Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As you know, President, communities in northern Australia over the last couple of weeks and, of course, over this season have been experiencing an enormous amount of severe weather, with a lot of rain and a lot of flooding. I think the thoughts of everyone in the chamber tonight are with those people who are facing that flooding and the response and recovery that will follow.

The Queensland floods are an incredibly challenging situation right now, and a flood watch is current for most of the state, with widespread minor to moderate flooding occurring across large areas, and major flooding already being recorded across several river systems. There are currently three active flood emergency warnings—for Warra, Chinchilla and Bundaberg—and we know that people are being told to leave these areas immediately. It is important that people listen to the authorities.

We know that there are also floods across major parts of Queensland, all the way through down to South-East Queensland. Many communities in western Queensland have also been isolated for significant periods, with some northern western communities cut off since December last year. Significant road closures remain across much of North Queensland and western Queensland due to flooding and infrastructure damage. These are incredibly tough conditions. But, if there's one thing that we know about Queenslanders, it's that we are bloody tough. We know that Queenslanders know how to look after each other. We know how to pull together when times get hard, and, right now, communities across our state are doing exactly that.

The Albanese government is standing with these communities. We are working continuously and closely with the Queensland government to provide support and make sure communities have the assistance they need to respond to and recover from these severe weather events. Through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, support has already been activated across dozens of local government areas impacted by the Queensland monsoon trough, Cyclone Koji and severe weather. As of yesterday, the Australian and Queensland governments have jointly committed more than $66 million in additional recovery funding to support affected communities. The funding is helping support clean-up efforts, recovery programs and the rebuilding of essential public infrastructure. Disaster recovery allowance payments have also been made available to people whose livelihoods have been affected, and personal hardship assistance is being delivered to help families deal with immediate impacts and those events that occurred earlier this year. There is also targeted support for primary producers, small businesses and not-for-profit organisations because we know how important these local industries are to regional communities.

Importantly, I know that both of our governments stand ready to deliver more support if it is needed, and it will be needed. The situation continues to evolve, and we will keep working with local communities to assess impacts and respond accordingly. Right now, our message to Queenslanders is simple: stay safe, follow the advice of emergency services and listen to local warnings and updates.

There really isn't a community in Queensland that hasn't gone through a weather event like this over the past couple of years. It is devastating, but it does bring communities together. You see the very best of what makes Queensland a great state. Our emergency workers, our volunteers, our council staff and our community members are working around the clock to protect lives and support their neighbours. We say a very big thankyou to all of those people tonight.