Senate debates
Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Questions without Notice
Australian Floods
2:36 pm
Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. Eleven days ago the Queensland government wrote to the Prime Minister asking for assistance with Queensland's flood clean-up and rebuilding effort, but last night's budget announced nothing to help Queensland. Why has the Prime Minister once again turned his back on Queenslanders?
Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank Senator Chisholm for the question, albeit that I think the continued efforts to play politics with tragic and terrible natural disasters is at the very least unbecoming in terms of the way the opposition approach it. Firstly, let me place on record all of our thoughts for those affected by recent natural disasters across Australia for the loss of life, the loss of property and the impacts that that has had upon so many Australians, in particular across parts of New South Wales and South-East Queensland—especially, most intensely, in the Northern Rivers parts of New South Wales. Those losses being felt across many regions are real. They have a devastating impact on families and on businesses, and require significant reconstruction efforts.
In response to those disasters, our government has provided extensive assistance and support to date. We have provided more than one million payments to families across New South Wales and Queensland in support of their immediate needs for assistance. We have provided the initial activation in relation to disaster assistance support across New South Wales and Queensland, and, contrary to the question that was asked and the assertion that there was not coverage in last night's budget, in fact last night's budget provided more than $6 billion of support for natural disaster assistance response across New South Wales and Queensland.
Parts of that response—which I know Senator Watt knows; he's just playing politics with it—are essentially a demand driven response in elements of category A and category B funding—
Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
that we will continue to provide for repair of roads, repair of bridges, repair of infrastructure and critical support to those communities.
Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Senator Chisholm, a supplementary question?
2:38 pm
Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
It's not politics to highlight incompetence, which is what we are doing. It has been 20 days since Mr Morrison announced that his government would provide flood victims in the electorate of Page with assistance payments of $3,000 each. Thousands of homes across South-East Queensland were also devastated, yet Mr Morrison has only provided Queensland flood victims with assistance payments of $1,000 each. Why does Mr Morrison think flood victims in New South Wales are worth more than three times as much as those in Queensland?
2:39 pm
Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
This is very sad and shallow politicking from those opposite, who seem to have decided to turn a blind eye to the facts of the circumstances around a one-in-500-year flood event of a magnitude of natural disaster the likes of which communities have not seen before, in relation to what has occurred in those parts of the Northern Rivers districts of New South Wales. Whilst all of these disasters are terrible tragedies for the communities involved, we had never seen before the intensity and severity of that flood disaster in New South Wales, as acknowledged, for example, by former Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and others. For those opposite to seemingly begrudge the additional assistance provided to those in the Northern Rivers district is really quite unbecoming, quite unfair and nothing but cheap politics.
Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Senator Chisholm, a second supplementary question?
2:40 pm
Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
We can see where the cheap politics is coming from. One month on from the floods, Gympie residents are still living in tents and being forced to bath outside, after their houses were deemed to be uninhabitable. Why has the Morrison government abandoned flood victims in Gympie?
Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
It has not. Indeed, in Queensland some 307,045 payments and grants have been made. In Gympie, that is 8,883 to date, according to the advice I have.
The support does not stop there, Senator Watt. The way in which you prey on the vulnerable, the way in which you prey on those who have suffered loss and the way in which you seek to achieve political capital at the expense of people facing natural disaster is disgusting.
Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Senator Chisholm, a point of order?
Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
On relevance. This specifically went to those people abandoned in Gympie. I have been and talked to those people. For this minister to treat them that way is absolutely appalling. They're living in tents.
Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
We will continue to work under the established disaster guidelines, providing billions of dollars of support in Queensland and New South Wales in response to these floods, but we won't seek to undertake the type of political grandstanding of those opposite at the expense of the vulnerable.