Condolences – Australian Natural Disasters

Senator RYAN (Victoria) (7:24 PM) —I stand to speak tonight in support of the motion moved by Senator Conroy and to endorse the comments of my colleagues in this place. Two years ago in my first month in this place the parliament and nation came together to commemorate the tragedy of the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria—unimaginable weather, a 46 degree day on the outskirts of Melbourne and an initial northerly wind that dramatically changed direction and drove the fires that consumed whole towns. As the nation came together in sympathy and sorrow, it assisted, even if only in a small way, the communities devastated by firestorm that words cannot do justice to.

Today we commemorate other tragedies brought about by our environment, forces that no person or community could predict or plan for. Floods, fires and cyclones are a recurring if tragic feature of our history in this country. This summer every state has been hit by one or another of them. When the floods began in Queensland they did not always reach our television screens. To many the first footage was the extraordinary torrent that ran through Toowoomba, with descriptions of an inland tsunami in the Lockyer Valley that sounded more like a scene from a horror movie than a description of this beautiful part of the world. Just as those of us who have not experienced a bushfire or cyclone cannot imagine it, I cannot even conceive of a wall of water like that 100 kilometres from the ocean.

Then our nation’s attention turned towards Brisbane. The people of our third-largest city under threat from flood had to sit and wait as the water rose through their homes, communities, suburbs and businesses. But they did not simply wait. They worked with each other to save as much as they could, to ensure their neighbours were safe and to ensure that while property might be lost or damaged precious lives were not. I did not experience the Brisbane floods of 1974 but my mother can recall them, as my parents lost many of their belongings as the waters came up through St Lucia up to the very top steps of my grandparents’ Queenslander. For some reason it seems too easy for us to forget such disasters and not to learn the lessons of the past. If we pledge ourselves to one public policy outcome from this summer, it should be to have long memories about these events. The Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Campbell Newman, deserves particular recognition for his ongoing warnings about this possibility. We have learnt from tragic cyclones in Northern Australia over the last few decades. We need to do more to learn from fire and flood.

The generosity of spirit of thousands of volunteers in Brisbane is shown by the footage of them marching in file to buses and working as if they had been trained and drilled for this day. They displayed one of the traits that we constantly see in our communities: people reaching out to help one another when they see their neighbours in need. There are some things that only governments can do but there are also some things that communities do better. Governments should encourage and nurture volunteerism, not seek to supplant, regulate or override it. But all of this falls into insignificance when we consider the human cost. Homes and businesses can be rebuilt, loved ones cannot. The stories of bravery from these disasters will stick with us but this provides little solace for those mourning their family and friends. Like many others, the story of the young boy sacrificing himself for his brother in Queensland will stay with me forever. In Queensland in particular the efforts of members of our defence forces and emergency services need special note. Put simply, there are people alive today due to the efforts of rescue workers and our defence personnel.

While this was happening in Queensland, I would now like to turn to my home state of Victoria, which is also suffering from flooding. Western and northern Victoria were hit by floods more severe than anyone could recall. In more recent days my home city of Melbourne and the surrounding areas have been hit again. The efforts of the communities affected were again extraordinary. Volunteers who had suffered themselves still found time to support others, to rescue people and to assist with the clean-up. I had the privilege of visiting Skipton, Wickliffe and Beaufort with the member for Wannon and a team of Victorian members including the members for Flinders, Dunkley and Aston. As well as assisting with some clean-up tasks, we were privileged to hear their stories. Sadly, some of these people had been hit by flood only months earlier, in September last year. Many had managed to repair and reopen their stores only to be hit again. Thankfully, they were spared from the downpours that hit Victoria this past weekend. But like so many small business people and farmers, they were a determined group. Even then they were worried about how they would rebuild their businesses and operations and in some cases their homes. In one of the most tragic ironies of this past month, the farming community was hoping for a bumper crop to assist recovery from the record drought of recent years. That hope was washed away along with livestock, feed and fences.

Thankfully, the loss of life was avoided due to the extraordinary efforts of Victoria Police, the CFA and in particular the State Emergency Service. I would like to specifically also note the role of two local governments I met which were directly involved in these events—two of many, I should add. Councillor Matt Makin, Mayor of the Corangamite Shire, and Councillor Michael O’Connor, Mayor of the Pyrenees Shire, led their employees and councillors in an extraordinary effort that ensured people were safe, as well as assisting in the immediate aftermath and directing the first stages of the recovery. I should also note the efforts shown by the new Victorian government led by Premier Ted Baillieu and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan, who ensured that every service needed to protect life in the lead-up and immediate aftermath was made available to affected communities.

As I mentioned, yesterday we commemorated the second anniversary of Black Saturday and I think there is a lesson for us in that. In recent months, how many of us have thought of the reconstruction effort in those bushfire communities? In my travels through these communities last year, usually joining the former member for McEwen, the honourable Fran Bailey, in her passionate crusade on behalf of her constituents, the constant refrain I heard was, ‘Why have we been forgotten?’

The modern media and political cycles move so quickly that it is sometimes too easy for us to forget that rebuilding takes a great deal of time. In some of these communities, more than a year after the fires, there was still not a rebuilt permanent petrol station. There is a lesson for us from this in recovering from the floods. Rebuilding takes time and it is difficult work. It does not happen easily or without the concerted effort of many. Communities are more than buildings; they are the product of people. But even the buildings take time, often more time than we expect. It is too easy for us to assume that it is underway and that it has happened, whereas what it needs is our constant attention to ensure things are actually happening on the ground, responding to community needs and aspirations.

There are just under a hundred communities that have been directly affected by these natural disasters—floods, cyclones and fires. The rebuilding task across these diverse communities will be extraordinarily complex. Two years ago I said:

I do not know if I have lived up to that hope myself over the last two years, but I believe it is something to which we should all recommit ourselves today.