Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With the five minutes I have, I want to put some happiness into what was a dire situation in January this year up at Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley in WA. We all know the damage that was done. We know about this once-in-100-year flood. We've seen the wreckage of what once was the bridge across the mighty Fitzroy River. It's gone. We also know that 92 homes have been destroyed. Those of us who work in that part of the world—including you, Acting Deputy President Cox, and Senator O'Sullivan—know that, when we talk about 92 homes, we're talking about a lot of people who have been put out.

So I'm happy to say that the state government has been able to access a camp that was donated. That's now being put in place. I'm working with the state government and the people of Fitzroy. What I do, as most people would know, is that I cart second-hand furniture that's been donated up to Fitzroy Crossing and Kununurra. So I'm working closely with the community up there. The end of April will be the time when we can get the furniture up there. I just want to acknowledge that there are some fantastically generous people. I also throw this invitation to Senator O'Sullivan and Senator Cox: if you're around Fitzroy Crossing at the end of April, please pop in, because for me, with this, there has always been no blue, no red and no green. We're all team WA on this sort of stuff.

I want to acknowledge some very dear friends of mine. Don Bantock from Bedshed in Osborne Park and Midland and, of course, the greater Bedshed company, particularly through the stores at Joondalup and Cockburn, have donated 120 king- and queen-size mattresses for the people of Fitzroy. Don does this year in, year out, twice a year—and for Kununurra as well. I'd like to acknowledge Sleepeezee. Sleepeezee have donated 100 double mattresses. I'd like to acknowledge some wonderful people I met just recently: Peter and Faye Lynch from Tent City in Victoria Park. They were closing down, and they've donated 100 camper beds, 50 stretcher beds and 50 stackable chairs.

I can't thank my dear friend Nick D'Adamo from KEYS Moving Solutions enough. Nick and I have been mates for 40 years now. I started Nick in the transport industry, when I was at the ripe old age of 20 and he was 19. He went on to now own the largest removal company in WA. Nick's been a great partner on our Waste to Wages program up in Kununurra, Wyndham and Warmun. He's also been fantastically supportive of what we do in Fitzroy Crossing. Nick throws one of his removal vans at me, and I run around and pick up the donated furniture. We have a warehouse in Myaree that is Marra Worra Worra's, and we've filled the warehouse with donated furniture, which will be going up at a later date on another run.

I'd also like to acknowledge a very, very dear friend of mine, Justin Cardaci of Centurion transport. For us West Aussies, Queenslanders and Northern Territorians, Centurion transport is no stranger, with the massive task that it performs, carting freight throughout this nation. Justin donates to me one of the largest prime movers. I have to be honest: I get a bit sooky. I always end up with a Kenworth. He throws three trailers and two dollies at me. He also gives me a fuel card and says, 'Knock yourself out—whatever you need.' I just want to put some perspective around that. When my mates in the trucking industry—thank you, Justin—throw all this gear at me, not only does it take that prime mover, those three trailers and those two dollies out of their circuit for the eight days that I do the run, but they also give me a fuel card. Think about this. Diesel fuel is at $2.30-plus in WA, and my round trip to Fitzroy and back is no less than 5,000 kilometres. At $2.50 per litre at 5,000 kilometres, as a rule of thumb, the triple road train uses a litre a kilometre. Do the sums very quickly, and you will see there are four zeros in the donation on top of that, plus Justin and Centurion provide the three trailers. They not only do that but also run the three trailers out to the depot with their other drivers and prime movers while we load them all up and run them all back to the depot. They don't let me off that easy; I've still got to hook the road train up. You'd think they'd do that for me now at the age of 63! But they do get the third trailer up to Wubin for me. So I cannot thank them and everyone involved enough for that.

I also thank the Motor Trade Association of Western Australia. In Fitzroy Crossing, Fitzroy Motors, as we all know, lost everything in the flooding. They could not get insurance, because they were on the flood plain. The Motor Trade Association, with Stephen Moir and his members, stepped up to the plate, and they have donated thousands of dollars worth of tools, which I'll be taking up as well. So I thank them all for their generous support.