lack of electricity and mobile phone reception. I went back for the first time since childhood a few years ago to hike there with my wife and friends. I can't wait to get back there again, but I fear what we might find. It is one of many amazing places across our country that have been hard hit and will take some time to bounce back, along with the communities that rely on them. The rebuilding process, although already underway, will likely take years. It will be our collective challenge to maintain and harness the extraordinary outpouring of goodwill from Australians for this task.

It was incredible to see over January the way in which Australians responded to this crisis. One thing that struck me particularly was the appeal from emergency services early in January for people to stop donating physical goods. People had been so generous that they were literally overwhelmed by donations of food, water, clothes and other goods. The millions of dollars spontaneously donated, too, showed how much Australians wanted to help their fellow citizens in a time of need. Sometimes in public debate in this country we hear fears about the lack of national unity or shared identity. At times there can be hand-wringing about what it means to be Australian and whether or not we really feel connected to each other. But times of crisis like this tend to prove that those fears are misplaced. They show, in fact, that we have an incredible sense of shared identity with each other as Australians.

When the immediate danger has passed and the shocking images of fire and devastation are no longer leading the evening news, we must continue to rally around and support affected communities. Those that are reliant on tourism and agriculture will especially need our assistance. Although the government has set aside $2 billion for the recovery and rebuilding process, nothing can replace the lost visitors in towns and the lost customers through cafes, restaurants and stores. The small businesses, tourism operators and farmers will need us to visit again and get behind them so that they can continue to operate viable and profitable enterprises. Initiatives like Holiday Here This Year and Empty Esky are great ways to support fire affected communities.

Of course, it will also be our duty as parliamentarians to ensure that the lessons of this experience are heeded and action is taken to best manage the risk in future fire seasons. Today is not a day for partisan debate, nor is it a day for delving deeply into the many possible policy solutions to this crisis. That is not the role of condolence motions, even if this has not been universally adhered to today. There is a healthy place for both of those things in our political system, but our purpose here today is simply to place on the record our condolences, on behalf of our constituents to their fellow Australians. It's also to take the opportunity to thank those incredible Australians who have sprung to action in defence of lives, property and wildlife; our firefighters, both paid and volunteer; our some 6½ thousand ADF personnel, including reserves; and our volunteers across civil society in local community groups and charities. Their efforts have prevented this fire season from being much worse, and their ongoing contribution will make the recovery and rebuilding task much easier. For that we say thank you, as we remember those we have lost, and commit to the rebuilding task ahead.