Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on behalf of the communities across regional Victoria who have endured an extraordinarily difficult and confronting bushfire season. Having visited the aftermath of the Longwood fires and seeing the devastation of families and communities who have lost everything, my heart goes out to them. It's not just Longwood but Ravenswood near Harcourt in central Victoria, Natimuk in western Victoria, Calder River in the Otways and Dargo in eastern Victoria. There are hundreds of homes and structures right across our great state destroyed or damaged and livelihoods disrupted. For those families, there are no words that can fully ease the shock and sense of loss that come with that destruction. Victorian farmers have endured lengthy drought conditions. They've then had a very good hay season with lots of fodder in the shed, only to see that go up in smoke.

I want to place on the record my deepest gratitude to our fabulous volunteers, firefighters and emergency personnel, who stood between the fire and our communities, often leaving their own families and properties to protect others, and to council staff, mayors and councillors who stood up to serve and provide support for their communities. The men and women of the CFA, the SES and other emergency services, many of them volunteers, worked hard in extreme heat. This was emblematic of the courage and selflessness that define rural and regional communities.

I want to pass on my thanks to Telstra, for their prompt action to install communication to several fire affected areas, and to Minister McBain, who responded quickly to my request once she got that information. I've been the emergency management minister—it's incredibly difficult—and I thank her for her response. To the Victorian state MPs who assisted, thank you too.