Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) | Hansard source

The people of northern New South Wales and South-East Queensland have been devastated by extreme flooding and rainfall over recent months, and this disaster is continuing. As we meet here today, people in Coraki, Lismore, Tumbulgum, Billinudgel, Mullumbimby, Kyogle, Murwillumbah and Condong are all subject to evacuation orders and warnings. These floods have caused the destruction of property and, tragically, the loss of life. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, and the damage caused to these communities is actually difficult to adequately describe. These communities cannot be left on their own.

I do know these communities well. I was born in Murwillumbah, in the hospital, and I was born there in a flood. Yes, flooding is a fact of life for people in the Northern Rivers—there's something in the name that gives you a clue there might be a bit of water about—but these natural disasters are becoming more severe, and we should be better prepared for them. This is not what the Morrison government has delivered.

The floods that struck the region last month had a very personal impact. First, I was stranded there with my mum and dad in the midst of that emergency, although fortunately in a safe location. Sadly, so many others in my communities were not so lucky. A week later I returned to assist with the clean-up, and I met with locals. Many people have commented on this, but it was evident in Lismore that the community spirit was overwhelming. Volunteers had set up community centres. They were incredibly well organised. Young people were fronting up with brooms, gloves and mops. People were preparing food. Emergency services and frontline workers were working around the clock. I can't thank all those people enough for everything that they were doing then and everything that they continue to do.

But on that visit there were plenty of tears. The damage is enormous. I think it's difficult to imagine what it means to lose your home and lose your place of work. There is nowhere to go. This community is resilient, it is caring, but it is a community that has been through a lot. People have lost everything. They should not have to beg for support, and that support should not depend on whether they are in a National Party seat or a Labor Party seat. Locals are hurting. Our candidate in Page is a man called Patrick Deegan, and he said this:

I've seen the pain and desperation in people's eyes. I've heard the stories of loss, shock and helplessness. The people of the Northern Rivers need to know that the Government has their back, that there is a plan, that they are not on their own.

I hear people in this chamber say we shouldn't be discussing it in these terms; that it's not proper to point out where government has let people down. But when an announcement is made for support for some communities, in a National Party electorate, but not for other communities then we actually have a problem with the way that support is being administered. The truth is that on the ground people are saying they feel abandoned. Flood victims across Queensland and New South Wales say this. They feel that they've been left to fend for themselves in the immediate response to the flood and now in the recovery as well. It was made worse by the fact that when the Prime Minister finally travelled to Lismore it was for a photo opportunity and not to meet with the flood victims, who wanted to know why his government had abandoned them at a time of desperate need.

My friend, Janelle Saffin, the local member, lost her home. She was forced to swim for her life through Lismore's floods, and she has continued to work tirelessly for her community. She has continued to show up every single day. This is Janelle Saffin: this is her putting her community first. And there are so many more like Janelle who have been doing what they can to support their communities. This is what leadership looks like: it means taking responsibility when things are tough. These communities are in desperate need of government support, and the Prime Minister could learn a lot from representatives like Janelle.