PROOF ISSN 1322-0330

RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS

Hansard Home Page: http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/hansard E-mail: [email protected] Phone (07) 3406 7314 Fax (07) 3210 0182 FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTY-FOURTH PARLIAMENT

Tuesday, 12 February 2013 Subject Page MOTION ...... 1 Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders ...... 1 ASSENT TO BILLS ...... 1 Tabled papers: Letters, dated 5 and 11 December 2012, from Her Excellency the Governor to the Speaker advising of assent to bills...... 2 REPORT...... 2 Auditor-General ...... 2 Tabled paper: Auditor-General of : Report to Parliament No. 6 for 2012-13— Implementing the national partnership agreement on homelessness in Queensland...... 2 SPEAKER’S STATEMENT ...... 2 Portfolio Committees ...... 2 Tabled paper: Letter, dated 30 November 2012, from Dr Alex Douglas MP advising of his resignation as a member of the LNP...... 2 HER EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR ...... 3 Appointment ...... 3 APPOINTMENT ...... 3 Ministry ...... 3 Tabled paper: Extraordinary Gazette, dated 4 February 2013...... 3 TABLED PAPERS...... 3 COMMITTEES ...... 13 Membership ...... 13 MOTION ...... 13 Natural Disaster Events of 2013 ...... 13 Tabled paper: Mulgowie Farming Co. statement, dated 1 February 2013, to the member for Lockyer, Mr Ian Rickuss MP, regarding the death of two farm workers in the Queensland ...... 40 Tabled paper: Bundle of photos of the flooding in the Lockyer electorate...... 40 Tabled paper: Article from the Chronicle, dated 6 February 2013, titled ‘Strengthening Grantham project saves community millions’...... 41 Tabled paper: Article from the Chronicle, dated 5 February 2013, titled ‘ bill expected to exceed $750 million’...... 42 Tabled paper: Bundle of photos of flooding in the Condamine electorate...... 74

FS SIMPSON N J LAURIE L J OSMOND SPEAKER CLERK OF THE PARLIAMENT CHIEF HANSARD REPORTER

ADJOURNMENT ...... 114 Brookwater Woolworths; Redbank Plains State High School ...... 114 Broadbeach State School ...... 115 Men’s Shed Carina ...... 115 Saltwater Crocodiles ...... 116 Magpies Sporting Club, Magpie of the Year Awards ...... 116 Toowoomba, Second Range Crossing ...... 117 Chillagoe, Cave Tours ...... 118 Ambulance Service ...... 118 Nerang Neighbourhood Centre ...... 119 Southport Electorate ...... 119 ATTENDANCE ...... 120

12 Feb 2013 Legislative Assembly 1

TUESDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2013

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The Legislative Assembly met at 9.30 am. Madam Speaker (Hon. Fiona Simpson, Maroochydore) read prayers and took the chair. For the sitting week, Madam Speaker acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land upon which this parliament is assembled.

MOTION

Suspension of Standing and Sessional Orders Mr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (9.31 am), by leave, without notice: I move— That, notwithstanding anything contained in the Standing and Sessional Orders— (1) The order of business for this day’s sitting shall be: Messages from the Governor Matters concerning privilege Speaker’s statements Appointments Notifications of tabling Notice of motion for disallowance of statutory instrument Any other government business (2) Following any other government business, all business shall be suspended in order to permit the Premier to move a motion without notice this morning relating to the Queensland floods. (3) The Premier’s motion shall take precedence over all other business for this day’s sitting. (4) At the conclusion of the Premier’s motion, the order of business for the day shall resume with the business ordinarily conducted at that time of day. Question put—That the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to.

ASSENT TO BILLS Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that I have received from Her Excellency the Governor letters in respect of assent to certain bills, the contents of which will be incorporated in the Record of Proceedings. I table the letters for the information of members. The Honourable F. Simpson, MP Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Parliament House George Street QLD 4000 I hereby acquaint the Legislative Assembly that the following Bills, having been passed by the Legislative Assembly and having been presented for the Royal Assent, were assented to in the name of Her Majesty The Queen on the date shown: Date of Assent: 5 December 2012 “A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Gold Coast Waterways Authority, and to amend this Act, the Public Service Act 2008, the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995, the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994 and the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 for particular purposes” “A Bill for an Act to amend the South-East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act 2009, the Water (Restructuring) Act 2007, the Water Act 2000, the Water Fluoridation Act 2008 and the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 to facilitate the restructuring of the South East Queensland bulk water industry and for other purposes, and to make minor or consequential amendments of Acts as stated in the schedule” These Bills are hereby transmitted to the Legislative Assembly, to be numbered and forwarded to the proper Officer for enrolment, in the manner required by law. Yours sincerely Governor 5 December 2012 ______2 Speaker’s Statement 12 Feb 2013

The Honourable F. Simpson, MP Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Parliament House George Street BRISBANE QLD 4000 I hereby acquaint the Legislative Assembly that the following Bills, having been passed by the Legislative Assembly and having been presented for the Royal Assent, were assented to in the name of Her Majesty The Queen on the date shown:

Date of Assent: 11 December 2012 “A Bill for an Act to amend the Right to Information Act 2009 and the Integrity Act 2009 for particular purposes” “A Bill for an Act about economic development and development for community purposes, to repeal the Industrial Development Act 1963 and the Urban Land Development Authority Act 2007, to make consequential amendments to this Act and the Acts mentioned in schedule 1, and to amend the Disaster Management Act 2003, the Environmental Protection Act 1994, the Environmental Protection (Greentape Reduction) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Act 2011, the South Bank Corporation Act 1989, the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971, the Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 and the Acts mentioned in schedule 2 for particular purposes” “A Bill for an Act to amend the Youth Justice Act 1992, the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 and the Fiscal Repair Amendment Act 2012, for particular purposes” “A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of Tourism and Events Queensland and for the establishment of the Tourism and Events Queensland Employing Office for purposes related to tourism and events for Queensland” “A Bill for an Act to amend the Weapons Act 1990 for particular purposes and to make consequential amendments to the Corrective Services Act 2006 and the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992” “A Bill for an Act to amend the Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998, the Racing Act 2002 and the Wagering Act 1998 for particular purposes” “A Bill for an Act to amend the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 for a particular purpose” These Bills are hereby transmitted to the Legislative Assembly, to be numbered and forwarded to the proper Officer for enrolment, in the manner required by law. Yours sincerely Governor 11 December 2012 Tabled papers: Letters, dated 5 and 11 December 2012, from Her Excellency the Governor to the Speaker advising of assent to bills [1904]. REPORT Auditor-General Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that I have received from the Auditor- General a report titled Report to parliament No. 6 for 2013: Implementing the national partnership agreement on homelessness in Queensland. I table the report for the information of members. Tabled paper: Auditor-General of Queensland: Report to Parliament No. 6 for 2012-13—Implementing the national partnership agreement on homelessness in Queensland [1905].

SPEAKER’S STATEMENT Portfolio Committees Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I wish to make a statement with regard to the composition of the portfolio committees. The membership of portfolio committees is determined by formulae contained in sections 89 to 91C of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001, that is, the number and composition of members are determined by the composition of the Assembly. From the commencement of the 54th Parliament the composition has been according to section 91 of the act. Following the resignation of the member for Gaven, Alex Douglas, from the Liberal National Party, which was notified in a letter addressed to me that was dated and received on 30 November 2012, a copy of which I table, the non-government members of the Assembly number 14 and section 91A is now applicable. Tabled paper: Letter, dated 30 November 2012, from Dr Alex Douglas MP advising of his resignation as a member of the LNP [1906]. This means that the number and composition of members of the portfolio committees must alter to seven members: five government members and two non-government members. It is incumbent on the House to act on the formulae in the act as soon as practicable. As members of the committees are appointed and discharged by order of the House, today is the first day practicable for the membership to be altered. I understand that the Leader of the House will be seeking to move a motion without notice later today to effect the changes.

12 Feb 2013 Tabled Papers 3

HER EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR

Appointment Hon. CKT NEWMAN (Ashgrove—LNP) (Premier) (9.35 am): Following my recent public announcement about this matter, I would now like to formally place on the parliamentary record that Her Majesty the Queen has extended the appointment of Ms Penelope Wensley AC as Governor of Queensland for a further 12 months until July 2014. On behalf of the House, I would like to congratulate Her Excellency on her continuing appointment. Her Excellency has served wonderfully as Governor of Queensland for the past 4½ years and I am very pleased that she has agreed to continue on as our Governor for another year.

APPOINTMENT

Ministry Hon. CKT NEWMAN (Ashgrove—LNP) (Premier) (9.36 am): I also formally advise the House that on 4 February 2013 Her Excellency the Governor appointed the member for Mundingburra, the Hon. David Crisafulli MP, to be Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. These are important additional responsibilities for the minister as we work to not only recover from the latest natural disaster that has hit Queensland but also look at ways to minimise the impact of future disasters. As part of the minister’s newly expanded role, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority has also been transferred to his portfolio and the Department of Local Government has been recast as the Department of Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. I have every confidence in the minister to carry out these additional responsibilities. For the information of the House, I table a copy of the Extraordinary Queensland Government Gazette of 4 February 2013 which outlines these changes. Tabled paper: Extraordinary Queensland Government Gazette, dated 4 February 2013 [1907].

TABLED PAPERS PAPERS TABLED DURING THE RECESS The Clerk informed the House that the following papers, received during the recess, were tabled on the dates indicated)—

30 November 2012— 1804 Response from the Minister for Public Works and Housing (Mr Mander) to an ePetition (1951-12) sponsored by Mrs Miller, from 781 petitioners, requesting the House to compel the LNP Queensland Government to reinstate full funding to the Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service, Queensland Tenants Union, Caravan and Manufactured Home Residents Association of Queensland Inc and the many other services that provide frontline advocacy for housing tenants 1805 Response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to an ePetition (1933-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(4), from 35 petitioners, requesting the House to make the entrance to 559 Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road, Carbrook safer for all road users by adding road safety devices including turning lanes at this site 1806 Response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to a paper petition (1997-12) presented by Mr Choat, from 2,413 petitioners, requesting the House to take steps to ensure that the TransLink bus service 529 is retained and not cancelled 1807 Response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to an ePetition (1965-12) and a paper petition (2003- 12) sponsored by Hon. McArdle, from 171 and 467 petitioners respectively, requesting the House to review the intersection at the corner of Beerwah State School, Old Road and Peachester Road and immediately install traffic signals, a school pedestrian crossing and upgrade the intersection to cater for increased traffic 1808 Response from the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (Mr Seeney) to an ePetition (1984-12) sponsored by Ms Trad, from 220 petitioners, requesting the House to rescind the ministerial directive and request the council not approve any development applications for the Riverside South Precinct of West End until a full and thorough community consultation on the proposed changes to height restrictions in the precinct 1809 Response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to a paper petition (2000-12) presented by Mrs Maddern, from 400 petitioners, requesting the House to take all necessary steps to have the Beaver Rock Road boat ramp located on the at Maryborough extended and modified to make to safe 1810 Response from the Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to an ePetition (1975-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(4), from 569 petitioners, requesting the House to provide a website listing approved engineered vehicle modifications and to adopt the National Code of Practice regarding vehicle construction and modification 1811 Response from the Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (Mr Dickson) to a paper petition (2005-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(3), from 1,229 petitioners, requesting the House to review the road, 4WD track and access road closures in the State’s national parks and forests, reopen closed and regenerated roads, 4WD tracks and trails and provide a sustainable environment for the continuation of such recreational activities

4 Tabled Papers 12 Feb 2013

1812 Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing—Annual Report 2011-12 1813 South Bank Corporation—Annual Report 2011-12 1814 Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning—Annual Report 2011-12 1815 State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee: Report No. 17—Interim report, Inquiry into the future and continued relevance of government land tenure across Queensland 1816 Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee: Report No. 13—Inquiry into Queensland’s Agriculture and Resources Industries 1817 Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee: Report No. 13—Inquiry into Queensland’s Agriculture and Resources Industries: Submissions received in relation to the inquiry 1818 Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee: Report No. 14—Inquiry into the Operation and Performance of the Queensland Building Services Authority 2012 1819 Response from the Minister for Local Government (Mr Crisafulli) to a paper petition (2002-12) presented by Mr Malone, from 426 petitioners, requesting the House to look at the options of raising the height and lengthening of Antonis Crossing on Kinchant Dam Road (Eton North) to address concerns of flooding caused by the releasing of water from Kinchant Dam and natural rain fall

3 December 2012— 1820 Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee: Report No. 8—Inquiry into the Motorcycle Licensing Process in Queensland 2012: Interim government response 1821 Response from the Minister for Health (Mr Springborg) to a paper petition (2013-12) presented by Mrs Maddern, from 2,007 petitioners, requesting the House to ensure that appropriate pathology services are provided within appropriate time frames in the Maryborough Hospital

4 December 2012— 1822 Response from the Minister for Health (Mr Springborg) to a paper petition (1999-12) presented by Mr Bennett, from 116 petitioners, requesting the House to reverse the requirement that the Regional Council add fluoride to potable water supplies 1823 Response from the Minister Health (Mr Springborg) to an ePetition (1886-12) sponsored by Mrs Cunningham, from 1,566 petitioners, requesting the House to immediately cease the practice of water fluoridation in the State of Queensland 1824 Response from the Minister Health (Mr Springborg) to an ePetition (1946-12) sponsored by Mr Katter, from 28 petitioners, requesting the House to ensure that Mount Isa rate payers get a chance to express their opinion on fluoridation of the town’s water supply 1825 Response from the Minister for Health (Mr Springborg) to an ePetition (1921-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(4), from 973 petitioners, requesting the House to immediately repeal the 2008 Queensland Fluoridation Act and direct the subsequent savings to improve school dental services and oral health education

5 December 2012— 1826 Health and Community Services Committee: Report No. 14—Racing and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012: Submission No. 12 received in relation to the inquiry 1827 Response from the Natural Resources and Mines (Mr Cripps) to an ePetition (1889-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(4), from 313 petitioners, requesting the House to increase the buffer zones between open cut coal mines and residential areas from two kilometres to five kilometres 1828 Parliament of the Commonwealth of —Joint Standing Committee on Treaties: Report 131: Treaties tabled on 21 August, 11 and 18 September 2012 1829 Letter, dated 29 November 2012, from the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties to the Speaker, regarding a report tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament, Report No. 131: Treaties tabled on 21 August, 11 and 18 September 2012 1830 Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts Pty Ltd—Financial Statements 2011-12 1831 Screen Queensland Pty Ltd-Financial Statements 2011-12

6 December 2012— 1832 State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee: Report No. 17—Interim report, Inquiry into the future and continued relevance of government land tenure across Queensland: Erratum 1833 Report on the Administration of the Nature Conservation Act 1992—2011-12 1834 Criminal Law (Child Exploitation and Dangerous Drugs) Amendment Bill 2012: Replacement explanatory notes

7 December 2012— 1835 Department of Justice and Attorney-General—Annual Report 2011-12 1836 Department of Justice and Attorney-General—Financial Statements 2011-12 1837 Anzac Day Trust—Financial Statements for the financial year ended 30 June 2012

12 Feb 2013 Tabled Papers 5

1838 Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee: Report No. 14—Land Protection Legislation (Flying-Fox Control) Amendment Bill 2012 1839 Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee: Report No. 14—Land Protection Legislation (Flying-Fox Control) Amendment Bill 2012: Submissions received in relation to the inquiry 1840 Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee: Report No. 15—Subordinate legislation 153 tabled on 11 September 2012

11 December 2012— 1841 Response from the Minister Natural Resources and Mines (Mr Cripps) to a paper petition (2021-12) and an ePetition (1930- 12) sponsored by Mr Wellington, from 14 and 965 petitioners respectively, requesting the House to implement legislative changes to ensure that Bimblebox Nature Refuge is not mined and to not alter legislation that currently protects the Steve Irwin Reserve from being mined 1842 Report on the administration of the Environmental Protection Act 1994—Annual Report 2011-12

12 December 2012— 1843 Education and Care Services Ombudsman, National Education and Care Services, FOI and Privacy Commissioners—Annual Report 1 January 2012-30 June 2012 1844 Response from the Minister for Energy and Water Supply (Hon. McArdle) to a paper petition (2011-12) presented by Hon. McArdle, from 184 petitioners, requesting the House to stop the proposed substation and powerline route project located on Platen, John, James and Lawrie Streets, Gracemere from being built on this area of land 1845 Response from the Minister for Health (Mr Springborg) to a paper petition (2020-12) presented by Mrs Maddern, from 6,858 petitioners, requesting the House to take all necessary steps to have a dedicated palliative care unit based in Maryborough 1846 Response from the Minister for Health (Mr Springborg) to a paper petition (2023-12) presented by Mr Knuth, from 312 petitioners, requesting the House to remove the Methadone program from the Malanda community 1847 Response from the Minister for Local Government (Mr Crisafulli) to a paper petition (2006-12) presented by Mr Hopper, from 1,309 petitioners, requesting the House to enable the Western Downs Regional Council and rural areas of the former Dalby Town Council and the Shires of Wambo, Tara, Chinchilla, Murilla and Taroom to de-amalgamate from the Western Downs Regional Council and create two areas based on the townships of Dalby and Chinchilla 1848 Response from the Minister Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Mr McVeigh) to an ePetition (1995-12) sponsored by Mr Knuth, from 126 petitioners, requesting the House to retain the Biosecurity Unit (Tropical and Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory) and continue the service at a premises suitable to the requirements of this vital work 1849 Queensland Government response to the report of the Land Access Review Panel, December 2012 1850 Response from the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Mr McVeigh) to an ePetition (1996-12) and a paper petition (2030-12), sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament, from 632 and 531 petitioners respectively, requesting the House to retain the Toowoomba Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Animal Disease Surveillance Laboratory and continue these services at the existing premises with facilities suitable to the requirements of this vital work

17 December 2012— 1851 Response from the Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection (Mr Powell) to an ePetition (1907-12) sponsored by Mrs Cunningham, from 530 petitioners, requesting the House to introduce legislation for putting a ban on single use light weight plastic bags at retail points of sale in Queensland by the end of 2012 1852 Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia—Joint Standing Committee on Treaties: Report 28: Inquiry into the Treaties Ratification Bill 2012 1853 Letter, dated 16 August 2012 November 2012, from the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties to the Speaker, regarding a report tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament, Report No. 128: Inquiry into the Treaties Ratification Bill 2012 1854 Response from the Minister for Education, Training and Employment (Mr Langbroek) to a paper petition (2015-12) and an ePetition (1990-12) sponsored by Ms Palaszczuk, from 231 and 497 petitioners respectively, requesting the House to immediately reinstate funding to the Queensland School for Travelling Show Children 1855 Queensland Law Reform Commission-Annual Report 2011-12 1856 Response from the Treasurer and Minister for Trade (Mr Nicholls) to an ePetition (1888-12) sponsored by Mr Mulherin, from 438 petitioners, requesting the House to abolish stamp duty paid on house and contents insurance and motor vehicle insurance 1857 Local Government Remuneration and Discipline Tribunal Report 2012 1858 Response from the Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (Mr Dickson) to an ePetition (1964-12) sponsored by Dr Robinson, from 249 petitioners, requesting the House to halt the current process of establishing marine parks in Queensland and ensure that future marine park boundaries are based on science and environment risk assessment and to review the current marine national parks with a view to allowing sustainable recreational fishing activity 1859 Response from the Minister National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing (Mr Dickson) to an ePetition (2012-12) sponsored by Mr Katter, from 692 petitioners, requesting the House to reverse its decision to close the Magnetic Island Active Recreation Centre

6 Tabled Papers 12 Feb 2013

18 December 2012— 1860 State Valuation Service: Review of particular concession provisions—Land Valuation Act 2010 1861 Response from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice (Mr Bleijie) to an ePetition (1900-12) sponsored by Mr Pitt, from 7,601 petitioners, a paper petition (2024-12) and an ePetition (1905-12) sponsored by the Clerk from 11,731 petitioners, requesting the House to not consider any measures that seek the removal in any way of the equal rights achieved recently under the provisions of the Civil Partnerships Act 2011 and requesting the House to repeal the Civil Partnerships Act 2011 in line with the LNP election promise 1862 Dumaresq-Barwon Border Rivers Commission—Annual Report 2011-12

19 December 2012— 1863 Response from the Minister for Housing and Public Works (Mr Mander) to a paper petition (2028-12) presented by Ms Palaszczuk, from 189 petitioners, requesting the House to guarantee that no tenants will be disadvantaged by the changes to public housing; rent rises will not place further pressure on families and individuals already struggling to pay bills; individuals and families living in the dwellings identified as under-occupied be allocated a suitable roof over their heads in the same community where they choose to live now; and that the changes will not result in the use of private-sector management of public housing 1864 Response from the Minister for Housing and Public Works (Mr Mander) to a paper petition (2026-12) presented by Mrs Miller, from 2,283 petitioners, requesting the House to stop the sale of the Monte Carlo Caravan Park at Cannon Hill, Woombye Gardens Caravan Park at Woombye and the Lazy Acres Caravan Park at Torquay

20 December 2012— 1865 Overseas Travel Report—Report on travel by the Speaker, to the 31st CPA Australia and Pacific Regional Conference, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 17-24 November 2012 1866 Department of Energy and Water Supply: Bulk Water Supply Code, January 2013 1867 Response from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice (Mr Bleijie) to an ePetition (1983-12) sponsored by Mr Mulherin, from 7,409 petitioners, requesting the House to guarantee that it will not change our nation-leading workers’ compensation system 1868 2011-12 Report on State Finances of the Queensland Government—30 June 2012 (Incorporating the Outcomes Report and the Financial Statements)

21 December 2012— 1869 Response from the Health (Mr Springborg) to an ePetition (1916-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(4), from 176 petitioners, requesting the House to hold a Royal Commission into Queensland Health and its auxiliary bodies, including the Health Quality Complaints Commission 1870 Response from the Minister for Health (Mr Springborg) to a paper petition (2029-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(3), from 27 petitioners, requesting the House to reverse the decision to close facilities at Eventide Nursing Home and Zillmere’s Ashworth House but if the facilities do close to rule out selling the land to developers for purposes such as high-rise units 1871 Health Quality and Complaints Commission: Report, Volume 3, titled Doctor Right—A special report on credentialing and defining the scope of clinical practice for doctors working in Queensland hospitals 1872 Response from the Minister Housing and Public Works (Mr Mander) to an ePetition (1936-12) sponsored by Mr Byrne, from 268 petitioners, requesting the House to reinstate the Community Memorial Restoration Program and that the program be reviewed after the centenary of ANZAC Day, with a priority placed on projects with a strong association with World War I in the meantime 1873 Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA)-Annual Report for the Period 1 July 2011 to 31 January 2013: Late tabling statement by the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (Mr Seeney) 7 January 2013— 1874 Response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to a paper petition (1890-12) in accordance with Standing Order 119(4), from 134 petitioners, requesting the House to take the necessary steps to link the M1 at Bald Hills with a freeway to the Brisbane central business district, replicating infrastructure south of the 1875 Response from the Minister Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to an ePetition (1993-12) sponsored by Mr Kaye, from 347 petitioners, requesting the House to provide a TransLink subsidy to Mt Gravatt Bus Lines bus route 7 so this service can be reinstated 1876 Response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads (Mr Emerson) to a paper petition (2027-12) presented by Mr Latter, from 184 petitioners, requesting the House to investigate an alternate access for the residents in the area from Holzheimer Road to Church Road, Bethania in the event of an emergency that shuts down the level crossing on Station Road 1877 Response from the Minister Education, Training and Employment (Mr Langbroek) to an ePetition (1915-12) sponsored by Mrs Miller, from 42 petitioners, requesting the House to keep Bremer TAFE as an Ipswich based TAFE, retaining its identity and independence 1878 Response from the Minister for Education, Training and Employment (Mr Langbroek) to a paper petition (2022-12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(3), from 102 petitioners, requesting the House to retain Jodi Hemphill as a teacher at Cooran State School

12 Feb 2013 Tabled Papers 7

1879 Response from the Minister Education, Training and Employment (Mr Langbroek) to an ePetition (2010-12) sponsored by Mr Wellington, from 1,772 petitioners, requesting the House to reverse the decision to cease funding the Get Set for Work Program 1880 Australian Agriculture College Corporation Annual Report 2011-12: Late tabling statement by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Mr McVeigh) 1881 Response from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice (Mr Bleijie) to a paper petition (2031-12) and an ePetition (1945- 12) sponsored by the Clerk of the Parliament in accordance with Standing Order 119(3) and 119(4), from 252 petitioners, requesting the House to urgently amend s.222(8) of the Criminal Code 1882 Response from the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice (Mr Bleijie) to a paper petition (2025-12) presented by Mr Knuth, from 18 petitioners, requesting the House to investigate the management and administration of the Biddi Biddi Community Advancement Co-operative Limited, Atherton 1883 Response from the Minister Police and Community Safety (Mr Dempsey) to an ePetition (1918-12) sponsored by Mr Hart, from 171 petitioners, requesting the House to commit to providing a dedicated number of uniformed police officers to Burleigh Heads, as was part of the original proposal for a Police Beat 1884 Response from the Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (Mr Seeney) to an ePetition (1929-12) sponsored by Mr Wellington, from 153 petitioners, requesting the House to give planning authority back to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and ensure that all necessary infrastructure is in place before homes are constructed on the site of the Caloundra South Development

11 January 2013— 1885 Right to Information Act 2009 and Information Privacy Act 2009—Annual Report 2010-11

15 January 2013— 1886 Australian Agricultural College Corporation—Annual Report 2011-12 17 January 2013— 1887 Director of Mental Health—Annual Report 2011-12 21 January 2013— 1888 Overseas Travel Report, Report on an overseas visit by the Premier (Mr Newman) to India, Report to Parliament, Official Mission to India, 29 November-5 December 2012 29 January 2013— 1889 Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee: Report No. 89—A report on the Crime and Misconduct Commission’s investigation of suspected improper conduct of a Crime and Misconduct Commission employee 31 January 2013— 1890 Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee: Report No. 13—SL 102—Justice Regulation (Fees) Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012: Exempt Subordinate Legislation-Public Trustee (Fees & Charges Notice) (No. 1) 2012: Government response 1891 Health and Community Services Committee: Report No. 12—2012-13 Budget Estimates: Government response

4 February 2013— 1892 Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee: Report No. 19—Commercial Arbitration Bill 2012 1893 Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee: Report No. 19—Commercial Arbitration Bill 2012: Submissions received in relation to the inquiry 1894 Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee: Report No. 20—Classification of Computer Games and Images and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 1895 Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee: Report No. 20—Classification of Computer Games and Images and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012-Submissions received in relation to the inquiry 6 February 2013— 1896 Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee: Report No. 15—Housing and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 1897 Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee: Report No. 16—Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Bill 2012 1898 Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee: Report No. 17—Subordinate Legislation tabled between 11 September 2012 and 30 October 2012 1899 Murray-Darling Basin Authority—Annual Report 2011-12 7 February 2013— 1900 Health and Community Services Committee: Report No. 15—Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 1901 Health and Community Services Committee: Report No. 15—Nature Conservation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012-Submissions received in relation to the inquiry

8 Tabled Papers 12 Feb 2013

11 February 2013—

Public Trustee Act 1978— 1902 Public Trustee (Fees and Charges Notice) (No. 2) 2012

Public Trustee Act 1978— 1903 Public Trustee (Fees and Charges Notice) (No. 2) 2012, explanatory notes

STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

The following statutory instruments were tabled by the Clerk—

Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Act 1971— 1908 Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 213 1909 Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 213, explanatory notes

Public Trustee Act 1978— 1910 Public Trustee Amendment Regulation (No. 6) 2012, No. 214 1911 Public Trustee Amendment Regulation (No. 6) 2012, No. 214, explanatory notes

State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999, Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995— 1912 Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 215 1913 Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 215, explanatory notes Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012— 1914 Proclamation commencing remaining provisions, No. 216 1915 Proclamation commencing remaining provisions, No. 216, explanatory notes

Crime and Misconduct Act 2001, Motor Accident Insurance Act 1994, State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999, Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982, Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994, Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010, Travel Agents Act 1988— 1916 Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 217 1917 Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 217, explanatory notes Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994— 1918 Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Amendment Standard (No. 2) 2012, No. 218 1919 Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Amendment Standard (No. 2) 2012, No. 218, explanatory notes Exotic Diseases in Animals Act 1981— 1920 Exotic Diseases in Animals Amendment and Repeal Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 219 1921 Exotic Diseases in Animals Amendment and Repeal Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 219, explanatory notes

Vegetation Management Act 1999— 1922 Vegetation Management Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 220 1923 Vegetation Management Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 220, explanatory notes

State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999— 1924 State Penalties Enforcement Amendment Regulation (No. 5) 2012, No. 221 1925 State Penalties Enforcement Amendment Regulation (No. 5) 2012, No. 221, explanatory notes Bail Act 1980— 1926 Bail (Prescribed Programs) Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 222 1927 Bail (Prescribed Programs) Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 222, explanatory notes

Industrial Relations Act 1999— 1928 Industrial Relations Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 223 1929 Industrial Relations Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 223, explanatory notes

Plant Protection Act 1989— 1930 Plant Protection Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 224 1931 Plant Protection Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 224, explanatory notes

12 Feb 2013 Tabled Papers 9

Mines Legislation (Streamlining) Amendment Act 2012—

1932 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 225

1933 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 225, explanatory notes

Geothermal Energy Act 2010, Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2009, Mineral Resources Act 1989, Petroleum Act 1923, Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004—

1934 Natural Resources and Mines Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 226

1935 Natural Resources and Mines Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 226, explanatory notes

Forestry Act 1959, Marine Parks Act 2004, Nature Conservation Act 1992, Recreation Areas Management Act 2006—

1936 National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, No. 227

1937 National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, No. 227, explanatory notes

Sustainable Planning Act 2009—

1938 Sustainable Planning Amendment Regulation (No. 8) 2012, No. 228

1939 Sustainable Planning Amendment Regulation (No. 8) 2012, No. 228, explanatory notes

Education and Training Legislation Amendment Act 2011—

1940 Proclamation commencing remaining provisions, No. 229

1941 Proclamation commencing remaining provisions, No. 229, explanatory notes

Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2001, Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, Education (Queensland College of Teachers) Act 2005—

1942 Education Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, No. 230

1943 Education Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, No. 230, explanatory notes

Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999—

1944 Transport Infrastructure (Waterways Management) Regulation 2012, No. 231

1945 Transport Infrastructure (Waterways Management) Regulation 2012, No. 231, explanatory notes

Gold Coast Waterways Authority Act 2012, Crime and Misconduct Act 2001, Industrial Relations Act 1999, State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999, Sustainable Planning Act 2009, Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995, Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994—

1946 Gold Coast Waterways Authority Regulation 2012, No. 232

1947 Gold Coast Waterways Authority Regulation 2012, No. 232, explanatory notes

Aboriginal Land Act 1991—

1948 Aboriginal Land Amendment Regulation (No. 4) 2012, No. 233

1949 Aboriginal Land Amendment Regulation (No. 4) 2012, No. 233, explanatory notes

Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012—

1950 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 234

1951 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 234, explanatory notes

City of Brisbane Act 2010—

1952 Regulation 2012, No. 235

1953 City of Brisbane Regulation 2012, No. 235, explanatory notes

Local Government Act 2009—

1954 Local Government Regulation 2012, No. 236

1955 Local Government Regulation 2012, No. 236, explanatory notes

Disability Services Act 2006—

1956 Disability Services (Disability Service Standards) Notice 2012, No. 237

1957 Disability Services (Disability Service Standards) Notice 2012, No. 237, explanatory notes

10 Tabled Papers 12 Feb 2013

Professional Standards Act 2004—

1958 Professional Standards (Association of Taxation and Management Accountants (ATMA) Scheme) Notice 2012, No. 238

1959 Professional Standards (Association of Taxation and Management Accountants (ATMA) Scheme) Notice 2012, No. 238, explanatory notes

1960 Document titled ‘the ATMA Scheme’ (the Association of Taxation and Management Accountants) made under the Professional Standards Act 2003 (Vic) (Refer Subordinate Legislation 238)

South East Queensland Water (Restructuring) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012—

1961 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 239

1962 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 239, explanatory notes

South East Queensland Water (Restructuring) Act 2007, State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971, Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982, Superannuation (State Public Sector) Act 1990—

1963 South East Queensland Water (Restructuring) and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 240

1964 South East Queensland Water (Restructuring) and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 240, explanatory notes

Water Act 2000—

1965 Water Amendment and Repeal Regulation 2012, No. 241

1966 Water Amendment and Repeal Regulation 2012, No. 241, explanatory notes

Water Act 2000—

1967 Water (Transitional) Regulation 2012, No. 242

1968 Water (Transitional) Regulation 2012, No. 242, explanatory notes

Superannuation (State Public Sector) Act 1990—

1969 Superannuation (State Public Sector) Amendment Notice (No. 2) 2012, No. 243

1970 Superannuation (State Public Sector) Amendment Notice (No. 2) 2012, No. 243, explanatory notes

Pest Management Act 2001—

1971 Pest Management Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 244

1972 Pest Management Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 244, explanatory notes

Water Fluoridation Act 2008—

1973 Water Fluoridation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 245

1974 Water Fluoridation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 245, explanatory notes

Radiation Safety Act 1999—

1975 Radiation Safety Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 246

1976 Radiation Safety Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 246, explanatory notes

Youth Justice Act 1992—

1977 Youth Justice Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 247

1978 Youth Justice Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 247, explanatory notes

Gaming Machine Act 1991, Liquor Act 1992—

1979 Gaming Machine and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 248

1980 Gaming Machine and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 248, explanatory notes

Gold Coast Waterways Authority Act 2012—

1982 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 249

1981 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 249, explanatory notes

Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995—

1983 Transport Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, No. 250

1984 Transport Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 3) 2012, No. 250, explanatory notes

12 Feb 2013 Tabled Papers 11

Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000—

1985 Police Powers and Responsibilities Regulation 2012, No. 251

1986 Police Powers and Responsibilities Regulation 2012, No. 251, explanatory notes

Fisheries Act 1994—

1987 Fisheries Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 252

1988 Fisheries Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 252, explanatory notes

Environmental Protection Act 1994—

1989 Environmental Protection Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 253

1990 Environmental Protection Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 253, explanatory notes

Strategic Cropping Land Act 2011—

1991 Strategic Cropping Land Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 254

1992 Strategic Cropping Land Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2012, No. 254, explanatory notes

Water Act 2000—

1993 Water Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 255

1994 Water Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 255, explanatory notes

Water Act 2000—

1995 Water (Bulk Water Supply Code) Notice 2012, No. 256

1996 Water (Bulk Water Supply Code) Notice 2012, No. 256, explanatory notes

Economic Development Act 2012—

1997 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 257

1998 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 257, explanatory notes

State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971—

1999 State Development and Public Works Organisation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 258

2000 State Development and Public Works Organisation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2012, No. 258, explanatory notes

Nature Conservation Act 1992—

2001 Nature Conservation (Macropod Harvest Period 2013) Notice 2012, No. 259

2002 Nature Conservation (Macropod Harvest Period 2013) Notice 2012, No. 259, explanatory notes

Economic Development Act 2012—

2003 Proclamation commencing remaining provisions, No. 1

2004 Proclamation commencing remaining provisions, No. 1, explanatory notes

Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, Economic Development Act 2012, Land Act 1994, State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971, Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982, Sustainable Planning Act 2009—

2005 Economic Development Regulation 2013, No. 2

2006 Economic Development Regulation 2013, No. 2, explanatory notes

Economic Development Act 2012—

2007 Economic Development (Vegetation Management) By-law 2013, No. 3

2008 Economic Development (Vegetation Management) By-law 2013, No. 3, explanatory notes

Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982—

2009 Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 4

2010 Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 4, explanatory notes

Penalties and Sentences Act 1992—

2011 Penalties and Sentences Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 5

2012 Penalties and Sentences Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 5, explanatory notes

12 Tabled Papers 12 Feb 2013

Public Trustee Act 1978— 2013 Public Trustee Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 6 2014 Public Trustee Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 6, explanatory notes

Weapons Act 1990— 2015 Weapons Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 7 2016 Weapons Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 7, explanatory notes

Water Act 2000— 2017 Water Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 8 2018 Water Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 8, explanatory notes Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2012— 2019 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 9 2020 Proclamation commencing certain provisions, No. 9, explanatory notes City of Brisbane Act 2010, Local Government Act 2009— 2021 Local Government Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 10 2022 Local Government Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 10, explanatory notes

Building Act 1975, Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002— 2023 Building and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 11 2024 Building and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 11, explanatory notes Superannuation (State Public Sector) Act 1990— 2025 Superannuation (State Public Sector) Amendment of Deed Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 12 2026 Superannuation (State Public Sector) Amendment of Deed Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 12, explanatory notes Electoral Act 1992— 2027 Electoral Regulation 2013, No. 13 2028 Electoral Regulation 2013, No. 13, explanatory notes Police Service Administration Act 1990— 2029 Police Service Administration Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 14 2030 Police Service Administration Amendment Regulation (No. 1) 2013, No. 14, explanatory notes

Local Government Act 2009, State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999— 2031 Local Government (De-amalgamation Polls) Regulation 2013, No. 15 2032 Local Government (De-amalgamation Polls) Regulation 2013, No. 15, explanatory notes

Local Government Act 2009, City of Brisbane Act 2010— 2033 Local Government Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2013, No. 16 2034 Local Government Legislation Amendment Regulation (No. 2) 2013, No. 16, explanatory notes

MINISTERIAL PAPER

The following ministerial paper was tabled by the Clerk—

Premier (Mr Newman)— 2043 Non-conforming petition regarding the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme MEMBERS’ PAPERS TABLED BY THE CLERK

The following members’ papers were tabled by the Clerk—

Member for Mulgrave (Mr Pitt)— 2035 Overseas Travel Report—Report on the 2nd Asian Forum on Global Governance, 14-23 October 2012, New Delhi, prepared by Curtis Pitt MP (received 12 December 2012)

Member for Inala (Ms Palaszczuk)— 2036 Non-conforming petition regarding Redcliffe TAFE (BNIT) Member for South Brisbane (Ms Trad)— 2037 Non-conforming petition regarding the taxi subsidy

12 Feb 2013 Motion 13

REPORT TABLED BY THE CLERK

The following report was tabled by the Clerk— 2038 Report pursuant to Standing Order 165 (Clerical errors or formal changes to any Bill) detailing amendments to certain Bills, made by the Clerk, prior to assent by Her Excellency the Governor, viz— Economic Development Bill 2012 Amendments made to Bill* Clause 145 (Authority’s Functions)— At page 101, line 14, after ‘for’— Insert— ’the’. Clause 242 (Act amended)— At page 162, after line 21, note— Omit.

* The page and line number references relate to the Bill, after amendments made in consideration in detail.

COMMITTEES

Membership Mr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (9.37 am), by leave, without notice: I move— (1) That the member for Cleveland (Dr Robinson), the member for Mount Ommaney (Mrs Smith) and the member for (Mr Byrne) be discharged from the Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee and the member for Nudgee (Mr Woodforth) and the member for Yeerongpilly (Mr Judge) be appointed to the committee; (2) That the member for Ipswich (Mr Berry) be discharged from the Ethics Committee and the member for Logan (Mr Pucci) be appointed to the committee; (3) That the member for Gregory (Mr Johnson) and the member for Woodridge (Mrs Scott) be discharged from the Health and Community Services Committee and the member for Gaven (Dr Douglas) be appointed to the committee; (4) That the member for Nudgee (Mr Woodforth) be discharged from the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee; (5) That the member for Redcliffe (Mr Driscoll) be discharged from the State Development, Infrastructure and Industry Committee; (6) That the member for Beaudesert (Mr Krause) be discharged from the Agriculture, Resources and Environment Committee; (7) That the member for Logan (Mr Pucci), the member for Mackay (Mr Mulherin) and the member for Inala (Ms Palaszczuk) be discharged from the Education and Innovation Committee and the member for Woodridge (Mrs Scott) and the member for Condamine (Mr Hopper) be appointed to the committee; (8) That the member for (Mr Sorensen) and the member for Mackay (Mr Mulherin) be discharged from the Finance and Administration Committee and the member for Gladstone (Mrs Cunningham) be appointed to the committee; Question put—That the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to.

MOTION

Natural Disaster Events of 2013 Hon. CKT NEWMAN (Ashgrove—LNP) (Premier) (9.39 am): I move— That this House— 1. places on record its deepest sympathy to the families, relatives, friends and colleagues of those killed in Queensland’s natural disaster events of January and February 2013; 2. acknowledges the suffering of those injured, and those who have lost their homes; properties; businesses; farm infrastructure, crops and livestock; and personal possessions in the devastation, while also extending our support for their recovery; 3. records its appreciation for the leadership, dedication and efforts of the police; community safety officers; defence personnel; other federal, state and local government members and employees; private sector employees; community and voluntary service providers including the SES; and the many individual families and volunteers who have all selflessly responded to help affected communities; 4. sincerely acknowledges the fundraising activities which have been organised and the many offers of support that have been made, while also thanking the people and governments in Australia and overseas who have sent messages of support and sympathy to the people of Queensland;

14 Motion 12 Feb 2013

5. records its admiration for the enduring courage and resilience of Queenslanders in the face of these and the other natural disasters that have beset our state in recent years; and 6. commits to working with affected communities and all levels of government to rebuild Queensland, while also doing all that we can to prevent and mitigate the effects of natural disasters in our state in the future. Before the House considers this motion and the natural disaster events that have unfolded in recent weeks, I think it would be appropriate for the House to observe a minute’s silence as a mark of respect. Whereupon honourable members stood in silence. Mr NEWMAN: Along with every member of this House and every Queenslander, I have been left feeling shocked, saddened and frustrated in the wake of Queensland’s second widespread major natural disaster within two years. Beginning on Monday, 22 January, the entire state braced itself as ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald began its 2,600-kilometre rampage from the down the entire length of Queensland to Coolangatta and, of course, then further south. Its unrelenting rain caused record river heights in Bundaberg and the Burnett, with some communities, especially in the Burnett region, being totally cut off from the outside world for some days before communication could be restored and help could arrive. I acknowledge the people of these isolated communities who banded together during this time. The destructive winds of the ex-tropical cyclone also sheared off trees and roofs and cut power to more homes in South-East Queensland than did the floods of January 2011. This disaster has devastated communities, smashed rural industries, ruined infrastructure and displaced more than 2,000 families. Tragically, six people lost their lives directly because of this extreme weather event. Today I place on the record the parliament’s deepest sympathy to the families of those six people: three-year-old Angus Burke from Gordon Park, literally a neighbour of mine; 27-year-old Jacob Luke Shearer from Widgee; 65-year-old Roger Boyles from Greenbank; 81-year-old Wolfgang Kaden from Bundaberg; 25-year-old Yu-Kun Pan from Gatton, formerly of Taiwan; and 34-year-old Swee Leong Fan from the Lockyer Valley, formerly of Malaysia. I want the families of those six people to know their loved ones will not be forgotten. Their deaths will mark a turning point in the way Queensland approaches natural disasters. When future historians look back on this time, they will see that Queensland’s extreme weather event of January 2013 was more than just another sign to be put on a river marker alongside 1893, 1974 and 2011, or, in the case of the , 1942. This event will be seen by future historians as a game changer that made the government of the day take a bold new approach. Today we commit to building a more resilient Queensland. We make this commitment because it makes common sense and it makes economic sense. Before I detail what initiatives we are planning in building a more resilient Queensland, I want to recap the events of the past few weeks. The first estimate of the damage bill—and I stress it is only an initial first estimate, because Treasury and our new Department of Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience will not know the actual figure for months—is $2.4 billion, and it will be a lot more. The Natural Disaster Assistance Scheme was activated in 21 local government areas. At last count, the number of properties damaged was 4,224. Of these, 2,302 are uninhabitable. The Bundaberg local government area has the highest number of uninhabitable properties at 1,321. To give members a full understanding of the widespread nature of this event, I will list by local government area the number of uninhabitable dwellings: Fraser Coast, 302; North Burnett, 206; Gympie, 131; Gladstone, 90; Rockhampton, 81; Lockyer Valley, 80; Brisbane, 33; Southern Downs, 17; Western Downs, 16; Ipswich, nine; Banana, seven; Somerset, seven; and Sunshine Coast, two. Logan also experienced its worst flooding since 1991, with the event causing problems for residents with localised flood damage to some homes and properties, road closures and power outages. The word most used to describe the impact of this extreme weather event on agriculture in the Burnett region has been ‘decimated’. Fifty per cent of pork producers were affected, with two piggeries all but wiped out and 5,000 pigs drowned. Fifty per cent of dairy farmers were affected. Citrus Growers association says that every property in the Bundaberg and Central Burnett districts—about a third of the industry in Queensland—has been hit. An estimated $10 million worth of crops have been lost, and these are producers already facing stiff competition from importers. I spent time with orchardists from and and saw the devastation firsthand. I want to thank Bevan Young and Judy Shepherd for taking the time to speak with me about the practical assistance that is so desperately needed. I understand that the North Burnett Regional Council is setting up a new register called Farm Clear where primary producers can nominate their clean-up requirements and volunteers can register their availability— just the type of practical assistance Bevan and Judy spoke with me about. I urge all Queenslanders and all Australians to buy Australian lemons and look out for Australian mandarins when they hit the shelves in six weeks time. It is not only crops and livestock that our farmers have lost; farm infrastructure has also been hit hard—indispensable things like irrigation systems, water pumps, machinery sheds and fencing. All will need to be replaced. Of course, many hundreds of small businesses also lost their livelihoods and are

12 Feb 2013 Motion 15 facing the daunting task of rebuilding their businesses. Over the last couple of weeks I have met with many small businesses and have seen firsthand the damage to their premises: Ken and Lorraine Mogg—my friends—the owners of the Golden Orange Hotel in Gayndah; Chris and Clair Stewart, the owners of the Billabong Motel in Mundubbera; Denise and Gary Morris, the owners of the Eagle Rock Cafe in Laidley; Emma and Richard O’Neill, the owners of the Hillcrest Holiday Park in Burrum Heads; Michelle Caine, the owner of the Kent Street Bakery in Maryborough, just to name a few. The figures tell one story but the real story of this event is how people worked together. The cooperation between all levels of government and between departments within government has been extraordinary. In simple terms, disaster management is joined up government. People forget about their fiefdoms and join in to get the job done. To give one example, within two hours of getting the call 15 helicopters with winch capacity were deployed to Bundaberg for rescue work. That does not happen without joined up government. And, of course, who could forget the amazing images of the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service air crew saving a three-year-old toddler by placing him in a bag so that he could be winched to safety from a stricken vehicle at Biloela—truly inspirational stuff. The evacuation of patients from Bundaberg Hospital was also a case study in cooperation. One hundred and twenty-one patients were evacuated from Bundaberg Hospital with the aid of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, CareFlight, AGL helicopter rescue, the Capricorn helicopter rescue, Emergency Management Queensland, the Gold Coast surf life saver helicopter and the oil and gas industry, which provided aircraft to assist in evacuations and rescues. At the Royal Brisbane hospital it was a pleasure to meet, with the Governor-General, some of those patients and hear about their experiences. That kind of collaboration and coordination across the government sector and with non-government organisations is a credit to all. I also want to pay a special tribute to the local mayors who, without exception, have done a magnificent job in leading their communities throughout this event. To those in the worst-hit areas—to Mal Forman and his team in Bundaberg, to Don Waugh and his team in the North Burnett, to Gerard O’Connell and his team on the Fraser Coast, to Ron Dyne and his team in Gympie, to Gail Sellers and her team in Gladstone, to Margaret Strelow and her team in Rockhampton, to Steve Jones and his team in the Lockyer Valley, to Graham Quirk and his team in Brisbane, to Pam Parker and her team in Logan, to Peter Blundell and his team on the Southern Downs, to Ray Brown and his team on the Western Downs, to Paul Pisasale—who could forget Paul Pisasale—and his team in Ipswich, to Ron Carige and his team in Banana, to Graeme Lehmann and his team in Somerset and to Mark Jamieson and his team on the Sunshine Coast—I say a special thankyou on behalf of the people of Queensland. It was not just government leaders and employees at all levels who came to the fore. Yet again, thousands and thousands of ordinary Queenslanders rose to the occasion when Mother Nature turned on us. In my own visits to the worst affected areas, including Bundaberg, Burrum Heads, Bargara, Gayndah, Mundubbera, Biloela, Gladstone, Maryborough, Gympie, Ipswich, Mount Tamborine and Laidley, a common theme emerged: friends were helping friends, neighbours were helping neighbours, but best of all strangers were helping strangers. Mud armies sprung up everywhere, supported by people who made sandwiches and cups of tea and the very best of a tough situation. To give members one example of the kindness of strangers, at a nursing home in Bundaberg, which had 30 centimetres of mud through it, the elderly residents were in shock as they surveyed their sodden possessions. A few had family there to help, but many more did not. Suddenly out of nowhere strangers turned up, put a comforting arm around them and started cleaning their units. This event has produced many unheralded angels. I was told of three national park rangers who toiled for almost 12 hours to move more than 150 fallen trees to regain access for tourists and conference delegates at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park—a massive effort. And it was not necessarily their job—arguably it was the council’s—but they went in and they did it and they made it happen. There are so many stories like that. All Queenslanders should also be immensely proud of the job done by our people on the front line: the police, fire and rescue, the SES, ambos, council workers, electricity workers and members of the armed forces. More than 3,500 Queensland Fire and Rescue Service workers, including Rural Fire Service volunteers and fire support staff, were involved. A total of 380 State Emergency Service volunteers were deployed in the worst affected areas to assist the 1,922 local SES volunteers who were activated. As well, 21 Tasmanian SES volunteers were deployed into the Scenic Rim. Many front-line workers did their job and, despite exhaustion, then went and volunteered. Of course, who could forget the wonderful Jill Hall from Bundaberg who, whilst her own home was being inundated down in Water Street—ironically—was volunteering to help others to evacuate the floodwaters and fill sandbags. A group of Bundaberg police officers, who had been working long hours during the flood event, finally got a day off, but instead of taking a well earned rest they donned gumboots and gloves to help a colleague clean out their flood affected house in North Bundaberg. I am sure that those examples were repeated across the state again and again and again. Whilst under difficult circumstances, it was also a pleasure to meet Doug Ambrose, the principal of the Bundaberg East State School. He was leading teachers, parents and students who were working side by side with the Army to clear the destruction and work to get the school open as soon as possible.

16 Motion 12 Feb 2013

At the peak, in South-East Queensland more than 260,000 homes were without power. I compare this figure to the peak in 2010-11 of 160,000—that is 100,000 more homes than last time. The massive task of restoring power was undertaken by more than 3,000 staff and contractors—from field workers who were out in the elements fixing poles and wires to tree loppers, delivery vehicle drivers, network managers and call centre staff. Elsewhere across the state hundreds of Ergon Energy employees did the same, working around the clock to restore electricity supply to 8,755 customers. Likewise, Telstra workers rose to the challenge to repair one of their major coastal fibre cables that carry communications services throughout the state. I also pay tribute to the wonderful church and community organisations that again so quickly and so willingly sprang into action. The Red Cross, Lifeline, the Salvos and other organisations were there again in the hour of need and are still there. Throughout the ordeal, people kept their sense of humour. The Minister for Police and Community Safety, the member for Bundaberg, Jack Dempsey, tells me that a campaign has started to bring the giant inflatable duck from the Festival to Bundaberg in an effort to reclaim the river. That is such a Queensland thing to do. Of course, my own electorate of Ashgrove did not escape the devastating effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. Scores of houses were without power for several days in The Gap and St John’s Wood and there was also significant local flooding in the residential areas of Ashgrove. I met with Robyn and Derek, the owners of the Newmarket Gardens Caravan Park, who calmly evacuated all of their holiday-makers at the park to ensure their safety. I know that some people in some affected areas felt at the height of the disaster that they had been forgotten and that as the days and weeks roll on and life gets back to normal for the vast majority of the residents of this state there will be others who feel that they have been forgotten. But I repeat in parliament what I said in the media last week: we are determined to make sure that in this disaster event no-one and nowhere is forgotten. Dedicated staff from the department of communities have been bolstered by staff from other departments and mobilised to areas where they can provide immediate support, be it money, counselling, or business and financial advice. As I said earlier today, we are committed to building a more resilient Queensland. Last Monday, the Minister for Local Government, David Crisafulli, was appointed by Her Excellency the Governor to the expanded portfolio of Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. Minister Crisafulli’s immediate task is to help communities get back on their feet. He will work with the three disaster recovery coordinators who we have appointed. Deputy Police Commissioner Brett Pointing heads up the recovery effort in the Burnett and . Colonel Don Cousins is responsible for the northern Queensland region—from Gladstone all the way up to Kowanyama where Cyclone Oswald first made landfall. Brigadier Bill Mellor is looking after the southern Queensland region, which is all areas south of Bundaberg and the Burnett. Having three disaster recovery coordinators will allow each of them to have a sharper focus on the communities that they are responsible for. With these men on the job and working closely together, I am confident that recovery can move ahead at speed and that this state can get back on its feet. But Minister Crisafulli’s long-term task is just as important. It will be to get all levels of government— local, state and federal—to focus on how we can minimise the impacts of flooding on towns and vital infrastructure. Queensland is a state of extremes. We need to acknowledge that and build our infrastructure accordingly. We will look at building flood levees and dams. We will also look at relocating entire parts of suburbs and communities. But I stress, we will do that only if that is what the community wants. Relocation has to be driven by the community. It worked well in Grantham because the community was behind it and the community drove it. We will also look at raising or relocating highways to protect them from floodwaters. The is the lifeline of the north and lifelines need to stay open. We will also take a whole new approach to replacing bridges and repairing roads. Repairing the same old roads in the same old way will deliver the same old result. Yes, it may cost more, but a bit more now will mean a lot less in the future. Building like for like will get you the same result. We must build back better. We owe this not only to those who lost their lives but also to those who have lost their livelihoods and their homes. I commend the motion to the chamber. Ms PALASZCZUK (Inala—ALP) (Leader of the Opposition) (10.00 am): It began in the final week of January when an unexpected, unwelcome and terrifying visitor named Oswald crossed into some of our most northern communities. He brought 90-kilometre-an-hour wind gusts to communities between Aurukun and Kowanyama. He delivered some of the most torrential rains seen for many years in the areas between Karumba and the Torres Strait. He terrified and traumatised towns and communities in the region. He reignited fears and reopened harrowing memories for the people of these communities and many, many others—memories that are barely two years old—as Queensland collectively shuddered, waited and watched, all the time thinking, ‘Oh no, not again.’ But as Oswald wreaked havoc and destruction on our state’s far north, we soon came to realise this was only just the beginning. The legacy of this cyclone would be felt not only by those remote communities in the gulf but hundreds—indeed thousands—of kilometres away as the aftermath engulfed town after town, community by community, property by property reaching each of our coastal cities, cutting off those towns further inland and stretching into our capital city and beyond, crossing our border into . As we

12 Feb 2013 Motion 17 awoke day after day in that last week of January, I am sure every member of this place will agree that each of us was disbelieving that this could happen again so soon after our tragedy of the summer of 2010-11. We were horrified that we would again be witnessing scenes of utter despair and heartbreak. We were once again reminded of the high price we must all too frequently pay for calling Queensland home. If 2010- 11 was the period in which Brisbane and Grantham, Toowoomba and Dalby, Chinchilla, Roma and Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast, Tully, Cardwell, Innisfail and Cairns lived their worst nightmare, this was our nightmare revisited. This was a nightmare that not only came again to many of those towns and cities, it was a nightmare that spread its wings further, attacking regions that escaped the path of ruin last time but in 2013 were not so lucky. In its wake, the fallout from Cyclone Oswald dumped a deluge on Brisbane, Mackay, Cairns and the Gold and Sunshine coasts. Its aftermath wreaked havoc in Maryborough, Laidley, Rockhampton and particularly and painfully in Bundaberg. It sent panic through Gympie, Ipswich, Logan and Brisbane as rivers rose and broke their banks threatening to engulf us. All that time those of us who had witnessed the events of December 2010 and January 2011 waited and watched and held our collective breath as we hoped for the people of these towns and communities. Those events of the recent past have taught us a fundamentally important lesson: towns may be engulfed, but after the waters reside they can be rebuilt. Bridges and roads may be left twisted and in ruins, but in the end they can be reconstructed. Houses, businesses, parks, schools and town halls—though caked in mud and leaving us at a loss to comprehend where we can ever start in the repair process—can rise again. Lives too often cannot be rebuilt without incredible effort. Lives can take many years to recover. But what we must all remember is that lives—unlike buildings, roads, bridges and houses—cannot be replaced. That is what the aftermath of these cyclones, , floods and tornadoes is about—the survivors: those who live on to rebuild and fight another day, those who must now pick themselves up and attempt to rebuild their lives all the while living with terrifying memories. The aftermath of the summer of 2013 is about rebuilding our communities, but first and foremost it is about the people of those communities. It is about the spirit of those communities and it is about each of us sparing a thought or getting out and helping where we can as shattered lives are rebuilt. In the summer of 2010-11, more than 20 lives were lost. The families of those victims grieve to this day and will grieve into the future. Today there are six families out there who grieve for the six lives lost in our most recent flooding and events. I say to each of those families that they have the thoughts and the deepest sympathies of myself and each of my opposition colleagues. I know they have the support and sympathies of every single member in this House. My thoughts are with the two farm workers—aged just 25 and 34—who perished while attempting to get to work at Sandy Creek near Gatton at the height of the flooding in that area. My thoughts are with the families and friends of three other men who died in floodwaters south of Brisbane, at Burnett Heads and near Gympie. My deepest sympathies go to the parents and family of three-year-old Angus Burke, who died after a terrible accident in a Brisbane park in the aftermath of the floods. May God rest their souls. The story of the 2013 Queensland floods is one of misery and desolation, of anguish and gloom, of heartbreak and hopelessness. But history will also record the 2013 Queensland floods as a story of heroism and bravery, of selflessness and self-sacrifice in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. I and the other members of the shadow cabinet have spent the past weeks travelling to many of those areas affected by storms or by flood and have witnessed firsthand these qualities—qualities which Queenslanders have come to be identified with. In Rockhampton I stood in the front yard of Wayne and Glenda Wisley’s house in the salt-of-the-earth suburb of Depot Hill as the rapidly rising waters of the mighty Fitzroy River lapped at their fence posts. Wayne and his neighbours were extremely well prepared. Flooding has become such second nature in the area that the local pub jokingly advertises itself as the ‘Fitzroy Float-el’. They had emptied the downstairs sections of their homes, taking treasured possessions to higher ground, and were ready for whatever the ferocious Fitzroy would deal them. Wayne, in his creativity, had removed the railings from his external stairs so he had a ready launching ramp for his tinnie. His neighbours waded through thigh-high water across Depot Hill’s streets to inquire about each other’s wellbeing. It is a phenomenon they live with, with good humour and in good spirits, and they stare down adversity. I thank Fraser Coast Mayor Gerard O’Connell for taking the time to take me on a walking tour of Maryborough’s central business district, which went under as the Mary River catchment experienced its highest ever recorded rainfall on January 27 when an unfathomable 250 millimetres of rain fell—20 millimetres more than the previous record in 1955. Here, in the epicentre of this destruction, no business escaped. The local hairdresser, the bakery, the coffee shop, the jewellers, the clothing shops, the tourist information centre, the tattoo parlour, and even the city council itself, experienced flooding of different degrees. Just a few streets away the town’s pride, the state-of-the-art aquatic centre, rebuilt at a cost of more than $6 million and opened merely weeks ago, had been transformed into a muddy, unrecognisable swamp. The trail of destruction was clear from row after row of fallen trees. But in the midst of this devastation, hundreds had gathered to clear out their businesses and help their neighbours hose mud from their premises and salvage whatever could be salvaged.

18 Motion 12 Feb 2013

The entire staff of the accounting firm Advance had been given the day off to help hose out the offices of others in the area, regardless of whether they knew them or not. It was here in Maryborough’s Kent Street that I met Noel, an SES worker, who, though exhausted and getting by on four hours sleep each night, recounted his efforts during the region’s flood crisis. I would describe them as herculean. At the height of the flood, Noel helped evacuate a seriously ill man, suffering emphysema, from his home through the raging torrent to safety. Just the following day he was contacted and repeated the feat, helping a heavily pregnant woman to safety. It is those sorts of stories that must come to exemplify the floods of 2013 and must be recorded in our state’s history. I doubt anyone could be ready for the scene in Bundaberg, a landscape that is both confronting and testament to the ferocity and power of the floods that engulfed the city and its surrounds on 28 January. To witness the aftermath is shocking; to have lived the tragedy is entirely different. As the Premier stated, it was here that 12 helicopter crews worked throughout the night to airlift more than 100 people from the roofs of their homes in North Bundaberg as they were swallowed by the raging Burnett River that burst its banks as 484 millimetres of rain fell over just two days. It was here that entire streets became fast-flowing rivers that tore away and upended everything in their path. It was here that bridges and roads were twisted beyond recognition. It was here that the local cricket pitch and netball courts now paint the reality, transformed into moonscapes, laying underneath metres of mud. And it was here that, in an instant, hundreds of families have found themselves homeless. It was also here that not one but a series of tornadoes ripped through the neighbouring community of Bargara. This bizarre series of events has left Bargara devastated. In fact, many of its residents will not be able to return to their homes, such was the intensity and cruelty of those unprecedented twists of nature. The local stories in Bundaberg are stories of escape and survival and also of a community reaching out to ensure those left in despair know they are not alone. I pay tribute and am truly in awe of people such as Peter Evans and his wife Kathleen, who staff the local Salvation Army kitchen where they prepare about 400 meals each day. Their efforts and the efforts of the volunteers who stand beside them is nothing short of remarkable not only making sure that those who now temporarily call evacuation centres home are fed but also dispatching boxes of fruit and vegetables to those families still stranded in their flooded homes. The many men and women who are working tirelessly at the evacuation centre in Bundaberg’s Civic Centre, alongside coordinator Tony Cullen, are not only locals; many Red Cross volunteers have travelled from areas as far away as Canberra, Tasmania and Darwin to help. They are here to care for people such as Merinko Milanja, a remarkable 75-year-old who now calls the centre home, along with his wife Elizabeth. The Milanjas may be here for the next several weeks or the next several months because the truth is cold and hard: they have nothing to return to. Merinko tells the story of fighting against waters that reached his chest as he and Elizabeth escaped the flood that he says came as a surprise. He walked through the torrent from the front steps of their home, all the while balancing his precious Alsatian dog above his head. My deputy, Tim Mulherin, has witnessed firsthand the devastation in Laidley, Mundubbera and Gayndah. Tim has also toured and met with city leaders in Gladstone which, among major Queensland population centres, copped perhaps the heaviest rainfalls. Gladstone registered almost 820 millimetres of rain over four days, amounting to nearly its average annual rainfall and more rain than it received during the whole of 2011 or 2012. The member for Bundamba sat in Ipswich evacuation centres with locals as they waited and hoped the Bremer River would not rise to the levels of 2010-11. The member for Woodridge has been travelling her area in Logan as the and Albert River catchments recorded record rainfall, offering whatever she can in the way of help for her constituents. The member for Rockhampton has spent the past week helping his city as the most extreme rainfalls in a generation, with more than 545 millimetres over four days, drenched the region and the mighty Fitzroy cut the city in two. The member for South Brisbane waited with the residents of West End and other inner-city suburbs, only to breathe a sigh of relief along with them as the Brisbane River stopped short of wreaking the havoc of 2010- 11. The price we pay for living in this unique corner of the world seems to grow higher and more terrifying as each year passes. However, from the ruins of 2010-11 we emerged stronger and more resilient and with the courage to face whatever nature decides to throw at us. From this disaster of 2013, we will grow stronger still. However, there are important lessons we must heed and it is critical that we act quickly and determinedly. Any natural disaster has far-reaching consequences. As I said earlier, those consequences reach beyond—well beyond—twisted roads, ruined sporting facilities and damaged businesses. They reach deep into the psyche and, at this juncture, it is imperative that we look after one another. In this regard, I urge the government to play a central and active role outside of the clearly overwhelming rebuilding task that it faces. I urge this government to establish and maintain, well into the future, the counselling services that will be required by the people who have been affected by these natural events. I cannot stress how important it is that the people left in hopelessness and despair by these flood events are nurtured and that their wellbeing is protected as a priority. That relates not only to those who

12 Feb 2013 Motion 19 have lost their homes and their possessions; let us also ensure that the people who were and remain front and centre of the rescue effort are cared for. They are the people who have witnessed the terror in the faces of those they plucked from rooftops. They are the people who faced raw fear as they undertook swift water rescues and who faced the grim task of searching for the dead at this terrible time. In that light, I would also urge Queenslanders and all Australians to give if they can to the Red Cross Floods Appeal. Just as it is important that lives are rebuilt and that we pay particular attention to the wellbeing of those left to pick up the pieces, it is vital that the rebuilding process is swift and determined. This is not a time for debate over costs and responsibility; this is a time to get on with the job and restore some vestige of familiarity to those communities left in ruins, many only months after returning to normality after nature’s last attack. It is critical that normality is restored in each and every community, particularly for those families and those children affected. I note the efforts of the government so far in establishing a fresh reconstruction authority, but stress that this is not a time for complacency; it is a time for urgency, for ensuring it is rebuilt so that lives can be resumed. Today, my thoughts are with those who have lost loved family members. My thoughts are with those who have lost their homes and their possessions. My thoughts are with those who may be looking to the future and wondering how they will rebuild, how they will re-establish their lives, many for the second time in as many years. And my thoughts will remain with them as together we face the next difficult months. I want to offer some words of assurance: your towns will be rebuilt as your lives will be. As your towns and cities are reconstructed, so your lives will be. I urge everyone to look out for their friends, for their families and for their neighbours. Even though the memories may fade with time, we can never forget the lessons to be taken from the summer of 2013. We can never forget how we will come together yet again to stare down whatever nature chooses to throw at us. We can never forget the power of our community and how we as Queenslanders must yet again hold each other close and join together in this aftermath. Hon. JM DEMPSEY (Bundaberg—LNP) (Minister for Police and Community Safety) (10.18 am): As we set about rebuilding after the disasters of 2011, few would have thought that Mother Nature would again threaten the communities of Queensland, particularly in such a ferocious way. The recent floods and the mini tornadoes pounded communities that were just beginning to get back on their feet. However, those communities stood up and again showed the Queensland spirit that is recognised throughout the world. Again we followed the determination shown by generations of Queenslanders by rising up, uniting, believing and committing to each other. Again we are rising up to the challenges, uniting with one another and believing in what we have to do. We are showing that commitment by hard work and dedication and by the giving of oneself to others. These are the qualities that give faith and hope to future generations of young Queenslanders—young Queenslanders like those we see here in the gallery today. This is the same spirit that I have witnessed personally during visits to many communities throughout Queensland. Speaking of spirit, it is no more evident than in my own electorate of Bundaberg, which bore nature’s scorn with thousands of homes affected and businesses and infrastructure destroyed. However, the greatest loss is the loss of life. In all, six people lost their lives as a result of weather related incidences. As previously mentioned, they included—and I will say their names again for all members—65-year-old Roger Boyles, whose body was discovered at Greenbank; two men, 25-year-old Pan Yukun from Gatton, formerly of Taiwan, and 34-year-old Andrew Leong from the Lockyer Valley, formerly of Malaysia, who died in Sandy Creek at Woodlands Road, Glen Cairn; 81-year-old Wolfgang Kaden from Bundaberg, who died at Burnett Heads after he fell overboard when his vessel broke its moorings and collided heavily with two other vessels; 27-year-old Jacob Luke Shearer, who died after his vehicle became stranded in Widgee Creek; and three-year-old Angus Burke from Gordon Park, who died after being struck by a falling tree. Our thoughts go out to a 65-year-old man who still remains missing from a vessel that sank out from Port Alma. I would also like to take this opportunity to convey my sincere condolences to the loved ones of all who were tragically taken and those who have suffered injuries and are still in hospital or being cared for by their loved ones while people are still going through the process of recovery and reconstruction of their homes and lives. The thoughts and sympathies of every Queenslander goes out to them today. The road to recovery will be a long and difficult one as we find a way to ensure that events like this can never happen again on such an epic scale. A total of 4,180 homes were damaged. Of these, 2,280 properties were inundated, 1,428 sustained medium damage, 771 sustained severe damage and 81 sustained total damage. When we think of these properties, we just do not think of the timber that they are constructed with but the belongings that were in them and the destruction which resulted in those belongings being pushed out into the middle of the road and the clean-up afterwards and the memories that were certainly washed away. Whilst they were taken away, it certainly has brought people together and strengthened them. They have faith and hope for the future. A further 1,900 properties sustained minor damage and are habitable with repairs currently being conducted.

20 Motion 12 Feb 2013

Again today, I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all the police, emergency services members, the Army and, of course, the many volunteers who worked so hard over the past weeks. It was incredible to see those volunteers and those emergency services workers out there doing whatever they could at that time of need. I remember one person in particular from the Rural Fire Service. This particular lady said that she was used to using a hose to fight fires. Her emotions changed when she had to bring a hose into someone’s private property and blast out the mud and what was left by the floods. It is through their dedication and their efforts that people have been able to face the future with some hope and many with a renewed faith in humanity—humanity that saw many people for the first time speaking to their neighbours, speaking to people up the road. When we look at the devastation, we have to bear in mind that this has a positive side. There is a great deal of hope for the future. I am incredibly proud of the response to this disaster which saw people airlifted to safety by brave helicopter pilots, makeshift villages set up for the homeless and supplies brought in despite damaged roads and infrastructure. A total of 380 SES volunteers were deployed in the affected area, including 21 of our brothers and sisters from the Tasmanian SES who came to the Scenic Rim area. These volunteers assisted our 1,922 SES volunteers who were actually on the ground. With our volunteers, whether they be from the SES or the Rural Fire Brigade, we had to make sure we had fatigue management in place. Our volunteers are like a piece of gold; they will work until they drop if you let them. We really had to make sure that fatigue management processes were in place and we maintained that constant effort in helping all the communities. More than 3,500 fire service workers, including Rural Fire Service volunteers and fire service support staff, were involved. Approximately 763 QAS staff were involved in the response, of whom 267 were specifically deployed to assist. While talking about that, I would also like to thank and acknowledge all the St John’s workers who came from across the state to not just provide physical support but also emotional support to many people. I know they will continue to do that with the Red Cross and many others over the coming days and weeks. The Australian Defence Force deployed a total of 248 personnel, 156 of these to Bundaberg as part of the mud army plus an additional 36 to work on the Don Tallon Bridge repair task. The Queensland Police Service response involved 1,583 police officers. The corrective services commissioner also tells me that hundreds of community service hours were also completed in flood ravaged communities. On 26 January 2013 the State Disaster Coordination Centre was activated. Most would not have expected that their Australia Day would turn out to be preparing for floods and intense weather conditions. I would again like to thank the coordination centre staff and those from the many government and non- government agencies who rallied together for their professionalism and their dedication throughout the activities over those coming days and weeks. While this was occurring, local and district disaster management groups were activated around the state. They did a remarkable job protecting their communities. I thank them, their local government representatives and mayors, as well as the federal government members for that coordinated approach at this time of disaster. They came together shoulder to shoulder and worked together for their communities. Evacuation centres were established in a number of locations throughout the state. Police working with their emergency services counterparts, the SES and members of the community assisted in evacuation centres in many affected communities. More than 10,000 people were evacuated across the regions of Bundaberg, Boyne, Tannum, Maryborough, Gympie, South Burnett, the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Jambin, Brisbane and Logan. Natural disaster recovery and relief arrangements have been activated in 53 local government areas. During the floods it was my own electorate of Bundaberg which provided some of the most recognisable images of the devastation, but these images are unable to convey the scale of destruction and heartache borne by many families and individuals. In Bundaberg alone approximately 7,500 people evacuated their homes in search of higher ground, with almost the entire area of North Bundaberg evacuated. As floodwaters rose, emergency services workers and helicopter pilots worked around the clock to ensure everyone made it to higher ground while the water continued to rise. Some 121 patients were evacuated from Bundaberg Hospital and patients from the private Mater Hospital were transferred to the Friendly Society Private Hospital for safe keeping. Through all the devastation, hope is already beginning to bloom as time and time again residents in Bundaberg band together to help out their mates. The volunteer mud army, armed with their shovels and buckets, brooms and mops continue to head to Bundaberg streets each day to do their bit to help return homes to some form of normality. Every day in Bundaberg through the loss and sadness I hear another tale of someone who has been touched by the kindness of strangers.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 21

I can give a few examples: the business owner who lost his home and business but joined in the mud army and started cleaning out the homes of others before he even touched his own home or business; the gym, that closed due to the flooding, is holding gym classes in the church hall in cooperation with the rest of the community with the proceeds being raised going to the Queensland Red Cross Flood Appeal. The Premier mentioned Doug Ambrose, the Principal of Bundaberg East State School. Throughout the whole of the devastation and what was happening his first thoughts were for the children of that school, the young children, and keeping them together. He brought all of the school community as well as the emergency services workers together with a common drive, a common theme, a common objective—and that objective was to get that school back on track. That is what came to the fore, particularly throughout the flood response. It did not matter which part or how big or small the task ahead; it was about coming together and everyone having that one goal to get Queensland back on track, to make Queensland better than what it was and to make sure that lives were saved and property was protected. One particular story I would like to share, and many of you may already know about, is about Kerri Savidge, who happened to appear on the TV show the Hot Seat around the time of the floods. It is an aptly named show the Hot Seat because Kerri is definitely a livewire and a ball of activity with a great deal of enthusiasm. In the typical true form of a Bundaberg girl she decided to donate part of her $50,000 winnings back to the Bundaberg Basketball Association, which she is highly involved with, and that is typical of most people in the community who are involved in a number of other organisations and community groups. That act certainly typified the spirit of the Bundaberg area. When I talk about the spirit of Bundaberg, as you all know, Bundaberg is known for other spirits, but it was the spirit of the community that really came to the fore. I note that during this time we also had to make sure that a lot of people from different communities outside of Bundaberg were looked after and supplied by local product. Among the 700-odd who joined the mud army during the first weekend of operation were a group of about 30 Bundaberg police officers on a well-deserved day off. Those officers had been working hard with the flood response but when time came for them to have a break they did not have one, and with about five other officers they formed their own ‘blue mud army’ in order to help out a colleague who had lost everything in the flood. The mud army’s work has been supported by members of the region’s surf-lifesaving clubs who have done a magnificent job. Again, it was quite inspirational to see those young Queenslanders coming through with those skills and becoming real leaders in their communities. They have been manning first aid stations to provide flood victims and volunteers with water, band-aids and first-aid care. Businesses across Bundaberg have pitched in to help with the clean-up and collate donations. An example of that is that during the height of the floods one hairdresser shut her doors and told her employees to go and help out at the evacuation centres. This was repeated tenfold, as businesses paid their employees who were located in the safe spots and sent them over to help out in the main zones that were affected. Well-known local business Barolin Physiotherapy shut its doors and set up a massage tent next to the surf-lifesaving first aid station in North Bundaberg. The physiotherapists worked massaging flood victims and volunteers in order to provide them with a short break from the stress and devastation of the flood damage. It was great to see that humility and laughter coming out, as you can imagine it would with a number of people coming together in those hard times. The many organisations that have stepped up to take evacuees and to distribute food, clothing and needed items are also to be commended, including the Salvation Army, the Anglican Parish of Bundaberg, Citicoast Church, the Red Cross, the Bundaberg PCYC and the Country Women’s Association. There are many, many organisations, and that is the hard part—once you start talking about organisations that have been involved there are so many others that you may leave off the list. But I would just like to say thank you to all of them. Lastly, I would like to thank the many members of this House who organised donations to be sent up to Bundaberg and the surrounding region. In particular, I would like to mention the member for Southport who came up to Bundaberg with his son and volunteered in the mud army. In Bundaberg and elsewhere people have shown an amazing fighting spirit. I have seen acts of incredible courage and kindness amid the mud and debris. To everyone who picked up a shovel, donated money or helped the recovery effort in any way: I say thank you from the bottom of my heart and from the hearts of many residents in the Bundaberg area. You showed the world what can be achieved against terrible odds and you reminded us why we are all proud to be Queenslanders. Hon. JW SEENEY (Callide—LNP) (Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning) (10.34 am): I rise to support the motion moved by the Premier and to join with other members of this House in expressing my condolences to the families of the six people who lost their lives in the 2013 flood event. In particular, I extend my condolences to the family of Jacob Shearer, a 27- year-old constituent of mine who lost his life tragically at Widgee.

22 Motion 12 Feb 2013

The 2013 flood event came as something of a surprise, I think, to many Queenslanders still recovering from the 2011 natural disaster. It was very different from the 2011 situation in that the 2011 flood event and the natural disasters came at the end of a long wet season. In in 2013 the wet season had not arrived. It was a season that was very dry. So when ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald started to move south it was welcomed by many Central Queenslanders as a chance for some long overdue rain, and rain it did. The sort of rain that the member for Hinchinbrook and his colleagues in are well used to was visited on us in Central Queensland. Some of the rainfall totals were quite amazing. Some of the rainfall totals that fell over a period of three or four days exceeded what had long been considered to be annual averages. In the ranges behind Gladstone there were recordings of up to 40 inches of rain over a three-day period—40 inches of rain in an area where the annual average is not 40 inches. But in those ranges behind Gladstone is where the river systems that run through the electorate of Callide originate—the river systems that run north to the Dawson—the Callide and Kroombit creeks; and the river systems that run south to Bundaberg down the Burnett Valley, the Burnett River, Creek, Splinter Creek and Monal Creek. All of those systems originate in those ranges and they all flooded, as you would expect with that volume of rain. They flooded in a way that few could imagine and that a lot of us struggled to believe. The first flooding occurred in Biloela and Monto on the 26th, the Saturday and Saturday night, because those places are closest to where the systems originate. In Biloela especially I want to commend the people who responded there. There were emergency releases from Callide Dam, which caused concern in the community. It required an increased number of evacuations. There were evacuations in both Biloela and Monto in areas that had never been evacuated before. I commend all of the people who were involved in those evacuations. There was major flooding downstream on Saturday and Sunday as Tropical Cyclone Oswald lingered. I saw some of the early weather reports that suggested that the system would move south of Brisbane very quickly. It did not. It lingered over the Burnett, over the Wide Bay, over the southern part of Central Queensland, and those rainfall totals that had fallen originally in the ranges west of Gladstone were repeated further down the coast and almost all over the Wide Bay-Burnett region. That resulted in a flood that few people could have anticipated. Those of us who have grown up in the Burnett have grown up with stories about the 1942 flood—it is almost part of the local mythology. I remember many times raising my eyebrows and shaking my head at the stories that my father and my grandfather and their generations told about the 1942 flood. A lot of us did not believe it. We believe it now because this flood in many places surpassed the levels that were recorded in the 1942 flood. In Mundubbera, for example, the flood of 2013 was four metres above the flood level of 2011—four metres higher. In Gayndah it was three metres above the flood level of 2011. The official rating in Mundubbera put the flood of 2013 at just below the level of the great flood of 1942. However, in areas north of Eidsvold the flood of 2013 was three or four metres higher than the 1942 flood. Such is the nature of these events that it is not consistent across the river system. It was the shock of seeing those levels of 2011 and of 1942 surpassed that caused such great anguish to people and such great damage to property across my electorate. Some 300 houses were inundated—100 houses in and around Mundubbera; almost a third of the town of Mundubbera was inundated—and 35 businesses. The Premier mentioned the Golden Orange Hotel, the Billabong Motor Inn, the Three Rivers Tourist Park and the Riverview Caravan Park in Gayndah. They are major businesses that suffered inundation because there was not enough warning to effectively do anything about it because it was so unexpected. Importantly, every agricultural enterprise along the river system also suffered enormous damage. In the Burnett agriculture is centred along the river, especially the high-value agriculture. The citrus orchards, the irrigation farms and the horticultural industries are centred along the river and the damage to those agricultural businesses was devastating. It surpassed anything that has been seen in recent times and certainly anything that was expected. Disturbingly, entire intensive piggeries were inundated. Entire dairy herds were swept away. The damage to the citrus orchards and the infrastructure that they depend on will take a long time to repair. The whole Burnett was without electricity for four to five days. One of the first things that we lose in regional Queensland in these events is access—access from one community to the other, access to the major regional communities—and most communities lost access for four to five days. That presents a situation where communities have to do it on their own. They have to do everything for themselves. I commend so many people in the community who did just that, who rigged up water pumps to ensure that the town water supply was maintained—if it was not well maintained, then at least it was maintained. In each one of the Burnett towns of Monto, Eidsvold, Mundubbera and Gayndah the water supply was damaged by the floods. In each situation innovative solutions had to be applied while the towns were isolated until such time as we could get resources into those towns to effect proper repairs.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 23

One of the most debilitating effects on those communities was the fact that they lost communications for a period of 24 hours—completely lost communications. There was no phone, no internet, no communication with the outside world. I have heard stories of people who sat in their cars listening to the car radio to find out what was going on in the rest of the world. The failure of communications for a 24-hour period—and communications were not good for a further 48 hours—was one of the reasons that there was a degree of community angst and a feeling by some people that they had been forgotten. Of course, they were not forgotten. Those communities were in everybody’s mind as the emergency services struggled to deal with the flood as it moved further downstream. The flood that had passed these Burnett communities was affecting the community of Bundaberg in the way that my colleague the member for Bundaberg has already outlined. When we were able to restore access to those communities the emergency services response in the Burnett was swift and it was effective. Before that emergency service response was able to be put in place the responsibility for each of those communities fell to the local government representatives in those communities. I want to pay particular credit and make particular reference to them today—to Ron Carige and Warren Middleton of the Banana Shire Council, who led the local government’s response there. I think their local disaster management committee is a model that can be used by other communities. To Warren Middleton, Ron Carige and their team I say congratulations on the great job they did. I say the same to the councillors in the communities in the North Burnett Regional Council area. The North Burnett Regional Council area is unique in that it contains six towns that were immediately isolated from each other. So each town, each community and each councillor had to deal with their own particular situations. I acknowledge Don Waugh, the mayor of the North Burnett Regional Council; Faye Whelan, the deputy mayor from Mundubbera who ran the community response almost single-handedly; Paul Lobegeier in Monto; and Paul Francis and other councillors who took on the role far above what anyone would imagine is an elected councillor’s role in emergency situations. Their role as a local councillor, as a local community leader, enabled those communities to deal with the situation until such time as access could be restored and the emergency service response could be activated. When the emergency service response was activated it was effective. We had SES volunteers from a range of other communities and we had the Army. I want to pay due credit to the Army. It was an enormous morale booster in places like Gayndah, Mundubbera, Eidsvold and Monto when the Army turned up. It was certainly something that the community appreciated and I want to pay due regard to those young men, many of whom seemed ridiculously young to me. Those young men turned up prepared to do anything to assist the community. They re-established contact. They were able to travel down roads that nobody else could get through. They were able to help catch pigs that had escaped from intensive piggeries. They are a wonderful bunch of young men. On behalf of my communities I thank them very much for the efforts that they made to come to our communities at a time when we badly needed that morale booster. The recovery effort in the Burnett is well underway. One of the messages that the community wants the rest of Queensland and the rest of Australia to understand very clearly is that they are determined to rebuild their communities. They are determined to rebuild the agricultural enterprises that are the economic base of those communities. Certainly, any government assistance that we can provide to do that will be welcomed by those communities, and they have well and truly started that process. The citrus industry in particular is the core of the agricultural economy in communities like Mundubbera and Gayndah. The message that the citrus industry is sending very loudly and very clearly to the people of Queensland and Australia is that, while they have been damaged, they have not been destroyed. There will be a citrus crop this year. There will be a magnificent citrus crop this year from the central Burnett. What the people of Australia can do is support the Queensland citrus growers when that citrus crop reaches the market. They are determined that they will continue to provide that magnificent product for which they have become so famous. Equally, local government has embarked on the rebuilding process for the infrastructure. Equally, there is a determination to ensure that this time we rebuild it better and we rebuild with an increased level of resilience. I congratulate my colleague Minister Crisafulli on the responsibility that he has taken on with his new title of Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. Rebuilding the resilience of the essential parts of the infrastructure for our communities will be incredibly important. It is worthwhile noting the incredible determination of those communities to ensure that that resilience is built into the , the communication network and the water supply in those towns. To stand in Gayndah, for example, as Minister Crisafulli and I did, at the water supply intake in Gayndah that was destroyed in the 2011 floods, and which was finally repaired—finally started operation— in December 2012, and which operated for four weeks and then was destroyed again by the floods of 2013, left both the minister and I with a shared determination to make sure that that sort of nonsense does not continue. We are determined to rebuild that essential infrastructure in a way that has an increased level of resilience. We stood on the new bridge at Monto, which is $7 million worth of new bridge, which was completed in 2010, washed away in 2011—not the bridge itself but the approaches to the bridge—repaired

24 Motion 12 Feb 2013 after the 2011 flood and washed away again in 2013. It was washed away to the extent that it took two days to gain access. That access is so critical for those communities. Those are the lessons that we have learnt and learnt very well from the natural disasters of 2011 and 2013, and the communities and the government are determined to ensure that that resilience is built into the recovery effort. Equally, there is a huge task for people to recover. The resilience of individual people was tested by this natural disaster because it came so soon after the 2011 event. The resilience of individual businesses to recover financially and the ability for people to recovery emotionally has also been tested. I pay tribute to the work that is being done by the government departments, the support agencies and everybody who has been involved in that effort—and it has been a big effort and it is an ongoing effort. As we speak, those efforts are ongoing in those communities. I conclude by paying tribute to everybody who was involved in the rescue efforts and the recovery efforts for the communities that I represent. There were many stories of heroic rescues. There are many, many stories of selflessness, of people giving of their own time and effort, of people giving of their own resources at a time when they themselves were under threat. As an example, I wanted to share with the House the story of Lucy Connolly. I have known Lucy since she was a kid. Her dad, Pat Connolly, suffered from drought for so many years that he decided that he would buy himself an irrigation farm on the bank of the Burnett River. Being a former irrigation farmer, I gave Pat some unwanted advice about the wisdom of that investment, but he bought it. Lucy lived in the house on the bank of the Burnett River at Ceratodus and on the night of the 25th Lucy found herself in a situation where she had to abandon the house because of the rising floodwaters. She was swept away by the Burnett River and spent five hours in a tree downstream. She was rescued by a bloke called Rodney Hartwig. If Rodney was here, he would be the first bloke to admit that he has always been a mad bugger. He was a mate of mine for years— Mr Nicholls: Say no more! Mr SEENEY: Yes, say no more. Rodney tried to get down in a ute to where Lucy lived, but he could not do that. He went back and got a tractor, but could not do that. He ended up with a small boat and they eventually rescued Lucy Connolly five hours after she was forced to abandon the house in a situation where only the crazy brave would go. But that crazy brave attitude was repeated time and time and time again by people who came to the rescue of others, by helicopter pilots who rescued so many people not only in Bundaberg but in isolated farmhouses across the Burnett. These people put their own lives at risk to rescue others. It is because of the efforts of those people that today the list of people whom we extend our condolences to is only six. The fact that six people died is a tragedy in itself, but without the heroic efforts of people like Rodney Hartwig, people like Jack Hewitt, the helicopter pilot, and so many others, the list of people whom we would mourn today would be so much longer. I want to pay tribute to all of those people who put their own lives at risk to save the lives of others. Hon. DF CRISAFULLI (Mundingburra—LNP) (Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience) (10.54 am): I was born and bred in regional Queensland and I do not usually flinch from the challenges Mother Nature can throw at us. What I do flinch from is unnecessary suffering, and I have seen more of that in the past two weeks than I can absorb with peace of mind. Hearing of Queenslanders who died in these floods and being with others grateful to be alive but trying to cope with having lost everything else takes the words off the newsprint and the images off the television and it makes them part of our lives: three-year-old Angus Burke from Gordon Park; Roger Boyles, 65, from Greenbank; 81-year-old Wolfgang Kaden from Bundaberg; Gerry Yu-Kun, 25, of Taiwan and Andrew Leong, 34, of Malaysia, both farm workers; and 27-year-old Jacob Shearer, whose van beside the creek in Widgee was a reminder of the tragedy when I visited the tight-knit community. All of these people were loved sons, uncles, brothers, fathers or husbands. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to those who now mourn their deaths. Far greater minds have grappled with the senselessness of lives lost in freak circumstances, and quite simply there are no words that stop loved ones asking why. For those who are trying to muster the strength to clean up and rebuild again, the task ahead of them is quite simply overwhelming. I have lost count of the number of times tough regional Queenslanders have broken down in front of me in the past few weeks. It began in Bargara on 26 January when Andrew Cooney was left with very little after a tornado wiped out his home and possessions. In Mundubbera the local motel owners dodged a bullet in 2011, but this time they were not so fortunate. To see the emotion on Sherry Breitkorf’s face as she tried to get over the shock, absorb the loss and get on with cleaning up is something I will never forget. Unfortunately, I saw that look of despair and fear many times in the days that followed. In the past week I have been to Bundaberg, Bargara, Lowmead, Winfield, Monto, Gayndah, Mundubbera, Gympie, , Dalby, Chinchilla, Laidley, Mount Tamborine, Logan, Gladstone and Maryborough. Yet again these communities are shovelling out mud and facing the job in front of them, courageously confronting loss—in some cases for the second time in as many years—and even more bravely putting their shoulder to the wheel and starting to rebuild. We will assist each and every Queensland community to rebuild. I assure those towns that are small in population but large in spirit that they will not fall between the cracks.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 25

Last week I travelled to Lowmead and Colonial Cove near Winfield. We arrived in the main street of Lowmead to find the local hotel stripped of all furniture and high-water marks still visible along the bar and on the jukebox. Owner-manager Jo Taylor was exhausted, the stress of cleaning up and resurrecting her business etched in her face as Stephen Bennett and I spoke with her. This is the town’s main business, with the building also home to the local post office. Two doors down long-time local Ron Williams was also assessing what was left of his home. While a kind neighbour set about hanging out Ron’s important documents to dry in the sun, Ron told me how the water crept up into his backyard. By late afternoon the flash flood had inundated his living room, washing most of his belongings out the door towards the railway line. As I chatted to them both, I was struck by the strength and resolve of Jo and Ron. They will recover because they have to. Like so many people I have met since that fateful Australia Day, they are determined to pick up the pieces and get their lives back to normal. Will it be easy? No. But recover they will, because punching adversity in the face is what Queenslanders do, and they are not alone. I echo the comments of both the Premier and Deputy Premier when they spoke about the work of the local councils. In many cases these were first-term mayors dealing with an incident of this magnitude when many of them were still getting their feet under the desk in their careers in local government, and yet they stood up and their councillors stood up and their staff stood up. I also put on record my thanks to our members of parliament, many of whom I have seen in action in recent weeks. They have been great ambassadors for their communities and I thank each and every one of them. I thank the federal government for its assistance and its interest in this event, and in particular Senator Ludwig. For those members who missed it, last night we received news that the next round of clean-up and recovery grants has been approved. Primary producers in the local government areas of South Burnett, Gladstone and Scenic Rim as well as parts of Banana, Goondiwindi, Ipswich, Somerset, Southern Downs and Toowoomba will be eligible for that assistance under the NDRRA. Small businesses in targeted areas in Gladstone and Southern Downs will also be able to apply. That declaration follows the earlier declaration of Bundaberg, Fraser Coast, Gympie, Lockyer Valley and North Burnett. We all have a role to play in getting Queensland back on its feet. But we also have a responsibility to make sure that this state is better prepared to handle the next flood as well. Whether that be improving our infrastructure, as the Deputy Premier mentioned with that example of the water supply in his part of the world, or constructing a new levee, these things must be built with a view to the future, not the past. But today is not to focus on the future, but rather this solemn day is to be spent remembering the people who died and the people who have lost everything except hope. Tomorrow we will turn to the job that must be done better, smarter and stronger to give Queenslanders what they need and what they deserve and that is the security and peace of mind that will come from living in towns and cities rebuilt at long last to offer some protection from the might and power of nature. Mr BYRNE (Rockhampton—ALP) (11.01 am): I rise to speak in support of the motion moved by the Premier. The recent natural disaster flooding in Rockhampton consisted of two quite separate events. Both of those events generated substantial impact on many residents within and surrounding my electorate. I will speak to those events in a moment. However, the majority of difficulties faced by my constituents were not of the same class or category as those confronted by the people of Bundaberg. Some members may know that I was born and bred in Bundaberg. My father and much of my extended family still live there. Naturally, I kept in pretty close contact with dad, family and friends during and in the aftermath of the event. My father is perhaps one of the few people who vividly recalls the 1942 flood in Bundaberg. As a young teenager he had a fishing boat moored in the river at the time. His comparative observations have made me realise just how significant this flood has been for the people of Bundaberg, particularly North Bundaberg. My maternal grandfather’s home was in North Bundaberg—a home for Queensland Rail employees, I suppose—and family gatherings in North Bundaberg had much to do with the development of my philosophical views about life and politics. I must say that it gave me great comfort to see on the television police officers such as Rowan Bond leading and supporting the efforts in Bundaberg. I have known Rowan Bond for many, many years. It would be hard to lay your hands on a finer, more competent police officer in the Police Service. He is a great credit to the Police Service. As I said, there were two separate emergencies in my electorate. The first was the quite incredible local flash flooding that occurred as the storm passed over us while the second consisted of the more usual general Rockhampton flood. At the outset, I must congratulate Mayor Margaret Strelow and Deputy Mayor Tony Williams. They were both kind enough to keep me well informed as the community progressed through the issues as well as presenting a fairly calm and measured response to the events as they unfolded. I have spoken to many senior government personnel, both during and in the aftermath of the events, and none of those reflected on major system failings. As is always the case in retrospect, lessons can be learned and so they should be. As an observation, and certainly not a criticism, recently I have spent

26 Motion 12 Feb 2013 considerable time looking through district and local counterdisaster plans. Although there are levels of inconsistency, the test that I apply is that they have to be actionable and precise. I think there is probably some work that could be done to improve some of those plans but, as I say, in general terms the reactions were well done. I would also like to express the appreciation of my community to the Premier and the emergency services minister for visiting Rockhampton and gaining an on-the-ground appreciation of the situation. In times of disaster, it is my opinion that there is absolutely no place for politics of any description. I viewed my role as being to help members of my community and to assist those at various levels of government who hold executive responsibility and certainly not to get in the way. As for the flash flood event in Rockhampton, I can recall lying in bed with my wife saying that we had never experienced anything locally quite what was occurring on that Thursday night. I recall saying to her that it was something like being in a category 1 cyclone as various trees and branches came down in my yard. There is no doubt that the amount of rain and the intensity of the wind was extraordinary. This sort of event is much more problematic because the disaster management model is essentially a reactive one with very short notices involved relative to the more traditional Rockhampton flood model. There were many people who suffered unprecedented impacts. I am sure the member for Mirani will mention Stanwell in his electorate. There were parts of Rockhampton, well above the Q100 flood height, that were inundated. Brand-new homes were impacted. There were also people in government housing who suffered considerable loss of personal belongings. As I drove around Rockhampton in the early hours of Friday morning I could not get over the number of trees and branches that had been dislodged across the entire community. There was certainly no doubting that parts of Rockhampton had well and truly been on the receiving end. Again, I would like to congratulate all of those from emergency services who were involved—the firefighters, the ambos, the SES and the volunteers, the police and the local government members and workers—on the manner in which they communicated with the community and in the immediate aftermath of the flash flood and storm and the physical efforts they made in those circumstances. It could not have been an easy task as they were struggling to gain an accurate picture of the areas that were most severely impacted. Some of the rainfall totals in the regions surrounding Rockhampton broke all records. There is no doubting that many in my community suffered significant losses of possessions and assets. It is certainly not the sort of event that Rockhampton would like to experience again. In the aftermath, my office has continued to provide support and advice to those impacted by these events. In the main, the various levels of government have responded appropriately. As I said earlier, no response is ever perfect and that is when people need to work together for the good of their communities. Something I learned in the Army was that you can take a great plan with average people and the best you can get is an average result. If you take an average plan with people who are engaged, the sky is the limit in terms of your achievement. This reflects an Australian attribute—that adversity brings out the best in us and that is what I saw from my admittedly limited perspective. The second event in Rockhampton occurred some days later and it was what I would describe as a traditional flood. Usually, there is a lead time associated with such a flood and the planning and preparation is much more deliberate and thought through. Those involved in the preparation for the event possess considerable experience and corporate knowledge. Again, they demonstrated those skills. Those residents who are traditionally exposed to these events in Rockhampton never cease to amaze me with their unflappable and stoic attitude. Many, like my friend Wayne Wisley, who was mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition, who live in the suburb of Depot Hill—one of the most flood-prone areas of Rockhampton— pride themselves on being swampies. Some members may be familiar with that term. Some of the young lads have ‘Swampy’ emblazoned on their cars. I do not know how the Premier is going to convince them to relocate from swampies’ domain, but good luck with that. Absolutely nothing seems to faze them in circumstances that others could not cope with. I have nothing but admiration for the people of Depot Hill and like suburbs in Rockhampton who confront adversity with such optimism, pride and a dry sense humour. There is something fantastic about the Australian character. Like many other communities, the majority of our community sports facilities are located on grounds prone to flooding. The impact on such facilities in Rockhampton was certainly significant and many of these sporting associations and groups are only just now re-establishing themselves after the 2011 floods. I would like to again express my appreciation to the Premier and the sports minister for acting to establish a fund that such associations may access in order to get back on their feet. This is a good thing. As we speak today, the impacts of these events continue to be felt and the full costs can only be estimated. Local government has certainly borne the brunt of much damage and will require further assistance. I hope that this can be provided as and where necessary. To conclude, over the last weekend many of my constituents pitched in to clean up Rockhampton. Unsurprisingly, I spent most of Saturday scrubbing the walls and cleaning out the local rowing sheds. Over the last few weeks, thousands have assisted the clean-up across Rockhampton, helping family, friends and

12 Feb 2013 Motion 27 those impacted groups. As I said earlier, the one good thing that comes out of these events is the display of the better part of human nature. Australians are willing to lend a hand to a neighbour in times of need regardless of any consideration at the time. I feel terrible sadness and sympathy for those who have lost family and friends. However, I congratulate the government and its ministers, local government and all those involved during and in the aftermath of these events and look forward to a full recovery to normalcy in our communities. I have known Colonel Don Cousins for many, many years. I consider him to be a very wise choice as he is an extremely competent and decent man. If anyone can lead the recovery or assist it is certainly him. I think that we should work together in terms of rebuilding this state. We can find many other things in this place to disagree on. Hon. TJ NICHOLLS (Clayfield—LNP) (Treasurer and Minister for Trade) (11.11 am): On 16 February 2011 I rose in this place as we spoke to a condolence motion following the floods and cyclones that devastated Queensland at that time. I concluded my address at that time with a quote from Ecclesiates, the Wisdom of Solomon, and it was— To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: But I think at that stage no-one really thought that we would again be facing a season of devastation and of floods. I think at that time we hoped, perhaps forlornly—indeed forlornly as events have certainly shown—that we would not have to see Queenslanders go through the devastation that we saw occur commencing on the weekend of the Australia Day long weekend. In fact, when one thinks of the devastation that occurred, I think back to a week earlier than that and the time that I spent out in Jundah with the member for Gregory. We went out there to see that small township which had had two tornadoes rip it apart in perhaps what was a foretaste of what was to come from ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald and the weather events that occurred. I do want to record, because it might get forgotten in the hurly-burly of the things that occurred subsequently, the efforts of that community and Councillor Julie Groves from Barcoo and the work they had to do to repair their school which was destroyed and the devastation that the member for Gregory and I saw up there. I do support and join in the motion of condolence moved by the Premier and once again, far too frequently for my liking, I would like to express my most heartfelt sympathies to the families of those unfortunate people who perished in the floodwaters, the floods and the winds of the events of late last month. There can be no doubt that the anguish of friends and family cannot be allayed or assuaged by words in this place but we can, indeed, extend our sympathies and we can commit, as the Premier has and as the minister has, to try to do more so that these things do not occur with such rapidity and do not have such a terrible influence. In no way can I imagine the hurt and anguish that the friends and families of those who did perish may feel, but my heart aches for them as it does also for the many hundreds who have lost their homes and who have lost a lifetime of memories in the muddy, dank waters that flowed down through the Burnett, flowed down through the Bremer and flowed down through the Logan and all those areas that have been affected by the floods of the last three weeks. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions made by others in this place: the Premier, the Deputy Premier who lived through it all in his electorate, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Rockhampton. It is unfortunate that it does take such events to bring us all together and to make us hold out our hands across the partisan divide and understand that this is really what we do for Queenslanders and this is why we get up in the morning and we make the effort. I think it is a salutary reminder to all of us of the things that we need to do. showed us that the rebuilding will take time. In fact, that rebuilding effort has not yet been completed. On top of time it takes determination and resolve and I think it is important that members here are prepared to work together to do what needs to be done to get those areas of our state, so savagely impacted by this disaster, back on their feet. I was talking to the Minister for Agriculture a little while ago about this, and whilst we do lament the loss of life and while we have been as a state knocked around by disasters, we should not let that be the dominant theme of our topics of conversation. It should be about building the communities back up again. It should be about our determination to restore our fortunes. It should be, as the Deputy Premier said, about our willingness to get out and sell the products of Queensland because Queensland is well and truly open for business. These events have not closed Queensland down. As the Minister for Tourism has indicated, we are having Australia Day II and we will be seeing the bounce back of the tourism industry. It has taken a knock, but it is not a reason for people to shy away from Queensland. I am sure that our agricultural sector will come out of this stronger. Although the Callide Valley, the citrus area, the farmers and the primary producers have taken a knock, we still have a lot of product ready to go and we want people to buy that product and have confidence that they can buy what we grow and manufacture here. So whilst we talk a little bit about the disaster and the impacts on families and businesses, we need to look to the future with confidence and say, ‘Still support Queensland. We are open for business. We are a live and vibrant economy.’

28 Motion 12 Feb 2013

The fury of Mother Nature was never more obvious than on my visit to Gladstone, which I undertook on the Sunday just after the floodwaters had come through. As I flew over Tannum Sands and Boyne and landed in Gladstone I saw the unprecedented damage that nearly a metre of rain over 48 hours had caused in that area. I would like to thank the member for Gladstone for her assistance and showing myself and the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience around the storm affected parts of her electorate. We were joined on that tour by Mayor Gail Sellers and Acting Chief Superintendent Glenn Kachell as we visited the evacuation centre. There was somewhat of an air of a party mood at the evacuation centre. Although people had had to move out very quickly from their caravans and their homes, they showed the spirit of Central Queensland as they got together. As the Minister for Police knew, his products were getting a lot of support from the people down at the recovery centre who had banded together in the way that I suspect is quintessentially Australian and quintessentially Queensland to see the best out of it, to form another small community to be fed by the Lions club up there. I want to thank them for their spaghetti that kept Minister Crisafulli from fading away—as I am. It kept us on our feet. I will not tell you all about the flight back into Brisbane that night—which was an interesting flight after the spaghetti. Nonetheless, I do want to thank the member for Gladstone and the mayor. They raised a number of issues that I was able to bring back to the State Disaster Management Group and the disaster management committee of cabinet to address. While we were in Gladstone the communications were cut off. To be without communications for six hours was devastating. I can only imagine what it would be like not to have them for 24 or 48 hours. That community was already fighting back within 24 hours. I would also like to extend my thanks to the member for Maryborough and the Fraser Coast Regional Council Mayor Gerard O’Connell who met me at the airport, together with the minister, and took us around and showed us as the floodwaters were in fact rising. We went to the Brolga Theatre, and saw the preparations and the portable levee that was coming close to overtopping at the time and, again, the tremendous resilience of Queenslanders in towns and cities as they prepared themselves for what was surely one of Mother Nature’s toughest acts to deal with. Many people were affected but they are resilient and were getting on with preparing for what was to come. Those visits and the time spent in the disaster management centre in Brisbane have given me an insight into the dedication, not only of our emergency services personnel, who worked tirelessly through the disaster, but also of the local council workers and local volunteer organisations throughout those communities. The efforts and hard work of all of those people throughout this disaster will not be forgotten and I know that everyone here joins me in thanking those involved for their efforts. There is simply not enough time to touch on all of the events that took place across the state around two weeks ago. I will simply say this: throughout these disasters, the spirit that abounds in this great state again has been on show. It was on show here in Brisbane as business owners in Eagle Street helped each other sandbag and prepare for an anticipated flood peak. It was on show in Laidley as residents came together to help each other clean up after the town’s second flood in two years. It was and still is on show in Bundaberg, where complete strangers have taken into their homes those left homeless after the town’s recent floods. That spirit will remain on show as the state recovers and the government stands prepared to do what it can—indeed, to do what it must—to help those affected by this disaster recover as quickly as possible. Just last Friday I signed a national partnership agreement on behalf of Queensland that strengthened the longstanding natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements to reflect the needs of Queensland. I thank Senator Joe Ludwig and the federal government for their assistance in finalising that document, after a somewhat rocky start. Now we have an agreement that I think is the best natural disaster recovery agreement seen in this state. It will speed up the process. It aims to eliminate red tape. Importantly, it enables local councils to spend money to recover local community assets that had otherwise been excluded. Parks, playgrounds, memorials and other community assets that were otherwise excluded will now be supported by the natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements. Importantly for local councils, it enables the use of day labour in the reconstruction, enabling the councils to keep their work forces employed to ensure that the recovery money is spent in local communities, strengthening the economies of local towns and helping them build themselves back up again. Those are two significant milestones in achieving a recovery process in Queensland. The national partnership agreement will continue to govern the actions of this government and the federal government in terms of the recovery. However, as the minister has indicated, yesterday afternoon we also enlivened category C assistance in relation to another three communities in full and many others in a part sense. We continue to work on the small business component of those category C arrangements, to enable people to access up to $25,000. In total, more than 53 local government areas are receiving support of some kind or another through the natural disaster relief and recovery arrangements and the national partnership agreement that has been put in place. That goes from the work that Minister Davis is undertaking in terms of recovery in outreach centres, which the Leader of the Opposition mentioned, making sure that people are receiving counselling, to providing the massive tent that is now sitting in Bundaberg to enable the provision of three square meals a day to over 150 people in air-conditioned accommodation.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 29

We have also agreed to work with our federal counterparts to develop frameworks for both the betterment of and the appropriate standards for our reconstruction efforts. We have set ourselves a time limit of two weeks to get those arrangements in place, so that not only do we recover but also, as the Premier said, we rebuild to a better standard that stops us seeing, time and time again, these events washing away means of communications, families and communities. I take this opportunity to alert the House to the fact that this will impact on our budget. How can it not? How can an event that, as the Premier has said, caused at least $2.4 billion worth of damage, an event that has washed away things that had not recovered from previous events, not have an impact on our budget? However, we will manage that budget and we will manage those impacts as we should and as we must so that we can recover a better community for Queensland. The events that unfolded following ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald, as the wind howled, as the rain fell and as the seas boiled were tragic and heartbreaking, but I am sure that for all of us in this place they have strengthened our resolve and our will to build a stronger state for all. I conclude by harking back to the words of the old spiritual song from the deep south of the United States of America, that together we shall overcome. Mr BENNETT (Burnett—LNP) (11.24 am): I rise to share the experiences and the devastation of the Bundaberg and Burnett electorates, which started on Australia Day 2013. Who would have thought a tropical depression would cause so much damage? In my community, the name ‘Oswald’ is not popular. Oswald remained over the Burnett Valley catchment for 36 hours. During the events leading up to the tornadoes ripping through Bargara and Burnett Heads, we knew that we were in for a large flood in the Burnett River, as we had received hundreds of millimetres of rain over several days and there was no reprieve. Some areas of the electorate received half a metre and some one metre of rain in several days. Tornadoes tore through the Coral Coast—three different tornadoes crossed the coast at Burnett Heads and one at Bargara, causing havoc. My coastal communities suffered severe damage. In Burnett Heads, 70 homes were affected and 50 of those received roof damage. The latest reports are that two homes on the coast will have to be destroyed. The Bargara community experienced a narrow but serious event, with damage to homes and the bowls club. Our iconic tourism highlight, the Mon Repo turtle rookery, has been forced to close this season with major concerns that all remaining nests have been washed away. After the tornadoes we saw amazing community spirit, with the Burnett Heads community hall activated to provide meals and support. The service was initiated by Rhonda Rowleson, the wife of local councillor Danny Rowleson, and continues to provide a safe place for community outreach and a meeting place for the dissemination of information. It is also important that other members of the community banded together to demonstrate what we already knew that, even without power and being isolated, the community is strong and supports each other. I watched and noted Councillor Danny Rowleson’s particular commitment to doorknocking and supporting those in Burnett Heads who needed help. I was happy that we could continue to help with more resources for the SES to allow for the clean-up and the securing of homes to be completed. Councillor Greg Barnes managed the operations in Bargara. Greg took a leading role in caring for the wellbeing of affected residents. Again, there are many stories of amazing people and their commitment to securing and rebuilding their communities. I discovered a group of public housing tenants living in damaged units that had no rooves or ceilings. The community, led by the Bargara Chamber of Commerce, rallied to provide meals and support until the roads opened and the tremendous workers from QBuild secured the premises, working overnight and through the weekend. I worked with the Department of Public Works on the planning and establishment of transitional housing. I thank the minister and acknowledge Deputy Director-General Graham Atkins and Director Bruce Cory for their leadership and the professional services they provided. It was encouraging to see the recognition from government agencies and Education Queensland on the vital role QBuild played in ensuring that government assets were returned to service as quickly as possible. I found out early the value of social media, in particular Facebook, which allowed large numbers of people to communicate and coordinate action in the communities. The flood event was unprecedented on many levels. The heights came up so quickly that the modelling from the Bureau of Meterology, which had been relied on by local disaster management groups, quickly turned into educated guesses, which made decision making difficult given the pressures of impending flood heights. I congratulate and recognise the Bundaberg Regional Council’s engineer, Andrew Fulton, who accurately calculated and predicted the flood heights from council modelling. The disaster was managed well and saved many lives. That modelling was so important to the decisions on planned evacuations and projected numbers of homes to be affected. I remember the morning when the district disaster management group tabled the one-in-200-year modelling to predict the areas affected and I remember the mood in the room when the predictions for North Bundaberg were first discussed.

30 Motion 12 Feb 2013

Our district disaster coordinator, Superintendent Rowan Bond, was outstanding in the management of the execution of the evacuation orders for 3,000 people in three hours from North Bundaberg when the river broke its banks, saving many residents. The evacuation of nursing homes and the evacuation of the hospital were meticulous in their execution. I note the joint coordination and location in the same building of the district disaster management group and the local disaster management group worked very well, with quick access to all key stakeholders vital in the effectiveness of operations. Other key persons I would like to acknowledge are Inspector Kev Gutheridge, who was deployed to the North Burnett to facilitate command, and Grant Markus from the Bundaberg police. Bundaberg Regional Council planning and disaster management processes were faultless. Dedicated professional staff provided 24/7 service to the community. CEO Peter Byrne and Deputy Mayor David Batt led a great team. Matt, Ashley, Nancy, Kim Ovens and other staff maintained the district centre. Councillor Wayne Honour, Alan Bush and Tony Riccardi were isolated in their divisions and were a pillar of strength and support to the community. Bundaberg councillors Judy Peters, Vince Habberman, Ross Sommerfield and Lynne Forgan supported their areas while providing hours of aid in the evacuation centres. It is in all situations that strong leadership and strength is needed. Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor, Mal Forman, proved to all his passion for the community. His desire to achieve results ensured seamless decision making and that all possible support was provided. The record floodwaters rose quickly. It hit hardest in East Bundaberg and North Bundaberg. We have many cases emerging from rural areas such as Winfield, Baffle Creek and Lowmead and surrounding farming ventures experiencing significant damage. The current situation is difficult. Approximately 50 homes have been condemned, 4,000 homes have been flooded and 1,500 people are still out of their homes. The majority are being looked after by family and friends. It may take months or years for these issues to be resolved. This fact and the commitment of my community to look after one another shows that we will recover and come back stronger. We have in our community temporary accommodation in the form of dongas and a substantial tent and mobile city at the Bundaberg showgrounds. This consists of air-conditioned tents and communal dining. The fire services, both urban and rural, have maintained forward command centres at Salter Oval after the fire station was affected. This is also in the form of tent style accommodation, which has maintained hundreds of crews from all over Queenslander tirelessly and professionally assisting in the safety and clean-up after the devastation. It is important to acknowledge and recognise the capacity of emergency services in disaster events, from the swift water rescue teams to the rapid assessment inspection teams and the many additional police officers who were deployed. The Queensland Ambulance Service station was also affected, but the professional staff continued to provide core services without any real disruption. The recovery continues and local government has commenced many tasks. One initiative that is proving valuable assistance in the Bundaberg region is the Bundaberg business recovery centre. The floods across the region have had a major effect upon residents and businesses. The Bundaberg Regional Council, as part of the economic recovery process, has established a business recovery centre based in the Bundaberg Enterprise Centre. Across a number of rooms they have established 20 laptops, phones, print-fax-scan facilities and also IT support to assist businesses re-establish an office environment. Thanks to Cameron Bisely and Peter Peterson for their continued support. The appointment of Deputy Commissioner Brett Pointing to the recovery effort is a welcome initiative. I am excited by the opportunities that this level of expertise will bring to my community. As part of the rebuilding phase we need help. The unemployment rate in our electorates before the floods was 10 per cent. This is against great results in the remainder of the state of around 5½ per cent. The tornadoes and floods have devastated our communities which had double the rate of unemployment and had a large number of lower than average income earners. Our Burnett River is a mess, with numerous vessels lost or sunk. We witnessed for the first time yachts and trawlers washed onto local beaches along the coast. Currently there are 18 vessels washed up on our beaches. The local fishing industry is on its knees with no infrastructure left—no wharves and fuel storage; they have all been destroyed. Currently any fishermen operating are utilising other ports like Hervey Bay. Labour is needed on our farms, with debris widespread. It will need to be cleaned up quickly. It is of interest how easily items can cause problems. One example is the plastic used in small crop trickle irrigation or weed control. It is now in cane fields. It means that this has to be cleaned up or they cannot harvest. Debris and fencing all requires attention across large areas of the electorate. Farmers in Queensland are resilient—give them the assistance that is needed now and the economy will come back. The cost of damage to crops is hard to gather but we are making headway. We have just enough to justify the welcome declarations of category C and preferably category D assistance. Many growers have been affected. Some are even seeing damage now that was not present a week ago.

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Mixed messages in the public arena are going to have an impact on the longer term viability of the industry if not controlled. Everyone wants to know or needs to know the damage. However, the marketplace needs to know what is still available to prevent the unnecessary importation of goods. The best thing we can all do is say, ‘Support Aussie farmers and buy Queensland products.’ Some crop losses will not be known for months. In terms of many tree crops we will see trees die in the coming months even though they may appear to be okay for now. I am already hearing that, for example, some avocado trees are dying now from too much water, further increasing crop losses this season and into future seasons. The cost of crop losses is nothing compared to the infrastructure damage and loss of farms, tree crops and limited access to irrigation water. This is not a recovery event for many growers, this is a rebuilding event. The morale among many growers is far less than it was in 2011. On the irrigation matter, there are two primary concerns. Both pose a significant risk to the continued productivity of crops still in the ground. Being unable to access pumps in rivers or massive on-farm irrigation infrastructure and the damage to Sunwater pumps and distribution systems means critical water supply issues in the Isis and Woongarra sections of the lower Burnett irrigation system. Growers are using valuable resources in cleaning up their farms in order to get back to business and repair the damage yet industry has been unable to get immediate assistance in coordinating a program of volunteers like a mud army to get businesses back on their feet. Industry has been in recovery since 28 January however they have been doing it alone in many cases. Without the guidelines of category C assistance, many will struggle to have this cost reimbursed. It is still not clear whether growers will be able to claim the costs of their current local workforce rather than what happened in 2011 when they had to use new staff for clean-up or recovery. The whole supply chain is going to hurt from growers to transport companies, industry support services and market agents. The cane industry has had nearly 8,000 hectares inundated. Up to 800 hectares of farm land has been totally destroyed. Some 5,000 hectares of cane stool has been lost to flood and silt. I want to take this opportunity to thank the state ministers who have made adjustments in the agricultural sector: Minister Cripps for announcing that no permits are required; Minister McVeigh for waiving fees for those affected and for allocating departmental resources when they were urgently required. I also acknowledge the mobile vans that are now circulating in the Burnett and others areas. That is a welcome initiative. I say thanks to the Treasurer and the cabinet for facilitating the national partnership agreement. You don’t know what a relief that was for some of my farmers to hear that announcement last night. Two weeks after the event, the desperate businesses and farmers need the category D recovery provisions activated. I respectfully request the federal government to expedite these essential provisions to save my community in the recovery efforts. The Australian Defence Force deployment was monumental in the evacuation and recovery phases of disaster. The Black Hawk trafficked hundreds of people to safety and provided rapid response capabilities in the weeks after the event. On-ground troops mobilised the mud army volunteers and provided the strength and organisational expertise to ensure that the clean-up was managed well. The Army engineers provided temporary access over our major traffic bridge. I congratulate the ADF personnel and acknowledge the vital role they played. Volunteers and NGOs are what make our communities strong. The SES, Red Cross, Rotary, Lions, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, St John’s, CareFlight, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Surf Life Saving Queensland, churches and Lifeline all need to be congratulated and acknowledged. Some 15 rescue helicopters provided essential services and operated for many hours in trying conditions. I want to acknowledge my parliamentary colleagues who supported and assisted Minister Jack Dempsey and me during the event. The phone calls, the emails and the text messages were welcome. It was comforting to know that you were there with support. A lot of people are starting to organise fundraising and donation drives. We have seen semitrailer loads of goods come to the area organised in Brisbane by federal member Andrew Laming, assisted by the member for Capalaba, Steve Davies, and the member for Redlands, Peter Dowling. They were assisted by Hammond 4WD in Capalaba. I also acknowledge LNP President Bruce McIver for arranging the transport on behalf of my community—a big thankyou. I would like to express my appreciation to the Premier and cabinet. Their support has been tremendous. I could not have asked for any more. The leadership team really did manage a difficult situation well. The Premier’s personal involvement in disaster provided invaluable community confidence and assurances. Many times members of the public expressed their gratitude to the Premier and staff for their leadership on the work being done. My thanks go to all the ministers and their staff who worked tirelessly to ensure the affected communities were being managed. It was vitally important that as a government we demonstrated not in words but in actions that we were in control and they were not forgotten.

32 Motion 12 Feb 2013

The work continues with strong commitments and strong cabinet leadership with the department of communities continuing their essential work in outreach and ongoing counselling. I thank the minister for the personal interest and phone calls and the real support for my community. Support and planning with our local government is underway. The work with temporary planning instruments is very important. The minister also rang and visited many times all while providing tangible outcomes and strong leadership. I thank the Minister for Small Business and Tourism for the great support in rebuilding that part of our community. The experience of the ministers for education, transport, health, sport and recreation infrastructure has proven essential in my community’s recovery. As a local member, my family and I were not immune from the impacts of flood. I thank my neighbours Geoff, Caroline and Katherine who were also affected. I also thank the members of my Rotary club, Bundaberg Sunrise, and the friends who also provided support and muscle in the clean-up—it was appreciated. I thank my electorate staff Kath and Jain, who had their own issues of course, and Robert Edgar, who has supported the electorate office during this difficult time. Our staff continue to work under difficult circumstances taking many calls, as many members would appreciate. In this condolence motion our thoughts are with the family of Wolfgang Kaden, who tragically drowned in the Burnett River, and of course we thank again Superintendent Rowan Bond for his leadership in addressing what would have been a tragedy in North Bundaberg. In closing, the stories of courage and community spirit will continue for many years. We need to remember the goodwill and commitment to each other in shaping our future. Mr GIBSON (Gympie—LNP) (11.39 am): When the young Dorothea Mackellar penned the words to the iconic poem My Country, she captured on paper what we as Australians and Queenslanders have known since the first Indigenous Australians set foot upon our country. She wrote— I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. She wrote about our country which for all its majesty we know experiences natural disasters that tragically have a ferocity and a frequency that can literally destroy communities. It is almost two years to the day when in the same chamber I rose to make a contribution to the previous motion after the 2011 flood and cyclone events. Much of what I said in that speech in 2011 could be repeated here today. However, we must recognise that this flood and its impacts have been different from those of 2011. Locally we have seen the death of a young man from Widgee, Jake Shearer. As the Deputy Premier alluded to, Jake is his constituent but many in the Gympie community knew of Jake, and I am told that the celebration of Jake’s life that was held on 5 February at Redcliffe was something to be remembered as it recognised a young man taken far too soon from us. Many people will not realise that this is the fourth flood event in two years for the people of Gympie. This is the fourth time the Mary River has broken her banks and flooded at a height of over 12 metres in the Gympie area. The major flood in 2011 was at 19.45 metres and the 2012 flood reached a height of 20.35 metres. Four flood events in two years brings a level of fatigue and, whilst we in the Gympie community have always considered ourselves lucky when compared to the devastation we saw in other parts of Queensland in 2011 or now in 2013 when we look at what has happened in North Bundaberg, there can be no dismissing of the fact that the ongoing effect of dealing with the frequency of floods is having an impact upon businesses and upon our community. Of course flooding is not an unusual event for Gympie. Indeed, the journals of record, the Brisbane Courier and the Gympie Times, reported of the flood in March 1901— From a scarcity of water in the creeks to a flood within the space of twenty four hours, was the experience of Gympie on Sunday ... At 8 o’clock on the morning of that day the various creeks around Gympie were merely strings of waterholes, at 11 o’clock they were raging torrents, before nightfall all the flat country was merely a sea of water, and at 8 o’clock the Channon Street Bridge was covered by flood-waters. Whilst the height of this flood event exceeded that of the 1901 flood, what was similar was the speed at which the river rose—at times being recorded as rising nearly one metre per hour. This is what caused the people of Gympie to be caught out in preparing for the flood and evacuating. Indeed, in the days before the flood the Gympie Regional Council was giving away water because the water carriers were booked out three weeks in advance, and council had made arrangements whereby if you could bring containers they would fill them for free such was the state in the region. The speed at which this river rose and the way in which it caught people off guard resulted in one person staying at the Normanby Bridge who telephoned ahead to workers in various parts of Gympie to advise them how much time they had before the bridge

12 Feb 2013 Motion 33 would be cut so that they could get to the other side and go home rather than being isolated from their family. This flood event, like all other flood events, is something that the people of Gympie have cleaned up and are continuing on from. But, like all other flood events, the people of Gympie and particularly the businesses and farms are recovering slowly, and we need assistance. I wish to thank the Premier and his ministers—Ministers Crisafulli, Dempsey, Dickson and Mander—for their visits to the area. I also wish to thank our Mayor, Ron Dyne, and his capable team at the disaster management committee. As the Premier quite rightly pointed out, the management of disasters is best done at the local government level, and we are fortunate in the to have such capable individuals in leadership positions. As I mentioned, the agricultural impacts within my region are significant, particularly for the macadamia industry where crop losses are estimated to be around five per cent. That is already on the back of a 15 per cent drop in crop production due to excessively dry conditions. With around 150 growers in the South-East Queensland region, which accounts for about 12 per cent of the national crop, the losses are valued in the vicinity of $18 million. For the dairy industry there was the tragic sight that any dairy farmer has to deal with of pouring good milk away because the tankers could not get to the various producers. Farm fencing was also taken from the good flood plains of the Mary River and that has been repaired without an expectation of any funding because there was a realisation that they needed to get on with the job. The funding that has been made available now will be greatly received. Then there are the business impacts for people like Tony and Kane from the Cooloola Panel & Paint business who have had to evacuate their low-lying business now four times. They shared with us their experience. When they started the evacuation they could bring the trucks in and at the end they were taking equipment out by boat such was the speed at which the Mary River rose. Nathan O’Neill from Harcourts shared with us his experience of how after the 2011 floods he removed gyprock and installed villaboard so that there would not be the same amount of damage. Unfortunately, in this case the sudden flood heights caused some damage to the gyprock above the villaboard. Then there is Tom Grady, who carries with him the experience of his real estate business. It is looking like it is back to operation as normal but he knows that that is only as a result of the hard work and effort that he and his staff have put in to move forward. Of course Gympie is renowned for its hotels from its mining days. Both Billy’s and the Royal were strongly impacted. To the staff there who worked so feverishly to be able to serve a cold beer to those patrons who wish to visit those places, we say thank you because we know of the great efforts you put in. We saw our sporting clubs hit particularly hard in Gympie—that is, of course, because we located them on the flood plains so that businesses would not be located there. What summed it up best for me was the weariness in the voice of Chris as I spoke to him about the impact at the Cooloola BMX Club out at One Mile. You could literally hear how tired he was just in his voice. Of course the Gympie Cats AFL oval and clubhouse was again swamped by water. This time, however, because of work undertaken after the 2011 floods they were better prepared and the clubhouse, after a good hose out, does not look like it has suffered anywhere near the damage that it could have. Unfortunately, due to the speed at which the river rose, their fridges were unable to be removed from the location and have seen significant damage. Gympie Netball have suffered damage of their clubhouse. Gympie Touch, of which I am a patron— and when they built their clubhouse knowing its location to the river they built it to be flood-proof—were also impacted because of the speed at which the river rose. Gympie Junior Rugby League did not escape; nor did Gympie Cricket, Gympie Football, the Gympie Bowls Club, the Kandanga Bowls Club and Pomona- Cooran Rugby League. All of these sporting groups—all of them providing a vital service for our young men and women in the Gympie region—are now facing the added costs of having to clean up and to bring services back. Our tourism activities were also impacted. Minister Dickson and I saw firsthand how the Gympie Muster site in the Amamoor State Forest was impacted quite severely by this flood event. We saw the track of the Mary Valley Heritage Railway washed away at Kandanga. It will require significant investment to restore operations along that line. Much has been said about the need for resilience. Our community is often referred to as the town that saved Queensland due to the discovery of gold in the mid-1800s. Our flood experience can also be of benefit to Queensland as we share the lessons that we have learnt. Prior to this flood Gympie already had in place the Gympie Get Ready Resilience program that provided both a tool kit for individuals and the Gympie Resilient Leaders Network, an initiative of the council, in recognition of what our community needed. Of course, there is the need for the Red Cross appeal and I know many in the community have

34 Motion 12 Feb 2013 given already. However, there is the need to provide so much more to those areas across the state that need that support. I also take a moment to reflect upon the contribution of the Auslan interpreters to the flood briefings. When the request came from Minister Dempsey’s office on the morning of Australia Day for me to organise Auslan interpreters to be present at the Premier’s briefing that afternoon, I knew that the deaf community and the interpreters would be ready to help again. I thank the CEO of Deaf Services Queensland, Brett Casey, for his involvement. I am also a director of Deaf Services Queensland. He swung into action on Australia Day, organising the required interpreters and ensuring they were available. During the briefings those in the deaf community, not only in Queensland, but across Australia could then be aware of what was occurring and take comfort in the knowledge of the actions that were being taken. I must also express disappointment in those individuals in the social media who have ridiculed the signs that were used by the deaf interpreters. Their ignorance displays their lack of appreciation for other languages and other members in the community. As I said in 2011, it is not appropriate to name people for their efforts not because they are not worthy of recognition but because I know that so many people have done things that go unrecorded. Each person tells the story of another person who helped them out and would promptly put the onus on to them as being someone who should be recognised such is our community spirit that everyone comes together to help out during a flood event. I also thank all my colleagues of this House. The experience of the 2013 flood was no different to the experience of the 2011 flood. It is the essence of bipartisanship that we put aside our differences and we work together to ensure that our community, the Queensland community, can recover from the flood event. May I also put on the record my thanks to the only staff member who could get into the electorate office, Daryll. She manned the phones and took on the difficult role during that flood event. For that she went above and beyond what she is paid to do. May I simply say thank you: thank you to everyone in my community who stepped up; thank you to everyone who was so flood weary and still gave more; thanks to all Queenslanders who rise to the occasion when it is asked of them. Whether they be volunteers, SES or emergency services workers, part of our councils, our valued council staff or elected officials, their efforts are not only appreciated, they are needed. As Dorothea Mackellar said in her poem My Country— Core of my heart, my country! Land of the Rainbow Gold, For flood and fire and famine, She pays us back threefold— We the people of Gympie are grateful for all that has been done, but we highlight the support we need to continue to move forward. Hon. LJ SPRINGBORG (Southern Downs—LNP) (Minister for Health) (11.53 am): I rise today to participate in the debate and to support the motion moved earlier by the Premier. Firstly, I also pass on my sympathies and words of support to all of those who have been affected by the Queensland flooding events and, more particularly, to those people who have lost loved ones or whose loved ones have been severely injured or maimed as a consequence of those flooding events. The Queensland Health family has not escaped such direct impact because one of those people who was tragically killed as a consequence of a flooding event was a part of the extended Queensland Health family. I would also like to pass on my words of support, encouragement and enormous appreciation for those people who worked tirelessly in the various institutions of Queensland Health right across this state and more particularly when it came to the evacuation of Bundaberg Hospital. In that circumstance what we saw was a precision operation. Over 120 people were not only effectively prepared for evacuation but also safely evacuated to hospitals where they continued to receive the highest quality of care. To the local hospital and health service who did an absolutely extraordinary job in the coordination and enactment of their disaster evacuation plan, to everyone involved in that exercise whether it be the Australian Defence Force, AGL, CareFlight, the other helicopter rescue services involved, the Royal Flying Doctor Service or the Queensland Chief Health Officer who has been intrinsically linked—I commend them and thank them very much. In many cases they learnt lessons from what was an excellent operation in the evacuation of the Cairns Hospital only a couple of years before. As the honourable member for Rockhampton said earlier, whilst things went exceptionally well, there are always opportunities for improvement and refinement following the debriefing process which will ultimately occur as a consequence of the post-flood analysis and recovery program. On 26 January at an Australia Day breakfast function in Killarney in my electorate we were all sharing thoughts about a previous Australia Day. In 2011 we were in a park somewhere. We had been moved to a different place due to a flooding event. At nine o’clock in the morning it was around 35 degrees and everyone was running around with wet towels on their backs while cooking the sausages and damper. This year it was moved indoors due to the weather which was the front end of the rain system that was to come from Cyclone Oswald. As people would be aware, Killarney is located in the headwaters of the

12 Feb 2013 Motion 35

Condamine, which is an enormous river system that then flows into the Darling and the Murray system before it meanders its way to its mouth near Adelaide. People were saying, ‘I wonder what this is going to bring.’ Only a day or so later 16 to 17 inches of rain fell around the headwaters of the Condamine River. A little bit further to the north, up to 50 inches of rain fell in a 24- to 36-hour period. That was an extraordinary amount of rain. Along the top of Cunningham’s Gap 30 to 35 inches of rain fell. It really tested some of the extraordinary work that was done in the repair of the Cunningham Highway— Mr Rickuss: Most of the repair work was done. Mr SPRINGBORG: The repair work was done exceptionally well after the 2011 event. The structural and engineering repairs to that road stood the test of what was another extraordinary weather event. The real challenge is going to be what can be done to further guard against the slippages coming from that very loose soil and rubble which make their way down to the peak of the Cunningham’s Gap and across the Great Dividing Range. Of course, that will require further investment. That proves that money spent repairing and properly engineering roads is not wasted as those roads can withstand a major flooding event. The important thing is to constantly look at what can be done to improve it. Another consideration is the preparedness of communities to withstand these events and also the information which is made available to them. Cyclone events and the resulting rain depressions are extremely difficult to predict. As someone who is a weather buff and who likes to look at what the various predictive weather models were showing, I can say that very few actually predicted the quality of the rainfall or where the rainfall was likely to eventually fall, particularly across southern inland Queensland. There was a German weather model, which was pointed out to me a year or so ago, which I had been following for a period. I could not understand one word of it because it was not in English, but the graphics accurately predicted what was going to happen across the around 24 to 48 hours out. Whilst we have an imperfect science and there certainly is some great intelligence out there when it comes to predictive tools, we have a significant way to go. More particularly, in the area of the southern and western Darling Downs—down around Goondiwindi—which had more than 10 inches of rain in a 24- hour period or overnight, none of that was actually predicted. Of course, that was the highest amount of rainfall in living memory and it means that those communities west of Goondiwindi are going to be under water for some time to come as that water drains away from that particular flood plain. I commend the various mayors and the leaders across my electorate for the wonderful work they did on behalf of their communities. A great thing is the great strength of local disaster management to have local people who know local conditions in control of what is going on. To Mayor Peter Blundell and the Southern Downs Regional Council, I say what a great job he did with his councillors and his local disaster management group. To Mayor Graeme Scheu at the Goondiwindi Regional Council, he is a larger-than-life character and, as one would expect, basically took charge and directed his community and directed the events to ensure that people were as safe as they possibly could be. Indeed, he was so proactively involved that there would have hardly been a person in the areas that were to be affected who had not received a call from Graeme as he himself tried to find out what was happening up and down the Weir River, which was experiencing a quite extraordinary flooding event. Mayor Paul Antonio from the Toowoomba Regional Council similarly did a great job in the area that was affected within his vast expanse of a regional council. From my perspective reflecting upon this flooding event compared to 2011—whilst 2011 was a more major event in terms of the number of people who were actually affected and the extent of the inundation— this event, whilst it was far more localised, was far more extreme. The damage which was done was far more extreme to those people affected than in 2011 on the law of averages. It was quite extraordinary. It comes back to the amount of rainfall and where that rainfall actually fell. As the Deputy Premier said earlier in his contribution, every single flooding event is different. Indeed, in the headwaters of the Condamine River up around Killarney people there received four inches of rain—I say this in the old parlance—and they did not have their gullies run and they still had cracks in their soil which did not fill in. There was very little inflow into the Condamine River from local water in that area, yet five to 10 kilometres away there was rainfall of 10 to 20 and even 30 inches. So there was different water inundation in different areas as a consequence of that. In the township of Killarney itself in terms of the Condamine River, which normally comes up and goes down within four hours, it stayed up for 20 hours. The Glengallan flat—and some people may be familiar with that—is about eight miles just outside of Warwick where there is a three-ways to Warwick, Toowoomba or Brisbane and Ipswich. The area across the Glengallan flat was extraordinarily devastated by this rainfall event because 35 inches of rain had to drain away. Normally it would take some hours. It was taking up to 24 and 48 hours. When visiting one of the landholders the other day, he said to me that this was the highest level of water in that area based on records and historical accounts going back to 1860 when they swum the bullocks from the bullock teams across as they traversed back over Spicers Gap to go back towards the various places across the Darling Downs.

36 Motion 12 Feb 2013

What I saw there the other day was quite extraordinary when one looks at the erosion events—that is, the gouging of what is some of the richest soil in not only Queensland but also Australia and the world. Basically four to five feet of soil had been washed away, taken away. It is going to take those landholders probably $100,000-odd just to repair very small areas of land. Indeed, even grassed waterways which are highly grassed by couch grass were eroded and washed away. The other day I saw fence posts which had been cemented five feet in the ground which had been washed out by the turbulent vortex action of the water swirling around it, and it was not only one post; whole panels of posts had been lifted out and dumped. Underground water irrigation infrastructure had been exposed, as had underground electricity infrastructure. For those people, repair is going to be very important. They understand that it is not the government’s role to guard against acts of God. But when it comes to issues of very serious damage to their infrastructure, their soil and their plant and equipment, then that is something where we can assist. Of course, the crop damage is something that no-one will be able to compensate against. Going further on from there down towards Allora, the damage was not quite as severe but nevertheless something of significant concern. Out towards Bony Mountain, Massey and that area there has once again been major damage to the local road infrastructure, which in some cases may be offline for weeks or even months but hopefully not years. That will have a significant impact upon the intensive animal industries which are very much built up in that part of the world. Going further downstream along the Condamine around Cecil Plains, this is an area which was devastated in 2011. Whilst the Condomine River when it broke its banks did not necessarily spread out in many areas as much as it did in 2011, in some of those places where it did the water ran faster than it did in 2011 and washed away more soil. Those people were recovering from a major event in 2011 when there was significant and multimillion-dollar loss of crops, particularly cotton and sorghum, and they were hoping to recover. They had a mild recovery last year and again have been completely wiped out this year. Whilst we talk about resilience and we talk about the ability of people to recover and withstand this, frankly we have to admit that for some people this is going to be a road that is just a bit too far. Some people will not recover from this. That is the reality because it is too much. Nothing that government can do will make any difference in those areas, because whilst we can help people get basic fundamental infrastructure up and going and some repair work to their soil, when it comes to loss of crops there is not much we can do, particularly after two or three events, and I think most people understand that. But anything that we can do we need to do in those areas. Similarly, businesses have been impacted. Probably like the honourable member for Gympie, there are other areas around Queensland such as Killarney in my electorate where people are not unused to these types of inundations on a semiregular basis. Those in the townships move their equipment to above where they predict the flood is going to be. The floodwaters are normally down in 24 hours maximum and the next morning people are in the community with their bobcats pushing all of the silt and mud out, and that is the most unbelievable thing to see—centimetres of slop and filthy silt and mud. They push it away. There is a fellow in the local community who has his own street sweeper. He comes through and does that and then the local rural fire brigade gets in with the hoses to hose it out, and they are back in business within 48 to 72 hours. It is quite remarkable to see. However, it is starting to wear the patience of those people and we are starting to have a debate, particularly in the community of Killarney, about whether we should move some of those lower lying areas which are more prone to inundation to guard against this in the future. As the Premier indicated before, it has to be done with an abundance of community support. If there is resistance, then of course people are going to feel as though it has been pushed on them. I would reflect on the fact that after the 1890 flood events and a couple of events in the early 1900s, a number of communities in my electorate were substantially moved. Inglewood and Texas were moved after the 1890 flood events. It was much easier to do in those days in that there was more abundance of land and it was much cheaper to actually do it. It was probably far simpler in that there were not the processes, the regulations, the rules and all of those sorts of things and the costs involved. We really do need to look at long-term solutions. For anyone who is arguing against the benefits of levee banks and what they can do to protect communities, I just say take a drive to Goondiwindi. In 1958 after there had been a very serious flooding event on top of other flooding events, the local council decided that it was going to do something about it. I think this is not only part of great folklore locally but also the practical effect of common sense—that is, a local council employee went around in a boat with a tomahawk and marked every single tree where the level of the water was and they built the levee based on that. Today, you would probably have to undertake an environmental impact study of something or other and it would just go on and on and on. In 1958 the people were going to torch the mayor’s car—they were going to do this and they were going to do that—and bring a great abomination on the whole council for even daring to consider building this levee. Guess what? Today, no-one argues against it. It is one of the best things that has ever happened. If anyone thinks that levees are not a good thing, they should have a look at what happened in Goondiwindi. The people there went through a lot of these arguments in 1958, but they overcame them and today that levee protects that community from what is a constant threat from

12 Feb 2013 Motion 37 the Macintyre River. Indeed, it is something that we can learn from. When I look around and I see the procrastination that has happened over many years and where there has been community argy-bargy about whether it is a good idea to do these things, I can show that levee as a practical example of how levees work. Indeed, I think we owe much to that levee and we owe much to those people who had the vision of building it way back in 1958. I mention the impact of this event on businesses. The Carey Brothers meat processors is in my electorate. That business is operated by a very famous local family and it employs dozens of people. That business is located on the banks of Swan Creek. Because of the amount of rain that has fallen in that area, that major business is now in serious danger of being undermined by a similar event. The local river improvement trust is undertaking major engineering preparation for the stabilisation of that bank. It is very important that we make sure that resources are allocated to that area, because not only is that business important for my local community but also it is a major supplier of meat for South-East Queensland. At a time when it is very difficult to ensure competition in the meat processing industry, the maintenance of a business like that is vitally important. Carey Brothers is a successful business. It is always investing—not only in expansion but also in the latest technology—and it has a very good reputation in my area and many other places in Queensland. I make the observation that important community facilities are replaced. Only last week there was some concern that the Commonwealth had changed the rules with regard to the restoration of community facilities and that it may not have been eligible for assistance. One of the great ironies is that flood plains, where housing or businesses cannot be built, are where you build sporting ovals. It is no different in the case of Warwick. I pay tribute to Phil Reeves, the former sports minister, for his investment post the 2011 floods in the Warwick Hockey Association. Following a commitment from the local community to protect the investment in a new surface, that club was able to rebuild that surface. But now the protection works that were put around that surface have saved it from this flooding event. The Warwick Cowboys Rugby League Club has not been so fortunate and it has been affected. So as part of building resilience for the future, we need to look at how we are going to effect some ongoing, permanent strengthening of that clubhouse. I am pleased that recently there has been clarification that those sporting facilities are going to be eligible for assistance. Mr Mulherin: It’s a great hockey club and they did a good job hosting the state titles there last year. Mr SPRINGBORG: Absolutely. Similarly, in 2011 the Warwick Turf Club was seriously affected. It received assistance for the restoration of its track. Recently I visited the club’s training track, which has been severely damaged—tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage—and it will need assistance as well. As we go on the road to recovery the important issue is to make sure that practical common sense rules the day. Sometimes when people get involved in these events they love to build themselves empires and they love to stratify those empires—they love to put in place rules and regulations that override common sense and practicality. We should delegate every single piece of private resource, whether that be machinery or aggregate, to assist us in this rebuilding exercise. This is not only about government; this is about community. It is about being practical, working together and making sure that recovery happens with the minimum of bureaucratic intervention. Mrs MILLER (Bundamba—ALP) (12.13 pm): I rise to speak in support of the motion before the House. It is with great relief that I can speak in this House without the heartache of the devastating impact of the 2011 floods on my electorate. Of course, my community knows only too well the pain and sorrow experienced by the communities of Laidley and the Lockyer Valley, the small rural towns of regional Queensland and regional centres such as Bundaberg. On behalf of the community in my electorate, I express our condolences to those families who have lost their precious loved ones and for those who have been left behind. May they find peace in their grief and comfort in their future. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them always. My community knows full well the feelings of those who have lost everything—the precious memories from photos collected over the years, the sense of having to rebuild and start life anew after losing everything. We know what it is like to go back to zero, zilch, nothing. The value placed on the safety of loved ones has become far more precious than the material things in life—the value of family and friends, neighbours and pets. Our community reflected on these most important things in life. As the tragedy made clear, there are more important things in life than material goods or wealth. We understand that the human spirit of compassion and shared experiences mean much more than monetary wealth and the accumulation of possessions. Human kindness, respect, camaraderie and love for one another, care and compassion for neighbours and friends and people we may not even have met before are all the qualities of those who are truly wealthy in spirit, wealthy in personal values, wealthy in love for their fellow human beings.

38 Motion 12 Feb 2013

This time, the residents of Blackstone, Bundamba, Riverview and Goodna were very, very lucky. But this time, as a community, we were more prepared and ready to get into action. We banded together, we shared resources and we got our homes, our businesses and community facilities ready for the worst—a worst that thankfully never came for us. It is times like these that I see the community shine in my area. People came to my office when their fears started rising, like the Brisbane and Bremer rivers, and our hearts went out to them. People asked how they could help. People went up to Laidley, the Lockyer Valley and Bundaberg to lend a hand, just like the people in those areas helped them in their time of need. In true Queensland fashion, they sought to help others and, in some respects, I think repay those who came to help them in their time of need. So off they went, with shovels and brooms and buckets in hand, a few extra sandwiches to hand out and an attitude of, ‘We are here to help.’ But it was more than that: it was knowing what the people were going through. They also spread the message of giving a hand up, telling people that they will be able to get back on their feet, just as they are still getting back on their feet even to this day. My community in the electorate of Bundamba is stronger and wiser for the experience of the 2011 floods. There were some real worries for a couple of sporting groups at either ends of my electorate. Both the Goodna Bowls Club and the Ipswich Knights Soccer Club were literally about to move into their new premises after the previous buildings were severely damaged in the 2011 floods. Just when they thought that the next chapter in their flood recovery was to begin, it was nearly taken away from them again. Members could imagine the stress of those involved—the committees—at even the thought of having to start again: so much heartache, so much hard work starting again, not for themselves but for the sporting communities. They are there to help kids get a start in sport and have a healthy lifestyle, to keep older folk happy and healthy and mixing with others. The water came quite close to the Ipswich Knight’s new facilities and the Goodna Bowls Club was preparing for the worst. The Goodna Rugby League Club, a legendary club in our electorate, also bore the brunt of the last flood and it took a long, long time, and a national effort through the Channel 7 Sunrise program that I was able to direct through the then minister Robert Schwarten, to get the assistance needed to get them up and going again. This time they took no chances. As the water was flowing and the levels were going up, the trucks and the utes came in and moved items out. The old pictures of players, of our past and present rugby league greats, like Noel Kelly the famous Australian test front rower from Ipswich, the glasses, the tables, even the stubby coolers were all packed up and they went out. Gary Parker and the Goodna Rugby League Club crew, a few of the old boys like Bowie and anyone else that they could muster, rolled up their sleeves as they moved things to higher ground. Thank God the river did not get that high. We all remember in 2011 the river gouged a huge chunk out of the riverbed near the Goodna Rugby League Club and we were all worried. As the danger passed, the overall sense of relief was present. As people moved their possessions back into their houses you could literally see the stress levels dropping and people were thankful that they did not have to go through the emotional and community turmoil of two years ago. When talking to the residents you could see that the wounds were still raw, the emotions were still high. Those emotions were back again as they contemplated what could have been. I shared a hug with many of the residents when I was doorknocking my way through what was mud only two years ago. There was relief from the tension about what could have been yet again—relief for them, relief for their neighbours and their friends, relief for the pub where they had a drink or the club where they watched sport. The sense of relief was overwhelming. And the relief could be seen at the Royal Mail Hotel when it reopened, having closed to lift everything after they experienced the flooding of two years ago. The owner, Andrew, who himself is a legend in our community, did not have to start all over again like he had to in 2011, and he did not have to rebuild again with the support of the music community and the local residents as he had to two years ago. The relief could also be felt by the patrons of the Goodna RSL Club. Again they reopened after having moved literally everything to higher ground. Their motto was ‘once bitten twice shy’ and I think they were probably the first club that moved everything out. They did not have again the heartbreak of losing irreplaceable memorabilia of diggers past and present. Residents, workers and business owners alike were drained, we were tired, but we were immensely relieved. I would like to thank Neil Laurie and especially Mike Coburn from Parliament House IT Services for braving the conditions and coming out to my office prior to the flood peak where my staff Steve and Tracey were busy removing computer equipment and other valuables to higher ground. We did this just in case, as the clubs and households did it just in case. The difficulties of working without modern communication were very clear to us. The last time we were flooded we were helping people whilst set up in a tent. Doing that without IT services was incredibly difficult. It was all fresh in our minds when we went back to thinking about family, friends and neighbours. So we helped people like Torpedo Ted, like TC our Goodna poet, like Curtis and Kevie Eaton and many, many others. We were there helping them all, providing advice and shifting them out. Torpedo Ted, one of the most fantastic members of our Goodna community, said to me after the last flood that one thing that he should have done that he did not even think of was actually opening the windows of his house so that if a flood ever came again the waters could come in more easily and go out more easily. I went to visit Torpedo Ted’s home after he had moved everything out just to make sure that he had opened the windows, and he had. Torpedo Ted was true to his word.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 39

The lessons learnt from 2011 were very clear in the actions of the council, the police, the SES and emergency workers working with the community to ensure the safety of lives and property. Many things proceeded much smoother this time—thank God. But lessons still have to be learned to improve on last time. The SMS alerts were effective—some, in fact, thought they were too effective in some instances, with people evacuating unnecessarily and worrying people, especially the elderly. People who were kilometres away from the river got alerts. We must look at targeting that information and greater community knowledge of what these SMS alerts mean. Web pages were a great source of information, but were often overloaded due to the vast numbers of people seeking information and some took to social networking to share that information. Some information was slow to get through due to web pages crashing or being difficult to access leading to rumours and other forms of misinformation. While the Ipswich SES had access to federally supplied and funded sandbagging machines, other machines were needed to load those machines and quickly get bags out to residents. This would lead to less photo opportunities for the Premier and his mates. I am reliably advised by the SES and other people that three bags were filled by them whilst the cameras were rolling. Lessons still have to be learned about recovery centres. There was a lack of available community staff at these centres. Many staff trained and able to undertake the work of processing claims for assistance were disappointingly dismissed by this government. These great compassionate and hardworking public servants were told their jobs were no longer important, but now we know they are so important. Public servants are there to serve the people of Queensland in good times and in bad and in disasters and they are expert in helping people in need of a hand. Long lines and queues, people being rejected for frivolous policy reasons and limited spots where these public servants were available to process the forms led to widespread disruption and angst and even reports in the media of some looting because people were not able to get the access that I think they thought that they needed. In relation to the power outages in my electorate, one has to wonder whether mothers with three and four kids in toe should have to answer questions like, ‘How many times do your kids open the fridge?’ I stood firm with the public servants because as a former public servant myself I could see that they were in need of more staff. I thanked them—I thanked them most sincerely—for the hard work that they were putting in for our community. Brooke Winters and her team are experienced community officers, but more staff were needed. At least the Treasurer had the decency to acknowledge these problems. He asked for people to be patient as time and time again the centres were being closed as they reached their capacity. Time and time again the Queensland Police Service media would advise another and then another centre would close due to overcapacity. The sad fact is that, with this LNP government dismissing the public servants who did this work, the poor public servants who were left behind simply could not cope with the demand that was placed on them. I thank Pastor Alan Morris and all the members of the Shiloh Christian Church who, once again, stumped up for our community and opened the evacuation centre. Pastor Alan Morris and his team are legends and wonderful people in our community. We thank them so much for their love of and care for the people in our area. In the broader Labor movement, we acknowledge that floods take an enormous long-term toll on people. We know that there may be marriage breakdowns and that people will leave the area because they simply cannot cope. We know that depression is going to be an issue that will face not only GPs and the people concerned, but also the wider community. In fact, I have been advised by a local pharmacist in Goodna that, to this day, the most common prescription drug that they dispense is antidepressants because of the floods of two years ago. It will take a long time for people to get over the floods. There will be those who cannot take it anymore and they will leave their area. I hope that many will come back, just as they have done in our area. In Goodna, a wonderful old man sold his house and went to live over on the north side of Brisbane. Every week he used to come back to Goodna and every week he would drop in to see me. He would have tears in his eyes and it was absolutely clear that he was not coping. He had a breakdown. One week, he dropped into my office and he said to me, ‘I don’t think I can cope anymore.’ At that stage, I was very worried for him. I said to him, ‘Come home, mate; come home.’ He said to me, ‘I’ll think about it.’ The next week, he came to our electorate office with one of those old-fashioned ports that the oldies tend to have. He turned up at my electorate office with his port. He had just got off the train. He said, ‘I’ve come home.’ I grabbed him, hugged him and cried. I said, ‘Welcome home, brother. We’ll always look after you.’ He will not live anywhere else in this country. He is one of us and we look after our own. I say to all members of parliament that we need to let families grieve. We need to love them and we need to listen to them. As members of parliament, one of the most important things we can do is look for the signs of depression and we need to refer people to their doctors. I know it is not the done thing, but one of the best things I ever did was to ring the doctor when I knew that someone possibly would not themselves talk to their doctor.

40 Motion 12 Feb 2013

The Rissman family of Goodna have been through the 1955, the 1974, the 2011 and now the 2013 floods. They said to our people, ‘We have fought floods before and we’ll do it again and again. We’re not going anywhere.’ The Rissman family are an inspiration to the community, not only of Goodna but also of Queensland. Let us all hope that lessons will be learned and that Ricko and I will not have to again face the tragedies that have happened. Ricko, our heart goes out to your people. Whatever we can do to help them, we will do. Mr RICKUSS (Lockyer—LNP) (12.33 pm): I rise to support the condolence motion and I thank all members who have extended their sympathies to my area. As someone who has lived on and owned riparian land for most of my life, I have never felt so powerless and heartbroken as when the episodic Laidley Creek and Tent Hill Creek, and subsequently the Lockyer Creek, started to breach their banks on 26 January, throughout the Australia Day weekend and continuing for several days. A lot of smaller streams and gullies rushed to join the frenzy of water in the major streams. Unfortunately, three people died in watercourses in the Lockyer electorate. One was Roger Boyle, a 65-year-old motorcyclist from New Zealand, who died at Edward Bridge at Greenbank. Two others, Andrew Leong and Jerry Yukun, died when their vehicles were washed off a causeway at Sandy Creek at Glen Cairn on Woodlands Road. Those three deaths are unfortunate and have created a sadder community. At around dawn Mr Leong and Mr Yukun were travelling to work at the Mulgowie Farming Co. I table a letter from representatives of the Mulgowie Farming Co., expressing their sympathies. Tabled paper: Mulgowie Farming Co. statement, dated 1 February 2013, to the member for Lockyer, Mr Ian Rickuss MP, regarding the death of two farm workers in the Queensland floods [2039]. Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of the deceased men. Those incidents highlight the danger of crossing flooded roads. Please be aware, be patient and do not cross flooded roads, causeways or bridges. If it is flooded, forget it. That makes sense. Please, spend a bit of extra time. Unlike the 2011 event, for the first couple of days this flood occurred almost in slow motion. There was an extreme dry leading up to late January. The threat of fire was more of a problem than floods, with the local dams, Lake Clarendon and Lake Dyer starting to recede with water levels in the 70 per cent range. On Saturday 26 January I was in Laidley, speaking to people such as Rick Vela the local jeweller, Paul Boody from Laidley Hire and Farm Supplies, Greg Walker from the Laidley Hotel and Ann Kirby from McLeans Printing. Those people, volunteers, Lockyer Valley Regional Council staff, SES workers and many others were sandbagging the town and lifting up stock. I suggested to Paul from Laidley Hire and Farm Supplies to keep doing what he was doing, but not to worry too much as there was plenty of capacity in the Lockyer and Laidley creeks. For the next few days I copped a fair bit of flak for telling him that. While I was right for Saturday night, what I did not realise was that the creek headwaters from areas such as Mount Castle and Mount Mistake would receive somewhere over 1,200 millimetres of rain, which is 40 to 50 inches, whereas the flood plains only received 10 to 14 inches. Watching the gauges on the BOM site, you almost became transfixed as the rainfall figures were updated and river heights were polled every couple of minutes, and then watching the difference over four, six and eight hours from gauge to gauge. By 12 noon on Sunday, it looked like Laidley would have a small flood. By eight o’clock that night, the water had inundated almost all the shops and some of the low-lying houses, and was heading towards the railway line. Tent Hill Creek had started to follow similar time lines and flow patterns, running parallel to Laidley Creek in the next valley. This creek joins the Lockyer Creek at Gatton. The only difference is that the Laidley Creek runs rather slow and the Tent Hill Creek runs rather fast. We had two major tributaries trying to fill the Lockyer. The Lockyer Creek itself was running at minor levels from the lesser rainfalls mentioned. The Lockyer Creek did not reach a major level and for most of Sunday and Monday the creek was about three metres below the major level at Gatton. The Lockyer Creek through from Crowley Vale— anyone who travels the Warrego Highway will know where I am talking about; it is at the Meaning to Stop Secondhand Shop—to the Brisbane River did run a banker and broke out on the flood plains. This was because the Tent Hill and Laidley creeks, as previously mentioned, were flooding. Flooding also occurred in the Scenic Rim, Logan and Ipswich areas at about the same time. Owing to the rainfall the previous day and the speed and build-up of the water, the flood event dropped enormous amounts of silt, as highlighted by the silt in the Brisbane River. Unfortunately, when the floodwaters entered houses and shops, it left a real mess. Some farms had large amounts of soil deposited on them and some farms suffered from devastating erosion. I will table some pictures of Mount Sylvia, which show how not to build roads beside creeks. Tabled paper: Bundle of photos of the flooding in the Lockyer electorate [2040]. The water height is emphasised by the wall of the office of C.W. Hooper Solicitors of Laidley. Peter Hooper and his forefathers have been solicitors in the Laidley area for over 100 years. The front wall of the office has markers for the 1959, the 1974, the 2011 and the 2013 events. Unfortunately, the 2013 event was the highest. There are reports that the old fellers are saying that the 1893 flood might have been higher, but Peter cannot quite remember that one, he tells me.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 41

The Hon. , John-Paul Langbroek, John McVeigh, Andrew Cripps, Scott Emerson, Tracy Davis, Jann Stuckey and David Crisafulli visited during the event and have seen the devastation. I thank all my colleagues for their support. If members of parliament look at some of the pictures I have just tabled they will see how not to turn creeks into dish drains with D9s. One of the locals told me that the water was travelling at 34 kilometres per hour. That is how fast he had to ride his bike to keep up with the water. The destruction to roads and creeks and power and phone infrastructure is enormous in the Mount Sylvia, Thornton, Mulgowie, Lefthand Branch and Black Duck areas. After access and essential services are re-established we must look at how we can rebuild this infrastructure. We cannot do the same thing again. Let us ensure that levees are not put in place to protect flood plains. Flood plains are what they are—flood plains. Let them act as flood plains. Yes, we have to protect infrastructure. I am not against putting levees around infrastructure, but we should leave the flood plains alone. Every bit of water that is pushed somewhere affects someone further downstream or across stream. Premier, you are right: insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. As I have said before, turning the creek bed into dish drains with D9s so that water runs at 34 kilometres per hour and destroys everything in its path is a great piece of engineering, but not a great piece of responsible infrastructure building. Again, I mention the issue of levees. This was highlighted on page 604 of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry report. It appears that no Queensland government agency has wide-ranging responsibility for flood mitigation. Such responsibility would include oversight of structural measures such as dams and levees as a complement to non-structural measures such as land planning and emergency management. It is imperative that we as a government take the lead, particularly on issues such as levees, and assist local government to manage them. I have no problem with levees to protect infrastructure, but please let the flood plain be a flood plain. This was highlighted in the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry’s final report. I will continue to raise these issues so that we have better outcomes for the community. By Tuesday the clean-up was in full swing in some areas. Access was back to Laidley, water was still over the Warrego Highway, but was passable at Glenore Grove. The business owners and their staff, volunteers, the Lockyer Valley Regional Council, rural firies, the SES, parents and friends of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, the Laidley church congregation, the Red Cross and many others all began the hard work of cleaning up. Scott Buchholz MP, the federal member for Wright, was also in Laidley. The Hon. Campbell Newman came to see how we were going. Yes, Premier, I will keep you to the promise to come back to the Eagle Rock Cafe when it opens. Owners, Denise and Garry Morris, want you to bring Lisa to show them your jive style. I have heard that the Attorney-General, Jarrod, and his wife, Sally, can come too. The support the town of Laidley has had was great. The devastation in the Lockyer was probably only about 30 per cent of that of 2010. Unfortunately, though, for some people this event was worse. For others it was not as bad. For Ma Ma Creek, Flagstone, Gatton, Alice and Murphy’s Creek this 2013 event would be classed a minor flood. Even Grantham experienced a minor amount of water inundation on the creek flats, but as one local said, ‘This is like nearly all the 15 other floods we have had over the last 20 years.’ I did see reports quoting that Grantham would have had $20 million to $30 million in damage. These figures are highly exaggerated. Very few houses in Grantham were inundated or would have been inundated by a flood of this magnitude if they were not moved. I table those reports. Tabled paper: Article from the Chronicle, dated 6 February 2013, titled ‘Strengthening Grantham project saves community millions’ [2041]. School was of course due to start back. Classrooms were spared at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Laidley. However, the effort to clean the grounds and under buildings was mammoth. The area’s local school communities and volunteers are to be congratulated. I did speak to Nathan Haley, the principal of St Mary’s, a number of times. Nathan did a great job to get school back on 4 February. Laidley State School started on time. Minister John-Paul Langbroek MP arrived on Wednesday, 30 January to visit the primary school as well as Laidley State High School. It was also the evacuation centre for almost two weeks. Principal Michael Clarkson and his team were a great help to the Lockyer Valley Regional Council, the department of communities and the Red Cross. The Premier visited the evacuation centre at Laidley State High School. He spoke to people like Alison who has seven children, works two jobs and had contractual problems with her house. My office phoned Alison and has assisted her with the contractual issues and rehousing. Alison is greatly relieved. Unfortunately, even though you do good deeds, you are not immune from the difficulties that life throws at you. Chris Saffy from Laidley Landscape Supplies and Nursery was assisting with the clean-up, as he and his wife, Andrea, did during the 2011 flood. Chris was loading his machine onto a truck when a

42 Motion 12 Feb 2013 hydraulic hose burst and the ramp came down and knocked him to the ground. Chris received head injuries and a smashed foot. Fortunately, his head injuries have not been severe. However, Chris’s foot and ankle are shattered very badly. Chris will spend six weeks in hospital. Get well soon, Chris. Another gentleman, Ron Harding of Blenheim, 59 years of age, was helping at the St Mary’s Catholic Church. Unfortunately, Ron collapsed and could not be revived. Our sympathy goes out to Ron’s family and friends. These two events occurred on 28 and 29 January. During the education minister’s visit to Laidley on Wednesday, the minister also called in at Thornton State School. The minister learned that a local bridge had been washed away so some of the children had to travel about 20 kilometres a day to get to school. Principal Erika Jones, school staff and QBuild staff were all working hard to have the school opened by 4 February. As the minister noticed, this is one of my pretty schools. Minister Langbroek also visited Grantham State School where we spoke to the principal of Mount Sylvia State School, Cheryl Harvey. It was here that we hatched a plan to get the children to school, as most of the road infrastructure had been washed away in the Mount Sylvia, Junction View and Black Duck areas. The strategy was put in place. Thank you to the department of main roads and Minister Emerson and Minister Langbroek for their assistance. On Thursday, 31 January, the Hon. John McVeigh toured some of the worst hit areas around Glenore Grove. He spoke to Andrew Phillips, a professional horse trainer and breaker. John then met some of the horticultural farmers, Brad and Troy Qualischefski, Kerry and Lachlan Hauser, Linton Brimblecombe and Luke Rickuss. Damage to some of the farms in this area is catastrophic. The Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Scott Emerson, and his Acting Director-General, Neil Scales, were also in the area to inspect the damage to state roads, the most severe being Mount Sylvia to Junction View. The Hon. Andrew Cripps, the Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, also inspected the area looking at the creek and land issues in relation to his department. There are issues such as levees on creek banks which unfortunately create substantial land degradation when they over top, break or collapse in the stream. This was part of the problem and will continue to be until people realise that flood plains are just that—flood plains. I will harp on about flood plains. I am sure the minister gained a better understanding of this since his visit. Mr Cripps: I know a bit about flood plains, Ricko. Mr RICKUSS: Thanks, mate. I am glad. You will learn a bit more, I am sure. As was noted during the flood, two million South-East Queenslanders actually depend on the Brisbane River to have clean water supplies. Let us encourage the two million Brisbane people to support some of the landholders in the upper reaches of the Brisbane River, Lockyer Creek and Bremer River to make sure they can manage the land appropriately. The Hon. Tracy Davis, the Minister for Communities, also visited the Laidley Community Centre and Laidley Crisis Care and Accommodation which suffered flood inundation. The minister and I then visited staff who were assisting members of the community with state and federal government assistance. All the time the clean-up in houses, farms, properties, shops and businesses continues. The Minister for Tourism and Small Business, Jann Stuckey, visited local businesses in Laidley and encouraged them with her enthusiasm, talking about Australia Day II to be held on 23 February. Hopefully, Laidley will have a celebration to remember with most shops and business back on line. The rural landholders’ clean-up could take a little longer. My old uncle used to say that ‘when taking on a big job on the land, the job is large and slow, but the earth is patient.’ So people will also have to be patient. However, I am sure that the landholders affected will get there. I call on our city cousins to support rural areas. There have been some reports of $750 million worth of damage to the Lockyer area. I table the relevant media reports. Tabled paper: Article from the Chronicle, dated 5 February 2013, titled ‘Lockyer Valley flood bill expected to exceed $750 million’ [2042]. I feel they are a gross exaggeration. There are millions of dollars of damage, but it is not $750 million worth. Lastly, could I thank all of those people who have assisted the Lockyer in anyway. My wife, Ann, and I would also like to extend our best wishes to all communities across Queensland who were affected by this flood and storm event, particularly in the Bundaberg and North Burnett regions, and, of course, our friends in Gympie—fellow flood recidivists. This flood event was nowhere near as devastating for the Lockyer as the 2011 disaster. The loss of life is still tragic. But the affected people, homes, farms, business and shops remains fewer than in 2011. Some areas to the south of the Laidley township and Glenore Grove need to be looked at for their viability for housing. I will be having discussions with appropriate ministers about that.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 43

It was highlighted to me that you can rebuild infrastructure but you cannot bring back lost lives. I would also like to recognise the volunteers, the SES, the rural fire brigades, the police, the department of communities and many other state employees, the Lockyer Valley council staff and councillors and many others who helped in many ways. I thank them for their assistance. Of course I thank the LNP members and my wife, Ann. I encourage all Queenslanders to support the Red Cross flood appeal for 2013. Most people agree that it is awful and devastating for the people of Bundaberg, Burnett, Gympie, Laidley and other areas that are affected and are suffering. So please do something about it. Give $10, give $20 or whatever you can afford, but please be generous and help your fellow Australians and Queenslanders by making a donation to this appeal. Remember that cash is king, because unfortunately a lot of the donated goods can end up doing shopkeepers out of business and some of the second-hand items can take an enormous amount of work to sort through and reallocate. It is really hard. As I said—and I will highlight it again—cash is king. Please donate money to the Red Cross flood appeal. Hon. JH LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—LNP) (Minister for Education, Training and Employment) (12.50 pm): I rise to speak to the condolence motion and to endorse the sympathies of other members to those families and communities who have lost loved ones, lost homes and lost livelihoods through the extreme weather that wrought havoc on the Australia Day weekend. To those dealt this blow, though we may not have experienced the loss that they have suffered, what we can do and what it is our duty to do is to help them recover. The assistance of the Queensland and Australian governments and the logistical support of all three levels of government, particularly coordinated by councils, has been of an exceptional standard. However, that cost and the effects would be much higher if it were not for the assistance that is not written in a financial statement or spelt out in disaster manuals. I refer to the beneficence of Queenslanders towards each other. In yesterday’s Australian we read of examples of how this beneficence has been quantified. Of the 1,500 Bundaberg residents displaced due to inundation, 200 remain in evacuation centres—that is to say that 1,300 are with family or friends. That was confirmed to me when I was at Bundaberg North State High School last Wednesday morning when I spoke to a number of students who confirmed to me that they were either staying with uncles or aunts or various family members in other parts of Bundaberg. So 1,300 Queenslanders are not in evacuation centres because of the generosity of other Queenslanders. For this we say thank you. Since I visited Milton State School on the Australia Day public holiday, I have visited 25 schools. Each school faced different problems related to recent weather events. Some of them were small problems. Some of them were things about which we are determined to make a difference such as the tree policy in relation to using arborists at schools. There were neighbours who had real concerns about trees and the potential damage those trees could cause but in the past there have been some very stringent education policies about the process of going about removing such trees. Members in this chamber will be able to confirm that many of them have frustrated neighbours. We want to do something about that policy. The different problems that different schools faced were partly to do with the fact that Mother Nature’s wrath came down on the day before school started. On the first day of the school year about one in five Queensland schools could not open because they lacked power or sewerage, were inaccessible or had suffered structural damage or inundation. I would like to begin by thanking principals who, along with their admin staff, kept their teachers, students and families informed with updates across the days leading up to school and during the opening days. I visited the regions of Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Tamborine Mountain, Logan and Bundaberg and I also visited Middle Park State School in west Brisbane. Some of these school communities lost everything. Others have become the stalwart support system for local residents who have been without power, water, possessions, food and shelter. Listening to the contributions of other members, I am reminded by the member for Bundamba about Brassall State School. Because they were dreading a recurrence of what happened in 2011, the deputy principals and staff came in on the Australia Day holiday to move everything. It did not get flooded and they had to put everything back. Of course you cannot restore everything back to the way you need to in a library. That poor librarian whom I rang was obviously feeling the strain of having to put everything back into her library, yet it did not get flooded. But there are serious issues at Brassall State School. There are issues such as sewage coming on to the oval during flood events like this, and that is something we are also determined to investigate further. The member for Lockyer of course has pointed out some of the schools we visited where bridges were lost, causeways were lost and the alternative transport arrangements that we had to make with the Minister for Transport, the Hon. Scott Emerson. I want to thank them. Mr Rickuss: It’s a very nice school.

44 Motion 12 Feb 2013

Mr LANGBROEK: It is a great school and a beautiful scenic part of the Lockyer Valley. Once the weather improved it was hard to realise that only a few days before there had been this terrible torrent running through the valley that scoured the creeks and rivers. And it makes it so much harder when you are trying to clean up when it is a hot baking day, as it was in Bundaberg as well when I was there. What we saw in terms of the efforts from our schools is that if you let community leaders like principals take the lead they deliver. They know their communities. They know their parents. They know their students. They know what their communities need in times of trouble because they know it instinctively. It was not until I witnessed the work of schools firsthand that I understood the herculean effort our principals and staff signed up for when the call came. The school community in Oakwood in North Bundaberg opened its classrooms to flood affected residents. Teachers and teacher aides stepped up to help register the flood victims, organise sustenance and provide shelter. Some of them were there for up to four hours before any of the relevant authorities got to them. That is something that we need to consider and that this school and this community needs to be consulted about—and I have spoken to the Hon. Jack Dempsey about this—in any debrief that happens about the circumstances at Oakwood, where there were up to 1,500 people in the recovery centre. There were 1,500 people in a school that has 49 students. So you can imagine what it was like in that schoolyard. People brought their pets—their dogs, cats, chickens. They were all there. Some very difficult situations arose. A principal from another school came to that school to take charge. They are the sorts of things that need to be brought out in any debrief. When the crisis passed Oakwood as a recovery centre had to be turned back into a school that could be habitable for the students, teachers and non-teaching staff to come back to. So the teachers, the non- teacher staff and parents spent days and nights restoring classrooms to make them ready for students as soon as humanly possible. When I was there on Wednesday last week, you would never have known that it had been a recovery centre. But I think it is imperative—and I am putting this on the record—that there needs to be a wide debrief, which I am sure will be conducted, with state and council authorities and there needs to be consultation with the people of this school. In the hardest hit schools of all in Bundaberg, principals took the lead. Christine Pascoe in Lowmead whose own house was flooded—and Lowmead is the only school of our 1,239 state schools that is still closed at the moment—left her own possessions and worked with her husband to salvage as much as she could from her school as the waters rose. Watching in horror as the waters came up, they could not save everything and, sadly, a newly stocked library was left in pulpy ruins. The principal at Rosedale State School—20 or so kilometres down the road towards Bundaberg from Lowmead—offered to take on Lowmead students who did not and who do not have a school to go back to. More than that, the Lowmead students are kept together at Rosedale so they can recover as a community, trying to salvage some normality from the storm. Last Tuesday night I convened a forum of the 30 principals from the Bundaberg region. At the forum, when I was asking principals for their feedback about what had happened during the flood event, one principal, Raelyne Fish from Bundaberg State High School, mentioned to me the invaluable assistance given by the chaplains, as did many Bundaberg principals. I know that many other principals and people including members here will attest to the value of chaplains in the recent events and in fact in events that have happened a number of times and continue to happen throughout the school year. Principals have said to me anecdotally that they were able to devolve tasks to chaplains as well. When I heard this I thought that it epitomised what we are trying to say as a government when we say, and when I say and the Premier says, that we would like to make schools the centre of their community and to have engagement with their community. It really shone out like a beacon to me that the community connections that our government encourages are epitomised by what the chaplains did. I am not saying that in any sense of religious connections. But I am going to refer to an email that I just received this morning from the district coordinator Lisa Hardie from Scripture Union Queensland field services. She sent me an email about some of the things that the chaplains did. I think a lot of people do not know what chaplains do. People think that they just talk to people and give them a hand. Mr Mander: I do. Mr LANGBROEK: I know that the Hon. Tim Mander, the Minister for Housing and Public Works, knows as a former CEO of the organisation. But after lunch I am going to read from this email because I want to speak about the fact that chaplains have certainly provided great support not just in Bundaberg but throughout the state. I am also going to refer to some very moving stories especially at Bundaberg East State School.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 45

Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Dr Robinson): Order! Before the House breaks for lunch, I remind MPs that there is a meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the CPA, here in the chamber now at one o’clock. Sitting suspended from 1.00 pm to 2.30 pm. Mr LANGBROEK: Before the break I was speaking about the benefits that chaplains have provided to Bundaberg regional principals as was pointed out to me in a meeting I had with them last week. I want to speak about an email that was sent to me by Lisa Hardie, the district coordinator, listing the practical things that chaplains do that show their engagement with the community, especially in light of some heated debates, including ones at court level, about whether the federal government should be giving money to chaplaincy programs. The Newman government is committed to increased support for chaplains. When one considers the sorts of things that chaplains have been doing in the Bundaberg area and other areas around Queensland, it is obvious that the solution is partly right in front of our eyes in terms of us and me as a minister saying that we want better connections with community, and chaplains are providing it. The email states— In the last 5 days since school has resumed SU QLD Chaplains have offered support in the following ways: • Provide a listening ear and caring presence to staff, students and families in need— Of course, many times teachers need assistance as well, which is something that principals have pointed out to me. In times of crisis people do not always have time to sit and listen, and a listening ear is a very valuable service that the chaplains provide. The email goes on— • Individual one on one interviews done with flood affected students and phone calls made to parents of the most affected/ in need of support. • Visits to students in Evacuation Centres • Supply Bundaberg schools and several in our wider area over 15 tonne of fruit and breakfast club supplies so Chaplains could provide/assist with fruit breaks, breakfast club programs and emergency lunches. • Supply students and families with toiletry packs • Deliveries to schools in Gayndah, Mundubbera and Eidsvold of 5 tonne of fruit, vegetables and water to assist students and families in need • Due to generous donations all Chaplains were able to supply stationary items to assist students who have come back to school with nothing. • Due to connections with other organisations Chaplains have also been able to offer $32,000 worth of new mobile phones and credit to those families worst affected to help them reconnect with family, and do the necessary ringing around with insurance companies, centrelink, rental agencies etc. • So far our Chaplains have assisted 105 families with essential gift vouchers to help assist with back to school costs • Through local church connections I have established support to help chaplains provide new uniforms, shoes and back to school supplies to families in need. • 500 back pack and drink bottles to students in need. • Established school referral process with Global Care Australia where Chaplains can send through referral straight to Global Care for emergency food hampers for families in need. • Part of Combined Churches of Bundaberg steering committee for long term support for Bundaberg Community over the next 12 months as a result of increase needs and social issues due to the floods. • Increase our Chaplaincy service at Bundaberg North Primary and High school to full time for the first two weeks— They are two of the schools that I visited and whose chaplains I met. The email continues— • Increase support for school Chaplain at Bundaberg East State School— which I will refer to in a moment. It goes on— • Supply Bundaberg North High School with an additional chaplain to assist student needs for a week. • Supply the Bundaberg Special School with one of our experienced Special School Chaplain from another region to help assist staff, students and families affected for the week. • Provide Mundubbera/Boynewood State schools with experienced SU QLD Chaplain from another region to work with staff, students and families for the week. • Some chaplains ran coffee shops for school staff during breaks so give them a space to debrief and recharge as pressure mounts for them due to the disruption to school term and personal circumstances. • Some chaplains visited absent school staff affected by floods delivering cold water, afternoon tea and providing emotional support and guidance in steps to take and services to access and assistance with basic supplies. That email obviously points out that, as an organisation, Scripture Union knows—and they have already pointed this out and many of us are aware, as other members have said, including members of the opposition—that the needs of school communities will increase exponentially as the impact to individual families hits home, relationships experience strain and our young people are caught in the middle trying to cope. The email continues— There is no short term fix to many families impacted but our school chaplains are strategically placed to help assist students and families journey through this year with love, compassion, listening ear and community links to outside support.

46 Motion 12 Feb 2013

I am just reiterating that and want to point out to anyone who may be taking an interest—and obviously government agencies are—that it is something that we certainly are supporting as a government and we are going to keep doing that. We need to ensure that we look to supporting chaplains into the future. I turn now to the Bundaberg East State School. On the second last day of school last year a grade 4 student, Karrisa McDonald, was struck by an umbrella lifted by a freak gust of wind at the Bundaberg pool. She was airlifted to Brisbane, but she lost her fight the following day. Members may have heard of this at the time. The school community and principal Doug Ambrose, whom I spoke to at that time, would have been desperate to start the new school year on a positive note. Principal Doug Ambrose arrived at the school during the floods in a boat on the worst day of flooding, disoriented as he sailed over the playground toward his administration blocks and classrooms. He and staff had moved books, stashed computers as high as they would go and moved precious resources out of the reach of the rising Burnett River. Hours later, when the muddy waters receded, he was back. With him were the officers from QBuild who had driven through the night from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast to help with the clean-up task. They quarantined buildings damaged so badly that asbestos flooring was showing through. Doug Ambrose wanted this school to get back on its feet as soon as possible because, if they were in the school together, they would work through their grief and loss together and they would emerge stronger. The Premier rang me to ask me to back Doug Ambrose and said to do whatever we could as a department in order to keep the school community together. That was easier said than done. But once it was safe, Doug and his battalion of willing volunteers, including students and former students, as well of course as the school staff—teaching and non-teaching staff—and dozens of helpers, including teachers who travelled for hours, undertook the soul-destroying tasks of moving saturated carpets and unsalvagable furniture with the resilience that we have discussed here today. They started the back-breaking, heart- wrenching task of hosing out classrooms and facilities to rid them of the stinking mud. When the Premier visited Bundaberg East, people were talking about it taking a month to get the school back ready for its students. It took one week—just seven days—and the first classes of prep students walked through the gates to newly painted classrooms, newly carpeted floors, posters of the alphabet and welcome signs on their desks. I saw that last Wednesday as they were waving to greet 70 per cent of their students on the Thursday. One man—a general in the mud army—led dozens of volunteers and workers to deliver just what the community needed. He also showed me proudly Karrisa McDonald’s garden planted in her memory and where some of the plants had miraculously survived even though they had been inundated. This is what the community needed—a sense of normality in lives torn apart by the worst of Mother Nature, a slice of routine in families where household goods were piled high on surrounding streets waiting to be removed, a chance to connect again to friends and teachers, some of whom had only just been transferred to Bundaberg and were looking forward to their first day of school, to make sense of the incomprehensible so they can truly start the journey to recovery. During the floods I was reminded again of why we are committed to empowering principals. We left it to them to make decisions about their schools. When they needed support, the resources of the department and the government were there ready to help. Consequently, schools were back online very quickly and communities rallied to clean it up where it was required. The member for Maryborough mentioned to me that five schools were closed this time last week—Maryborough, Depot Hill, Lowmead and Bundaberg East. In all of those areas I rang all of those principals and they were desperate to get back in. At St Helens at Maryborough, which was completely inundated, the principal just could not wait to get back in there with the community, the P&C and the teaching staff. As I say, the community rallied to clean up where it was required. As the Minister for Education I could not be more proud of our principals in flood affected areas for looking after not only their students and staff but also the communities around them. I place on record my thanks to those principals on behalf of the government and I encourage local members to pass on this message to their school communities. I thank teachers and staff throughout the state. If they could not make it to their schools, they went to other schools and many travelled circuitous routes from early in the morning and the subsequent days of that first week to get to their schools. Queenslanders continue to show the spirit espoused by Eleanor Roosevelt when she said— We gain strength and courage and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. We must do that which we think we cannot. Hon. AC POWELL (Glass House—LNP) (Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection) (2.45 pm): I, too, rise in support of the motion moved by the Premier earlier this morning. I also want to place on the record my deepest sympathy to the families, the relatives, the friends and the colleagues of those killed in the natural disasters that this great state witnessed in January and February of this year but also to acknowledge that there is suffering still ongoing and that we have a huge task ahead of us in terms of ensuring people, communities and this state as a whole gets back on its feet as soon as possible.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 47

I am very fortunate once again to be standing here acknowledging that the electorate of Glass House was largely spared many of the disastrous effects that some of the other parts of the state witnessed. My heart and the hearts of all of my constituents go out to the people of Bundaberg, of Rockhampton, places like Logan and the Lockyer, the Fraser Coast and the North Burnett where we have seen such horrific images and where lives have been turned upside down. As is often the case, we have a high deal of rainfall come down in the electorate. We often cause the grief in places like Gympie. Again, I feel almost a need to apologise to my good friend the member for Gympie for the water we send his way down the Mary River. What it does mean though is that we have a very short, sharp effect from that rainfall. We do have communities that are cut off, albeit for 24-hour periods, and that certainly was the case again, and I think particularly of Conondale and Stoney Creek. At this point I want to acknowledge the work of Sergeant Jason Renwick at Woodford. The D’Aguilar Highway is a regular cut-off point when it comes to floodwaters, particularly as the Somerset Dam backs up. Jason held the line while we had a lot of frustrated individuals itching to get back across the Stanley River, which could have ended in disaster, to be honest, if we had not waited until the bridge investigators had got out there to make sure that there had not been any damage. To all members in the community, you might have vented your frustration at Sergeant Renwick at the time but know that he was doing the right thing. It could have ended far worse had we let you cross that bridge sooner. The real impact for the electorate of Glass House this time though was through the wind, and certainly in my experience here in Queensland I have never seen anything like it. In places like the Blackall Range and down the D’Aguilar Range at Mount Mee, the amount of green matter that was knocked over— trees that were knocked over—the amount of debris on roads and in creeks and in backyards was quite phenomenal. It was therefore not surprising that literally every house in the electorate lost power. It might have been for as little as 10 or 15 minutes; in some cases it was as long as six days. Places like Peachester only just got their power on towards the end of that first week and into that weekend. There were also crop losses as well, and I will come back to this in a moment when I talk about some of the fantastic primary producers in the electorate of Glass House who are really doing it tough. They got back on their feet—just—after the 2011 floods and the impacts that that had, and they have been hit again. In terms of our ability to recover as an electorate, people have done a fantastic job and I need to commend a number of people for the outstanding work they did. I am going to start with my electorate officers, Alaina and Katie. When we were back up and running ourselves, we were inundated with phone calls from frustrated residents who were unsure about how long it would take for the power to get back on, who were uncertain about what they should be doing about items in their fridges and so on. Alaina and Katie worked overtime not only in actual hours but also in terms of their input and their output over those couple of days and I want to commend them for it. I also commend Energex. As I said, just about every house and business in my community was cut off for some period—as much as six days. Energex bent over backwards. Contrary to some of the rumours that were spread around my community, Energex was on the ground from the get go. When I was up in Maleny we had guys there on the Monday trying to restore the 33 kV line into the Maleny substation, because before Energex could even start working out where all the cuts were on the 11 kV lines out to each of the households it had to get the substation up and running again. On the Friday when I drove out to one of the last residents to get power back in Cromehurst I saw some 13 crews along one stretch of road trying to remove trees off powerlines and trying to replace power poles. Energex was certainly there in the hinterland. It was certainly working as hard as it could. I need to reassure the community that we have never seen this level of damage done to our electricity network in the seat of Glass House before. Energex did some really helpful things. It brought generators to two key businesses in Maleny, one being the IGA. It has probably saved Rob Outridge, the owner of that business, thousands of dollars. But more importantly, that generator allowed the IGA to become a community hub. Nowhere else in Maleny had power for a number of days, but through the provision of this generator the IGA was able to open and people were able to come in and make cash purchases. A coffee van was able to set up and people were able to come in, get a coffee, have a chat, find out what was going on and get some information that was not available because telephones were down or because the internet was down because there was no power. So for a couple of days that IGA really became the focus in Maleny and it was all because of the hard work of Energex. I know that Rob Outridge wants me to pass on his thanks for the great work that Energex did in that instance. I also want to acknowledge Steven Lynch from Energex, who is the contact in my area. Many of these guys from Energex, Steven included, left their own places without power and worked overtime to restore everyone else’s power. Steven was very helpful when Alaina, Katie and I were in need of direction as to what was going on in my electorate. It was a fantastic job from Energex all up. I have already had some conversations with John Black, through Minister McArdle, in the Department of Energy and Water Supply. There are a couple of things that we can always look to improve in the future. Certainly, the frustration from many of my constituents was having to deal with a voice activated response on contacting

48 Motion 12 Feb 2013

Energex. I give that feedback to the minister. Perhaps we can look at ways of having a personal approach for some of these frustrated individuals in the future. In relation to some of the processes, Flaxton has a postcode of 4560. Unfortunately, Nambour shares that same postcode. No reference was made in the Energex response to places such as Flaxton. I think we can tweak a couple of little things, but all in all I want it on the record that Energex did an outstanding job in my part of the world. I also commend Minister Davis and her team in the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services. The response of the community recovery section of that department in my electorate was also outstanding. The staff of that section were always very helpful and attentive. They went above and beyond the call of duty. I have also had that reported back to me by my constituents who have dealt with the staff of that section who are based in Maroochydore. I particularly acknowledge Julieann Cork and Tammy, Fiona and Laura in her office and the community recovery officers who came up and worked with Kate Lawrence at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre over a couple of days, in particular a friend and former colleague, Chris Campbell from the child safety section of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services. I also acknowledge Narelle, who then went on to set up the community recovery centre in the Glass House Mountains Information Centre, and Alissa, Katherine, Don, Carmel and Leanne. I thank them very much for the hard work they did and for quickly rectifying some of the initial issues we had relating to when constituents rang the 1800 number and were told to visit a centre in Gympie, Bundaberg or Clayfield. It was great to have those outreach services in the electorate of Glass House itself. I come back to the issue of primary producers. My heart really goes out to a couple farmers and in particular the Austin family, who are lychee farmers out the back of Beerwah. These guys have been decimated. The wind has basically ruined their crop. Unfortunately, last night I was not able to attend a meeting of some of these producers with the mayor of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council but Peter Boyle, the Vice-Chairman of the Coochin Creek Fruitgrowers Cooperative, sent me some information this morning. It is worth noting that there has been a downgrading of the remaining fruit. Basically, that fruit has been damaged and is therefore not going to attract the price that the growers had hoped. Those farmers have had to downsize their farm workforce. So that has had an impact on the casual pickers and packers who are usually working on the farms at this time. There has certainly been a loss of income. In some cases, lychee trees take five to six years to grow back. So it is not just the loss of one year’s income; it is the loss of income over a number of years—and that is assuming the trees can be obtained in the first place. Some of these farmers are already being told that there is a two- to three-year waiting list to get the stock to replant. So the loss of these trees is going to have a devastating impact. I thank , the LNP candidate for Fisher, for representing me at that meeting last night and for continuing to push the case for these farmers. The fantastic news for people like the Austins and Peter is that Mayor Jamieson has sent a letter to Minister McVeigh requesting category C declarations for isolated parts of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. They include the areas around Glass House and Maleny as well where a number of dairy farmers who, without power, have ended up having cows with mastitis and a range of other things. So I thank Mayor Jamieson very much for following through on that request. I will certainly take over and continue the discussions with Minister McVeigh to see if we can get that declaration for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council tomorrow. I turn now to recovery. I want to pick up the point that the Premier made—and it is fantastic to see this point represented in my good friend David Crisafulli’s new title as the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. David is going to do a fantastic job. In some ways it is a great promotion, but also he will have a lot on his plate in building that concept of resilience and instilling in not only individuals but also communities an ability to rise above what we have experienced recently so that we are not back in this same place again in a couple of years time when we next have a deluge of the nature of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. I think part of building that resilience is delivering for communities. One of the frustrations in the seat of Glass House is that people have been patient, they have waited their turn for repairs to be done after what occurred in 2010-11, but unfortunately three roads in my electorate are either cut completely or are under traffic signals. I thank Minister Emerson. Contrary to the actions of his predecessor, he got the money back in the budget and made sure that those roads were a priority. I have already had a chat to Minister Crisafulli about ensuring that before we even start some of the repairs that need to be done after this most recent flood that we get those holes in our roads fixed. I thank both ministers in advance for the fantastic work that they are doing and look forward to seeing those repairs rolled out. I thank Minister Emerson, because he got this point of resilience early on. There is a 100-year-old timber bridge in Conondale on the Mary River called Grigor Bridge. Every time the river floods it gets knocked over a little bit more. It is now looking like a meccano set. There are bolts and pieces of steel propping it up all over the place. We got Major General Mick Slater to have a look at the bridge and, yes, it got on the NDRRA list and it was going to be replaced. But the bridge was going to be replaced with a concrete bridge at the same level over the bridge. This bridge is a key link for the community. Each and every time the river floods, the people in the area are still going to get cut off and there was the potential for a new bridge to be damaged by the force of the water coming down the river. Minister Emerson pre-empted

12 Feb 2013 Motion 49 the concept of resilience and we were able to get a sensible solution that will see that bridge raised. I think that is the kind of initiative that we are going to see across the entire state now with Minister Crisafulli working with the other ministers such as Minister Emerson, to make sure that when we invest in recovery, when we invest in restoring these pieces of structure, when we work with communities on how to protect them or how to look at better solutions, as in relocating them, we are going to get a far better outcome not only for the individuals, not only for the communities but also for the budget in Queensland. We cannot continue to waste good money after bad trying to make repairs that just get damaged again. I briefly want to touch on the response of my department, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, and particularly acknowledge the very proactive work carried out by Director-General Andrew Chesterman; all of my DDGs, but particularly Dean Ellwood and Glen Brown who headed up our own internal disaster management group; and also Nicole Blackett who continues to be at the forefront of our work in terms of recovery. We have already kicked off the environmental recovery group that is on the ground. We have a lot of work to do, but it builds on what we did during the response phase of the disaster. We are not going to make the same mistakes of the previous DERM. We are a new department—we are EHP—and we are here to help communities, we are here to help individuals, we are here to help councils, we are here to help industry and we are here to help the environment as a whole to recover. We have had a number of really significant wins. We have worked with organisations like QUU. We were able to give a swift same-day decision to direct QUU to implement its own proposal to shut down its sewage pump stations ahead of flood inundation so it could salvage the circuit boards and gensets. Last time QUU were not able to get these out before the floods came through and it was then weeks before it could get that equipment replaced and get the sewage pump stations up and running. In this case it was able to fully recover all the inundated pump stations within one week of peak inundation. As I said, it took several weeks after the 2011 flood event. We have also set up a number of government information sheets on how EHP can help local councils. I have worked with the member for Maryborough already on a number of issues in her part of the world around beach replenishment and also with the member for Hervey Bay. We have established a local government disaster coordinator. It is a one-stop shop for local governments. It has meant that we have been able to handle things like landfill requests. We needed to expand the approval for the Bundaberg tip so that it could take certain types of waste in the clean up. The last thing that a community or a council wants to be dealing with at a time when they are trying to address the personal issues of what is going on in their community is the fact that they need an approval to expand their landfill. It is those types of things that my department wants to be proactive about and do right this time. I do need to flag that there will be environmental impacts. I know the focus is still very much on the personal stories at the moment. Do not get me wrong, our focus is on assisting communities recover, but people need to be aware that as in 2011 there will be environmental impacts. I have already mentioned Mon Repos and the turtle hatcheries up there. We lost thousands of eggs. If it were not for the tireless work of the volunteers and the rangers we would have lost more. They have been able to relocate a number and we are now crossing our fingers and hoping they will hatch. It is because of the great work that the volunteers and the rangers have done on that site for a number of years that hopefully the generational impact on the turtles will not be as great. We have all seen the satellite images of those vast plumes of sediment coming out of the Burnett, the Fitzroy and the Boyne rivers. People should be under no misconception that it will have an impact on our seagrass beds. What that will mean is that we will start seeing marine strandings of turtles and in the coming months. It will be confronting and hard to handle but it is unfortunately a natural occurrence when we see that type of significant sediment outflow from those areas. It is also worth pointing out the facts in relation to the fish kills we have seen, which is contrary to what some mischief making has tried to portray. We have seen fish kills in rivers from the Gold Coast through to North Queensland. In my own river, the Maroochy River, we have seen fish kills. When there is a dry like we have had followed by a heavy wet a lot of vegetative matter—trees, leaves and dirt—flows into the river which prevents oxygen bonding within the water. If there is no oxygen the fish cannot breathe. If the fish cannot breathe the fish die. It is a tragedy. What we are finding in each of the instances where these fish kills have occurred is very low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water. I think it is worth people hearing clearly what is causing this rather than some of the scaremongering that is going on. In concluding I want to encourage my constituents in Glass House and all people across Queensland to make sure they are donating to the Red Cross appeal. We have a job to do as a government. We have a great approach in terms of ensuring communities and individuals recover, but it would be fantastic if we also saw that broader community and corporate investment to ensure we can help out those who most need it. Mr WELLINGTON (Nicklin—Ind) (3.04 pm): I rise to participate in the debate on the flood condolence motion. My condolence and sympathy goes out to the family and friends who have lost loved ones, animals and property during the recent flooding in Queensland. When I was reflecting on the

50 Motion 12 Feb 2013 destruction caused by the flooding waters, it was hard to believe that the month prior to this I was with my Belli Rural Fire Brigade colleagues fighting bushfires in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. We were joined with other rural fire brigades and urban units to put out fires. Then on Australia Day when we were scheduled to attend the Palmwoods Australia Day celebrations they were cancelled because of the extreme weather. The next day my wife and I walked out during a break in the rain and we looked down on the Blackfellow Creek area. We saw it flooded. We looked out to the south to the Belli Creek area and we saw the floodwaters there. We both looked at each other and we knew that if that water was backed back in the Belli and that water could not even get into the Mary, Gympie was in for real trouble. History shows there certainly was significant floodwaters coming down the Mary to Gympie. As the member for Gympie spoke about earlier, Gympie has a history of dealing with floods. I wonder how many more years Gympie will have to continue to deal with these almost annual flooding events. I took the time to have a look at the wording of the condolence motion moved in this chamber in February 2011 to compare it with the condolence motion moved this morning by our Premier. I note there were six clauses and they were very, very similar. I propose to spend my time reflecting on clause 6. I note in the former Premier’s condolence motion clause 6 went along these lines—

That this House— pledges to work with affected communities and all levels of government, as Queensland recovers from these natural disasters and is rebuilt. In our new Premier’s clause 6 he states that this House— commits to working with affected communities and all levels of government to rebuild Queensland, while also doing all that we can to prevent and mitigate against the impact of natural disasters in our State in the future. When reflecting on the context of this important clause 6 I was thinking about a dairy farmer who lives not far away from where my wife and I live and his call for help. He said, ‘Peter, isn’t it ridiculous? My neighbour gets assistance under the federal natural disaster relief fund because he is in the Gympie Regional Council. I am in the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and my family is not eligible for any assistance to deal with removal of debris or with clean up.’ He was not eligible for any recovery grant funds. It made me reflect on the wording of the natural disaster relief funding terms and how it is so rigid in relation to the boundaries of our local councils. There is no recognition that sometimes disasters happen irrespective of whether it is central to one council or just touches on another. I note the Treasurer in his contribution earlier today spoke in a very conciliatory tone about how he and the government are working in partnership with all levels of government to try to resolve this clear inconsistency. I do not believe that it was ever intended that people should be so discriminated against simply because they are on the other side of a local council boundary. I thank our Treasurer for his conciliatory approaches and his work with other levels of government. It certainly is appreciated. Earlier during the floods there was another member of the government who spoke about how it was up to the federal government to take a greater share of responsibility and how there may have to be more Public Service cuts to offset the costs of repairing the damage caused by this flood. If this government wants to go down the road of more Public Service cuts to fund the devastation caused by this flood, look out. I think Queenslanders have had enough of Public Service cuts. The Public Service is about service to Queenslanders and at a time of crisis we need more public servants working in our community to help our volunteers. It is not the time to consider more Public Service cuts as a means to fund a natural disaster. Mr Bleijie: This is a condolence motion. Mr WELLINGTON: Clause 6 of the motion refers to preventing and mitigating against the impact of natural disasters in our state today and into the future. I reflected on the contribution that the member for Lockyer made earlier today. He spoke about inappropriate development on flood plains. Guess what? Those sentiments were expressed two years ago. Two years ago in this chamber members spoke about inappropriate development and how we need to get the planning right to make sure that in future Queensland communities do not have to go through what some communities have recently gone through. A further clause needs to be added after clause 6 that shows something of strength and real leadership for Queensland. I believe that that clause 7 should be worded along the lines that this House supports the need for local councils in Queensland to be given greater protection to allow them to change clearly inappropriate planning laws to better reflect the risk. Let us give the councils some real power. Now is the time to give them the power that they are calling out for. One might ask who is asking for those additional powers. The views I have just reflected are the views of our Local Government Association of Queensland Chief Executive Officer. I understand Queensland is the only state in Australia that still has the ancient law of injurious affection, which limits the ability of council to downzone land to limit development. I understand that this is an issue that was central to the Insurance Council of Australia’s submission to the Senate Standing Committee on the Environment and Communications. Let us see if this government is fair

12 Feb 2013 Motion 51 dinkum in giving councils the real powers that they need so that they are not intimidated or afraid of back zoning land because they know that if they back zone land and they are taken to court they will have to pay compensation. I believe that if it is good enough for other states in Australia to have the law amended, it is high time Queensland followed suit. Members need only look at the disasters we have seen. Since the 2010, 2011 and 2012 disasters in Queensland, we are talking about a bill of $12.5 billion, with a further $2.3 billion worth of damage expected from this year’s Australia Day floods. Quite frankly, if we continue to allow development on inappropriate land, we will continue to have to go out and beg the public and other people to put money towards the Red Shield Appeal, or whatever, because local councils have done the wrong thing. Yes, Attorney-General, this is a condolence motion, but—by crikey—this is the time to show some real leadership and say that we are going to change it for the good and for the future of all Queenslanders and we are not going to allow future councils to be forced to have to approve developments because they are afraid of what the impact might be if they are taken to court. I understand that recently a matter went before the Sunshine Coast Regional Council that involved a developer using 250,000 cubic metres of fill to raise the ground level of land up to 3.5 metres to flood-proof the area. In speaking on this matter, I understand one of the councillors used words to the effect that if the application was denied it would create a precedent for other applications on flood plains. ‘We had no choice but to approve this’, he said. By crikey, councils should have that choice. The only way that Queensland councils can have that choice is if this government gives them the legal power to have that choice. I say to the Premier, to the Minister for Resilience, all the other ministers and the backbenchers that I do not intend to move an amendment along the lines of ‘clause 7’. I do not think it is appropriate today. However, I will flag that it is time that the government made the change and stopped bowing to the whim of the development industry in Queensland. Certainly they have had the ear of governments in the past and, from what I have seen to date, they seem still to have the ear of the Premier and the leadership team of this government. On behalf of all Queenslanders, I say it is time it changed. Before I resume my seat, I put on record my appreciation to the Minister for Communities. I know her staff have been working long hours. They have been under a lot of pressure. My electorate office and the constituents that we have put in contact with the department of communities certainly appreciate the great efforts that her staff went to during difficult times. Lastly, during the last significant flooding event the Nambour Mapleton Road had a landslip. Only a month ago I spoke with the regional manager and asked what was the latest. That was just prior to the Australia Day floods. He said, ‘Peter, it’s not a problem. We are calling tenders for that section of the Nambour Mapleton Road and a number of other projects to happen in the next 12 months.’ I say to the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, we do not want to see the Nambour Mapleton Road put off for another three years because other roads have jumped the queue. The reality is that my constituents and other people who use the Nambour Mapleton Road want that road fixed. The funding has been allocated, there is a need now and we want to see those funds allocated appropriately. Mr KRAUSE (Beaudesert—LNP) (3.15 pm): I rise to join in the support for the condolence motion moved by the Premier this morning. For many Queenslanders, the summer of 2012-13 has seen Mother Nature visit upon them terrible and in some cases horrific events. Much of Queensland has suffered, in particular, along its long eastern coastline from Hinchinbrook down to Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Burnett Heads, Bargara, Gympie, Maryborough and countless other communities along the way and off the coast. I add my condolences to all the communities that have suffered so much, but especially to those who have lost family members or friends as a result of this natural disaster. I am sure all Queenslanders and Australians will stand with all those communities that have suffered loss and will give a helping hand to restore those communities, their businesses and their lives. Brisbane, Ipswich and the south-east corner have been hit again. Naturally, there was considerable relief that in the Brisbane River catchments the flood was not as severe as in 2011. Sadly, that cannot be said for people in the Beaudesert electorate. This flood was worse than 2011. In the Logan River, flowing from the border ranges to Jimboomba, it was on a par at least with 1991, which was the last major flood in Logan, and in the west of my electorate, in the Teviot, Warrill and Bremer catchments, it could be said to be the worst flood in living memory. Tamborine Mountain, a community of several thousand, located 500 metres above sea level, was devastated by the cyclonic winds of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. Trees were brought down, houses were damaged and water damage was inflicted on many dwellings. Localised flooding, on top of a mountain, roared through some businesses and homes with a ferocity not seen before. Today I do not have time to detail the full extent of the flooding and storm damage to the electorate, but it was very widespread across the entire electorate. No community was left untouched. There is no question that communities in the Fassifern Valley, the Bremer catchment west of the Cunningham Highway and the Teviot catchment near Boonah have been devastated by this flood. Probably members have not heard about these areas on TV, but Kalbar, Aratula, Tarome, Rosevale, Warrill View, Harrisville, Mount Walker, Moogerah and Frazerview are the places that, for generations,

52 Motion 12 Feb 2013 have grown vegetables for us, have produced milk for us and have nurtured productive and efficient primary industries that are as good as any in the world, supplying the world through exports out of the Port of Brisbane. Those places, which are not even an hour by car from this chamber, have just suffered the worst natural disaster in their living memory. Many of the primary production businesses in that area, like other places, are family ventures, sometimes involving multiple generations and siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins. They have been built up from generation to generation, adapting to become more efficient and investing in capital to survive in more competitive markets. They are experts in their field. They have invested in infrastructure and equipment. Most importantly, they have invested time, money and love in their land to build a business that is essential to Australia. This flood, which saw over 1,200 millimetres dumped in the hills of the Great Dividing Range above the Fassifern and Bremer catchments, has destroyed large sections of all of those businesses. They are the same hills that were referred to by the member for Lockyer. The rain fell and flooded Laidley in the aftermath. The topsoil is gone. Acres of laser levelled soil, cared for and fostered over many years, has gone. Topsoil which has grown some of the best carrots in the world was washed away in just a few hours. In its place is a thick layer of silt—silt like that on Mick Rieck’s place across the road from Kalfresh on the Cunningham Highway. Many hours of hard work lie ahead to try to remove the mud from the ground so that growers might be able to start over again. In some places all that is left is a layer of clay where once there was a solid layer of topsoil. So much water came so fast that crops and trees have just been ripped out of the ground. The Warrill Creek has cut swathes through farms, changing its direction. Steve Moffatt, a fourth generation grower, showed me where the creek had widened from around 20 metres to 100 metres. The water simply washed away the creek bank and continued on to take with it acres of topsoil, along with irrigation equipment, pipes and pumps worth thousands of dollars. The loss of crops in the ground in the Fassifern and Bremer catchments would run into many millions of dollars. One business alone estimated crop losses at $2 million. That was just one of dozens of similar businesses. But these are just the immediate losses—losses you can attempt to put a figure on. Greater still are the incredible unknown costs to the whole community and Queensland’s economy of restoring this region to its productive capacity—the cost of shifting the silt, the metres and metres of silt, the cost of rejuvenating the land with topsoil and undertaking all of the painstaking work that goes into building a world-class horticultural industry which has taken decades to complete. The Bremer River which threatened Ipswich in this flood runs through my electorate near Rosevale and Mount Walker. These areas did not escape the carnage either. People like Peter and Heather Wehl who showed me the impact on their property at Rosevale cannot simply go back to work when the water has receded and carry on with their lives. The same applies to properties on the Teviot near Boonah where floodwaters found parts of properties nobody can remember seeing flooding before. It will take all of these areas months, even years of hard work, money and courage to put back what has been taken away. Then there is the emotional toll on families. This was a flood of frightening ferocity. Mal Abbott, a local Tarome resident who has seen a few floods, told me he has never in his life seen the water go so fast, not even in 1959. For a couple of hours, no doubt there was fear—fear that the fast, swiftly rising water would not just claim farms, but homes and lives as well in the early hours of Monday, 28 January. Many of our farmers have just got back up after being impacted upon in 2011. The stress levels have grown, no doubt in line with their lines of credit. Now again they have seen with their own eyes their life’s work and livelihood washed away. They battle on, trying to put aside the shock and fear that such an event brings. Many are not willing to accept government help because they consider others to be more in need than they are. But some may not be able to get back up after this event. Our growers do not expect the government to bear all of the losses inflicted on them by natural disasters, but I am here to tell members that the Fassifern communities will not be forgotten because we need primary production areas like these to supply our future needs. For well over 100 years they carried out that task. We owe it to ourselves to help these communities rebuild. I thank the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for visiting this region with me on Tuesday, 29 January to see the damage for himself. I know the community appreciates this as well as the support his department, DAFF, is providing them through outreach officers. From the west of the electorate to the east, Tamborine Mountain and Beechmont as well were hammered by a storm, the likes of which have not been seen before. Cyclonic winds brought down trees all over the mountain, cutting off access in the immediate aftermath of the storm. The wind was so strong that it blew rain into homes horizontally, causing water damage to many homes, adding to the toll of fallen trees on homes and roads. There were trees down everywhere on Tamborine Mountain after this storm. It was unbelievable. Many powerlines were brought down and parts of Tamborine Mountain were without power for six or seven days. That is a long time to be without power when people’s water supply and sewerage systems depend on electricity and when they are cut off from all other assistance.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 53

Aside from the damage and loss of electricity, residents of the mountain have been shaken up by a storm which caused significant destruction to their mountain-top paradise. I want to thank all of the residents, volunteers and others who have got stuck into the job of clean-up on the mountain to remove fallen trees and debris. I was up there on Wednesday, 30 January and there were trees everywhere—on the roads, in people’s backyards, fallen in the parks and on all the escarpments around the mountain. It looked like, as one resident put it, that the mountain had been put through a blender. Tourist infrastructure was damaged or destroyed and shops were flooded when rain poured down and water could not get off the mountain quickly enough. People were frightened by a storm which raged like a cyclone. I can attest to this myself. Although I was not on the mountain during the event—I was at home in Boonah—I can tell the House that I have never experienced the type of squalling winds in that part of the world that blew through the Fassifern on Sunday, 27 January and Monday, 28 January. I can only imagine what it was like 500 metres above sea level. By Friday, 1 February much of this mess on the mountain had been cleared. The roads were open and the early shoots of recovery were sprouting. I want to pay tribute to the resilience of our community, both on the mountain and elsewhere. They looked out for each other. They set up a recovery centre themselves which would later become an outreach centre for the department of communities. Local rural firies doorknocked elderly residents to check on their wellbeing. Surf-lifesavers from the Gold Coast volunteered for the clean-up. SES crews helped in any way they could. A whole band of other volunteers helped those in need who had suffered damage. Energex crews, over a dozen at one stage, I believe, restored power to the mountain efficiently and in very difficult conditions. I take my hat off to them and thank them for their dedication. I also would like to mention the dedication of local community groups who helped the schools on the mountain recover from this devastating mess. I mention in particular the farmers across the road from St Bernard State School who came to the schoolyard after the storm and cleared the mess away before the students and staff returned. I thank the Minister for Education, John-Paul Langbroek, for visiting the mountain schools a couple of weeks ago. I know that the visit was appreciated. The fact that those schools were back in business so soon after a major storm is certainly a credit to them and the community. The Premier visited the mountain on Sunday, 3 February to announce the appointment of Bill Mellor as the southern Queensland recovery coordinator and saw some of the destruction for himself. But the resilience does not just find itself on the mountain; it is in the whole region which is already looking towards the future and picking itself up. The Logan and Albert rivers run through the central part of the Beaudesert electorate. They also experienced a very significant flood event on this occasion. Damage to farms, including lost fences and cultivated land, lost crops and damaged or destroyed equipment will set back many businesses. Power was lost to several dairy farms for a significant time, resulting in lost production and income. Thankfully our towns of Rathdowney, Kooralbyn, Beaudesert and Jimboomba were largely spared inundation. But the Logan did cut a significant path of damage all the way from the ranges to Jimboomba. Meeting with locals in Glenlogan Lakes Estate in Jimboomba on 30 January, I was struck by their stoicism and determination to get on with things despite being without power for three or four days. They wanted to make sure that people in other areas were being looked after because, as they put it, ‘They only did not have power; they did not have inundation like residents in the other parts of the state.’ They were cut off for two days but kept their chins up and got on with the job. I thank Tracy Davis, the Minister for Communities, for visiting Jimboomba with me on 30 January to see firsthand the damage which was caused there. I mention also residents in Cedar Grove and Cedar Vale who were cut off for a number of days and yet have got on with the job of recovery in a commendable manner. The Albert River also roared down towards the coast filled up by over 25 inches of rainfall falling in Springbrook in the three days to Tuesday, 29 January. Twenty-five inches is an unbelievable amount of rain to fall even in Springbrook. The Albert cut off many in Cedar Creek, Tamborine and Mundoolun. The rainfall at Springbrook also hit Canungra, and power was lost there also for many, many days. Unfortunately, landslides have cut the goat track which runs from Canungra to Tamborine Mountain. The land continues to slide daily. I was up there last week with a Transport and Main Roads officer. While we were there, there were a couple of rock falls. The road is continuing to slip down the hill towards Canungra. This road is going to require significant engineering and excavation works for it to be reopened. I know that the Minister for Transport and Main Roads has his officers looking at this as we speak. Beechmont also was at the forefront of the storm, perched atop a mountain many metres above sea level. It took the brunt of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald, much like the residents of Tamborine Mountain. As I have said, no part of the Beaudesert electorate was untouched by this storm and flood.

54 Motion 12 Feb 2013

Those areas affected by floods will not be forgotten—and they were not forgotten during the event. I pay tribute to the Scenic Rim Regional Council and the role it played in communicating with residents during the disaster and in the first days of the clean-up. The Scenic Rim Regional Council’s disaster management Facebook page had about 180 likes before this event on Saturday, 26 January. Now it has about 3,300 followers and the community has really got on board with this method of communication with its council through disasters. This communication was a lifeline for many residents. Jeff McConnell, the Scenic Rim SES coordinator, and all of his crews deserve our heartfelt thanks and congratulations for the way in which they have assisted the whole Scenic Rim through this process. There has been much damage to roads and bridges in the Beaudesert electorate including the Mount Lindesay Highway and the Cunningham Highway, which Minister Emerson visited two weeks ago. Unfortunately, some of the work undertaken by the council following the 2011 flood—work that was only recently completed—was destroyed. Bridges were lost and roads were torn up. At Tarome, Gap Creek ran so hard that it washed away a 50-metre section of road next to the culvert on the road. So the culvert survived, but there was just so much water coming down from the ranges that the road next to it was washed away and the creek has altered its course permanently. The Scenic Rim council has started building temporary access tracks already to restore access to residents, but the task facing council and Main Roads will be a large one. I commend the Premier’s approach to sort out with the Commonwealth the disaster recovery funding arrangements which recognise that there may be better ways to construct this infrastructure to see whether it can be made less vulnerable to future drastic weather events. In , many roads were cut and damaged—in particular, Camp Cable Road and the Mount Lindesay Highway, Cusack Lane and Teviot Road. I thank all of the SES volunteers who went out and helped with the clean-up as soon as the flood receded but also during the flood event. They helped to rescue people or to make people safe in times of need. I thank all of the volunteers who volunteered at the community outreach centres and who assisted the department of communities to do their job. I thank the rural fire brigade, the local police officers and also staff of the Scenic Rim Regional Council who assisted the department of communities in their task. I thank all of the councillors of the Scenic Rim Regional Council and Councillor Trevina Schwarz of the Logan City Council for their work and for their outreach into their communities during a time of need. I mention in particular Councillor Duncan McInnes and Councillor Rick Stanfield, who have made it their business to reach out to affected families and primary producers in the Fassifern Valley area. I also thank the Communities staff who have put so much time and energy into the community outreach centres on Tamborine Mountain, Canungra and other parts of the electorate. I thank Minister Tracy Davis as well for making those staff available. I believe we need to look into ourselves now to see what we want to be and to make it happen. There has been a lot of destruction caused in this state as a result of this natural disaster. We need to facilitate our vision for the future of Queensland. For the Fassifern community, I know that they will already be looking to rebuild their local economy. The community know how to do it but they also need to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Electricity and water prices are the major costs incurred by these businesses. The way electricity network costs have been increasing dramatically over the past years will make the decision to rebuild that much harder for some producers. I believe the government must look at relieving some of these pressures—electricity network charges—in particular to those areas and to those industries that have been so devastated by this natural disaster. Yes, a hand to clean up and restore assets is most welcome, but a clear signal that there is long-term support for these communities to help with electricity and water cost issues is essential, in my view, to those businesses becoming significant contributors to the local economy once again. We also need to look at Queensland’s readiness for natural disasters. It seems that disaster recovery arrangements very much depend on the Commonwealth’s cooperation to provide assistance. We need to look at whether this is an ideal situation. To the farmers of the Fassifern, to the residents of Tamborine Mountain, to all who have been affected in the Scenic Rim and Logan City Council areas, to all who have suffered loss and who need some help: the Queensland government stands with you and, as your member of parliament, I will stand with you as you recover and rebuild your community, your local economy and your lives. We extend our condolences to all who have suffered loss—loss of life, loss of livelihood. I join with all the other members who have spoken on this motion in offering my condolences to all affected. I commend this motion to the House. Mr PUCCI (Logan—LNP) (3.34 pm): I rise today to contribute to this condolence motion and to speak of the spirit and resilience of the people in my electorate of Logan. Before I begin I would like to pay my respects to my learned colleagues and their constituents throughout Queensland whose electorates were affected in the recent natural disaster. On behalf of all residents of the Logan electorate, please accept our heartfelt thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. May the road to recovery be speedy and effective.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 55

To the family of Roger Boyles, who tragically lost his life in Greenbank: the thoughts of all the people of Logan are with you. I further extend my deepest condolences to all throughout Queensland who lost friends and loved ones. In one way or another every Queenslander was affected by this natural disaster— some more than others. However, one thing remained the same—our spirit! This is a story that is shared across this great state. Queenslanders have never failed one another. We have always rallied together to support each other when the chips are down. During the Australia Day long weekend and the days thereafter, my electorate of Logan, like my neighbours in the Lockyer, Beaudesert, Albert and Waterford, were inundated with rising water from the Albert and Logan rivers. Several areas of my electorate from Logan Reserve to Logan Village to Flagstone were cut off during this disaster. Flagstone, with a population of approximately 4,000 and growing, was cut off and isolated from resources and means of relief. Main arterials like the Mount Lindesay Highway, Teviot Road, Cusack Lane and Scott Lane had succumbed to the rising water levels. Emotions ran high, but our community held itself together. Esprit de corps shone through when citizens from all walks of life banded together to ferry much needed supplies across the local flooded Teviot Road via a tinnie into the isolated community as Flagstone Creek broke its banks. With non-perishables, bread, water, cereals, milk, baby formula and many other items, for six hours we carted supplies back and forth into the night until further efforts would have been hazardous to all involved. I would like to publicly thank the efforts of Logan City Division 11 councillor Trevina Schwarz and her husband, Stacey, who along with friends spearheaded the organisation and delivery of supplies to isolated residents. Supported by Coles and Lighthouse Calvary Care, with further contributions from Centacare at Beenleigh and the ‘night team’, organised by another Logan City councillor Luke Smith, supplies were donated to the isolated community. Those volunteers who were instrumental in these efforts form the core of any community—residents like Brody Gough, Cliff Koplick, Jason Bamberry, Rick Grimmer, Vicky Gestrin and the list goes on. In all disasters heroes shine. For our community they are in the hundreds. From local businesses to individuals, the will to help our fellow man will never diminish. My neighbouring colleague the member for Stretton, Freya Ostapovitch, organised 1,000 meal vouchers that were donated by Domino’s Pizza. Our constituents in Waterford and Logan definitely benefited from their generosity. Sadly, in disasters there is heartbreak and anguish. Gary and Maree Beard, who have made Chambers Flat their home for over 20 years, tragically lost their property and their worldly possessions. Hardworking people like Gary and Maree are the heart of my electorate. I invited the Minister for Communities to tour our affected area of Logan. It was then that the minister met with Gary and Maree. With their house still inundated with water, their brave smile hid the emotions on the inside. On behalf of Mrs Beard, I would like to thank the honourable minister for her visit and for her department’s ongoing support to the Beard family. That personal connection and assistance rendered by the minister and her department came as a relief for Mrs Beard in this tough time. From local residents like Sandi and Tony Langridge through to students from the Queensland University of Technology Guild, people volunteered to do whatever needed. When the Beard family’s property was once more accessible, these volunteers rolled up their sleeves to lend a helping hand in cleaning and clearing the property. Without their assistance, the painful task of cleaning out the Beard residence would have been all too much for Maree and Gary. The Beard family are forever grateful for the support shown by our community. It was not only residents from my electorate who jumped in to lend a hand. Joshua Padget from Calamvale and two of his mates drove around the affected area ready to help those in need. This myth that young people today do not care about their community could not be further from the truth. To the students of the QUT Guild, Nicholas Thomas, Stacey Percival, James Bridge, Christopher Rose, Georgia Murray, Letitia Hodges, Han (Wayne) Wang, William Taylor and Kara Worboyes, I say: thank you; your selfless efforts in helping out the community are an example all should follow. If they are the future leaders of our great state we will be in good hands. As they return to university I wish them all the very best in their studies in 2013 and beyond. I must also thank my wife, Anna, and my two young daughters, Lidia and Marie, who also got amongst it and helped clean up. There are so many more to thank. From the local SES, to Queensland police, our firies and all the volunteers throughout Logan, on behalf of those who needed your help I say to you: thank you. I must also commend the efforts of the honourable minister for public housing for the support and pace with which his department worked to ensure that no-one was left behind. In conjunction, once again, with the department of communities, a paraplegic pensioner whose grounds were inundated by the rising water was left without any refuge in the wake of the floods. With staff like Tracey Ryan from the department of communities, our government departments worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure that Mr Wayne Desmond, his wife and his 12-year-old daughter were taken care of. Tracey and her team moved heaven and earth. After days of interdepartmental cooperation, Mr Desmond was able to move into his new residence. Now located in the electorate of Kawana, Mr Desmond will be close to specialist medical care and his supporting family.

56 Motion 12 Feb 2013

As hard as it is, when a disaster like this occurs we always learn from these tragic events. Throughout the days of isolation I was able to cross into the cut-off areas via boat and speak to residents and their pressing concern was why this occurred. Why were they left without power? Why were they left without a means of escape? Through the emotion of this situation, the concerns about how our growing community could face up to a future of natural disaster were realistic and genuine. Though not as bad when compared to harder hit regions of our state, this crisis serves as a warning for potential infrastructure and utility issues that must be addressed for future natural disasters. In response to these concerns, the support from our government has been forthcoming. I would like to once again thank the honourable Minister for Communities and the Minister for Education, whose personal tours of the affected regions not only reassured the constituents of Logan they were not forgotten but also showed them that our government is working hard to ensure that the very best for all Queenslanders is provided. Our schools were not damaged, but we were without power for several days which led to a late start for our children and teachers. I am happy to say that the Assistant Minister for Planning Reform and member for Mansfield, Mr Ian Walker, will be visiting the Logan electorate to see firsthand what must be considered for future planning in the area. As a team in Logan and across the state, as a government, as members of parliament regardless of the political divide, and as Queenslanders, we came together to get our great state back on track. The key to any situation is teamwork. By working alongside local city mayors and councillors, our communities will be the beneficiaries. I look back and think, ‘What has this crisis shown us?’ For me it was something that I have known all along. This misconception that Logan is a hot spot for trouble is a falsehood in every sense of the word. My electorate, which stretches from Browns Plains in the north to Logan Village and Flagstone in the south, is one that embodies community spirit and pride. It is a shame that the exploits of a select few mar the reputations and good standing of so many hardworking, law-abiding and decent people of Logan. Yes, Logan is a great place with great opportunities. Although running disaster management falls under the realm of local council, I would also like to thank my staff. Their efforts in supporting the community, working alongside me during the crisis and relaying information to constituents was instrumental in our office’s operational effectiveness. The long hours and commitment to duty surpassed that expected of any electorate staff. They were out there with me knocking on doors from Logan Reserve to Logan Village to Flagstone to Stockleigh to Chambers Flat, talking to people and reassuring them that they were not alone. We were out there talking to the multitude of Energex crews on every road that were working in the areas. Many of these Energex crews were without power themselves at home with their families, but they were out there repairing the electricity network for other people. People talk about Energex like it is a machine out there that goes around fixing things. Energex is made up of people: people out there are working hard; people out there with families—mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters—doing the best they can do and doing an excellent job. I take my hat off to them; I thought they did a great job. I want to thank our honourable the Premier for his leadership during what was, for many, a very tough and challenging time. Our Premier led by example and I am proud to be part of this government under his leadership. Our government’s ability to effectively communicate with our communities while keeping them apprised of the situation will ultimately play a pivotal role in the reconstruction efforts. I also extend my congratulations to the honourable member for Mundingburra and Minister for Local Government on the additional portfolio of Community Recovery and Resilience, and I thank him for his consistent communication with the mayor of Logan city. In tough times we band together. We help each other out. We are a real community. Through thick and thin we are together. This is why I love my community. This is why our community of Logan will never be knocked down for the count. Together we have faced tough times and together we will rebuild. I am proud to be their advocate here in parliament and I am proud to serve such a strong, resilient people. I am them; they are me; together we will make it happen. Mrs FRECKLINGTON (Nanango—LNP) (3.46 pm): I rise to support the condolence motion and express my sincere condolences to those families and friends who lost loved ones during the devastating floods of the Australia Day weekend 2013. Before I talk about the damage done across the Nanango electorate, I believe it is important to note that the regions of the South Burnett, Somerset and some parts of the Crows Nest-Goombungee areas have not yet finished the recovery process from the January 2011 floods. Our roads are still being repaired, farmers are still building fences, businesses were seeing out a slow economic recovery and the community was still coming to terms with what had been lost. This is why the impact of these floods just some two years later is so much harder than before. Whereas people had the hope that they had climbed back out of the troubles of the January 2011 floods, they are now back to where they began wondering how to start over again. In the South Burnett we have seen major flooding in the Barker Creek and the Wattle Camp areas. The Barambah Creek, which flows into the Callide electorate, has totally devastated the farming districts of Byee and Silverleaf and there were serious flood levels in Cherbourg and Murgon. It is important to note

12 Feb 2013 Motion 57 that much of the water that flows into the Burnett and, ultimately, Bundaberg comes from some creeks and rivers within the northern part of the Nanango electorate. The catchment extends from the Bunya Mountains and Nanango to the west near Durong. The amount of water that flowed through these systems was simply enormous. I would like to also pass on my thoughts to the members of this House and their constituents but in particular the members for Lockyer, Scenic Rim, Burnett, Bundaberg, Gympie, Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Gladstone, Logan and, most importantly for people in the northern end of my electorate, Callide. I would also like to acknowledge the leadership of the Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Minister for Resilience, David Crisafulli, for the decisions that have been made during this time. Australia Day started for me with a breakfast in Esk and then I went to enjoy the Kilcoy races. The Kilcoy races have been rained out on so— A government member: Where’s Kilcoy? Mrs FRECKLINGTON: Kilcoy in the Somerset. The races have been rained out on four occasions. So it was with pleasure that I did attend the races, although it was raining quite heavily and only three races were run. By the time I woke up early on Sunday morning, the amount of rainfall was simply incredible. It had gone from being the driest January in many years and many seasons to the wettest January overnight. This heavy rainfall overnight isolated the towns of Wondai, Kingaroy and Nanango. Not only was there the isolation and our roads cut off; it meant that our emergency services had to deal with these issues with limited staff. It was a long weekend and, as always happens in small country towns, a lot of staff go away for the weekend. In particular I pay tribute to Senior Sergeant Duane Frank in the Kingaroy police district who handled the small number of staff that he had that weekend with great courage. This led to many interesting decisions in the South Burnett disaster management group, and I just wanted to touch on some of them. I mention the Smithfield Feedlot, which is in the Deputy Premier’s electorate of Callide. This was an interesting situation in that the Proston-Boondooma Road had been completely washed out which left some 18,400 head of lot-fed cattle stranded on the other side with no way of having feed. They only had some three days of feed left, and there were obviously livestock issues with the 18,400 head of cattle. It was wonderful that the South Burnett Regional Council was able to fix that road expeditiously and hence alleviate any problems. There were also 110 people who mainly had been holidaying at Boondooma Dam who were stuck in Proston. I want to thank the Proston community for looking after those people for so long. Jason and Susan Kinsella from Moffatdale Winery were lucky enough to have a tourist bus stranded at their winery. Not only did the tourists enjoy the company of Moffatdale wines, but I do believe the Kinsellas had a very good weekend as well. Some 250 people were also stranded at Manar Park. Credit goes to the South Burnett council and how it managed food drops into Manar Park. Some 250 people is a lot of people to feed when they are stuck in caravans or camping. The extent of road infrastructure problems in the South Burnett Regional Council is quite extensive. An example of this is the Burabru Crossing at Burrandown. Moloneys Bridge has been completely washed aside and now represents a boardwalk. What this means to people like Tom Hoare is that it is at least an extra 50 kilometres to get in and out of town. Those crossings had only just been finished some one month or two weeks prior to this flood event. I also want to pay special tribute to Russell Hood of the South Burnett Regional Council who looked after the water infrastructure. The Nanango township got down to nine per cent water one night. The workers from the South Burnett Regional Council worked in awful circumstances in order to ensure that the township of Nanango did have water. It is important to note, however, that the township of Cherbourg was without water for at least a day. I do thank Russell Hood for the leadership that he took. I also want to thank Ergon, which assisted those in the South Burnett with limited communication resources, and it really did provide a wonderful service. There is a great newspaper article on South Burnett Online about Ergon workers who were servicing a pole in the middle of a flowing river and putting their lives in serious danger. Nanango State School suffered quite extensive flooding to its grounds and its prep class was about 20 centimetres off being flooded. However, its special needs room was completely flooded. This is a great story in that principal Lyal Giles needs absolute credit as do the 50-odd parents of the P&C of that school who cleaned up that school to enable the school to commence on its correct date. That was all done whilst Nanango was completely isolated. Whilst there were a lot of people from the surrounding districts who wanted to get in to help clean up that school, they were simply unable to. The children have now been able to get back to school. Unfortunately some of their play equipment is still damaged, but it was a wonderful credit to the principal and the parents of the P&C. In circumstances like this I think it is important to note the wonderful contribution that the local media play, particularly in an area like the Somerset and South Burnett which are not covered by the national or state media. Little radio stations such as Crow FM in the South Burnett and Valley FM and also South Burnett Online and our local newspapers, which went online, produced a lot of information. It was

58 Motion 12 Feb 2013 wonderful to see that my Facebook page was used very well to give minute-by-minute updates of when we could and could not get out on roads, as was the local council Facebook page. It really is a way of the future as to how we will be able to deal with further disasters, hopefully not in our time. It is also important to give some examples of some of the devastated farmers around my electorate. I had the opportunity to visit Mark Black’s property at Brooklands. Mark explained to me extremely eloquently how this crop—that is, the crop we were standing in that was just a clay pan with no crop left— was the crop that was going to get him back on track after the 2011 devastation. He told me how for 24 hours he wondered whether he should bother getting back into his property and fixing it up. He was constantly considering the debt level that he had gone into from the previous flood and whether he could get back up again. He lost 140 acres of soy beans, his irrigation pumps and his fencing, but most important to note is that he lost his topsoil. It will cost him a lot to put that topsoil back. Even with the money he spends—and it is important to note this—on replacing that topsoil, it will take a couple of years before that land can recrop. He also showed me Barkers Creek, which has an erosion problem, and what it has done to the paddocks around that area. I also want to speak on behalf of the Pennells. Belinda is my electorate officer. She actually lives in the Callide electorate just outside of my electorate. She suffered devastating losses to their property. She was also flooded in for over a week. They estimate that they have lost up to $300,000 in irrigation infrastructure, fencing, pumps, contour banks and stock. They had not rebuilt since 2011 and her family must simply start again. For those living along the banks of the Boonara, which ultimately ends up in the Burnett River and then Bundaberg, the water came faster and higher than in 2011. It came at night and rose six metres in four hours. Historically, that is not what this creek system does. Not only did they lose power, but that meant that they could not monitor the creek height on the BoM website. When they went to bed on the Saturday evening, there was only less than one metre in that creek. They thought that if it did flood, which it was not predicted to do, they had 24 hours for the water to reach their property which would enable them to move their important infrastructure. That did not happen. By midnight that creek had reached major flood levels and by early Sunday morning it was the height of 11.39 metres. They are only some examples from over the South Burnett regional shire. But we must not forget the other important region of the Somerset. The Somerset had 35 homes inundated, 60 farms suffered water inundation and 240 farms lost crops and machinery. I pay tribute to Mayor Graeme Lehman of the Somerset Regional Council who kept me informed on an almost hour-by-hour basis because I was unable to get to the Somerset region as I was isolated in Kingaroy. It was extremely devastating to not be able to get down and around that community of the Somerset. I would also like to pay tribute to the local people who helped out in the evacuation centres at Esk, and Kilcoy. As we know, the Kilcoy Bridge gets cut off because of the flooding that happens in that area. As soon as I was able to get down to the Somerset, I was invited to visit Roslyn and Andrew Jackwitz’s farm at Clarendon. This farm is located in the southern-most area of the Nanango electorate. To say it was devastating to stand on the Jackwitz property and see what was lost is an understatement. It really pulled at the heartstrings to hear Andrew Jackwitz talk of the lost crops of vegetables—the paddock of pumpkins that were ready for harvest—and the wonderful stories of his 20-odd staff who came and cleaned up their flooded house, their flooded packing sheds and their devastated paddocks that are now claypans. I also talked to them to work out how they are going to get going. I pay credit to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and his department for recognising the help that these people will need. The Somerset and Wivenhoe dams are located within the Nanango electorate and, in regard to the heights and releases of these dams, our Premier and his team made the sensible and correct decisions. I am constantly told by people in that area that they would like to express their gratitude for the early intervention of our Premier in relation to the dams. I relay correspondence from Mr Greg Banff of Coominya in the Somerset, who wrote— The State Government need to be commended for a well-managed disaster relief effort. Especially the shutting down of to allow Lockyer, Buaraba and Bremer Creeks to discharge flood waters. This story was also relayed to me by Trevor Stretton, who lives on the banks of the Somerset, as he praised the early decision making as the releases essentially prevented the Somerset from backing up and flooding Kilcoy. I also want to talk very briefly about the upper catchment of the Stanley River. That area has lost numerous crossings and some people in that area are still isolated. They are such resilient people up there. They have not had anywhere near the damage that they had in 2011, but their resilience is simply amazing. I would like to thank the Deputy Premier, Jeff Seeney, the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience, David Crisafulli, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Dr John McVeigh, for visiting the electorate and, most importantly, reassuring the people of the Nanango electorate that no-one is forgotten. I also particularly thank Dr McVeigh and his department for being on the ground with mobile offices and also employing flood recovery officers, one situated in the South Burnett and one

12 Feb 2013 Motion 59 situated in the Somerset. I pass on my congratulations to Mayor Wayne Kratzmann for leading the South Burnett disaster recovery team so ably. He included me in the process and I thank him very much for that. South Burnett Regional Council has estimated the damage to their infrastructure, in particular roads, to be at $65 million and for the Somerset Regional Council, $20 million. I pass on my gratitude to all of the emergency services. As I alluded to, a lot of these services lost staff as they were away for the weekend and were isolated. Our local SES teams suffered fatigue and the leadership of Arthur Dawson of the SES at Nanango is very much appreciated. I would like to make particular acknowledgements of Mark Long of the Queensland Rural Fire Service, who led by example in relation to the food drops and the services that his team provided. I also would like to thank my electorate officer Belinda Pennell, who, as I have mentioned, was so affected by these disastrous floods and who has since spent some time in hospital. I also thank my electorate officer Jacki Vreeken, who worked overtime taking calls on the weekend and helping out all the constituents who had so many community service problems. Jacki’s sister’s property in North Bundaberg was completely flooded, as was her business. I would also like to pay tribute to the member for Burnett, as he very ably looked after his electorate whilst his own home was inundated. I thank him for taking such a lead role in his electorate. I also would like to pass on my gratitude to the federal government for recognising the farmers within the Nanango electorate who so desperately need that category C acknowledgement. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who I have not been able to mention in this recovery effort. So many volunteers and emergency service personnel in the Somerset worked throughout the weekend and continue to work in the flood recovery process which, for many people in my part of the world of Nanango, will take many years. I commend the motion to the House. Hon. AP CRIPPS (Hinchinbrook—LNP) (Minister for Natural Resources and Mines) (4.05 pm): I rise to speak in support of the motion moved by the Premier. Unfortunately, I come to this debate with an all- too-familiar understanding of what the communities who have been seriously impacted are going through and will face in the months ahead. Today’s condolence motion fills me with a terrible sense of déjà vu, as it was two years ago in the first sitting of parliament that this House debated a very similar motion following the floods that affected Central and Southern Queensland and, of course, more relevant to me, the after- effects of category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi. Two years later, the honest answer to the questions asked during the recent two-year anniversary of Cyclone Yasi as to whether the communities in my electorate that were seriously impacted have recovered is, quite frankly, no. We are still recovering, because of the scale and the severity of the damage and the impact—physical, financial and emotional—on the communities in my electorate. There have been many setbacks, frustrations and challenges in our recovery process. Over the past two years it has been hard— terribly, terribly hard sometimes—to meet the needs and expectations of many of the worst affected communities and residents in my electorate. Someone who I feel particular sympathy for today during the course of this condolence motion is the member for Lockyer, who once again has stood up and participated in a condolence motion after his electorate has been so seriously impacted for a second time in two years. There are many new members in the House whose electorates have been badly affected by the flood events of early 2013. I will take this opportunity to offer some advice to them. The challenge in front of you is very significant. You have a tough road ahead of you and the members of your community have a tough road ahead of them to recover from such significant flood events. There will be people who will want you to do and say things that sometimes you cannot do or say, but you need to have the strength to listen and support and to keep advocating for and representing your people and your community. You need to keep faith with them, because they have been tested—in many cases beyond what people should be expected to endure: the loss of their home, their business, their farm or other key aspects of their community. To give you the heads up on what you might experience in the medium term, there may be some populism deployed against you. You will be placed under pressure, but you need to remember that populism does not help communities recover, it just ferments discontent in what is already a fragile community affected by a natural disaster. I am heartened by the determination of the Premier to break through this redundant NDRRA philosophy of replacing like for like. I am also heartened by the appointment of the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience to spearhead this new recovery effort as I know where he comes from and that he understands what communities like mine have been through and that that experience is easily transferred to many of the electorates that have suffered so badly as a result of the floods this year.

60 Motion 12 Feb 2013

As the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience has said publicly, there is unfinished business in the Hinchinbrook electorate to recover from Cyclone Yasi, particularly because we have been prevented from building back better, something that the Premier has identified as being of very significant importance in the recovery process that we are now undertaking. I congratulate the Treasurer and the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience on securing a much improved national partnership agreement for this recovery effort, especially the processes related to building back better and day labour for councils which will make a huge difference now and in the future when our communities face these adverse conditions. The 2013 floods in the Hinchinbrook electorate, in the and in the district were significant. We recorded some very large rainfall figures in the order of those referred to by the Deputy Premier when he made his contribution to this condolence debate. We had some isolation. Once again the Bruce Highway was cut. Once again we had communications fail, albeit on this occasion for a different reason. But once again we had fantastic support from our police and emergency services, from our SES and rural fire volunteers and from the staff and workers from our local council authorities. And once again we had community spirit that came to the fore. We are not claiming or pretending to have been on this occasion impacted as badly as Bundaberg or Rockhampton, Gladstone, the Lockyer Valley, the North Burnett and the South Burnett or many other communities that were impacted upon so seriously in 2013. But we certainly can sympathise with what they are going through and they are in our thoughts and our prayers during this very difficult time.

The Newman government has dedicated itself to the response and now to the recovery process from these flood events. The Premier has led by example. The Deputy Premier has been affected in his own electorate and has set the tone of determination to change the way that governments at all levels respond to natural disasters. All ministers have thrown themselves at the recovery effort in respect of their own responsibilities and local MPs across the state have been outstanding. I visited the Lockyer Valley with the member for Lockyer and was affected by the scenes that were all too familiar to me as someone who has seen too many floods and too many big floods. I also visited communities west of Rockhampton in the Banana Shire in the electorate of the Deputy Premier, the member for Callide. Landholders, businesses and residents have been badly affected around Dululu and Wowan, with serious erosion, damaged fences and damaged farming infrastructure widespread throughout the Dee and Don River Valley areas.

Serious natural resource management issues are revealed when floodwaters recede and as the Minister for Natural Resources my department and I will work hard to support local communities and landowners to clean up after these types of natural disasters. In this regard I will echo the words of the member for Southern Downs, the Minister for Health, about the need to have practical and commonsense arrangements guide the process, not red tape and bureaucracy. I am proud of the contribution that my departmental officers played during the flood event, providing data from gauging stations on rivers and creeks that supported the Bureau of Meteorology and emergency services authorities to provide up-to-date stream flow data to predict flood levels. I also want to recognise and thank my departmental officers from the Land and Spacial Information Unit who worked tirelessly throughout the period of flooding to provide up-to-date flood maps to emergency services authorities and local councils outside of normal hours and on weekends. This information was of critical importance to communities during our recent disaster events.

This is a sobering way to start the new parliamentary year, but it is not nearly as challenging for us here in the House as for those Queenslanders who have been touched by these serious flood events. I join with all members in their concerns for our fellow Queenslanders who have lost so much, but I am certainly confident that we are up to the challenge and I urge all members to support our motion before the House.

Ms TRAD (South Brisbane—ALP) (4.15 pm): I rise to speak in support of the motion moved by the Premier expressing our condolences for those who have lost their lives, their home and property, or their livelihoods in the most recent extreme weather events of the Australia Day weekend. As ex-Cyclone Oswald moved its way down Queensland’s vast state, town after town held its breath and waited for the storm to hit and then prayed for it to pass. And as Oswald passed, town after town once again began the overwhelming task of assessing the damage, grieving for what was lost and rebuilding once more. It is a reality that too many Queenslanders understand and unfortunately know too well.

I want to begin by paying my deepest respects to those who lost their life as a result of the effects of ex-Cyclone Oswald. Six Queenslanders were killed during this disaster, each of them remembered in this House by the Premier earlier today. Each one of their deaths is a heartbreaking, irreplaceable loss for their families, their friends and their local communities. As the mother of young boys I did what I suspect many parents did the day three-year-old Angus Burke died: I held my boys that much closer and that much tighter. To those who have lost their loved ones, I pass on my sincere sympathy and join with the opposition leader, and I suspect all people in this place, in praying that their souls rest in peace.

12 Feb 2013 Motion 61

To the people of Bundaberg who bore the brunt of this disaster, who face the overwhelming task of reconstructing their homes, their streets, their suburbs, their entire town, please know that we are thinking of you and that we stand with you. Know that many of us know firsthand the heartbreaking and backbreaking work of cleaning and rebuilding that lies before you. To the people of Gladstone, Laidley, Rockhampton, Gympie, Maryborough, Logan, Ipswich and all small towns in between, please know that your loss, your devastation, has reminded us of our most recent past and you are in our thoughts and hearts as you rebuild your lives. I also wish to put on record my thanks to those members who so respectfully and gracefully shared with us the stories of people in their communities as they faced the impending disaster, then as they assessed the damage and then as they rolled up their sleeves and summoned up the energy to start the clean up, in some cases all over again. I know that people in South Brisbane are thinking of their fellow Queenslanders. They are all too aware of the task they face. This time around the inner south was luckily spared the worst of Mother Nature’s fury. However, it is clear that January’s disaster had an enormous emotional impact on our community. For many in Brisbane’s south the wild weather brought with it great anxiety with the memories and fears experienced during the 2011 summer of sorrow still raw and still fresh. Many constituents moved their possessions up to a higher level or to a neighbour’s place on higher ground. Some sandbagged their properties in anticipation of a repeat of the flooding event of January 2011. For many constituents in Ashfield Street, East Brisbane, and Riverside Drive and Orleigh Street, West End, to name a few, it was an agonising time keeping a watchful eye on the rising tide, only relieved by the fact that the fear and the anxiety were a shared experience with neighbours and friends in the streets. Indeed, for our community it was the anticipation that caused the greatest pain. It is an agonising pain that is, unfortunately, shared by many communities throughout our state. It is this pain that reminds us that rebuilding is not simply a physical task. For years if not decades, as Queenslanders we will be rebuilding emotionally from this summer and the summer of 2010-11. The mental and emotional impacts of those disasters, as so eloquently covered by the member for Bundamba, should never be underestimated. Indeed, it is a task that will remain long after homes, businesses and farms recover. While we are thankful that we were spared the overwhelming devastation, I do place on record the experiences of the southside community during this most recent natural disaster. Like many suburbs throughout Brisbane, the deluge and winds associated with Oswald left local streets covered in falling trees and debris. I spent Monday driving around my electorate, logging jobs with Brisbane City Council and checking on residents, witnessing firsthand the devastation that uprooted trees brought, thankfully not to personal property but certainly to public facilities such as parks and footpaths. I place on record my gratitude to the Brisbane City Council workers for getting stuck in and removing fallen trees at such a fast rate. Obviously, the damage had an enormous impact on the electricity network, with strong winds and falling trees taking out power lines. On the southside, thousands of people lost power, many for more than a couple of days. Indeed, my son started his schooling life in a hot room with no lights, but with much relief from parents that the first day of school was proceeding. Unlike 2011, power took longer to restore because of the storm damage and, as a result, thousands of families and pensioners lost food from their fridges and many local businesses lost a significant amount of stock and could not trade, which was a double whammy for many of them. One of my local businesses assessed its losses in the vicinity of $200,000 and will take a long time to recover. Locals reacted to those inconveniences with incredible patience and a great understanding and empathy for those far worse off. I thank Energex workers who worked day and night to bring electricity back to thousands of homes as quickly as possible. As members have already noted, there are many to thank for the disaster response. From the rescuers who winched entire families from their flooded homes in Bundaberg to the Lifeline staff in Brisbane who visited pensioners and the disabled to check on their wellbeing, thank you. To our Emergency Services, police, firefighters, ambos and, of course, SES volunteers, thank you. I also want to place on record my thanks to the federal Labor government, which responded swiftly in the emergency event and quickly afterwards in resolving reconstruction guidelines. To the thousands of public servants who coordinated the response and will be on the frontline of the reconstruction task, I also say thank you. I particularly acknowledge public servants in the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection who will oversee the repair of our natural environment and staff from the Department of Transport and Main Roads who will manage the repair of our roads and infrastructure. Those are mammoth tasks. Thank you for your dedication. I acknowledge that many of those organisations and departments have recently faced major changes and are under enormous pressure, but there is no doubt that individual staff are doing all in their power to help their fellow Queenslanders. Of course, there are many more to thank, including volunteers and those who have donated so far to the Red Cross appeal and, of course, the many Queenslanders who, despite being weather weary, will do what is necessary to help their neighbour and

62 Motion 12 Feb 2013 their fellow Queenslanders. In any Queensland disaster the only nugget of gold is to witness how Queenslanders respond with camaraderie, dignity and courage. My hope is that we in this place bring those Queensland values to the task of prioritising the very important work of recovering and rebuilding our state to the standard that Queenslanders deserve.

Mr YOUNG (Keppel—LNP) (4.24 pm): I wish to pass on my condolences to the families of the six Queenslanders who tragically lost their lives in the recent flood event. The remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald entered our region on 24 January 2013 and over the next couple of days Rockhampton recorded 555 millimetres of rain. As record rain fell, most houses and lives were affected. Queenslanders and, in fact, Australians witnessed the graphic footage of swift water rescue member Brett Williams rescuing a young man who had foolishly decided to swim in the flooded Frenchman’s Creek. After the initial impact of the extreme rain, as usual the rising floodwaters first affected the Rockhampton suburb of Depot Hill. The proud and determined residents, known as the swampies, have a close connection with the river as most of them have a history of fishing and crabbing. The community generally copes well with these floodings but, having been flooded in 2010 and 2011, it is starting to test the mettle of this resilient group of people. This flood event never reached the height of 9.1 metres as it did in 2011, when locals could motor their tinnies up to the famous Fitzroy Hotel for a cold beer. The current flood height reached just under 8.6 metres. On the Berserker Range, the rainfall was so intense that gullies were swept clean and bare earth and rock ravines can be seen clearly whilst travelling around Rockhampton. While Rockhampton braced itself again for flooding from the Fitzroy River, it was without doubt the rain event of 24 and 25 January that had a greater impact on the wider community. Roofs leaked and extreme rainfall and wind entered houses through doors and windows. The extreme wind ripped roofing off houses and sheds, it ripped signs off shops and it felled trees in the Capricorn Coast and Rockhampton districts. Power outages became the norm. Ergon and SES staff worked diligently to restore power from fallen power lines brought down by trees, high wind and water inundation. Elphinstone Street was the worst hit and three houses were seriously affected. One of those houses was a brand-new home, just purchased by a young lady of 19 years of age. She had spent only four days in the house. The record rainfall brought on flash flooding and creek and stream rises that caught the rural community off guard. Machinery and stock were lost, along with hundreds of kilometres of fencing. Just north of Rockhampton at a place called the Pocket on Alligator Creek, 750 cows were stranded on high ground and had to be fed using an Army punt to cart hay twice a day. I was fortunate enough to be involved in the organisation of that hay delivery. As I said earlier, sadly six Queenslanders lost their lives tragically. In my region, one life was lost. On Thursday night at Port Alma, which is now surrounded by a sea of water, a boat made a distress call, stating that it was taking water and sinking fast. One of the two occupants managed to swim to Balaclava Island and spent two days on the island before being rescued. Nine days later the search for the missing man was called off and I pass on my condolences to the family. On Friday 24 January, two councillors and I traversed the area, calling in downed trees, power lines and damage to council owned equipment such as skate parks that had sails ripped down and floodlights and street lights hanging from wiring. To the west of Rockhampton, the Capricorn Highway, which is the major supply route to western towns and communities and the mining industries, was cut at Neerkol Creek as both approaches to the bridge were washed away. On the western side of Neerkol Creek, the small community of Stanwell was practically swept away. In one case, a shed, with the concrete floor still attached, was moved until coming to rest up against a tree. South of Rockhampton, the community of Bajool suffered a very similar fate and my thoughts go out to both communities. As Rockhampton recovered from the extreme rain event and braced itself for the floodwater from the Fitzroy Basin, we had a window to gauge the damage and prepare for the floodwaters to reach Rockhampton. I wish to thank the Premier, the ministers and the directors-general who visited the Rockhampton and Keppel areas to see firsthand the damage, to reach out to those affected by the flooding and extreme winds and also to acknowledge the courageous deeds and hard work carried out by EMQ, RFS, QFRS, the SES, police, ambulance officers, dedicated Rockhampton Regional Council staff, Ergon Energy workers, the many community groups, namely, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, church groups and ordinary community volunteers who worked selflessly and tirelessly to assist their fellow citizens. I place on the record my thanks for the efforts of all of those people. I particularly want to thank Mr Emerson and his director-general for their help with the reconstruction of Neerkol Creek, but especially for their support in keeping heavy vehicles going through the flooded Yeppen crossing. Many transport industry leaders have contacted me praising the pragmatic thinking in keeping the vital supply of food and fuel north and produce south. In particular, the pineapple industry is very grateful to get their produce to the markets. I thank main roads regional director, Terry Hill, and his dedicated staff for that.

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Without doubt, Queensland has again faced the elements that destroyed many communities. Tragically, six lives have been lost. I wish to recognise the hardship that the Bundaberg region will face in their recovery. The road to recovery for Queensland will be a long and tedious one. Without doubt, Queensland has had its fair share of cyclones and flood events in the last couple of years. Planning is the key to the rebuild process and I ask all parties to be patient as essential services are reinstated. Goodwill and donations of cash are required for those who have lost everything. In conclusion, I wish to again pass on my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives but also to those who have lost their homes, businesses, livestock, pets and personal effects. Hon. JA STUCKEY (Currumbin—LNP) (Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games) (4.31 pm): I rise to join the condolence motion brought before the House by the Premier of Queensland, the Hon. Campbell Newman. Like honourable members who have spoken before me, I wish to place on record my heartfelt sympathy for those whose lives have been turned upside down literally and to express my sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones as a result of the cruel storms that mercilessly struck and created havoc for many communities across Queensland under the name of Cyclone Oswald. We are no stranger to summer storms—we could say that it comes with the territory—but the severity and speed of these chaotic weather conditions caused intense damage and destruction that has wearied even the toughest Queenslander. For some this was the second, third, even fourth severe storm and deluge in as many years. Whilst the areas affected are much smaller than in 2011, the heartache and despair for many is much the same, and even worse for some. This afternoon I wear two hats: one as the member for Currumbin and the other as the Minister for Tourism and Small Business. My electorate of Currumbin did not escape the impact of Cyclone Oswald, but thankfully not to the extent of a number of areas. Three suburbs in my electorate were without power for several days, there was considerable sand erosion from our famous beaches and many trees and other greenery were torn from their roots and scattered across roads. The Currumbin Valley State School was unable to open until the Friday after the floods and a unit block in one of our beachside suburbs of Bilinga lost its roof, but lucky it did not do any other damage to people or property. I am truly thankful there was minimal damage in Currumbin compared to some other parts in Queensland, yet I am sure those who were affected did experience considerable difficulties. However, cyclones do not stop at borders. Oswald carried its gale force winds and heavy rains into northern New South Wales cutting power and causing damage to homes and crops. Even more affected though was the Bundaberg, North Burnett, Maryborough, Gympie, Gayndah, Lockyer and Scenic Rim areas. Only 48 hours before devastation struck I was visiting the Bundaberg region. On Mon Repos Beach at Bargara I witnessed several turtle nests produce hatchlings on the one night and a female loggerhead came up to the beach to lay her eggs. As I said at the time to the honourable member with me, ‘I feel this is better than winning the quadrella.’ This was a bumper turtle season with crowds of around 300 visitors and tourists coming to this special place each evening to watch nature at her best. Tourism was going particularly well in this neck of the woods and will again. I find it hard to comprehend the destruction that took place on this pristine, undisturbed location in such a short space of time, but nowhere near as much as Cathy Gately and her team of rangers and volunteers who lovingly protect and tag turtles and hatchlings from dusk until the wee hours of the morning several months of the year. I am further shocked and saddened by the massive inundation across Bundaberg and North Burnett. The loss of agriculture is estimated at $10 million in crops, let alone the loss of livestock. Thousands of residents, as we have heard, had to evacuate their homes and many were plucked from their rooftops by the wonderful emergency teams. Small businesses were decimated. My thoughts are with all of the wonderful hospitable people I met during my recent visit as a guest of Stephen Bennett MP, the member for Burnett. I met with the Bundaberg Chamber of Commerce members, the Burnett Heads marina and local community groups. Mayor Mal Forman and his councillors did an amazing job. The recovery will take time but there is so much determination and goodwill around that already seeds of hope are showing through the mud and silt. Jack Dempsey, the member for Bundaberg and the Minister for Police and Community Safety, and his team are to be commended for their stamina and terrific efforts. This disaster was all the harder for Jack as Bundaberg is his beloved home town. Last week I visited the town of Laidley in the Lockyer to meet with small business owners and to offer support and a bit of TLC. These resilient souls had only just recovered from heavy floods two years ago and had made a fresh new start when it happened again. I went to Laidley after receiving the most heartfelt email on the Monday after the floods from Kathy Brady who is the president of Lockyer Valley Tourism.

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Kathy told me of the destruction that the town had witnessed. I walked the main street of Laidley with Kathy and visited a number of the affected businesses. It was distressing to see that virtually every business had suffered some sort of damage as a result of the flooding, again. The Eagle Rock Cafe was completely transformed after the 2011 floods and turned into a stylish retro cafe, complete with a jukebox and all new retro interior. Many people drove out in their classic cars just to visit the Eagle Rock Cafe. This year it had 1.1 metres of water through it along with copious amounts of mud and silt—the highest level on record. The resilience of owners, Denise and Gary Morris, is amazing and I cannot wait to visit Eagle Rock Cafe when it is rocking again. Next door, Rachel is the young owner of the florist shop who found the energy after the 2011 flood to turn her flooded flower shop into a beautifully decorated tea room that also sold flowers. Rachel was faced with the awful reality that it has all happened again. But I am pleased to say that her shop is up and running. Across the road the newsagency was another building that was improved and extended after the 2011 floods. Many people have put their life savings into these improvements. Helen and Russel’s newsagency had 90 centimetres of water wash through, destroying all their hard work recovering from the 2011 event. The stories of Denise, Gary, Rachel, Helen and Russel are just some of the touching stories I heard while in Laidley. They are no doubt repeated elsewhere. To quote Kathy Brady, ‘No-one let the 2011 floods beat them and the result was an amazing new town. We will do it again.’ I wish to acknowledge the business recovery team led by the very capable Gary Warrener. I commend Gary and Sarah Buckler and their team on doing such a great job in responding so quickly to and offering practical assistance for small businesses in Laidley. I would also like to acknowledge and commend Ian Rickuss MP and Mayor Steve Jones. One of the lessons that was learned from the 2011 floods was that tourists very quickly cancelled their forward bookings for holidays to Queensland upon hearing about the natural disasters night after night on the news. It was their belief that the whole of Queensland was under water even though some peak tourism destinations were unaffected. This is something we did not want to see repeated and it is why my team at Tourism and Events Queensland have initiated a tourism recovery campaign entitled ‘Australia Day II’ to encourage Queenslanders and Australians to support our tourism industry and reclaim the January Australia Day lost to bad weather. Our proud Australian and lamb ambassador Sam Kekovich is rallying the call to celebrate Australia Day a second time with Australia Day II to be held on Saturday, 23 February. Honourable members, let me assure you that Queensland is well and truly open for business. Affected destinations are getting back on their feet, and one of the ways Australians can assist our tourism industry is by holidaying in Queensland. The Premier and the entire government have been working around the clock to minimise the ongoing effects of the floods and offer practical assistance to tourism operators and small businesses impacted by the recent natural disaster. The collaboration of efforts across all departments is to be commended. Their prompt cooperation is a credit to all involved and has no doubt saved lives. Our mayors must also be acknowledged across Queensland for taking the lead in their regions. Along with the physical roll-out of emergency services, we were able to provide virtual assistance as well through our newly revamped business and industry portal, which can be found at www.business.qld.gov.au. This site has been growing in popularity throughout the state’s business community for the past few months, but the spike in use over the flood period was extraordinary. So it is good to see that it has been utilised as a valuable resource during the peak demand for information. Last month there were more than 100,000 unique users on the site, which is an increase of over 100 per cent on the same time last year. In the 10 days following the floods, over 11,000 individual Queenslanders visited the site, with almost 50 per cent of these accessing information on disaster assistance and recovery. This is quite remarkable given the number of Queenslanders without power during this period. But we are a resourceful lot in the Sunshine State who embrace technology. This is demonstrated by the fact that more than 50 per cent of visits to our site were from mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. Along with this information came monetary support. As has been mentioned by other honourable members previously, category B assistance to flood affected small businesses has been activated, and I wish to thank the Minister for Agriculture for driving this support so quickly and for including our small businesses. Category B assistance has been activated in 23 local government areas and category C in five LGAs. Category B assistance includes concessional loans of up to $250,000, while under category C businesses can also apply for grants of up to $25,000. I would encourage all businesses affected by these floods to avail themselves of this assistance.

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As has been said, the resilience and determination of Queenslanders was on show once again over the past weeks. But in true Queensland spirit we get up, dust ourselves off—or should I say de-mud ourselves—and start again. I am so very proud that this government was able to, in no small way, help our fellow Queenslanders in their hours of need. Finally, I wish to put on the record my deep appreciation for all of the police and emergency service personnel, the volunteers, the mud armies, the community recovery teams and everyone who has supported clean-up efforts. I am sure that every honourable member in the House feels the same way. May I say to all Queenslanders affected by Cyclone Oswald that, whilst the mental and physical scars remain and emotions are still raw, homes and personal possessions perished and tragically six lives were lost, you will not be forgotten. May you find some comfort in knowing that you are all in our thoughts as we build a more resilient Queensland for the future. I commend the motion to the House. Mrs RICE (Mount Coot-tha—LNP) (4.43 pm): I rise to support this condolence motion. I would like to echo the sympathies and tributes of members before me and I place my condolences and those of the residents of my electorate on the record. Queenslanders are known for their resilience. Queenslanders are known for their courage. Queenslanders are known for their determination. Tropical Cyclone Oswald started his trek down the Queensland coast three weeks ago today. Over the last three weeks we have seen that trademark resilience, courage and determination in large servings. We have seen it in Bundaberg, we have seen it in Maryborough and we have seen it in Gympie, Gatton, Ipswich, Tamborine Mountain and in many communities throughout Queensland. I also rise to acknowledge the impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald on the electorate of Mount Coot-tha. Neither the creek flooding nor the Brisbane River flooding had the widespread physical impact of the 2011 flood. The ghost of 2011, however, still sat low above the suburbs of Milton, Auchenflower and Rosalie on the Australia Day long weekend. The mental scars are still there even if the physical scars are gone because of the hard work of residents over the last two years. Scars, however, are not all bad. This time we were prepared. This time, no matter what the river had to throw at us, we had the opportunity to prepare and the tools and knowledge about what needed to be done. In 2013, while it is devastating that some homes and families in pockets of the Mount Coot-tha electorate were once again flooded, I want to recognise that amazing community spirit that surfaced again and bounced into action. On Sunday, 27 January 2013, after a wet and windy Australia Day, Ithaca Creek, which is usually a light to medium stream—and at times even just a trickle—was raging. After the fury of wind the night before, countless trees and branches were strewn across roads and houses and, inevitably, thousands of residents were already without power. The memories of 2011 became more vivid with each news update. In a good example of cooperation between local and state governments, our local councillor, Peter Matic, and I set out a plan for helping residents based on the latest information from the Brisbane disaster management meetings. I thank Peter for his continuous updates as the situation kept changing. Residents in Carwoola Street and Bowman Parade at Bardon braced for the worst. In Torwood Street and Haig Road in Milton, neighbours began devising a plan about what to do next. While sandbags were organised for those in Carwoola Street, which is the low-lying area near the foot of Mount Coot-tha, many breathed a sigh of relief when they were ultimately not required. A few houses in Bowman Parade in Bardon were less fortunate, but if there were ever a question about the design of our iconic ‘Queenslander’ houses—which are raised with the ability for air and water to flow underneath—that day was a perfect example of their impeccable design. As many in the Brisbane area know, the peculiar nature of this extreme weather event meant that the threat moved from local creek flooding to flooding from the swollen Brisbane River. The very clear warning to residents in flood-prone areas of Brisbane on the Sunday was to be prepared. By Monday residents in Torwood, Vincent, Macintosh and Douglas streets and Haig Road in Milton were heeding this warning. Before 9 am, the water was visibly starting to rise. Mr Deputy Speaker, as the water started to rise so did the community spirit. To give you an example, neighbours, friends, strangers and my electorate office staff all mobilised and began sandbagging and removing furniture and precious items from homes. Leigh Ruig and her son, along with a bunch of their mates, began moving antique furniture out of Torwood Street. The Carrolls had their children safe and toys off the lawn. Most residents had complete strangers wading around in thigh high water to give them a hand and move things to safety. Thank you to everyone who helped on that day. At the same time, business owners in Douglas and Kilroe streets in Milton expressed their real and grave concerns about the rising river. The collective feedback from businesses was that they just could not emotionally and financially cope with the impacts of another flood. The shopfront of one of our iconic local designers, Pia Du Pradal, was sandbagged. This was also the case for businesses like Milton Lighting and Tilescope and all other businesses in the area. But residents and businesses soon realised that this time was different. In 2011, given our proximity to the Brisbane River, the warning signs came too late. This time they knew that to save their stock and to limit the floodwater damage they needed to act decisively and quickly, and they did. This time they could be prepared and call for help.

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A team of Young LNP volunteers mobilised to deliver and fill sandbags for the businesses at Milton. At Rosalie, businesses and locals expressed the same sentiment. They sandbagged their shops and removed stock from shelves just in case the water engulfed Baroona Road again. At Milton State School, Principal Paul Zernike sent out an SOS to parents and friends, and within minutes a team of around 100 parents and community members came together to move the contents of the prep classrooms and all other items that could go under out of the rising water’s reach. The water came and went and spared the top level of most homes and all businesses. Even if more had come, the residents were as ready as they were going to be. They were ready because of the hard work of fellow Queenslanders and, for many, the experience—which still only feels like yesterday—from 2011. Many residents told me that they were just pleased to have had warning. They were also appreciative of the Premier’s frank advice and constant updates. Residents and business owners have certainly expressed their thanks to me in relation to the Premier and Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience for their impromptu visit to Milton and Rosalie as the water was rising on the Monday. They were grateful for the information and reassurances from the Premier in relation to the real time movement of the Brisbane River and the expected peak levels. I would also like to thank and pay tribute to Brisbane City Council, the hundreds of Energex and SES crews who worked tirelessly and our local police, emergency crews and volunteers for all their hard work. In Mount Coot-tha most residents were able to get back to normal relatively quickly, although some residents will still have some work to do. However, I know that this is not the case for many others. I also want to thank Pam, Kath and Glen, the principals of Red Hill Special School, the Queensland Academy of Science, Maths and Technology and Bardon State School for their coordinated and calm approach to the delayed start to the new school year. Brisbane Basketball Incorporated based at Auchenflower suffered severe damage in 2011 in the order of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 2013 they are pleased that the damage bill this time is only in the vicinity of $40,000. I would like to acknowledge the Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing for his department’s support of our local sporting clubs and the announcement of grants to support those clubs that have suffered damage. All that aside, many residents in my electorate would agree that we managed to avoid the worst. With this in mind, residents have asked me how they can help and what they can do to support Queenslanders who were not as lucky as us. I think it is worth noting the immediate generosity of our local community. On the Friday following the flood in Brisbane, James Golden and his team at our local Westpac branch in Milton gathered with members of the Rotary Club of Brisbane Planetarium and a number of local businesses including Stellarossa and a team of local personal trainers to raise funds for the Red Cross flood appeal. The donations—sausages, Stellarossa coffee and massages—were all given and volunteers manned the barbecue to raise as much as they could for the appeal. I would also like to make mention of my electorate office staff, Amy and Angie, and thank them for all their hard work throughout this period. Not only did they spend their long weekend helping our community; they were the caring and attentive voices on the other end of the phone for all those residents who called in the days following looking for assistance and advice. So again I say thank you. In conclusion, while the events of the Australia Day weekend tested the resolve of many, Ben, the manager of the Toowong Bowls Club summed up the situation best. He said, ‘This time the shock factor was gone. With the warning people knew what needed to be done and they just did it.’ How right he was. Mrs SCOTT (Woodridge—ALP) (4.52 pm): Once again, we sadly come together in this place to recall the devastating loss of life from the destructive force of nature to spend time to assure those families who have lost loved ones that we as a community share their sorrow. There were many tears shed as we viewed those terrible scenes of floodwaters engulfing homes and cars, threatening lives, particularly seeing the faces of those recounting their frightening experiences, seeing those hospital patients—many frail and elderly—being evacuated by our Air Force and hearing the acts of bravery and heroism that are the hallmark of our communities when facing such emergencies. For many, the force of the floodwaters has dispossessed them of their homes, their personal possessions, their pets, their businesses, their farms and their animals and so much of our public infrastructure is now destroyed. However, as with our Australian spirit, no-one is left to battle alone. Today we need to pay tribute to so many neighbours, friends and strangers who volunteered, including our mud army, our emergency services, police, firefighters, ambos, SES, Energex crews, helicopter rescue teams, hospital staff and, of course, our wonderful Army personnel who came so willingly, as well as so many others such as our churches and organisations like our Salvos. Each community has an individual story and their journey forward will be different, but I have no doubt that our three levels of government along with many organisations and individuals will plan and work towards healing, restitution and rebuilding. Lives, communities, cities and towns will be rebuilt and, through our innate resilience, we will come through stronger.

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Every precious life lost is devastating. As we have also viewed the losses through fire in all of our eastern states, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, I am reminded of the huge advances in technology. We now have mobile phones and social media and we are developing more advanced warning devices. We also now have the ability to rescue people from raging floodwaters by helicopter and have witnessed again and again great acts of bravery. Had it not been for many of these advancements, many more lives would have been lost. We salute the many who put their lives at risk and all who reached out so selflessly to others. As with our floods and cyclone of 2011, the devastation affected not only the individuals who were personally impacted but Queensland as a whole. While we have not seen the massive impact to the Brisbane CBD and surrounding areas as we did in 2011, we have seen flooding in areas that were not impacted in recent times. As the water levels peaked in the Ipswich and Brisbane areas, I took the opportunity to head out into my electorate and the surrounding areas. Knowing Logan City had been protected from flooding during 2011 by the then recently completed Wyaralong Dam which, if I remember correctly, then filled within a week—it acted as flood mitigation—I knew that protection no longer existed. I was joined by the Leader of the Opposition, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and we viewed the water rise slowly at the Waterford bridge and completely engulf the local children’s playground late Tuesday afternoon. Many people from the local community had come down to the popular children’s play area next to the river to watch this disaster unfold. Many to whom I spoke that afternoon had not seen water rise this high in our area for many years and were concerned at what could unfold in the hours to come. As the Logan River peaked at Waterford at nine metres at 11 pm on Tuesday night, we knew that the worst of the flood was behind us but there would undoubtedly be quite an impact on our community. This area, which is in the neighbouring electorate of Waterford, represented by Mike Latter, has many low-lying acreages near to the Albert and Logan rivers and it was evident that some homes would be flooded and many roads would be cut which would then isolate many of those residents. Many properties and residents throughout Logan also lost power, many of them for long periods. The queues at our relief centres have been long and many have waited several days to lodge their claims. It was in the hours and days to come that the true Queensland spirit shone through in our local area. The now legendary mud army was formed and people were out in force helping friend, helping neighbour and helping stranger to rebuild their homes and lives. Mayor Pam Parker quickly put out a call and, as anticipated, the spirit of Logan shone through and many responded going out to ease the pain and suffering of others. This has once again reminded us all of the power of nature. However, it is a time for us to uphold those who have suffered so much loss and a time for us to reflect on all that is good and true about the human spirit. Once again, we have witnessed the very best of human nature. Whether it be our emergency services workers, Queensland government workers, not-for-profit organisations or all the volunteers who have been able to band together to provide support to our community, all have risen to the task in a magnificent way. Without their help our communities would not be able to get back on their feet and I truly do thank them all for their service and assistance. In closing may I encourage all Queenslanders and Australians to band together and dig deep. Whether it be by donating via the Red Cross flood appeal or lending a hand in a practical way, the rebuild and putting lives back together again will be a long journey. We can all make a positive difference to make our great state continue to prosper. Hon. JJ McVEIGH (Toowoomba South—LNP) (Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) (4.59 pm): I rise to express my support for the condolence motion moved by the Premier earlier today. Given the experience of my own electorate and that of my colleague Mr Trevor Watts in Toowoomba North just two short years ago with the tragedy that unfolded at that time in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley, the hearts of my community in the seat of Toowoomba South go out to all of those affected by ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. The East and West creeks in Toowoomba, whilst receiving significant rainfall in this very same event, thankfully remained within their banks this time and my community dodged a bullet. As a local member and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, I therefore turned my attention to the broader Darling Downs, of which Toowoomba is the major centre. I took the opportunity to inspect the flow of the Condamine River. In fact, I had the opportunity to follow its peak downstream on 30 January with the Mayor of the Toowoomba Regional Council, Mr Paul Antonio, and later that day with Councillor Ray Brown, the Mayor of the Western Downs Regional Council. While there were major flooding events in the Condamine River itself, it was not a particularly extraordinary event in its own right. There will be and has been significant localised damage revealed, but overall in our part of the world it will for many people have a positive impact on agriculture in particular. However, that is no comfort whatsoever to those in some localities and individual producers in particular who have had very severe impacts. The main impacts on the Darling Downs across the seats of the Southern Downs and Condamine are in the upper reaches of the Condamine River system itself—

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Killarney, Allora, Pilton, Emu Creek, Clifton, Nobby and Ellangowan—where extreme rainfall at the top of the Great Dividing Range caused flooding in creeks running to the west. Soil erosion, fence losses, road damage, infrastructure damage and crop losses as outlined by the Minister for Health earlier were suffered by many individual producers. It was with that in mind that I turned with the assistance of the Treasurer and the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience to consider assistance available to agricultural producers in that part of the world and of course those elsewhere in Queensland even more severely hit, particularly in the North Burnett. We were able to secure, with the assistance of the federal government, initially through the state government NDRRA category B assistance in that first week in various local government areas, which included Queensland rural adjustment concessional loans through my department of up to $250,000 to both small business and primary producers and freight subsidies of up to $5,000 for primary producers, again from my department. The interest rate, as I have outlined previously, that will apply to those QRAA loans will be just 1.7 per cent in order to assist affected primary producers. The continuation of negotiations led by the Treasurer with the federal government led to primary producers in the local government areas of South Burnett, Gladstone, Scenic Rim and targeted areas within Banana, Goondiwindi, Ipswich, Somerset, Southern Downs and Toowoomba being able to apply for category C assistance under the jointly funded Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, and that category C assistance provides clean-up and recovery grants for primary producers and small businesses of up to $25,000. The Treasurer leads negotiations on behalf of our government and rural producers in Queensland with the federal government on a range of category D measures for the worst-hit areas and if we are successful that will include assistance with clean up, industry and financial planning advice, employment programs and exceptional disaster loans. In terms of my own department’s activities, when I made the announcement in the budget last year of our review of farm financial counsellors I made the very clear commitment on behalf of our government to retain the right and the option to fund farm financial services should demand increase due to natural disasters, and that is exactly what I was able to do in recent weeks. We have engaged the services of two farm financial counsellors in the Gayndah region, we have a strong team of 12 flood recovery liaison officers, our in-house agribusiness specialists are working closely with rural producers who have been affected and, as members would be aware, we have three mobile offices in the worst affected areas circulating to provide assistance to those rural producers. I therefore thank sincerely the Treasurer, Minister Crisafulli and the industry bodies including AgForce, the Queensland Farmers Federation, Growcom, the Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers association and other industry bodies that have been of great assistance, together with various local governments led by their mayors, in providing the necessary data to secure that assistance. I especially thank the officers in my department who have worked tirelessly to gather that data and assist the Treasurer in his negotiations with the federal government. My responsibilities as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry then led me to continue broader visits on the ground in the car across the state as floodwaters receded. I was able to gain access to talk with farmers affected on a one-on-one basis, be that in Beaudesert and the Southern Downs, from Condamine to Bundaberg and Callide in the north. From grain, cotton, citrus, fodder, tree crops, fishermen, beef producers, piggeries and dairy producers, there are very few areas that fall under my portfolio that have not been impacted by this event. There is no doubt that many individuals have been hit and hit hard, and in my mind as I toured the state it was almost a case of this particular weather event deliberately targeting agriculture, it seemed. But industry will survive and it will bounce back. Although we have seen crop loss, stock loss, infrastructure loss, machinery loss and perhaps most concerning of all significant soil loss, we will bounce back. The trials and challenges of many individual producers affected are known by— and in fact have been or will be referred to by—many of my regional LNP colleagues in the House. I remain in absolute awe of the resilience of rural residents and farmers who have been affected by this event. They will bounce back and I look forward to assisting them even though some of them will find it difficult to do so. I have seen, for example, elderly couples continuing on in their farming businesses, well after their adult children have left to pursue other careers, who have been hit hard by this event at a time, in some cases, when their debt levels, despite their age, are already significantly high. At the same time I have seen firsthand the inspirational spirit and humour of regional Queenslanders who are down but certainly not out. I refer to the example of a farmer in the seat of Callide in the Deputy Premier’s electorate who, whilst I was inspecting his affected property with him, took a call from a neighbour of his highlighting that the neighbour’s quite large model tractor was upside down stuck in the mud in this particular farmer’s back paddock. The neighbour said to him, ‘Mate, you can keep it.’ The farmer who I was visiting said in response, ‘Mate, it’s got a flat tyre.’ I recall the example of a pregnant young farmer in the seat of Beaudesert who tentatively made contact with her local mayor to say, ‘Please don’t worry about me.’ Given that the access and the bridge to her farming community was wiped out and would probably remain so for quite some time she said, ‘We’ve got a tinnie. We’ll get to hospital our own way. Don’t worry about us.’ I recall the example in the same part of the world of an elderly farmer making contact with that same mayor—not wanting to bother him, simply

12 Feb 2013 Motion 69 wanting to ask about the likely timetable for reconnection of that community by some sort of temporary bridge or creek crossing because he had already rescheduled his chemo treatment in Brisbane. He simply wanted some advice as to when he should look at rescheduling that, without wanting to cause council too much trouble. That is the sort of resilience I have seen. The final example I wish to share with the House is that of a young farming couple I visited, again in the seat of Callide. That young farming couple’s grazing enterprise was significantly hit. The husband said to me, ‘John, do you think that I might qualify for a grant?’ After we discussed some of his conditions I formed the opinion that there was a good chance that he might qualify for an assistance grant and encouraged him to proceed with such an application, at which time his young wife interrupted us and told her husband, ‘No, we won’t. We’ll leave that for people who really need it.’ I remain in awe of that sort of resilience. There is no doubt that agriculture as a whole will find it difficult to respond to such disasters on a regular basis, as they seem to have become in recent years. Hence my department will refocus its efforts with industry organisations on the resilience and planning required for our agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries to accommodate such risks in the future. In that regard, I look forward very much to working with the Hon. David Crisafulli, the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. I echo the words of the Deputy Premier earlier today in calling on all Queenslanders, consumers— and, I stress—retailers alike to support our farmers and insist on buying Queensland produce. For example, in particular I say buy Bundy, buy Burnett citrus. I respectfully join the Premier in acknowledging the significant losses of those affected by this event and above all else I express my sincere condolences to all close to those who have lost their lives in this natural disaster. Mrs MADDERN (Maryborough—LNP) (5.12 pm): ‘Where do I start?’ Over the past two weeks I have heard that comment and seen that look on so many faces of people facing disaster—‘Where do I start?’ Where do I start to tell the story of what happened on the Australia Day weekend in my electorate of Maryborough? How do I express the condolences of my community to the friends and families of those who lost their lives in other parts of the state while all the time remembering the grief and loss of my own community members who were hit with the storm tempest event and floods? Many previous speakers to this motion have spoken about many of the issues that also relate to my community. There has been extensive media covered of the terrible damage wrought in Bundaberg from the floods and in Bargara and Burnett Heads from the tornados. Although some of the damage in Bundaberg was more severe and more extensive, Maryborough and its surrounds have suffered extensive damage. Change the title under the picture and it is a good example of what happened to the people of my electorate. From flood damaged homes along the Cherwell River in the north of my electorate to extensively damaged grazing properties to the west of my electorate, isolation by floodwaters, no power and no telecommunication to the southern parts of my electorate, isolation and power loss to the suburb of Granville and the southern coastal townships in the east of my electorate, flooded businesses and homes in Maryborough and Tinana and the ripping apart of Burrum Heads by a vicious tornado, the whole of my electorate was impacted in some form. Estimates of the damage include 200 homes and a caravan park and 100 businesses flood damaged in Maryborough and Tinana, around 35 homes flooded in Aldershot, around 30 homes flooded in Pacific Haven, around 100 homes and a caravan park severely damaged by the tornado in Burrum Heads, cane farms wiped out and cattle and dairy properties suffering significant loss of infrastructure. Roads and bridge infrastructure were washed away. These are estimates only. We have no way of knowing the full extent of the damage. In some cases there has been a double whammy, as with the family at Burrum Heads who suffered extensive damage to their home only to have their citrus orchard at Mundubbera flooded as well. While as far as I am aware no-one lost their life in my area, there were some very near misses, with some residents caught in floodwaters and some needing an airlift to evacuate. Residents of Burrum Heads suffered some injuries in the tornado. Having inspected some of the damaged homes and spoken to some of the residents there, I believe that the only reason there was no loss of life was that most people were in bed at 3.30 in the morning when the tornado ripped through. As with all Queenslanders, when disaster strikes the adrenaline kicks in and the community rallies to the aid of those in need. In Burrum Heads, which was isolated by floodwaters and had no power, off-duty nurses, paramedics and police officers and SES volunteers rallied to the assistance of those injured and devastated. In Maryborough, as the floodwaters rose and it became obvious that the CBD was going to flood, teams of us worked to get stock out of basements and then out of shops and to sandbag shopfronts as the floodwaters kept rising. Other teams of friends, neighbours and volunteers worked to try to save the contents of homes and caravans both in Maryborough and Tinana but also in Aldershot and Pacific Haven. Then there were those who assisted with evacuations. Then we waited with bated breath for the waters to peak and then to begin to subside and for the work of the clean-up to begin.

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In the process of removing stock from shops that Sunday night it became very obvious to me that there was a need for accurate information. How high was the flood going to be? When was it likely to peak? What is happening in other places? The questions being asked of me at that time helped me to define the role that I most needed to carry out—that of supplying accurate information on the ground to people who were totally involved in whatever activity they were carrying out as a result of the flood, people who did not have the time, means or energy to go looking for the information they needed themselves. Time and time again, wherever I happened to be, the comment continued to be made that the distress that residents were feeling was exacerbated by the lack of information, particularly from the traditional source of media, radio and television. It was not that we wanted the world to know our situation; it was that we wanted to know our situation to understand what we were facing and to know how relatives and friends who were just up the road but who were cut off by floodwaters were faring. The difficulty with the provision of accurate information was made significantly worse by the fact that at least eight individual areas, and probably more, were completely isolated by floodwaters, in most cases for days, many without power or telecommunications. It was not possible for those communities to get the information they needed from the internet, the television or the telephone. Those services were just not available. Those areas were reliant on their own personnel to manage the disaster until communications and access were restored. So as the waters went down and access became available, my staff and I worked to deliver as many information packs as possible to affected residents and businesses. We worked in conjunction with the department of communities team to ensure that all areas of my electorate were covered. Accurate information—information into communities and information out from affected communities to disaster management—is the key to managing these disasters but also, importantly, in reassuring the community that they are not on their own. I am extremely grateful and offer my thanks to the Premier and the Minister for Local Government for their phone calls at the beginning of the disaster, setting up a line of direct communication for me as the member. That gave me the confidence and reassurance that help was available if we could not manage at the local level. A visit by the Treasurer and the local government minister and later by the Premier added further to reassuring the community that they were not forgotten. I am also grateful to have had the opportunity to be an observer at the daily disaster management meetings so that I could hear the planning by the council, the police, the SES, the Ambulance Service, the Fire and Rescue Service, Ergon, hospital management, the department of communities support team and others involved in making sure that everyone was as safe as they could be. This information allowed me to provide accurate and up-to-date information and reassurance out in the damaged areas I was visiting that day. Of particular importance to our community was the response from Queensland Health to establish a triage base at Granville to ensure that the suburb had appropriate medical facilities. Maryborough Hospital, even though isolated from the Hervey Bay Hospital, was able to provide the appropriate level of care to patients. Two weeks out and most homes and businesses have been cleaned, most of the debris removed and streets cleaned. Some businesses are up and running again, some are waiting for repairs. Some residents are back in their homes. Many have had to find alternative accommodation. The task of rebuilding and repairing goes on and in some cases it will be months, if not years, before all the work is completed. But local community groups are helping. They organised a fundraising concert which I estimate was attended by around 800 people. There is a particular difficulty in contacting primary producers to understand the impact of the floods. It is easy enough to drive down a street and see who was flooded or blown away, but not so easy to identify a flooded cattle property. In conjunction with Councillor James Hansen we organised a barbecue at Broweena for primary producers. The gratifying thing about this event is not only did it provide me with information on the extent of flooding, it allowed community members to check on each other and to provide support for each other. We will follow up with more of these events in the future just to check on community wellbeing. Will we bounce back? Yes, we will, but with some bruising. No-one lives through an event like this without carrying some scars. Will some people find it too difficult to start again? Sadly I think that, yes, some will walk away. It will all be too much for them. As one of the graziers I spoke to on Saturday evening said, ‘Anne, years ago we were able to build reserves so that when something like this happened we were able to cope. Now our profit margins are so lean we just manage from year to year and now we do not have the reserves to cope.’ That question again: where do I start? Where do I start in trying to thank on behalf of my community all those people—paid workers and volunteers, families and friends—who have put their own lives on hold for two weeks to help those in need and in some cases while their own homes and businesses were under siege, and to those who provided goods and donations and performed in the concert? I need to also thank my parliamentary colleagues for information and support during this time. I will not try naming people and groups, mainly because there are so many who I do not know who have helped out. People who have been affected by this event have asked me to make a public acknowledgement on their behalf of their very grateful thanks. To all who contributed, know that your work was appreciated. You can be proud of what

12 Feb 2013 Motion 71 you have achieved. There are so many stories to tell, so much rebuilding to do, so much to think about in terms of how best to manage in the future, but that is not for now. For today our community has known the pain and grief of this event firsthand and in that knowing understands the grief and pain of other communities that have been similarly affected. We offer to all who have suffered our heartfelt sympathy and our prayer that your lives may return to normal in the short term and the current pain will fade to a distant memory. May God grant we do not face an event like this again in our lifetime. Mr HOBBS (Warrego—LNP) (5.23 pm): I am pleased today to talk to the condolence motion. I express my condolences to all families affected by the recent flooding throughout this state. I certainly understand what people are going through. I have been through it in my area on numerous occasions and my own house has been flooded a couple of times as well, but not to the extent that we have seen in the recent flood where absolute devastation has taken place. I understand the way people react after floods. They go through an adrenaline rush when it happens, then they go through the exhaustion stage and then they go through the anger stage. Many communities will be reaching that anger stage at this time, where people will be saying, ‘Why did it happen to me?’, and asking whose fault it was. They have to work their way through that and we have to understand that that is human nature and be there to help them in the best way we can. There are many things that we can learn to do in the future in relation to flood mitigation and putting in place mechanisms to reduce the impact of flooding. As the Premier and others have said, we cannot keep rebuilding where floods come and go all the time and people have to hose off and go again. I think that is important. I believe that the infrastructure we build in the future must try to be flood-proof. We must move the sewerage stations away from where they are likely to be impacted by water. We must also improve the roads. In a lighthearted way we could blame the member for Cook because, after all, Cyclone Oswald did start in his electorate. But we cannot lay blame, because at the end of the day nature is unpredictable and these extreme events may touch us all in some way, shape or form and we have to be there to help people and make sure that we understand their needs. The rain in my area resulted in severe flooding on the Condamine, Weir and Moonie rivers and Undulla and Horse creeks. Some places recorded up to a metre higher than the record floods of 2010-11, with crop, stock and infrastructure losses of a significant nature. Seven houses were inundated along the Moonie and Weir rivers, along with sorghum and cotton crops wiped out. Soil erosion has been so severe in some of these areas that you could put a D9 bulldozer in some of the gullies. The towns of Chinchilla, Kogan and Tara were affected. In Chinchilla 34 businesses and 14 houses were inundated. Kogan had three houses, the hall and the community centre inundated as well. Tara was isolated for five days. Chinchilla was significantly affected with businesses and houses inundated for several days with the slow- flowing Charley Creek that was held up with the swollen Condamine River. The National Highway at Chinchilla was cut for several days, stranding many travellers. The Western Downs Regional Council and local SES were quick to warn and assist homeowners and local businesses of the impending flood. The Western Downs Regional Council, department of communities and many volunteers assisted homeowners, businesses and many stranded travellers while the floodwaters were up and the highways closed. I commend Brooke Winters from the department of communities who has been involved in many disaster events in my area. She was on the job very quickly for this event and did a great job, as she always does. Mr Watts: Isn’t she good? Mr HOBBS: She is indeed. An evacuation centre was set up at the Chinchilla Civic Centre where the Red Cross and volunteers provided meals and accommodation was provided in the main hall. During my visit to Chinchilla it was highlighted to me how the food safety legislation is not practical. Volunteers were turned away from assisting with the preparation of food because they did not have a food preparation certificate. It was fortunate that a couple were found who had the qualifications and food was prepared for evacuees and travellers. We must change this legislation to reflect the practical situation of emergency relief. I fully understand how we have to have people with qualifications to serve food in a public arena, but at the end of the day weary travellers who are stranded are happy to have a sandwich made by anybody so long as they follow reasonable cleanliness practices. On the other side of the flooded highway stranded travellers were assisted in Miles with volunteers helping to provide meals and some accommodation. Tara was isolated for five days, placing considerable stress on residents. One resident reported having 17 inches of rain, or 425 millimetres, with significant damage to their farm. Further damage is still being assessed in that area. Kogan had three homes inundated along with the hall and community centre. Kogan is a small town and this is a significant event for that community. The township of Condamine, which was devastated in 2011 when the town was evacuated twice as water came right up through it, had a considerable amount of worry this time but the impact was minimal.

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Along the rivers, livestock and fencing have been washed away. It will take some time to locate the livestock that have survived and assess infrastructure damage to roads, fencing and dams. AgForce is coordinating information on the financial impact of crop and livestock losses. Natural disaster assistance is essential for communities and landholders who are severely impacted in an event such as this. In the Western Downs regional area, approval has been granted for category A and B assistance, which provides general personal assistance and fodder drops for standard stock. It is essential that category C assistance be approved for select parts of the Western Downs Regional Council to assist businesses in Chinchilla, which has suffered three floods in two years, and landholders along the Condamine and Moonie river systems who have suffered major infrastructure damage. The council has assured me that it will put in an application. It has identified the boundaries to show where the severely impacted areas are. It is important to remember that some people have suffered a worse impact than during the record floods of 2010-11. It is of great concern to me that major food outlets in towns not affected directly by flooding—that are high and dry—run out of food when a perfectly good highway is open. During the recent 2013 floods, for several days the Warrego Highway was cut at Chinchilla and towns to the west were running out of food. Major food outlets in those towns had empty shelves. I went through and saw it for myself. It was the same in the 2010-11 floods. Why did they run out of food when they can be supplied by an alternative highway to Sydney or other southern routes is a mystery to me. Several times I have visited those towns. In 2011, I asked, ‘Why can’t you get food from Sydney?’ They offered various reasons for why they could not but said that they had a truck coming from Brisbane. I said, ‘But it can’t get through from Brisbane, for heaven’s sake.’ The next morning, the shelves were fairly full. This time, the same thing happened. I spoke to people in Charleville, Tambo and out in the west and they said that their stocks were running out. They were out of milk, they were short of vegies and so forth. It astounds me that, in this day and age, they cannot suddenly switch it around so that transport operators can come from another direction. This flood has had a devastating impact on many people. Certainly we have great concerns for those families that are affected. Many will be unable to go back to their homes. For many others, it can take months before they can get back into their homes. In my case, each time it took three months to fix up my house. Many people will go through that. They have to find alternative accommodation. An enormous amount of time is spent buying all the different things you need, such as furniture and curtains. You have to choose the colour that you will have, the type of fridge you will buy. Those are all extra stresses that people will have to face and I fully understand that. I hope that people are able to come through this. It is most important that we put in place some good mechanisms to reduce the impacts of floods in the future in this state. Mr HOPPER (Condamine—KAP) (5.32 pm): Today in the House I join all of my colleagues in supporting the Premier’s motion to offer our deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones in the recent event. No worse situation can befall a human being than to experience the loss of life of a loved one. It is worse than losing one’s own life. Along with all my colleagues in the chamber, I express my deepest sympathy to those affected. I thank all those involved, not only in my electorate but throughout Queensland, for their assistance and hard work, which so many members have spoken of today. I especially mention our local councils. In a catastrophe, usually it is the local councils that put in place the necessary measures. They know their areas and they know their people. They know the SES. All good mayors put in place a plan. I had the pleasure of meeting with a lot of people who showed the resilience that has been spoken about tonight. I toured my electorate. The north branch of the Condamine River is the boundary of my electorate. The town of Cecil Plains, which was cut off, is in the electorate of Southern Downs. As the Minister for Agriculture said before, once again the farmers of the area have suffered immense crop and property losses. That can only hit their back pocket. Certainly, it will take a long time for those people to recover. I visited the town of Bundaberg and saw the devastation. In Queensland, over 1,000 houses are still unlivable; people cannot move back into them. Who would have thought that the town of Bundaberg could have been hit as it was? My wife comes from Bundaberg and her mother lives in a retirement village in North Bundaberg. I listened as my wife rang her mother. She said, ‘We’re very concerned about you and the floods.’ Her mother said, ‘I’m all right. It’s not going to come here.’ About 20 minutes later, she rang back and said, ‘The Blue Nurses have just rung and told us we’re to be evacuated. They’re going to take us to higher ground.’ Twenty minutes later she rang again and said, ‘I’ve just had a wonderful ride in a Chinook helicopter.’ Within 20 minutes, she was airlifted to safety and looked after. The way that the government handled this flood is commendable. I give the government credit for how it acted and how it put things in place. I give the Premier credit for how he and the leadership team of this government handled the disaster that has just taken place. In my electorate, the roads are an absolute mess. When a flood runs through the self-mulching black soil of the plains, the Warrego Highway becomes an absolute disaster. Sometimes it can take two hours to get from Toowoomba to Dalby. With the increased mining activity occurring out west, thousands upon

12 Feb 2013 Motion 73 thousands of vehicles travel that road. There is no doubt that we have to look at building a four-lane highway to Dalby. At the moment on the Gore Highway between Pittsworth and Toowoomba you can have six stops. There are six sets of traffic lights or stop-and-goes. Sometimes it can take an hour to get from Pittsworth to Toowoomba because of flood damage from 2011 and now. We have to think seriously about putting heavy infrastructure into these electorates. In my electorate, the 2013 flood was not as bad as that of 2011 and I do not think that one house went under. It is an ill wind that blows no good and it was a godsend to get the rain for the crops. However, certainly our hearts go out to those who were devastated. I thank our two mayors. In Dalby, Councillor Ray Brown was ready and he had his plan in place for the oncoming flood. Thank God it was not as bad as everyone thought it was going to be. Paul Antonio, the Mayor of Toowoomba, also did a fantastic job. Our hearts go out to towns such as Gladstone, Gympie, Bundaberg and Laidley, which I visited. Recently, I decided to take the shortcut from Esk to Crows Nest. I drove around a corner and saw a ‘road closed’ sign. The bridge was completely gone. It will probably cost the government at least $2 million to $3 million to replace that bridge. That road will be out for a long time and the people on the western side of the bridge will have to travel through Crows Nest to Toowoomba. They will not be able to access this side of the highway for a very long time. That is only one tiny example. So much rebuild has to go on. Agriculture has been affected. Farmers will have to rebuild the levee banks that are gone. As you drive towards Cecil Plains, you see the excavators working to rebuild the levee banks where they can get onto the land. Minister McVeigh travelled around in a helicopter and met a lot of people. Someone said to me that it was a media stunt, but I do not believe that. I think every minister should do that very same thing. In situations like this, ministers and members of this chamber need to get out and look at what has happened so that they can assess the situation and see what is going on. The other day I drove to Clifton. The farms around Clifton are a mess, as the creeks coming down from Pilton in my electorate run beside the town. We need assistance in some of those areas. I heard Minister McVeigh speak of the councils that have been put on category C. Certainly the Western Downs has a number of farmers who need to come under that category. A number of farmers would be greatly assisted by a $25,000 grant for the rebuilding of infrastructure such as fences, dam walls, levee banks and so on. I can remember in the drought we had IDPs, independent drought declarations. We could look at something like that, whereby farmers could go under an independent declaration. Their farm alone could come under category C. I do not think many farms in that council area would have to come under category C, but certainly we need to keep the doors open for those that could. I would like to read two very short letters that have been sent to me. The first letter reads—

We live and operate our primary production business on the Condamine River 30kms from Dalby between the Dalby-Cecil Plains Road and the . Our farm was flooded in the recent floods and we were isolated for 3 days. On enquiring with the Western Downs Council, Myall Youth Centre, Qld Recovery Centre and the relevant Federal Department, we have learnt that the Western Downs is not eligible for Federal Assistance. I understand that we can apply for a low interest loan from QRAA but are ineligible for the Category C $25000 grant. A month prior to the flood, we had just finished repairing structural damage from the 2010- 2011 floods. As we have sustained greater damage (some photos are attached) in this flood we are frustrated at the lack of support we are receiving from the government departments. We have still not financially recovered from the 2010-2011 floods and yet the government expects us to again withstand the cost of repairs to our business. We are left wondering if Queensland really does want young farmers??

We would appreciate your support and guidance in knowing the best way to move forward from this disaster. That letter was from Ian and Sharon Burt, who live just outside my electorate. The second letter reads—

Dear Mr Hopper,

I was speaking with your office today and they suggested that I send you a quick email regarding the flooding in the Western Downs, and state my concerns about not being eligible for the $25,000 grant from QRAA.

I will try and keep this short, as I know you are busy.

We have a Hay Production property on the Old Warrego Highway, our Property backs onto the Condamine River near Rangers Bridge. We trade as Dalby Hay.

Most of our property was flooded, which resulted in us losing our Lucerne Stand as well as Forage Sorghum and Millet that were all ready to be cut and baled. So we are faced with re planting everything. Soil erosion has been very extensive on the cultivation and the road ways have been left with large gutters from the rushing water, we have been left with so much rubbish on our paddocks, from logs to oil drums, beer bottle, the list is endless. The ground has been ripped of its top soil in a lot of places, and in others it has formed such a hard crust.

End result, there will be a long road ahead to re-establish our beautiful Lucerne Stand that we once had (10 months). Rebuilding road ways, crossings and fencing will require the purchase of materials and equipment hire. Soil erosion is one of our major concerns that we are not sure on where to begin.

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Your help in passing our worries on to the people that can help us would be very much appreciated, I am sure that there are other people in our area that would be in the same position. I would like to extend an invitation to you to come to see our property, so you can then pass on your thoughts and opinion on the matter.

I have emailed your office some photos of our property, to make it easier for you to see what I am referring to. I table those photographs. Tabled paper: Bundle of photos of flooding in the Condamine electorate [2044]. I see that Minister McVeigh is sitting in the House today. The names of those people are Robert and Jodie. I do not have their last names at the moment. I certainly would like the minister to have a serious look at independent declarations so that people like these can be eligible for the $25,000 grant and can get assistance. This government must certainly look after our SES. This government must certainly look after our police and emergency services. We do not want to see any more stripping of these government departments which are so dearly needed in times of catastrophes like that which we have just experienced. We live in a state of floods, rains and drought. We certainly need to look after our people. It is a duty of care of any government. Hon. MF McARDLE (Caloundra—LNP) (Minister for Energy and Water Supply) (5.43 pm): I rise to speak in support of the motion before the House. On behalf of the people of the seat of Caloundra, I pass on their condolences to the families and the loved ones of the six Queenslanders who passed away during the recent floods and to all Queenslanders who suffered because of the floods their sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery and a determination to assist all those in need as best they can. The Sunshine Coast was by no means as impacted as other parts of Queensland during the recent floods. Indeed, the Sunshine Coast can count itself very lucky that in the 2011 floods and now the 2013 floods the damage was, by contrast, minimal. The coast, however, did suffer large volumes of rain, a degree of flooding and of course power outages. The people of Caloundra and indeed the coast have always banded together in times of need and they will do so again but, in this case, to benefit those across Queensland who suffered more severely and deeply than they. I want in particular tonight to put on record my sincere thanks and congratulations to the men and women of Energex and Ergon for the great work that they did right across the state in reconnecting hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses to a power supply that made their lives that much more bearable. They supplied my office with updates on a regular basis as to the number of outages and new connections. To those in : congratulations for the work they did during the recent event. They also supplied my office with regular updates and we met on a regular basis so I understood exactly what was taking place with regard to Wivenhoe Dam, and Somerset Dam. To SunWater employees and management: my sincere congratulations for the work they did and for keeping my office informed of what was happening with their dams and other infrastructure and the impact they were having on towns and local areas across Queensland. To CS Energy and Stanwell: congratulations on keeping me and my staff informed of situations as they arose with regard to power supplies throughout the state. Without those men and women my department would have been in the dark. Without the effort and determination of those men and women the outcomes for this state would have been a lot worse. I also want to turn to my department and to Ken Sedgwick, the Acting DG at the time, and John Black, the DG when he returned from bereavement leave, for the work they and their men and women in the department put in to providing me and the Premier with updates on a regular basis as to the situation regarding my portfolio and the critical issues surrounding energy and water. In my office Mr Anthony Jones, the acting chief of staff at the time, was on call 24/7 and liaised constantly with the department and Energex, Ergon and others to advise me and the Premier of our position. The amalgamation of the bulk water entities that came into effect on 1 January 2013 proved very effective. The amalgamation of those entities allowed the department, my office and me to take the action we needed to effectively deal as best we could with what was to come. Throughout Queensland there are many men and women, police, ambos, firies, SES volunteers and the military who together provided solace, support and comfort in times of dire need, and when the consequences could have been much worse they provided a bridge to safety. Without men and women of that ilk this state would have been in a much more perilous position. Without men and women of that ilk we would not be sitting here today with the damage as bad as it is being as little as it is. Without those men and women I can assure people that the bill that this state faces would have been much higher. Without those men and women the spirit of Queensland would have been less. I conclude by thanking Mayor Mark Jamieson of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council for the great work he did. Mark became mayor in April 2012. Though the loss and damage on the Sunshine Coast was minimal compared with the balance of the state, his leadership and determination to achieve a positive outcome cannot be disputed.

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People tend to talk about Mother Nature in glowing terms. When we compare 2011 and 2013 Mother Nature has no conscience. Mother Nature can swiftly and mercilessly react to a situation that devastates lives and devastates areas. This government is committed to ensuring we continue to put in place infrastructure and what is required to ensure that what occurred in 2013 is minimised in the future. Again, I pass on my condolences to those family members who lost loved ones and equally commit this government to ensuring for those who suffered its full and total support in the days to come. Mrs FRANCE (Pumicestone—LNP) (5.49 pm): I rise to support the condolence motion moved by the Premier. I stand tonight to convey my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the six people who lost their lives as ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald cut a path from the gulf, through Queensland and into New South Wales. I would also like to acknowledge the people who have suffered damage to their homes, their property, their businesses and their communities and the anguish that this has caused them. While there has been a lot of sadness and suffering as a result of the widespread natural disaster, there has been an amazing contribution made by the SES workers, the police, rural firefighters, QAS, Australian Defence Force, councils and community groups in protecting our communities and helping to minimise the damage and loss of life as a result of this disaster. My electorate of Pumicestone was thankfully spared the scale of devastation that towns like Bundaberg suffered but instead it was subjected to amazing winds, coastal and trees being uprooted and tossed about which resulted in mass power outages for up to four days. The riverside community of Caboolture dodged a bullet this year, with the Caboolture River breaking its banks but thankfully not flooding houses. The anticipation of a replay of the 2011 floods meant that waterfront residents scrambled to get their belongings to higher ground, businesses boarded up windows and those in low-lying areas sandbagged their homes. I commend the residents of Pumicestone for being so well prepared for this natural disaster and thank the amazing SES personnel in Caboolture and Bribie who gave their time and energy to look after our community. I would like to make special mention of the Bribie SES team who, when faced with four politicians at the depot door offering assistance, were bold enough to give us all a shovel and a raincoat and send us out into the deluge to fill sandbags while they took a well-earned break. I thank Councillor Gary Parsons; the federal member for Longman, Wyatt Roy; and my parliamentary colleague the member for Morayfield, Darren Grimwade, for making sandbagging in the rain so much fun. To the other volunteers who came down to support the SES and help with filling sandbags, cooking, making cups of tea and wrapping dry towels around us: I thank you enormously. I would like to make special mention of the exceptional lengths the team at our local radio station 101.5FM went to to ensure that our community were kept up to date with road closures, weather updates and community recovery initiatives. They provided the only source of information for many who lost power and phone reception and were a great asset to our community in a time of need. Thank you also to the 101.5FM team for helping our government to get the message out to the community about the financial assistance available to those impacted by this natural disaster. Minister Tracy Davis, Minister Jack Dempsey and Minister Mark McArdle and their teams did an exceptional job during the natural disaster and I thank them all for providing such timely and concise communication. We have received wonderful feedback from community members thanking the government for sending community recovery teams out to deal directly with affected residents instead of directing them to websites or to fill in a multitude of forms. This approach was greatly appreciated and helped people through these stressful times. The clean-up teams from Regional Council were impressive with the speed in which they cleaned up enormous amounts of vegetation and returned roads and car parks to being useable again. I was one of many people who stood at the Boyd Street car park at Woorim watching our beach erode before our eyes and seeing the sad sight of the revegetation works washed away. The main issue of concern for our area was power being lost for up to four days in some areas such as Caboolture, Toorbul, South Bongaree, Woorim and Whitepatch. Energex crews worked tirelessly to fix problems and return power as soon as possible, and I thank the numerous teams that worked in our area and for giving everyone the time of day when they came to ask, ‘How much longer is my power going to be out?’ I am very proud of the community in which I live and I was not surprised to see that when the bad weather passed and the clean-up was done it did not take long before everyone’s thoughts turned to areas such as Bundaberg and what we could do to help them. Our office quickly became a drop-off point for donations, while our wonderful volunteers Sandy and Mac struggled to keep up with the generous donations and my office staff Vicki and Belinda quickly ran out of storage room for all of the goods. We were thrilled when Scott Meredith from Limited Access Earthworks at Morayfield came to the rescue and offered to coordinate the transport of our donations up to Bundaberg. He has been assisted by the wonderful members of Rene’s Ryders who have been working tirelessly to sort the donations and make personal care packs for people affected.

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The volume of donations ballooned, and we were very fortunate to have the following businesses and individuals come on board with Scott Meredith and our office to help get the goods north to Bundaberg: Jack from Bellara Removals for providing a truck and labour; Garry and Damien Poole from Caboolture Commercial for providing us with a storage unit and $1,000 cash for fuel; VIP Transport for providing an extra semi to move the goods north; the Beachmere community for sending a truck load of goods up to Bundaberg; Caboolture Rotary for taking up a collection at the local shopping centres; and the Bribie Quilters Club for their lovely handmade gifts for the people of Bundaberg. I thank everyone who worked within our community to minimise the impacts of this natural disaster and those who gave so generously to the Premier’s flood appeal and our collection of donated goods. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the areas that have been devastated and we wish you a speedy recovery. I commend this motion to the House. Hon. SL DICKSON (Buderim—LNP) (Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing) (5.56 pm): The devastating effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald which hit with such force in late January 2013 will be felt for many months to come across our state. The tragic loss of lives will never be forgotten, and my heart goes out to those families and local communities who are now attempting to come to terms with that loss. As well as catastrophic damage to people’s homes and businesses, Queensland’s vital community infrastructure including sporting, recreation and racing clubs and our beautiful national park land were terribly affected. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald affected more than 230 sport and recreation clubs throughout the state, mostly in southern and central Queensland. Damage reported by clubs includes inundation of sporting fields, bowling greens and swimming pools; fallen trees; and damage to electricals, surfaces, infrastructure, equipment and grandstands. This event will have long-term effects for our clubs which are so vital to communities, and I am determined to do everything in my power to assist them get them back up and running. That is why flood damaged Queensland sporting clubs can now access $1 million in funds to help them get back on their feet. This funding will be vital in assisting damaged sporting and community clubs throughout the state to rebuild. Queensland’s grassroots sporting and recreation clubs are the backbone of local communities, and the Newman government will ensure that they can get back to business as soon as possible. I will be working with clubs all over Queensland in the coming weeks to ensure that our department is doing everything in its power to assist them. Clubs will be eligible for grants of up to $25,000 under the Sport and Recreation Disaster Recovery Program to replace much needed equipment and repair clubhouses and grounds. This money, although vital, is just the first step in getting kids back out onto the paddock as soon as humanly possible. We know it will take tens of millions of dollars for repairs to clubs across the state, and we will be working to assist each and every Queensland community to rebuild. It is going to be a tough road to recovery, but with their local communities standing behind these clubs they will be able to return to normal activity as soon as possible. Thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing clubs along Queensland’s east coast and inland were hit by intense rainfall and gale force winds during this extreme weather event. I am working closely with Racing Queensland to assist the racing industry to recover from the impacts of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald and proceed with scheduled race meetings as soon as possible when those tracks are safe to use. The known effects of this weather event include damage to grandstands, barriers and racing surfaces, and inundation of facilities. Due to the hard work of staff and volunteers, many courses were able to start operating again by 2 February. However, race clubs including Rockhampton and Warwick, have been severely impacted by this weather event. Racing Queensland is working with these clubs to reschedule or postpone meetings to minimise the impact on racing stakeholders in the affected regions. More than 250 national parks and other protected areas were impacted by the gale force winds and intense rainfall that coincided with very high tides. Less than a week after the weather system passed, rangers from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service had managed to fully reopen 47 protected areas and partly reopen another 64. The and Cooloola sections of the Great Sandy National Park reopened within a few days after ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald had passed. Reopening these areas was made a priority to ensure minimal disruption to our tourism industry partners. In the Gold Coast hinterland, rangers worked alongside O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat and Conference Centre staff to clear the access road to the resort. Managing director Shane O’Reilly contacted my department to commend the work of rangers. His email stated— I attempted to drive up mid-morning Tuesday expecting to find the Council clearing the road with their heavy machinery.

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Instead I found these three Rangers with two other of my staff with just two chainsaws and a crowbar. While I did manage to get more help from my staff later in the afternoon as well as the conference delegates who joined us about 3pm, it was those three guys who did the majority of the work.

If this is the ‘Can-do’ attitude and on-the-ground delivery by park Rangers then our future is indeed exciting and bright. They obviously deserve a pat on the back at the very least. I too, join Mr O’Reilly in his thanks for these rangers, who embody so much of the Queensland spirit that we have seen come to the fore in the past few weeks. As at 11 February 2013, 121 protected areas were still closed for further clean-up work. QPWS rangers have been working hard to restore access and reopen as many parks as possible and works will continue until all parks are safe and accessible for visitors. Many have also been helping clean up their local communities. I recently toured some of the flood affected regions across Queensland and witnessed firsthand the devastation. In my home area on the Sunshine Coast Maroochydore Eagles Basketball Club was hit by a tornado, Maroochydore Cricket Club was also affected as was the Buderim Croquet Club. However, we had minimal impact compared with other areas of Queensland. I also visited Gympie in the middle of last week. To see the impact in those areas was absolutely devastating—the Gympie AFL grounds, the junior rugby league grounds, the football club at Gympie, Gympie netball, Gympie touch football, the Gympie Muster site and the Cooran Rugby League Club. We had a meeting with the media. We were going through all the issues relating to what had happened. We had 50 people standing in this particular area. Had we been there at the time of the flood we all would have drowned. It gives you some understanding of how devastating the impact on those towns is and it is great to see the camaraderie of those people who came together to clean up those clubs. Gympie is used to being flooded, but they were still caught short. They expected it to peak at roughly 17 metres but it nearly reached 21. They could not get back to the clubs to move the gear out quick enough. A lot of the impacts have been to the electricity supply in those areas. I commend those people so much. I visited Bundaberg on Saturday. The impact there was absolutely unbelievable in terms of the destruction that had taken place. I commend Minister Dempsey and also Stephen Bennett, the local member. We went to the Sandy Hook Ski Club. That club is two storeys high and is made of core filled besser blocks. All that was left was the besser blocks; the railings were bent over. What really impacted my thoughts on the day was looking down the river about two kilometres and seeing a freezer sitting in a tree. The devastation is just absolutely incredible. At the Bundaberg Hockey Club the synthetic turf has been ripped up—$700,000 in value. They will not be playing on that again this year. However, they have five other greens that they will be getting back on line and they will be ready to play in a matter of weeks. It is exactly the same situation at Bundaberg netball. They had a bobcat in there scraping up the mud. They waited for it to harden a bit so they could get rid of it. We are talking about thousands of cubic metres of mud in this one area. The kids were there as were the mums and dads—the people who run that club. They were working with toothbrushes cleaning the inside of the club. They had shovels and rakes. Seeing how much hard work these people put into the club makes you realise that in dollar terms we could never compete. The community shows us how to do it. United we stand; divided we fall, and they are united. The work goes on and on. The Bargara Bowls Club was hit by a tornado rather than flooding. The tornado took all the tiles off the roof of the house across the road and it hit it like shrapnel and tore it to pieces. Again, there was millions of dollars of damage in that area. Luckily, they have insurance, which is going to assist. Bundaberg baseball has suffered the same sort of thing. Already we have seen the determination and resilience of these Queenslanders on display—what we are known for—with the clean-up efforts by club members and volunteers now well and truly underway. They breed us tough here in Queensland and we will need every inch of that character and community spirit to get back on track in the weeks to come. I say to everyone who has been touched by this devastating event that your government is behind you 100 per cent. Together we will come through this stronger and even more united. To the people of Queensland I say: the government is 100 per cent behind you in sport and in every other area. The Newman government is working with all Queenslanders. This is a really tough time for Queenslanders. We guarantee one thing: we do not lose; we only win in Queensland and we keep moving forward. Mr MALONE (Mirani—LNP) (6.04 pm): I rise to support the Premier’s motion of condolence in this House in respect of the rain depression from ex-Cyclone Oswald that moved down the coast and dropped huge amounts of rain from the central coast down to New South Wales. In my electorate more than a metre of rain fell across the southern side of Rockhampton towards Gladstone. I would also like to pay my respects to the relatives and friends of the people who died in the floods and, importantly, to those people who have lost their homes and possessions and to the farmers throughout the southern part of Queensland who have lost crops, livestock and their potential to earn an income this year. That pulls at the heart strings of many of us in this House who know the difficulties of putting a crop back, establishing irrigation supplies et cetera.

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Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald was quite unusual. Most of the cyclones that come from the gulf, cross the peninsula and head out into the Pacific Ocean usually slide off down to the south-east never to be seen again, as this one was originally going to do. Unfortunately, in this case there was a high in New Zealand which forced the depression back onto the coast and actually stopped it over Bundaberg and surrounds. It was a bit of a freak of nature. Obviously nobody can predict exactly what is going to happen when nature pulls those sorts of stunts. The reality is that with all the planning there is no possibility of ever planning for such an event. However, I take my hat off to the local disaster management groups. They operated really well under the direction of the officer in charge of the area and with the support of local government. That process is working very well in Bundaberg, Rockhampton and other areas throughout the state. It is amazing how people come to the fore and the work of the volunteers along with the paid staff such as the police, firies et cetera can make it all happen. It also brings to the fore the fact that an area that is very liveable, has power, iPhone reception, plenty of water, green grass and trees that are standing up can change to Third World conditions where the communications go, the power drops out, there is no water because power is required to pump water, there is no access out because the road is washed out and even if it were not the trees would block access. It can turn into Third World conditions very quickly. My heart goes out to those people who, in a lot of cases, were without power for up to a week and others who are possibly still out even now. I also recognise the fact that Ergon and Energex did a great job of getting power back on very quickly under very difficult circumstances. Obviously there were conditions that people may have believed would never occur such as some dams having up to eight metres of water flowing over their spillways. Nobody was absolutely sure that those dams would not give way. This was the case for Awoonga Dam west of Gladstone and other dams. I speak also of Mount Morgan which received its average yearly rainfall basically overnight. Without saying too much about Mount Morgan, most members would realise that there is a disbanded mine that has some issues relating to a toxic chemical. We were very lucky that it held together. There was some spillage of reasonably clean water out of the mine site. Overall, I think we can hold our head up high because everything held and it has not been impacted by that amount of rain, which is brilliant. The Capricorn Highway was cut. There was a major wash-out on both sides of the Neerkol Bridge at Stanwell after a huge amount of rain. We were very fortunate that the minister, Mr Emerson, came to Neerkol to view the approaches to the bridge washed out on both sides—quite large wash-outs. I spoke to Campbell Newman about trying to get that opened as quickly as possible because that is the only reliable link to Western Queensland and into the mining areas. Within about three days there was a bypass placed around that bridge and within a week and a half with the great work of RoadTek and the foreman in charge, Andy, they were able to put the approaches back in place in order to make the bridge passable. That was an absolutely amazing piece of engineering and work, and I take my hat off to them. Terry Hill rang me every day pretty much to keep me up to speed. Terry Hill is the manager of Main Roads in Rockhampton. I take my hat off to those guys. They did a wonderful job of opening up the Capricorn Highway, which is a most important link to the mining areas. The northern part of my electorate around Mackay down to just north of Rockhampton was fine. We certainly got plenty of rain, but there was no potential for any major disruptions. That was not the case around Rockhampton. Earlier I heard the member for Rockhampton talking about Depot Hill, which is actually in my electorate. Pretty much every year my mates down there at Depot Hill get flooded out, but they hold their heads high. I am sure that if there was a year it did not get flooded they would be a bit disappointed! There was some very unexpected and massive rainfall at Stanwell and the areas around Wycarbah and of course down through Bajool. Given the amount of water that went through Stanwell, there was huge erosion under houses and it really was quite unexpected because it is not normal for that area to flood, or Bajool for that matter. Roy Hadley, who is a mineworker at Stanwell, was on to me fairly quickly and I was able to help him out with some issues. I want to mention Andy Schonelle, the first officer in charge of the Stanwell Rural Fire Brigade, who did a sterling job with his mates washing the houses out and sorting people out at Stanwell. Wearing the badge of Volunteers Queensland and as the Assistant Minister for Emergency Volunteers in Queensland, I am very proud to be able to stand in this House and talk about volunteers. Quite unusually we now have the surf lifesavers coming in and helping out. They did a magnificent job of supporting people right across Queensland. A number of lifesavers who worked at first-aid stations looking after people even used their equipment to save people in flooded waters. That was quite amazing. Their expertise and their professionalism as volunteers makes you proud to know those people. I want to mention the work being done by the rural fire brigades. They are all volunteers. They have come from all over Queensland with their yellow trucks washing houses out and doing whatever they can such as erecting demountable tents et cetera and those sorts of things to help people out and just being around to support people on the ground. They have travelled from as far away as north of Townsville to the

12 Feb 2013 Motion 79 south-west, and my hat goes off to those guys in their little yellow trucks. The work that they do and the volunteerism that they show in supporting their local communities is just amazing. Of course, the most important of all of them are the guys in the orange outfits—the SES groups right throughout Queensland. The number of people who have come down from North Queensland to support the SES groups throughout this part of Queensland was just amazing. Our volunteers in Queensland are a resource that we cannot do without. We should all take our hats off and be so proud of those people who put their lives on the line sometimes to help their fellow Queenslanders out. It is just amazing and I can never thank them enough for the work that they do. This time it was heartening with the flooding that the police were able to keep the Bruce Highway open with controlled traffic through the Yeppen roundabout at Rockhampton. There was certainly water over it—and quite deep water—but the police kept it open so that traffic could get through. Most importantly, this allowed the restocking trucks to get through to fill up the shelves in the supermarkets to the area north of Rockhampton. As members well know, the Bruce Highway is a lifeline and without that lifeline people in North Queensland run short of food very quickly. Unfortunately, most of our stores do not carry a big stock of food anymore and within a couple of days the shelves start to become empty pretty quickly. I want to mention Superintendent Rowan Bond of Bundaberg who did such a wonderful job along with the mayor. I visited Bundaberg twice—once with Campbell Newman and then again with Police Commissioner Ian Stewart. The work that Rowan did under those circumstances was magnificent. The support of all of the police in that area and the work that they did was just absolutely magnificent as well. I also want to very much thank Michael Keating, the officer in charge, from Rockhampton and his police force for the great work they did. Just keeping the Yeppen crossing open was great, as was sending police out to Jambin and other areas to take over when they were not able to get there by car but had to be flown out. We all should take our hats off to the work done by the Army—the young guys who turned up and did all of the hard yards and showed enthusiasm for doing it and put some morale back into many people who were feeling pretty down at the time. I should also mention the Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service. It was obviously one of many helicopters flying in the Central Queensland area and down into Bundaberg. I think just about all members would have seen the magnificent intuition that they used in saving that little three-year-old boy by putting him in a flight bag and lifting him up into the helicopter. But that was not all that happened that day. They actually pulled eight people out of vehicles on the Capricorn Highway at Wycarbah and conducted many other rescues during those two days. As I said, there were a lot of helicopters in the air, but I take my hat off to those guys. They do a wonderful job. They are flying a Sikorsky helicopter that is not one of the most modern ones, but it certainly does the job very well and they are well trained. They know how to use that aircraft and they just do a wonderful job. I want to thank all of those who have been involved. The big job is going to be the reconstruction of those areas. Obviously there are many people who have lost their homes. There are many people who have lost their means of earning an income. There are people who have lost a lot of personal possessions, and that sometimes is the hardest thing of all—their photos, their legal documents et cetera. That is a very difficult issue to overcome. It is one of those things that can sometimes be very much life changing. We need to do whatever we can as a government, and I take the lead from the Premier of the day that we need to build it back better than it was before. We need to make some very strong decisions in terms of how we do that. Many of our rivers that run out to the coast are fast-flowing rivers. Unfortunately over the last few years, because of strict interpretations of environmental laws, we are not able to take the sand out of the rivers, and guess what? Suddenly the rivers are getting shallower. The amount of silt in the rivers is causing the amount of water that a river can handle to lesson over the years, and guess what happens when you get a flood? The river breaks its banks. We really do need to have a look at whether we should be dredging some of our creeks to allow the excess water to get away from our cities without breaking the banks and taking out half a city. I really would like to stress that it is important for this parliament to recognise the hard work and the great dedication of the volunteers who supported a huge number of people throughout South-East Queensland—we should take off our hats to them—and also the paid staff of QFRS, the police and the Army for their great work. With those few words, I support the Premier’s motion before the House. Mr KATTER (Mount Isa—KAP) (6.19 pm): I rise to speak in support of the motion before the House. On behalf of my parliamentary colleagues and my electorate of Mount Isa, I offer my sympathies, prayers and best wishes to those who were affected by the floods along the Queensland coast and into northern New South Wales caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. I do not profess to be overly familiar with the areas that were affected. I have listened with great interest to the many stories and anecdotes from the members today. I think it is very important to listen to them and I share their concerns and sympathies.

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I also shower praise on those professionals and volunteers who provided assistance, often with great courage, so readily during the worst moments of this disaster. It is a pertinent time to reflect on how critical it is to have emergency services in place and properly resourced to assist people in times of need. It would be difficult to imagine how much worse it may have been if these personnel were not there in those numbers. In the context of forward planning, this disaster serves as a stark reminder as to why we need these services to be resourced adequately. I agree with many of the comments made today about the forward planning of rebuilding in affected areas. As I said earlier, I am not well educated in the geography of many of these areas, but I take this opportunity to reflect on the planning in my own region and note that there are some areas that you should think very long and hard about before building on them. I imagine that some very hard questions would have to be asked in relation to the rebuilding in some of these affected areas—not just housing but a lot of the infrastructure that was mentioned earlier by the Premier—and whether such places lend themselves to development. I, too, agree that much of the infrastructure rebuild may take a different form to align with the best long-term outcomes. I say that acknowledging that this rebuilt may burden the taxpayers with a greater cost. I have listened with great interest to the many stories today of the farmers who have been crippled by this natural disaster. I am well aware of the financial hardship they were already facing prior to the event. I acknowledge that the damage caused to them is not just acute but also leaves a huge economic legacy that will ripple through the towns and the eventually through the fabric of their communities. As farms are rebuilt and infrastructure is replaced and producers count the cost of lost crops, the general spend in local shops will undoubtedly diminish for some time. It behoves us all to be aware of the financial hardships that people will face as they rebuild. I hope that in some way this government will provide enough of a leg-up for them to persevere. These floods were far removed from the boundaries of my electorate, but I carry the responsibility of letting those affected know that the people of Western Queensland are fully behind them. In my electorate, despite being some 1,700 kilometres away from Bundaberg, the Queensland spirit was strong and people rallied enthusiastically to help their fellow man. The citizens of Mount Isa and Cloncurry rallied to raise what they hope will be more than $12,000 to go towards the Queensland Floods Appeal under their main community fundraising initiative outside of corporate sponsorship. Last Saturday, a band of 20 people, led by local journalist Roz Fisher, spent hours in the hot sun carrying collection cans through the trial rugby league match between the Broncos and the Cowboys in Mount Isa. Then on Sunday at 6 am they began to load and unload thousands of books that had been collecting in my office for a week for what Roz called the Books for Bundy Appeal. The books were donated by the community and the sale and the collection cans raised nearly $7,000. This week the Books for Bundy initiative moves to Cloncurry, about an hour south of Mount Isa, where the Cloncurry Shire Council has been strong in its support offering a venue, a barbecue and other entertainment to support the sale. What remains of the books and household items will be auctioned at a garage sale at the Fisher residence in the next few weeks, with all money raised donated to the appeal. The money that has been raised may not seem large in the grand scheme of things—and I think we would all acknowledge that—but I think it portrays a nice picture to the flood victims that they are not forgotten, even by the people in the outback. It is a small gesture, but I think it comes from the heart and lets them know that we care. I have no doubt there will be more donations to come. I commend the government for its speedy distribution of the emergency funding of $2,000 per adult and $1,000 per child for people whose home is uninhabitable. I would also like to take this opportunity to bring to the attention of the House another tragic natural disaster that occurred in my electorate just prior to the floods. During October through to December, bushfires in the Gulf of Carpentaria ripped through over one million hectares, which equates to 27 per cent of the Etheridge shire alone. The lost 17,000 square kilometres, the Carpentaria shire lost 12,000 square kilometres and Etheridge shire lost 9,000 square kilometres. Many people who I spoke to personally told me that they had never experienced before in their lives such intensity as these fires. I walked along part of the Gilbert River where the fire jumped across a stretch of the river over 100 metres wide. The heat and intensity of that fire and how quickly it moved just beggars belief. Approximately 114 properties were affected by the bushfires, 11 of which were burnt by over 90 per cent. I would say that the conservative value of those 11 properties would have been $4 million to $5 million. The damage included the large scale destruction of fencing, water improvements, some buildings, fodder losses and stock losses in the hundreds. The loss of improvements and fodder will leave a lasting legacy, as many of these enterprises were already facing significant financial hardship owing to commodity prices and other industry conditions, and they will have great difficulty in catching up over the next three to five years. It is worth noting that many of these places have still not had follow-up rain in order to once again graze stock. Those farmers are still buying fodder, which is a high cost to them.

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At this point I must raise the disgusting opportunism of the PETA organisation during this period, which made national media in some absurd twist of reality criticising many of the affected graziers for the distress and fatalities of their livestock. I saw personally the anguish and distress and subsequent care shown by many of these people at the condition of their stock. Property owners with thousands of head of cattle were personally handling individual cows in their house yard while at the same time working around the clock on fodder drops and firefighting, often falling asleep at the wheel of their vehicle at two o’clock in the morning, such was their concern for their animals. All they got from these people was unfounded criticism. I do not in any way wish to compare the devastation of the gulf fires with the immense flooding disaster, but I feel obligated to make the House aware of this event and the hardship that it caused in Queensland during the summer. I very much appreciated the visit by Minister McVeigh, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, to inspect the damage caused by these fires and ask him to remember the devastation that he observed in the rebuilding process. I consider it important to listen to many of the stories that have been told today and share some stories from my own electorate. As I said, there is strong evidence in my electorate that people west of the Great Dividing Range are still full of compassion and care for their fellow Queenslanders for their losses during the floods. I wish all the victims well in their recovery and hope that the decisions to rebuild are made with a long-term agenda to best mitigate damage of this magnitude in the future. Mr CHOAT (Ipswich West—LNP) (6.28 pm): I rise to make a contribution to the debate on the condolence motion. As most in this place know, in terms of flows from the Brisbane River catchment and releases from Wivenhoe Dam, my electorate could be described as ground zero. Added to this my electorate has as its western and southern boundaries Lockyer Creek and the Bremer River. The potential for flooding during severe weather events such as former Tropical Cyclone Oswald is something that the people of my electorate know all too well. In January 2011 there was not a district in my electorate that was left unscathed by the floods. I remember being told by locals before Christmas 2010 that the water levels in Wivenhoe Dam were too high and that, should an extreme rain event occur, the dam’s mitigation capacity would be compromised. I think history illustrates what followed in January 2011. As I said in my maiden speech in this place last year, my electorate is blessed with water that brings life, prosperity and much potential. The past two years have seen the people of the Ipswich West electorate come to terms with the 2011 floods, work hard to rebuild and also heal the psychological wounds that cut so deeply. For the vast majority, 2013 was going to be the year for putting those things to rest and for taking hold of the potential our great part of Queensland presents. For the most part of 2012, we had had a rather dry summer, with many telling me how good rain was so badly needed. The Australia Day weekend and the rain predicted had many locals feeling relieved, with a positive sense for what 2013 was to deliver. It was not until the weekend drew near that the potential for a repeat of January 2011 became apparent. Some of the people I spoke with on the Thursday and through the weekend included Mr Tom Wilkinson, Mr John Craigie and Mr Darren Zanow of the Mid Brisbane River Irrigators. These gentlemen have a great deal of knowledge about the Brisbane River, Wivenhoe Dam, the catchment and its inflows. The effort and hard work by these gentlemen and others from the Ipswich West electorate played a crucial role in the 2011-12 Floods Commission of Inquiry in bringing critical evidence forward and providing an insight into the operations of Wivenhoe Dam in January 2011. I learned of releases from Wivenhoe Dam on Friday and the strategy I was able to relay to these gentlemen was met with optimism and relief, as indeed it has been across the entire community since. Sitting suspended from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. Mr CHOAT: Unfortunately floodwaters passing through the Bremer River and the Lockyer Creek could not be mitigated and I know this caused devastation that could have been worse had the levels of the Brisbane River not been so well managed. Damage in the Ipswich region has been serious. However, less than 30 private properties were flooded and less than 10 destroyed. In Ipswich West there were areas in the Brassall and One Mile districts, as well as in the Bremer Valley, that suffered flooding again and our sympathy goes out to them. I want to recognise the members of the Brassall community for their hard work in preparing Brassall State School for the possibility of yet another flood. Over 50 volunteers and many staff who could get through moved the contents of the library and classrooms to higher ground. In 2011 Brassall was perhaps one of the hardest hit schools in Queensland. I am pleased that the school was spared flooding, with water only covering the oval where unfortunately the sewer junction burst creating a filthy mess which I am pleased to say QUU was quick to clean up. I hope to see the children playing on the oval again when I return to the electorate. Thanks to the Minister for Education, Training and Employment for visiting the school on 29 January. I would like to wish principal Greg Brand and his team the very best for a great 2013 and also congratulate them for reaching over 800 enrolments this year, which is a great achievement. They deserve every success.

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I was relieved that flooding in the Karalee and Moores Pocket district, so badly affected in 2011, was minimal and those residents were spared this time round. I spent much of the Australia Day weekend visiting residents to provide information about projected flood levels and peaks and was so impressed by the determination of locals not to be overcome this time. I commend the Ipswich and Somerset councils under the leadership of Mayor Paul Pisasale in Ipswich and Mayor Graeme Lehman in Somerset for working so hard to share information to help people both in the lead-up to and since the 28 January peaks. Obviously their efforts to repair damaged infrastructure are a standout. I know that many millions of dollars are required for repairs and that will hit budgets quite hard. Along the Lockyer Creek and the Bremer River there was devastation, but the worst damage in the electorate was in the Somerset districts of Brightview, Prenzlau and Tarampa. After roads were cleared I took a drive through the worst affected areas with Somerset Mayor Graeme Lehman and was shocked by what the receding waters had left behind. Farms hit hard in 2011 were hit again, only this time it was much worse. The Lockyer Creek not only washed away crops, livestock and equipment, but it left behind mud the likes of which I have never before seen. I have spent quite a bit of time on local farms surveying the damage. There are some great people in Somerset and I want to describe the lot of just one family in the area. Mr Maurice Sippel and his partner Pamela live and farm along the Lockyer Creek at Brightview. Maurice is the third generation to work the farm and is very highly regarded for his skill and knowledge as a farmer. In 2011 the farm was flooded, as was the family home. The damage to equipment was severe and the bottom level of the home had to be rebuilt. Being the type of bloke that he is, Maurice got on with restoring the farm, rebuilding his home and replacing his equipment. The Sippel family learned from 2011 and created areas where they could store machinery and possessions out of harm’s way—this proved successful this time. Sadly though crops were completely destroyed and much of the Sippel farm, along with their neighbours’, was buried in up to 20 inches of mud, including sheds, yards and the family home. I was impressed by what Maurice, Pamela and Maurice’s sons, Adam and Tristan, together with neighbours, achieved in preparing for the flood and in cleaning up, but I felt overwhelmed when I saw the extent of the work that was ahead of them as I rode with Maurice on his tractor. Maurice will have a huge bill for the clean-up but will have no income until at least July this year. I know the Sippels and their neighbours, Gordon and Roslyn Hayes, and others will recover—they have to and I want to make sure they do. You see, this LNP government wants to double Queensland’s agricultural output and that starts at every farm gate and definitely at those in Somerset. I want to thank my neighbouring members for Nanango, Lockyer and Ipswich. I have seen them out helping their people and surveying the damage. Their contact and support has been terrific and I know they will see to it that their people are looked after, whatever it takes. I have been so impressed by the Premier and his team, including the most excellent member for Mundingburra, who will ensure we prevail and that Queenslanders have a resilient future. There are some challenges ahead for sure, but I am hopeful of seeing some flood-proofing of significant public infrastructure. Just one example is the bridge at Colleges Crossing at Chuwar. Something must be done to raise the level of this bridge as part of a wider strategy to better manage the levels of Wivenhoe and to protect the Brisbane River and adjacent communities. A new bridge at Colleges just a few metres higher is what the local community needs to give it confidence and security for this critical transport corridor. I will work with my colleague the member for Moggill to develop a strategy for an improved crossing. There is no doubt in my mind that private levees along the Lockyer had an impact, worsening the flood for many properties and we must also look at regulating this practice in some way. I would like to draw to the attention of the House the words of the member for Lockyer earlier today because he was absolutely spot on. In closing I pay tribute to all of the volunteers and professional people who once again pitched in to help our communities that were affected by the January floods. The SES, emergency services and council personnel have done so much to get things moving very quickly. To the people of Queensland: you were so generous in 2011 with your gifts and your actions and I know that together with our government we will give our communities the confidence to rebuild their lives. Just as a footnote, my office is now a drop-off point for Shoe Boxes of Love, which is a charity that provides items such as toiletries to victims of disasters. They are things that people do not necessarily think of, but it can be very important for people to have a normal existence, if I can put it that way. On 23 February I will be hosting a fundraising barbecue in the town of Fernvale. The proceeds of that day will go into the Premier’s Red Cross flood appeal. We are hoping the local community in the Somerset will get behind us. There are a number of people who have said they would love to come along and cook a few snags. We are hoping that it will be a great day and will provide an opportunity for those people in Fernvale, who were hit so badly in 2011, to do their bit and support those in areas like Bundaberg but also their neighbours in Brightview. Mr KNUTH (Dalrymple—KAP) (7.37 pm): Almost two years ago we sat in this place shocked after a summer of destruction and tragedy as Queensland faced the monumental task of rebuilding a state devastated by cyclones and floods. It is with sadness that we stand again offering comfort to families torn

12 Feb 2013 Motion 83 by the loss of loved ones and those who have lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods. Our condolence goes to all their families. Communities that were smashed in the path of Cyclone Yasi in , that had not even rebuilt infrastructure, watched again as fires raged across hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Likewise, communities in Central and Southern Queensland, who are still recovering after floods rampaged through their towns destroying homes and robbing families of their loved ones, watched again in horror as rivers rose and floodwaters again stole their life and possessions. As a nation Australians, and I believe particularly Queenslanders, are never too tired to lend a hand, never too busy to reach out to those in need. Resilience is in our national character and strength in adversity is our state’s creed. As communities turn to the task of recovering and families turn to the task of rebuilding their battered lives, we as their representatives must ensure that the rebuilding task is not dominated by lack but guided by need. Our shared experience of fires, floods and all forms of hardship have produced the best in us and the trials that have faced Queensland over the past few years should become the motivation for us to forge a new path for the future. It is unacceptable that the north should find itself isolated, that supermarket shelves in Atherton and Cairns are emptied of necessary supplies and that industries across one-third of the state should grind to a halt every time the major highway connecting the north and south is cut off by floodwaters. It is vitally important that an inland highway is developed to become the second freight artery to the north, to minimise the economic impact of our extreme weather, to provide a reliable alternative route and to reduce the traffic burden on the Bruce Highway. I recall that, when Yasi hit, the Bruce Highway was cut and remained cut for almost two weeks. In the north, some supermarkets had a lot of trouble getting in supplies as the roads were cut off. That is an example that we need to look to when issues such as this arise. The area that Yasi impacted stretched from Townsville to Cairns and my electorate is the inland part of that area. Many parts of my electorate were hit with category 3 and sometimes category 4 forces. When the communities were cut off, they realised that there was an inland highway west of Townsville, going up the Hervey Range to the Lynd Highway, where the roads connect and head up to Mount Garnet. Once they realised that, there was a convoy of vehicles and supply got through. We have to look at what has happened here. We are going to see catastrophe after catastrophe, because in the north I have seen many cyclones buzz past us on different occasions. Therefore, it is important to have that vital link so that, if the Bruce Highway is cut off, we have an alternative inland route. That will breathe life into rural communities, it will provide an inland route and also it will relieve traffic congestion on the Bruce Highway. On the road from Townsville to Mount Garnet, all that is needed is to upgrade the crossings at Stockyard Creek, Snake Creek, Fletcher Creek, Sandy Creek, Basalt River and Clarke River. I see that $150 million has been allocated over five years to upgrade that road from a single lane to a double lane, but I believe that it is possible to build an inland highway right through to Melbourne, providing that alternative access. We appreciate all the efforts of the SES, the firies, the police and also the government. I believe that they did an admirable job and need to be commended, as did previous governments when we were hit with the floods and Yasi. Indeed, Peter Beattie did a great job when hit Innisfail. It is most important that we look after our Public Service and ensure that we have public servants who are on call, available, ready and alert, able to be there as quickly and safely as possible to help support communities that have been devastated. We need to look after our Public Service, not sack our public servants. I commend the motion to the House. Dr DAVIS (Stafford—LNP) (7.43 pm): The youngest death remembered in this condolence motion tragically occurred in the Stafford electorate. Dr Andrew Burke, father of three-year-old Angus, wrote a moving eulogy to his son. I am grateful for the opportunity to draw on that. Angus was the beloved first child of Andrew and Zara, also a doctor. He was the first grandchild for both sets of his grandparents. He was clearly much loved and reciprocated this, always trying to catch the eye of strangers so he could give them a smile. Being a boy, he loved loud machines and building sites. The seemingly endless roadworks on Gympie Road, as tunnels and overpasses were built, a source of announce and inconvenience for the rest of us, were a source of wonder for him. Cranes, cement mixers, bulldozers and jackhammers were music to his little ears. His parents had moved into their Lutwyche home only a few days before Angus was born. He loved living so close to the park and Kedron Brook Creek with its playgrounds, bike paths, ducks, dogs and scrub turkeys. Andrew describes wonderful one-on-one time with Angus, teaching him about the world and talking about shared dreams for the future. Angus developed a love of drawing and colour, and each day would spend hours putting his imagination down on paper. Angus proclaimed that when he was a big man he was going to be a knight and build rockets. His father was delighted with this plan; apparently, the last thing the family needed was another doctor.

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Angus’s intelligence and attendance at St Columba’s Church in Wilston led to questions about God, life and death, and he was assured that the love he received and gave came from God. His parents had recently bought the Les Miserables soundtrack and Angus kept asking, over and over, for the song Castle on a Cloud to be played. On the day before Angus died, he and his brother, Joseph, had been to the creek in their raincoats and had a great time, with Angus being a keen observer of the changes brought about by the weather. This led to another visit to the swollen Kedron Brook that afternoon and, for the final time, on the Monday morning when a tree tragically fell on Angus and his pregnant mother. He did not suffer. His mother remains seriously ill. We in this House all have families. Angus could have been our child or grandchild. Andrew has reminded us of the enormous loss behind every statistic that natural disasters such as the 2013 floods generate. Our condolences and prayers are with Andrew, Zara, Joseph and their family. Loss and adversity are indeed painful, but they provide the opportunity for growth and renewal, to be wiser, to be stronger, more resilient and more spiritual. Our role as the Queensland parliament is to support the people of this wonderful state as they go about rebuilding their lives, their homes, their businesses, their communities. As we have already heard today, much of that has already begun. However, it will be essential to ensure that we invest wisely, that we build quality into every step of the rebuilding process so that, so far as is humanly possible, we do not repeat mistakes. I know we can do it. My family has a farm on Mount Mee. During the 2011 floods, significant sections of the road on the Dayboro side were washed away. That reconstruction withstood the most recent downpour magnificently. I was also greatly impressed and grateful to the Energex crew who recently arrived on the farm at about four o’clock in the morning to remove fallen branches from the power line, having been working around the clock to restore power elsewhere. As others have mentioned in this House today, challenges bring community spirit and cooperation to the fore, vitally assisted by agencies with specific responsibilities, such as the SES, emergency services, police, defence and health services. In the longer term, we are also very reliant on strong foundations that are laid by faith based organisations, sporting clubs and volunteer and charitable organisations, to name but a few. It is those groups that contribute to the social fabric that sustains the practical work and psychological support as communities rebuild. Whilst hands-on work can be very therapeutic, sometimes the task ahead can appear so overwhelming, both physically and financially, that some individuals lapse into depression, with very serious risk of suicide. That statistic can be easily overlooked. Today we have already spoken of the exceptional work done by local government leaders across so many fronts in the latest flood. I specifically wish to compliment Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor, Mr Mal Forman, for his initiative in our discussions regarding the mental wellbeing of farmers in his region. In conjunction with the health minister, I was pleased to put him in touch with Queensland Health and other organisations such as AMA Queensland, to help facilitate a whole-of-community approach to such needs. I see our role as members of parliament to include facilitating those vital networks and encouraging the formal and informal organisations and groups that allow for effective, supportive and resilient communities. My grandfather had a saying that ‘the poor can only afford the best’. This might sound insensitive to those of limited means, but one only need look at the stuff that gets discarded after floods to contemplate that if, for example, solid timber instead of chipboard had been used, it might have just needed a wash down rather than requiring repeated removal and replacement. When one recognises that the cost of labour is often far more than the cost of materials, the fallacy of an apparently low cost initial outlay becomes apparent. If there are not already standards for materials recommended for fixtures, furnishing and appliances for use in flood-prone areas, perhaps there should be. It is not as if the state of Queensland is short of decent timber. Indeed, I often contemplate the magnificent apparently overwooded forests near my farm just waiting to be burnt down and lost in some future wildfire, quite likely involving simultaneous loss of life, property, livestock as well as fauna and flora. Quite clearly, as others have said today, careful and balanced management and use of our natural resources and environment is far more likely to lead to sustainability and resilience than allowing episodic destructive natural events to set the agenda. So in conclusion, I am mindful of young Angus Burke’s imagination, friendliness, perceptiveness, building skills and wish to be a knight for his community, and trust that we can apply those characteristics in our recovery from the recent floods and create an environment better able to cope with future natural challenges. There can be no finer way to pay tribute to the memory of Angus and the other lives tragically lost and at the same time be part of the recovery than to contribute to the Red Cross appeal. I join in encouraging everyone to make a donation according to their ability to do so. Hon. TE DAVIS (Aspley—LNP) (Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services) (7.51 pm): I rise to speak in support of this condolence motion with the same feelings of sadness that are shared by everyone in this House. With Queensland still coming to terms with the devastation, we pay our

12 Feb 2013 Motion 85 deepest respects to those who have lost their lives. I would like to extend my personal heartfelt sympathy to the families as they grieve the loss of their loved ones. My thoughts are with you at this very difficult time. The flooding and storm damage caused by the weather events has been widespread and diverse, affecting large numbers of people throughout Queensland. Sadly, many, many families have been displaced, especially in the Bundaberg and North Burnett regions, with thousands more Queenslanders being affected. Over the past weeks, I have visited many of these areas. I have had some very heartfelt and candid conversations with Queenslanders directly impacted by this extreme weather event—those who have lost their homes, their life-long possessions, their businesses. But what I have also seen is the true grit of Queenslanders showing their resilience, determination and spirit despite what has been thrown at them. Today the Premier spoke about the magnificent work of front-line emergency service workers. Their contribution is deserving of high praise and their efforts in the early stages were crucial and their efforts today are integral in rebuilding communities. My department wasted no time in responding—opening community recovery centres in affected areas where people experiencing immediate personal hardship as a result of the extreme weather events could access grants for assistance. To date around 32,000 applications for assistance have been approved. My departmental officers have been working in collaboration with partners, including the Australian Red Cross, Uniting Care Community, Centrelink, local councils and Queensland Health, to ensure affected residents have the support they need to recover. The community recovery workers have done and continue to do a fantastic job on the ground. I am so proud of their efforts. The ready reserve register, which was activated for the first time, has allowed for people across government to get on the ground early. It is disappointing then that the member for Bundamba has chosen to use this condolence motion for cheap political point scoring about staffing levels at community recovery centres when the truth is they have been appropriately staffed and working to capacity to help support many Queenslanders. Not only have we opened central recovery centres, we have outreach teams activated across all affected local government areas from Rockhampton to Robina, from Goondiwindi to Chinchilla. Our community recovery workers and Lifeline counsellors have been teaming up to visit people in their homes, providing financial and personal support. We will continue to closely monitor residents’ needs for assistance as we extend into the medium and longer term recovery, with a focus on building resilience into the future. As I said earlier, I have met and spoken with many Queenslanders who were impacted by these events. I was inspired by Lorraine and Gary in Winfield for their leadership in bringing that small community together when the floodwaters isolated their community. Lorraine is a pensioner who retired to this lovely little pocket of Queensland and is an active community worker. She is a staunch monarchist and took great pleasure in showing me her jubilee memorabilia. Gary owns a bed and breakfast. His B&B overlooks the river and was only opened 18 months ago, but, sadly, as the waters rose his beautiful home was inundated. But he looks forward to hosting guests in the not too distant future when the damage is repaired and he gets the place up and running again. In Baffle Creek I met the ladies working out of the sport and recreation shed delivering supplies to affected residents. Any leftover supplies were sent on to Bundaberg. But it also served as a meeting place. It was great to see a group of locals sitting around a table, cheering each other up over a cuppa and a game of cards. One of the ladies shared the story of her 17-year-old son who took it upon himself to relocate a neighbour’s farm machinery to higher ground when the waters started to rise and he thought it would be destroyed. The young man was close to being cut off for his efforts but managed to get out after a few hours. He told his mother on his arrival at their property that he had never been so pleased to get home. In Laidley I met the wonderful staff of the Laidley Community Centre. The manager, Jeanette, spoke about the stoicism of the local people and about her concern of the emotional impacts that this event might have on residents who had also been affected in 2010-11. In Lowmead I visited a wonderful Indigenous family with one of our outreach teams. The waters had come through their home and they had no power. But what a family. They told me that they were lucky. They still had their home, albeit a bit wet. They had some insurance where others did not. They had not lost everything where others had. Family and keeping a sense of humour they said gets you through. I would also like to acknowledge Assistant Minister for Child Safety, Rob Molhoek, who travelled to Bundaberg with his son Matt to be part of the mud army. The assistant minister also visited Mundubbera, Gayndah and Gin Gin with me and saw firsthand how the farming communities had been impacted.

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But my visits became more personal when we visited Gayndah and met with the parents of my Aspley electorate officer Kaylee. Judy and Les live on the Burnett River. They had seen it rise before, but nothing like they experienced in this event. Not only was their home severely damaged, but so was the second cottage on their property. They kept the cottage to store their children’s belongings. Sadly, it was not insured. Having Kaylee describe to me what were her personal belongings that were now nothing more than a pile of rubbish was quite heartbreaking. The family, though, were particularly grateful for the assistance they were offered, from clean-up to our support—assistance from government and assistance from strangers. Through these visits I have also been able to see firsthand the work that the staff of the department of communities are doing on the ground to help individuals and families get back on their feet. I am so proud of the commitment, heart and hard work of the staff from my department and that which they have shown right across Queensland. Among the countless stories, one such family they have helped was the Beards at Chambers Flat who I met along with the local member, Michael Pucci. It was quite surreal to stand at the water’s edge and see some 100 metres away their house underwater and only the roof exposed. I want to thank my staff for rapidly responding to this family’s needs. Thankfully the Beard family had relatives they could stay with, but sadly their home was not insured. The work of my department in the recovery process is much more than filling out forms and paying out money. It is also about helping people take steps to rebuild their lives. This was never more evident to me than when I met a mechanic workshop owner in Ipswich. His business has been completely ruined by the floodwaters. He had lost another business during Yasi. Sitting next to him and hearing him recount his story was very emotional, but it was the responsiveness of my department’s outreach team to him that made me proud of the work that we are doing. Within 12 hours of my visit an outreach team had visited him, along with Lifeline counsellors, to provide much needed support. They were able to establish that the body corporate would fund the repairs to his offices. They also contacted the QRRA and inquired as to when flood relief for small businesses was coming online and they were able to advise him of the low- interest small loans that were still available. The departmental officers were also able to provide support and care to this gentleman, who was clearly affected both financially and emotionally as a result of the flooding events. I would also like to acknowledge the thanks expressed by many members here in this House—either expressed to me personally or here today like the member for Nicklin and the member for Maryborough have done—towards the wonderful work done by department of communities staff. I know the staff do this work out of their personal, genuine desire to help people in need. They do not do this work for thanks, but it is wonderful to see their great work and essential support acknowledged by so many members in the House here today. From community recovery centre workers in Ipswich to outreach teamworkers in Baffle Creek and every area in between, I say a heartfelt thank you to you, many of whom are still out there making a difference and helping people and communities to rebuild. Many other people also rolled up their sleeves and dug in deep to help their fellow Queenslanders, whether it was part of an organised mud army or neighbours helping neighbours or strangers helping strangers. Collectively a difference was made. I would like to share one last story. An elderly gentleman who had lost power for more than 72 hours received support through our Ipswich recovery centre. He returned the following day after seeing the devastation in North Bundaberg on the six o’clock news. He said he wanted to donate his grant to the Queensland Floods Appeal 2013 as he said, ‘They are worse off than me.’ Our government will continue to be out there working hard for those affected by this weather disaster—rebuilding communities—and we will be right alongside those who need our help the most. I commend the motion to the House. Mr CRANDON (Coomera—LNP) (8.02 pm): I rise to contribute to the condolence motion moved by the Premier earlier today, and my condolences and the condolences of the people of the Coomera electorate go to the six people who lost their lives. From young Angus, aged three, through to young men 25 years of age, through to an elderly gentleman who has been there and seen it all who passed away at 81 years of age, tragically their lives were cut short by this terrible event that occurred. I recall reading recently about young Angus. His dad spoke about his life and how he enjoyed his life. It really was a fitting tribute to a little boy who had so much to offer the future, but sadly that will not occur. So the very young, the young men and the seniors were all affected by this tragedy. Of course, Australia’s history of flood and fire has been well documented over the centuries that Australia has been occupied. Dorothea Mackellar and others have often written of the floods, the fires, the sunburnt country and so forth. But those who have lost their loved ones, the ones who are left behind, are the ones who will go on and suffer. Those who have lost their lives, yes, sadly they are gone but their pain has also gone. Those who have lost their loved ones will continue to think about them. Hopefully they will think about the good times. Hopefully they will have a laugh and have a bit of a joke about the funny times and forget about some of those painful times.

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We have to think about those who suffered in the 2011 flood who have also been affected in 2013— their mental anguish, the way in which this event has yet again hit them. Some of them must wonder when it will end. Some of those have been affected multiple times. Some of them have been affected three or four or even more times over the years. Some of them were affected back in 1974 and they relived those days two years ago and again in recent times. But we also acknowledge those who risk themselves to help others. It is very important for us here tonight to acknowledge them. I know that throughout today many members have spoken of the bravery of individuals. We acknowledge those who choose a career that often puts them in harm’s way. It is their role in society. It is what they do every day. We are talking of course about emergency services workers in the police, in the ambulance and in fire and rescue. As well, there are the volunteers, the volunteers who make a difference to someone else’s life. I know that probably every member in this place is one of those volunteers in some way, shape or form, not necessarily in the recent past but over time they have been volunteers. That is part of our make-up as members of parliament. We just know that we have to get out there. But I am talking about those volunteers we see in the community—the likes of the SES and others. A poem that I have often recited comes to mind. Indeed, I recited this poem in my maiden speech all those years ago in 2009. The poem is To Have Succeeded by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It starts— To laugh often and love much; To win respect of intelligent people ... And it goes on. Then what bubbles to the top is what we are talking about here tonight, and that is— To find the best in others; To give one’s self; To leave the world a bit better; And that is what we are talking about and this poem says it so beautifully. It goes on— Whether by a healthy child, A garden patch, Then it comes to the crux— To know even one life has breathed easier Because you have lived ... This is to have succeeded. That poem is about all of those people who go out there as volunteers to do the crazy things that some of the members here today have spoken about—some of the dangerous things that they have done to rescue someone else and to know that because they lived someone else survived. They saved someone. Whether it be an individual who went out into a raging flood or whether it be a group of people who managed to winch someone to safety, they caused others to breathe easier. Many have spoken here today of the resilience of Queenslanders. Many have talked about us being a different breed. We have talked about those of us north of the border—we heard it so many times in 2011 and in 2013 we have heard those words. I have to say that from time to time it puts us offside with a few other people around the country because they think to themselves, ‘Hang on a second. We’d probably do the same thing.’ So I would like to put it to members here tonight that the reality is that it is the resilience of human kind, that it is about human kind wherever we are. Recently I travelled to Chile. I recalled the work and the effort that was brought to Chile from right around the world to save those miners, to do some amazing things to bring them out of that mine. There were probably a couple of Queenslanders amongst them, but the reality is that it is humankind that is determined to help others and determined to band together at times such as this to make life easier for others and to help them through those tough times. A moment ago I mentioned the efforts of the SES. We really have to take our hat off to these people. They train regularly. Some of them are out there training on a weekly or a monthly basis. They wear those heavy overalls, and we all know what they look like. They put in so much effort. They wear those heavy overalls whether it is stinking hot or freezing cold. They are out there in the marketplace doing the things that need to be done, whether it is looking for a deceased person who may have been lost in a flood or something else. We also have to remember that the Rotary clubs, the Lions clubs and all of the other service clubs in the community also band together. These are world-wide organisations. They are part of humankind and they are determined to help others in their down-and-out times. Then there are the churches throughout Queensland, Australia and the world that often provide support, and the Salvation Army comes to mind. So many times they are the unsung hero. They are the ones who are on site handing out the tea and the coffee. I do not mean to put them above other organisations. Of course, the Red Cross is out there doing

88 Motion 12 Feb 2013 its bit as well. All of these church and other organisations are out there helping to make things right, to bring things back to the norm as best they can for people. Of course, as we have all had tragedies in our life, we know that those people who have been affected will feel the pain sometimes for years to come. They will never forget what has happened to them this time and, as I have said, some have experienced it time and time again and yet they keep bouncing back. By all accounts the Coomera electorate did pretty well, and I thank God for that. The worst affected were the people in parts of the cane lands, in particular, Jacobs Well. Even in Jacobs Well—and we received a number of calls about the fact they did not have power for a number of hours—there were some amazing stories. I would like to share one story about a shop owner in Jacobs Well. She contacted the local councillor who then contacted me. I went back to her to chat about some issues. She was terribly worried because she had no power. She had quite a large shop and she could not just put generators on the fridges or freezers; it meant hard-wiring them in. Bringing in the type of generator required would have cost more than the loss. Basically, she had to sit there and watch it all go off and eventually destroy it. Of course, she did the right thing and made sure she minimised the damage. Fortunately, she was insured and she was going to take care of things in that regard. She also pointed out to me that she had a property in Laidley which she knew had gone underwater. I encouraged her to contact her insurance broker. She did not think he would be there because it was a weekend. I suggested that he would be there given what had just happened in Queensland and of course he was. He assured her that her property in Laidley was well and truly taken care of insurance-wise. She knew at the end of that second day that things were going to be okay financially for them. Of course, there is also the emotional hit. So she put everything to bed in Jacobs Well—and this is where the story starts to get interesting—as far as the shop was concerned. It could not be opened because they had no power for 2½ days so she headed off to Laidley, which I did not know at the time. Late on the third day I discovered that the power was about to come back on. I made a few calls to people who had contacted me with their worries about the power. Most of them were fairly minor issues. A few people lost their frozen meats and so forth. So I rang this lady and she was the last person I needed to ring. She was at her home in Laidley cleaning up and so forth. I said that there was some good news which was that the power was back on in Jacobs Well. She was so pleased to hear that for the other people in Jacobs Well. She said, ‘I have to tell you this. What we went through in Jacobs Well is just so tiny, such a minimal thing, compared to what the people in Laidley’—and she was not talking about her own property in Laidley—‘have gone through over the last few days. It is nothing. That issue that I thought was a big mountain in front of me in Jacobs Well is nothing compared to the devastation that these people are going through. I am so pleased that I have come here and I can help with the clean up in the Laidley area.’ There are other stories such as the people in Eagleby who were unable to get to their home. They were not inundated. So, yes, it was inconvenient but they were able to find other accommodation and everything was okay. It was the same situation with Helensvale. Strangely enough, I met Pastor Greg for the first time in probably five years. I happened to meet a bloke in one of the local pubs in Alberton. I had not been in this pub for about five years and lo and behold I am sitting there and in walks Pastor Greg behind me. I said hello and asked how everything was going. I asked if he had heard any sad stories or about any issues. He mentioned that a lady had been in touch— Mr Rickuss: Gem Hotel? Mr CRANDON: Yes, that was the Gem Hotel. I take that interjection. Pastor Greg said that a lady might be in touch with me the next day because she had lost all of her frozen food and she would not have any money as she would not be receiving her pension for a couple of days. Of course, the next day she got in touch with us. You would not read about it, but she is one of the local Quota members, one of the local people who do so much for the rest of the community. It was so heartening to be able to help her, to get her back on her feet and provide her with the wherewithal and the capacity to replace those frozen foods that she lost from her freezer. Some individuals in the local area suffered stresses of various kinds, particularly financial stress. I mentioned the shopkeeper and others. Those people in our area will survive. No-one lost massive amounts and certainly there was plenty of insurance in place to take care of things like the issues faced by the shopkeeper. However, we have to help others around Queensland, some of whom have lost everything and have no insurance and no capacity to buy insurance for their properties; we have to rebuild for them. We have to make it right for them and make sure that we do things better for Queenslanders in the future. I commend the motion to the House. Mr RUTHENBERG (Kallangur—LNP) (8.18 pm): I rise to offer my support to the Premier’s motion. Firstly, I would like to place on record the condolences of the folks from my electorate for the six families across Queensland who lost family members during this most devastating storm. For what it is worth to those families, we have been praying for you all and you have our deepest sympathies. To others who have lost property around Queensland I say it is a tough break and it is difficult to deal with, especially a

12 Feb 2013 Motion 89 second and third time in such short periods. I am truly sorry that this event has caused you so much hurt. I want to assure you that you, too, are in our prayers and thoughts. My Aunty Grace lives in North Bundy. I fondly remember spending Christmases at her place playing cricket in the backyard with my cousins and belting the ball across the yard into another yard that we could not get into because there was a dirty great big dog there. We lost many tennis balls, we ate lots of mangoes, we had lots of grapes and a lot of fun. This stoic woman has lived in Bundaberg for over 40 years in the same house and has never, ever had water in her house. This flood saw water come into her house five feet up the walls. She lost her car; she parked it where she knew it had never flooded before in her lifetime. I know my aunty will continue. I spoke with her this afternoon and, being the stoic person she is, she was somewhat philosophical about what she had just been through and pointed to the people who were worse off than her. Mr Rickuss: I was actually talking to your brother up in Gatton. Mr RUTHENBERG: I will speak about my brother next. She wanted me to simply say thank you to the various government agencies that have been out there busting their guts to help her and many people like her. As the member for Lockyer rightly says, my brother lives in Gatton—actually right on the Lockyer Creek, a bend on the Lockyer Creek. He lives on the Lockyer Creek and every time it rains the creek comes up. His saving grace is that there is a dirty great big stone sitting right on the bend where his house is positioned. Thankfully this time his house was not inundated, but we were phoning him every couple of hours to see how he was and just this weekend I spent some time with him and his wife just spending time as brothers. I encourage families to reach out to family members, even if you have not spoken to them for a while or maybe there were some hard times previously. I encourage you to reach out. My family is taking up a bit of a collection and we are going to see if we can replace my aunty’s car. They are the little things that we do as part of being extended families, and I would encourage families around Queensland to please start considering those types of things. In the electorate of Kallangur we are relatively okay. For the most part we did not get much flooding, but several houses flooded, many trees were blown over and thousands of homes went without power, some for up to six days. Even though this in its own right was a little bit upsetting, when we explained that we had to ensure that resources were diverted to where they were most needed those folks knew and they understood and they sacrificed to ensure that someone else in a worse situation got the attention they needed. I need to mention, however, the Quinns and the Jacksons here. Both of them have homes that flood every time there is the smell of rain. I encourage the Premier and Minister Crisafulli to continue looking at what options are available with regard to help we can give these folks who, even with all of their best efforts to check before they bought their homes, have homes that have been subject to consistent flooding. In seven years the Quinns have been flooded nine times. Folks like this need our help. Even if the solution is to buy back their homes, this must be considered. Our community knows the impact of the loss of major transport infrastructure. Only this last December did we celebrate the opening of the AJ Wyllie Bridge. It was due to the fact that this bridge was rebuilt higher and stronger than the last bridge, which was destroyed in January 2011, that it was not again rendered unusable during this flood. I strongly support the Premier’s views that rebuilding to replace instead of rebuilding to improve a community and its infrastructure is just plain ludicrous, and I strongly support the Premier in asking the federal government to come to the party on this. I also want to thank Minister McArdle and his staff for the excellent job they did with regard to the management of water releases from the North Pine Dam leading up to and during the event. From the Thursday morning to the Monday evening, the rain gauge at my house measured over 400 millimetres. Water releases were well published and I made sure that that information was as broadly disseminated as I could in the time frames we had and working in conjunction with the Moreton Bay Regional Council, which also put it out broadly. I am convinced, Minister, that the pre-release of water on the Friday night if not done would have once again seen a catastrophic event along the lines of what we saw in January 2011. Water was again released on Sunday evening this time around through Monday afternoon and ensured that Youngs Crossing Road was open on Tuesday morning for the first day of school. This ensured our roads were not completely at a standstill on such an important day. Minister, thank you for listening to our community and thank you for stepping in and taking action. It did save a lot of grief. I also want to thank the folks at Seqwater who maintained a constant watch of the dam during this event and would appreciate it if the minister would pass along our thanks from the community. My friend the member for Pine Rivers will speak on this a little bit more later this week. I also want to bring to the attention of this House the phenomenal efforts of the Petrie SES. The Petrie SES are a well-decorated group of people—phenomenal volunteers—and all members have volunteers like this in their electorates. The leader of that group is Stuart Bowhay. This time around Stuart called me after the event and said, ‘Trev, we did 1,500 sandbags. We managed 149 requests for assistance and the group were incredibly blessed with the phenomenal outpouring of the community.’ He said, ‘We had soup turn up and we had fruit turn up and we had cakes and we had all sorts of other

90 Motion 12 Feb 2013 goodies turn up at the depot just when we needed it and the community pitched in to make sure that we were okay.’ What stuns me and amazes me about our emergency services is that when the rest of us want to be at home drinking a hot cup of chocolate or coffee because it is absolutely pouring outside and thunder there is a whole bunch of folks who run out into that and there is a whole bunch of folks who climb up power poles and go into heavy waters and put tarpaulins on roofs. They just do stuff that you and I simply would not get out there and do. All I can do is simply say to the Petrie SES: thank you. Thank you on behalf of the folks you helped. Thank you on behalf of our community. We sleep just that little bit better knowing that you are there. One of my brothers is a linesman. I know he works in weather where we are usually at home. Many of his colleagues worked many long days to ensure we got power, and I want to particularly thank these folks. They work in dangerous conditions, yet they do it willingly to make sure that we are somewhat comfortable. There were schools in my electorate that were also unable to open on the first day and I simply want to say thanks and pay tribute to the folks who made sure that those schools were safe and were able to receive students on the day after. I also want to thank my staff. Judy came into the office on Monday so that we could have the office open and help folks with numbers they needed and direct them to the places they wanted. Phil and Judy worked tirelessly through the week as I was out and about throughout the electorate making sure that folks knew where they could go for assistance and the numbers they were able to call. The Bible offers many wise proverbs and in Proverbs 27:17 it says that as iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another. Let me say that courage and sheer hard work have built up a resilience in Queensland that history will prove to show has come as a consequence of these events we now know from 2011 and just very recently. I want to finish by issuing a challenge to every person in Queensland: we need money. We need money to help the folks who really need help. Mr Rickuss: Cash is king. Mr RUTHENBERG: Cash is king, as we heard from the member for Lockyer today, and I take that interjection. So I am issuing a challenge first to the members of my community and also then to the broader Queensland community: I challenge those folks who have lost nothing but maybe been inconvenienced a little bit to sacrifice a little bit and give that to the Red Cross appeal or to one of the other flood appeals. Let me give members an example. If you buy your lunch every day, consider taking lunch from home and donating what you would otherwise spend on lunch to the flood appeal. If you were saving for a holiday, consider donating 50 per cent of what you have saved to the flood appeal and taking a lesser holiday. Consider maybe delaying purchasing a lounge or doing extensions to your house and put a little bit from that—just delaying your purchase a little bit—into the flood appeal. In that way we all together sacrifice a little bit to help all of those who have sacrificed a heap. My wife and I were going to take a four-day weekend holiday on the Sunshine Coast. We are still going to take that holiday because, as we heard from the Minister for Tourism, tourism operators really need folks to continue taking their holidays, but to facilitate that challenge we will take half of what we have put aside for our holiday and the other half we are going to give to the flood appeal. Finally, to those members in this place whose communities have suffered, I personally encourage them and their families and thank them for the leadership and the tenacity that they have shown. They have my prayers and support and however they think I can help, I will. I commend this motion to the House. Dr DOUGLAS (Gaven—Ind) (8.30 pm): I support the motion before the House. Every disaster has its own measure of both tragedy and, rather paradoxically, real human moments of true greatness. And so it was with what many thought was a burnt-out cyclone—rain depression—in Tropical Cyclone Oswald on Australia Day of this year. The moments of greatness are many and range from the amazing evacuation of 7,000 residents from North Bundaberg to the individual actions of an off-duty firefighter who saved a mother and tragically tried to save young Angus Burke but, alas, God’s call was greater than any efforts of our own. That tragedy was repeated six times over, but I put it to members that to lose so few when the devastation occurred over an area of 700 kilometres by 200 kilometres—that is 140,000 square kilometres—is still a tragedy but is a great testament to the capacity of all the disaster services and the Queensland public themselves. The storm’s 150-kilometre-an-hour cyclonic winds and near one metre of rainfall in the hills above my electorate of Gaven took out the power for four days, mainly in the city of Nerang itself, leaving only one shopping centre continuing to trade. Food was scarce—I have heard it was scarce in many places throughout the state—but it was very difficult and for a lot of people their food went off. Generators and food from a variety of stores, including the hardware store and the Nerang Neighbourhood Centre, were in great demand. The offer by the Gold Coast City Council of a single green waste collection in the aftermath was very well received. Despite having no power for the office and having quite a lot of water in it, I had quite a stream of calls for emergency assistance and an emergency update and number was supplied to those people who called at my office or who contacted me. I congratulate the government on establishing a community recovery centre in the Albert Waterways Community Centre. Unfortunately, it was closed prematurely due

12 Feb 2013 Motion 91 to impossible demands. Possibly when such an event occurs in the future the Nerang Bicentennial Community Centre, which is closer to the western part of the city, could be opened in tandem. There is a continuing concern that the Gold Coast City Council could not contribute to the early warning weather system and the intermittent failure of the Mount Stapylton radar at Yatala, with an excessive reliance on what is called the Marburg radar. Flood warnings and storm warnings that are given early are critical for a city of 700,000 people. In my electorate, the upper reaches of the Coomera River broke its banks. Unfortunately, the remaining few plant nurseries, such as that owned by Bruce Williams and some of his colleagues, were washed out yet again. The same thing happened during the storms of two years ago. A number of racehorse spelling properties, including the one owned by Elizabeth Fraser on the banks of the Coomera River, were dreadfully affected. This damage was compounded by the loss of the Clagiraba west crossing. Sadly, this crossing had given us a warning during the last flood two years ago. Unfortunately, at that time we had not been able to persuade the then DERM to clear out major logs cut by the military upstream at the Canungra Army base. These logs destroyed nearly 50 per cent of the longstanding causeway. As I say, most of my electorate lost power for four days. Nothing like that would have occurred on Mount Tamborine and there was certainly nothing like that to the north of my electorate, but I congratulate the Energex and Ergon staff on their superhuman efforts to reconnect the people of my electorate. Most of the crews were working at least 14-hour days and I personally saw them doing amazing things. I thank all of them. I would like to thank the police, the emergency services, all the volunteers, the council staff and my local Gaven staff for what they did. Fortunately, despite a very major high tide coinciding at the same time, the Coomera and Nerang rivers spared us all from greater damage resulting from inundation. Unfortunately, we cannot always rely on that good luck. I was able to see what had occurred in the Burnett-Wide Bay region as a guest of Rob Messenger, the former member for Burnett and now candidate for Hinkler in the future federal election. The similarities between what occurred in Jericho, Alpha and Emerald two years ago when I was the guest of the member for Gregory, Mr Johnson, were all too apparent, particularly in North Bundaberg. The only difference was the extent of the disaster in North Bundaberg and the number of residents involved. The damage was localised and extreme. For example, Jericho had been flooded twice and had suffered the same sort of devastation, although it has a much smaller community than Bundaberg. I see that the same things occurred in Winfield, Gayndah and Mundubbera and they possibly did not get all the attention they deserved. The difficulty that I see in these regions is the declaration under the QRAA rating of special disaster assistance scheme C as opposed to a declaration of an exceptional disaster assistance scheme D. The damage from Cyclone Yasi was classified as D. The damage to North Bundaberg must be classified as the same. The member for Hinchinbrook has clearly explained how hard and, by default, how expensive that recovery for devastated areas is. Certainly, just a minute ago we heard the member for Kallangur state that it is money that is required. As stated the Burnett seems to be extremely affected. Watching the Army leave last Friday and watching homeowners going through their homes alone with only one or two volunteers tells me that the physical effort must go on for weeks, months and probably years. Similarly, doubling those grants and giving businesses double the amount of the loans, particularly up to $650,000, is really what they need in that area. In my electorate, my office has acted as a collection point on the Gold Coast for an initiative called Undies for Bundy. It seems to be one of those unusual things, but it has really caught the attention of people. We are having trouble getting people to donate money, but we do not seem to have any trouble in them donating toiletries. In fact, beyond that people seem to have donated all sorts of things. So sometimes you can almost fool people into believing that they can actually donate; it is just a matter of getting them going to do so. I would encourage people to continue with those donations, because I think the times ahead will be hard and long. There are great lessons for us to be learned from the disaster of the South-East Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi and countless other disasters. It is very important that with each disaster we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. An honest assessment of the facts of each catastrophe needs a realistic review. It is a sad thing to say, but every disaster must be a learning experience. I heard Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted tonight. His famous quote was— Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. Mr JUDGE (Yeerongpilly—Ind) (8.38 pm): Our Queensland community has witnessed yet another natural disaster with significant losses. But no loss is more significant than the sad and tragic loss of life. My sincere condolences go to the family and friends of the people who passed and who can never be replaced, unlike material items. In my electorate of Yeerongpilly the memories of the 2011 floods are still raw in the minds of the many locals who relived the fear during this natural disaster. Many people, especially those in the suburb of Rocklea, set about packing their most personal of belongings and fleeing

92 Motion 12 Feb 2013 to safer ground. Fortunately, on this occasion, as we all felt the impact of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald we were spared the devastation of major flooding, although many residents were left without electricity for numerous days. Energex accurately described it as an unprecedented weather event and reported that ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald resulted in the largest damage to the electricity network in its company’s history. They reported that around 300,000 homes and businesses across South-East Queensland lost power, which included many from within my electorate of Yeerongpilly. We all understand that the safety of the community and Energex staff was the overriding imperative during power restorations which unavoidably meant delays in getting power back on. On that point, I thank Energex for responding to a call I made on behalf of Regis Anchorage House in Salisbury. After three days without power, elderly residents were struggling with difficult conditions including heat. Energex was forthcoming with a generator averting the need to relocate high-need residents from the 136-bed facility. So in addition to our emergency services staff, I think it is important that we also recognise and praise Energex staff here today who worked tirelessly in response to an overwhelming situation. I also thank my electorate staff for their commitment to serving and supporting the many local people who contacted our office. Furthermore, I express thanks to the government, and especially the Minister for Communities, for establishing a community recovery centre in my electorate at Moorooka. I also praise the recovery centre staff who worked hard with care and compassion to professionally assist individuals and families. I think we all agree that the task ahead is to work together to rebuild, including identifying strategies to safeguard our respective communities right across Queensland. History confirms that the Yeerongpilly electorate is very vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters and, in particular, major flooding. I can assure all residents in my electorate that I will be working on their behalf to strengthen our community including by pursuing the establishment of a local emergency evacuation centre. This is unquestionably needed to provide people and families with a safe place to stay in the face of future floods and other natural disasters like ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. I once again offer my sincere condolences to all victims of Queensland’s most recent natural disaster. I commend this motion to the House. Mr KAYE (Greenslopes—LNP) (8.41 pm): I rise in support of the condolence motion now before the House. It was unthinkable that just two years after the devastating 2011 floods Queensland would again face a disaster of such a magnitude so soon. Ex-Cyclone Oswald has mercilessly reopened that wound. Many communities are facing worse damage than ever before. Even as I speak, thousands of Queenslanders are still homeless and desperately waiting to get back on their feet. I want to thank the Premier and the other members of the House for their leadership shown during this time of crisis. I know all our communities benefited from the swift government response and were thankful for the prompt delivery of information and assistance given during that time. To the Honourable Jack Dempsey, thank you. You have had to wear a number of hats during the last fortnight: that of a minister in the midst of a natural disaster affecting huge swathes of the state; an MP whose constituents are suffering so much; and as a resident watching in shock as your home town gets inundated. Many of us felt like this only two short years ago. I myself during the 2011 floods was working night work at the Annerley Police Station when the flood peak came through. I saw firsthand the power of that floodwater and the devastation in the areas of Yeronga, Fairfield and other nearby suburbs. My heart goes out particularly to those who were worst affected in Queensland towns and cities such as Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Gayndah, Bundaberg and Gympie, to name a few among many. It was with great sadness that I watched the television footage as thousands lost their homes and livelihoods to the torrents of water and wind. As many have said, and many will continue to say, the Queensland community is strong. We will take care of those who have suffered and we will rebuild our towns and cities better than before where needed. Sadly though, some things are not simply fixed, and to the families of the six Queenslanders who lost their lives I extend my most sincere sympathies as well as the sympathies of all residents of the Greenslopes electorate. Although there is nothing that can be done to diminish their loss, I hope they will take comfort in knowing that the rest of us share their grief. I am proud to be part of a government that is not content merely to recover from this disaster, but determined to do more. I congratulate the Premier on his commitment to build a more resilient Queensland. Enough is enough. It is about time that a Queensland government took some proactive measures to ensure that not if but when severe weather strikes again we will be able to mitigate the effects of future disasters. My electorate of Greenslopes lies within Brisbane’s inner south-east. Fortunately the property damage in our area was fairly light by comparison. Thankfully there were only a few cases of structural damage. Bridgewater and Norman Creeks in Coorparoo flooded into yards but did not reach homes. The storm damage to electricity infrastructure was significant. Around 25 per cent of all homes in South-East Queensland were without power for a number of days. My electorate of Greenslopes had many homes in areas such as Camp Hill, Mount Gravatt and Coorparoo without power for four days or more despite Energex’s best efforts. I wish to offer my sincere gratitude to Energex, Queensland Urban Utilities and

12 Feb 2013 Motion 93

Brisbane City Council. As has already been mentioned, the efforts of Energex are to be commended. I encourage everyone, if you see an Energex worker, to walk up, shake their hand and say thank you. It is not much but it will go a long way. I commend the Police, Queensland Fire & Rescue, Queensland Ambulance and all other emergency service personnel for their professionalism and dedication to duty. I would also like to thank the State Emergency Service for their tireless efforts assisting residents with chopping up fallen trees or helping patch up a roof exposed by the elements. I would also like to pay tribute to the many hardworking public servants across all departments who played a part before and during the weather event and are now playing a part in the recovery phase. Your efforts are appreciated and I know many of you go above and beyond. To the volunteers, well done! We would be lost without you. It is also important to note that many of the people who were out there actually helping the people in the floods had homes and family that they were worried about and in some cases they lost their homes. I would like to commend a number of individuals as well who have given selflessly to help others during this period of hardship. To Andrew and Leanne Bauer of Holland Park I would like to pay special tribute. The Bauers are from Bundaberg and are now residents of Holland Park, but like most of us still had many friends back home. When Andrew and Leanne saw what was happening to their home town they decided to do something to help. I would like to add that Andrew and Leanne have their own business to run so this was a sacrifice from them. Andrew and Leanne hired a truck and collected as many things as they could from local stores who wanted to help. They received an enormous amount of furniture from Far Pavilions, industrial vacuum cleaners from Godfreys and I helped to organise a couple of beds through Myer Carindale courtesy of Sealy. The Bauers took their first load of items up last Thursday. They will organise another trip shortly to deliver the rest. I have been contacted by numerous residents throughout my electorate to offer near-new dinner sets, sheets, clothes and linen among other things. My office was contacted only just today by Mrs Viviene Skinner. Mr and Mrs Skinner are seniors who love helping out in their community and with their elderly neighbours. They lost power for five days down in Mount Gravatt. An entire fridge full of food for them and their neighbours was gone. The Skinners are fairly internet savvy and told me, and I will paraphrase what they said, ‘We didn’t want to bother your office when others needed help. We just found out online what we needed to do.’ The Skinners went over to the recovery centre at Cannon Hill and waited in line to get their emergency assistance money. They were so impressed by the level of service at the recovery centre, Mrs Skinner brought some tins of biscuits and other treats back the next day to say thank you. A special thank you also goes out to the Holland Park Lions Club for their tireless efforts rattling the tins at the Greenslopes Mall. To date they have raised over $10,000, with every dollar to be spent on flood victims by fellow Lions clubs in flood affected areas. Well done! I would also like to extend my thoughts to the residents of Talwood, Bungunya, Toobeah, Goondiwindi and surrounding areas in the electorate of the good member for Southern Downs. I worked this country for seven years during my career in the Police Service and some of these areas are still in flood as I speak. I myself experienced many floods in my time living there. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the people of Greenslopes who have offered assistance to their fellow Queenslanders and Australians throughout this wet season. We are fortunate to represent such wonderful communities whose residents are always eager to offer assistance to those who are subjected to the whims of a Queensland summer. Sadly, we know this will not be the last time our great state faces adversity in the form of Mother Nature’s fury. These types of events are part of Queensland’s history and certainly its future. While many are still in shock and pain from all they have lost, I know we will recover. We must continue to support those whose lives have been shattered by this event. As Queenslanders, I know we will all do that. Mr MOLHOEK (Southport—LNP) (8.48 pm): I rise to speak in support of the Premier’s motion of condolence and to personally express sincere sympathy to those Queenslanders who have lost loved ones and to the many Queenslanders who have lost so much as a result of the recent floods and storms. I also wish to acknowledge the hard work and extraordinary efforts of all those Queenslanders—families, volunteers, emergency service workers, councillors, mayors, police, hospital workers, church groups, service clubs, Army personnel, community organisations and outstanding individuals—who rallied to lend a hand. At home, we dodged another bullet. For the most part, the Gold Coast was spared the worst of the extreme weather. We were just plain lucky. Mother Nature cut us some slack. However, I am also sure that the flood mitigation and drainage work of the Gold Coast Council over the past decade has paid off. Chirn Park, where my electorate office is located, was spared years of historic flooding, no doubt in part thanks to council’s recent stormwater drainage improvements in the Lotus Creek catchment. While rainfalls were not as significant in the catchment as in other parts of the state, the newly raised Hinze Dam and flood mitigation works held back some five metres of floodwaters and significantly slowed flows into the Nerang River. While we dodged the floods, we were not spared from the power outages, with many families inconvenienced and suffering hardship after days without power. I thank and acknowledge Minister Davis and our community recovery teams for their hard work in delivering hardship grants and also comfort, support and counsel to the many families who came for assistance. I acknowledge the hard work put in by

94 Motion 12 Feb 2013 the Energex workers who endured long hours and oftentimes dangerous conditions to restore power to a record number of homes, businesses and rural properties. At home, I particularly want to acknowledge the leadership of Mayor Tate and all those associated with EMQ in my electorate of Southport. I especially pay tribute to the council’s disaster management unit team; Peter McNamee, the executive coordinator of disaster management; Warwick Sinclair, the manager of corporate communications; Deryck Taylor from EMQ; Franco Putzolu from Energex; Brett McHugh from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service; Superintendent Paul Ziebath and Mike House from the Gold Coast police; and also a special tribute to Hermann Vorster from the mayor’s office for the excellent job that he did in making sure that the community and media were kept well informed throughout the days of greatest threat. I also acknowledge the hard work and valuable contribution of our many SES volunteer groups and all the council staff and SES volunteers who manned the phones during the crisis. With things settling on the coast and the imminent threat having passed, I was prompted by a text from our Premier which simply said, ‘Mud armies need leaders.’ As there was no mud to clean up in Southport, I started calling my colleagues in the south-east. After several calls, I quickly realised there was a greater need in North Bundaberg. With a tent, sleeping bags, boots, gloves and as much food as we could cram into the back of our car, my son Matt and I drove north, arriving early Monday morning to join the mud army. It is difficult to put into words what we saw and experienced. It was incredibly humbling to work alongside families who had lost everything, loading the majority of their possessions into boxes, crates and wheelbarrows and then placing them out the front of their homes to be transported and dumped. We were sobered by the briefing we received on arrival about the health risks and the need to not only take extreme care but also to carefully and diligently dispose of the contaminated spoilage from this terrible disaster. On our first day we met the Anderson family in Fagg Street. They had been in their home for 52½ years. The land was a wedding present. With them on that occasion were their two sons, their two daughters-in-law and their four grandkids. We spent several hours working with SES workers to clear their home of mud. Sadly, we scraped up their treasured parquet floor, each piece of timber cut and laid by Bernie almost 40 years ago. Their daughters shared how they received word at 1 am that their parents’ home was flooding fast. By the time they launched their boat and reached the home, the water was up to the top of the windows. They had to hold onto the guttering to steady the boat, while their parents clambered aboard. Later that day, we moved next door to help clear the home of an elderly lady who had sat on her front porch for three days before allowing emergency workers to clear her home. Dehydrated and significantly traumatised, the lady had to be taken away by paramedics. We spent the rest of the day working to salvage what we could, sadly removing and dumping a lifetime’s worth of precious belongings, jigsaw puzzles and an entire sewing room of machines, fabrics and threads. For Matt and I, it was an incredibly humbling and enriching experience to witness the courage and stoic resolve of those amazing families and individuals. Later that evening, I contacted Bryce and Donna Savill, pastors of the Church of Christ and old family friends, in the hope that we could pitch our tent in their backyard. Bryce suggested we meet him at the church, where we were surprised to meet Bob and Marg Hendy, a lovely old couple who willingly opened up their home to us for the rest of the week. Marg not only proceeded to overfeed us for the next few days but also made us feel extremely welcome and willingly washed off our muddy clothes each evening when we returned. One evening, I had the great pleasure of being hosed off by Bob in the backyard. I had to strip down to my underwear so that I could sneak in the laundry door and grab a much needed shower. An honourable member interjected. Mr MOLHOEK: It was Bob, not Marg. Bob and Marg also opened up their home for a few nights to Michael Read, Minister Davis’s chief of staff, when I was unable to find accommodation for him whilst he was in town to assist in the department’s recovery efforts. The next day in Perry Street, Matt and I helped clear the home of a young couple with a newborn and a reptile collection. Aside from the somewhat unpleasant task of clearing the kitchen and fridge almost a week after the flood’s peak, imagine our surprise at meeting a not-so-friendly pet brown snake at the back door as we were on our way out with yet another barrow load of rotting food and spoilage. Later that day we were assigned to help Raymond, a local recently returned from the UK. Raymond, a businessman and musician, was staying temporarily with his brother and had stored all his possessions in the downstairs storeroom. For nearly six hours, with 10 other volunteers, we moved mud and boxes to the back lawn, salvaging very little. My son Matt, a keen musician, was somewhat broken hearted as we had to throw out numerous guitars, including a Fender Stratocaster and many special effects pedals. The next day, Minister Davis, our regional director Mick Linnan, Michael Read and I travelled west to Gin Gin, then to Gayndah and Mundubbera, leaving my son Matt with some of his new-found friends in the mud army. In Gin Gin we met the flood recovery team, most of whom were based in Gympie and had to travel each day to staff and support one of our many staging posts, recovery and outreach centres. We

12 Feb 2013 Motion 95 travelled to Gayndah where we met the North Burnett Regional Council Mayor, Councillor Don Waugh, and our recovery centre team. It was here that Minister Davis and I met an elderly lady who had lost everything. Her courage and resolve were nothing short of inspirational. We met with the staff and listened as they shared stories from their outreach into the region. We heard many sad stories, not just of the devastation but also of elderly farmers with nothing left. We met some of the Lifeline councillors who are working closely with people they have identified as suicide risks. Councillor Joanne Dowling showed us around that afternoon. While we were out, we inspected the home of council employee Greg Willis, best known to his mates as ‘Rooster’, who had lost everything but, ironically, his Roosters flag, which was still fluttering out the front, attached to a large sculptured Roosters letterbox, standing proud amidst the rubble. Mr Elmes: A disaster. Mr MOLHOEK: It was a disaster. In Mundubbera, we visited the evacuation centre and went on to visit the recovery centre. Deputy Mayor Faye Whelan took us to meet some of the families hardest hit. Faye and her family know the town well, having been in business there for more than 38 years. Faye fought back the tears as she shared many personal accounts and introduced us to some of the families worst hit. I lost count of the many times she simply said, ‘How do we recover again? How do we recover again?’ Later that evening, we dropped into the Army versus Fire and Rescue 20-20 cricket match in Bundaberg. We met Mayor Mal Forman, Deputy Mayor David Batt and CEO Peter Byrne. It was incredible to see them out after what must have been an exhausting fortnight, but they were full of enthusiasm, supporting the community. It felt as though the whole of Bundy had come out for an evening of light relief. It was somewhat ironic that the band was belting out classic AC/DC and I am pretty sure they played Smoke on the Water as the Army went on to hit a magnificent six on the final ball to win the game by a single run. Mr Berry: What about Thunderstruck? Mr MOLHOEK: They did play Thunderstruck as well. After a big day on the road, the minister’s chief of staff, Michael Read, and I ventured into Hungry Jack’s for a feed only to discover that there was no beef, just chicken. Apparently they need gas to cook beef, but they can deep-fry chicken in the electric fryers. There was no gas. It was there that we met a group of young lifesavers from Mooloolaba getting ready to drive home through the night after a week of helping out. These young people do us all proud. On my last day in Bundaberg I called in and met Charmaine Matebu, the Bundaberg child safety services centre manager. Her office and the desks and offices of her team had been turned upside down as the office was transformed into a temporary operations centre at the height of the crisis. What an amazing team of people. I am sure we could all learn a great deal from them in terms of passion and enthusiasm for working with vulnerable families and children. On the way home we called in to visit the member for Maryborough, Anne Maddern, and her husband, Lloyd. Sadly, there is not time this evening to detail our time in Maryborough except to say that Anne, Lloyd and her electorate staff can only be commended for their hard work in the city’s recovery efforts. In closing, I want to applaud the efforts of the many amazing people Matt and I met on our road trip to Bundy, Gayndah and Mundubbera—people like Mick Linnan, Charmaine Matebu, Liliana Montague, our director-general Margaret Alison and the many others who have done outstanding work under very trying and tragic circumstances. I also want to congratulate the Premier on his outstanding leadership and finally offer my support and congratulations to the member for Mundingburra, Minister Crisafulli, in his role as Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. Finally, I am proud to stand with the Premier in encouraging Queenslanders to get behind the Red Cross flood recovery appeal. I am pleased to commend the efforts of my young leaders group in Southport, particularly Nick Nichols, Preetham Krishnappa, Luke MacDonald and Simon Brook, also Hussan Goss from the Gold Coast Islamic community, Councillor Marg Grummitt and Luke Altschwager from Parkwood golf course who are all working together to put on what I hope will be a very successful fundraiser in support of the appeal this Friday night at the Boulders mini golf course and the Parkwood golf course function centre. Mr HART (Burleigh—LNP) (9.01 pm): I, too, rise to speak in support of the motion moved today by our Premier. I start by adding the condolences and thoughts of the residents of the Burleigh electorate to those in all parts of Queensland who were affected directly or indirectly by the floods and devastation resulting from recent weather events. To those who lost loved ones, to those whose houses were inundated, to those whose crops and livestock were affected and to those who suffered financial hardship on behalf of the people of Burleigh, I offer you their love and support. Tropical Cyclone Oswald formed on 21 January in the Gulf of Carpentaria. By Sunday, 27 January ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald was pounding South-East Queensland. North Bundaberg was being evacuated, with 100 homes flooded and an expectation of 200 more going under. In Gympie we were

96 Motion 12 Feb 2013 seeing rooftop rescues carried out in towns to its west—places like Widgee and Sexton. There were people reported missing and widespread flooding. The mayor of the Sunshine Coast was warning residents to evacuate before it was too late, with storm surges and 125-kilometre-an-hour winds and torrential rain expected. In the Lockyer Valley the disaster coordination centre was activated and a very close eye was being kept on the Lockyer Creek and the Bremer River. In Brisbane and on the Gold Coast TV weather broadcasts were telling us that we could expect winds of 100 kilometres per hour or more plus rainfall of between 200 and 300 millimetres in 24 hours. In fact, we saw 450 millimetres of rain in the Gold Coast hinterland during the two days prior to that event. As we have heard from other members today, over a metre of rain fell during the event. By 6.30 on that Sunday night, 2,900 houses and businesses on the Gold Coast were without power. By 8 pm in my household we were sitting in the dark listening to the wind outside building itself into a frenzy. We have heard from the Premier the stark statistics of lives lost, houses inundated or destroyed, crops flattened and livestock lost. We have heard from the members for Bundaberg, Burnett, Gympie, Lockyer, Nanango, Beaudesert, Maryborough and the Deputy Premier and member for Callide of the destruction caused in their electorates by ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. We have heard from the Treasurer the sort of economic impact this disaster will have on our state. Because those affected are spread over a huge geographic area, unfortunately the media and therefore the general public tend to focus on the bigger, more graphic events while those in small pockets who are affected tend to be forgotten. If actually not forgotten in the bigger picture, individuals often feel overlooked or neglected when coping with their own recovery. On the Gold Coast, as the member for Southport said, in general we dodged a bullet this time around. However, there are pockets of the Burleigh electorate where people felt overlooked or neglected and may have been frustrated with unfortunate delays, particularly with regard to the reconnection of powers. Residents such as residents of Evandale Crescent, Miami, could not understand why all the houses around them had power while they waited four days to be reconnected. Owners of small businesses such as Kylie Halpin, who has a bakery in Sixth Avenue, Palm Beach, had no power for five days. This small business, like hundreds of other small businesses around Queensland, beside losing stock which has to be replaced generally at their cost, lost six days sales and therefore personal income for that period. But in true Queensland character, people like Kylie recover as best they can and get on with their life while generally worrying about others before themselves. In commenting on these local victims of the weather events, we must commend the activities of the Energex teams that worked tirelessly to reconnect power to residents and businesses across our electorate and wider South-East Queensland. I am told the overall workload of the Energex teams in completing reconnections was close to double that of the 2011 floods, which is a notable effort that needs to be congratulated. Other areas of local damage that went unnoticed by the media were at Fleays Wildlife Park where Steve Penrose and his team worked tirelessly for seven days to clear the damage to the landscape and infrastructure in the park. Their efforts enabled the park to reopen to the public at the end of that week. In Steve’s words, ‘They copped a pounding.’ But his team just went about quietly and efficiently clearing and repairing. Minister Dickson and I toured Fleays last Tuesday and looked at the damage that remained to be cleaned up. Unfortunately, several large trees were brought down in the storm, one partially destroying the original platypus breeding enclosure which is something Fleays in the past has been famous for. Of course, as seems to happen with all natural disasters such as this event, unexpected people and organisations come out of the woodwork to help in whatever way they can. I am sure members all agree that a vote of thanks needs to be given to our police, our firemen, our ambulance officers, our SES volunteers, our council workers and of course our Defence Force. One of the standouts on the Gold Coast was Surf Life Saving Queensland. The Premier has already told us today that 15 helicopters rushed to help conduct rescues in Bundaberg. One of those was the Westpac rescue helicopter from the Gold Coast which, along with other units such as the EMQ unit, conducted numerous rescue missions. One of the unusual reports we saw on TV in the images from Bundaberg was that of the emergency services crewman who flew into Bundaberg having never conducted a real rescue. He had had plenty of practice runs but no real life rescues. Then in one day he carried out the rescue of 50 people. That was a new record for EMQ. We can basically say that in the morning he was a novice and in the afternoon he was an expert. What a remarkable story. As we heard from the member for Beaudesert, surf-lifesavers from local Gold Coast and Burleigh clubs helped with the clean-up and with checking on the welfare of the residents of Mount Tamborine who were severely impacted by the storms. Members of my surf club Pacific—in particular, Ken Clark, Jared

12 Feb 2013 Motion 97

Clark and Rachael Duke—were among those lifesavers who gave up their time to help other people. I am very proud of those lifesavers. In this week just past, the Breaka Burleigh Surf Pro was staged at Burleigh Heads. During a visit to the event last Friday with the Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games and member for Currumbin, the organisers asked us what sort of support they could offer. So over the past week and weekend they promoted the flood appeal around the contest and spectator areas. They also broadcast the minister’s Australia Day II video. We want to congratulate them for doing that. In addition, at the end of the weekend they donated a signed surfboard for auction to the flood appeal. It seems to be a special trait of Australians in general that whenever people in communities suffer, as they have done right down the coast of Queensland in this past month, the average person wants to help however they can, whether it be through physical effort or financially. I take this opportunity to thank Scott Gillies and his team at Surfing Queensland for the support of the wider professional surfing community. History tells us that unfortunately we will have similar events in Queensland at some unknown time in the future. Through the heartfelt experience of all those who have suffered to whatever degree in this past month, we in this House owe it to every individual to give them the assurance that we will continue to improve the response and support to such events. I commend the Premier’s motion to the House. Mrs CUNNINGHAM (Gladstone—Ind) (9.11 pm): I rise to speak in support of the Premier’s condolence motion. There were communities right across Queensland who were affected, and it is lovely to see that those communities that were not physically affected have joined together to support those families in need, whether financially with donations or whether with help from the mud army or with their prayers and thoughts. Certainly I send condolences on my own behalf and on behalf of the community to those families who tragically lost loved ones. This time of the year will never be the same. Whilst we can replace, albeit over time, the physical things that we own and hold dear, it is impossible to replace those whom we love. Certainly our thoughts and prayers are with each family. In my own electorate there was water in areas where there had never been water before. Families lost homes. There were 90 homes deemed to be uninhabitable. Some lost livelihoods in the dairy industry. It will be quite some time before work in the timber industry can resume, and the cattle industry lost a lot of stock. One of the newest dairies in the region lost a lot of its dairying facilities, lost some of its dairy cows and also had to dump milk every day while the Boyne Valley was cut off. So they lost out in all areas. The Boyne Valley community, again a wonderful and cohesive community, have done several musters now and cut out by brand, but they still have lost quite a number of head of cattle, and that is a loss that has to be recouped over time. Again, this is on the heels of another flood two years ago that also caused damage to the region. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald officially dumped 850 millilitres, or around about that, in Gladstone but in many areas just over a metre of rain fell, which is 12 months worth, in a good year, of rain. When Oswald decided that Gladstone was such a good area and stopped for a little while, the local area disaster coordinating committee was activated. I would like to commend Mayor Gail Sellers and Councillor Rick Hansen. Gail was there for an enormous number of hours and Rick was there whenever I was there and he was also there longer. Also on the disaster committee was SES leader Doug Savage, the fire services leaders, the QAS both in Gladstone and in Rockhampton, Assistant Commissioner Mike Keating, and Superintendent Glenn Kachel and Mick Sawrey. All of the councillors—Councillors Matt Burnett, Maxine Brushe, Leo Neill- Ballantine, Ren Lanzon, Graham McDonald, Col Chapman and Karen Porter—were active throughout that period of time. I know that when the waters dropped Matt Burnett was very vigilant in organising working teams at Boyne Valley and at Lowmead and Baffle Creek, although I acknowledge that Lowmead and Baffle Creek are in the adjoining shire in the electorate represented by Mr Steve Bennett. Maxine Brushe also worked tirelessly at Boyne Island-Tannum Sands and was a regular feature at the evacuation centre. Two main centres were established—one was at Tanyella, which was at Tannum Sands, under the leadership of Zeta Ware, and the other was at the PCYC under the leadership of John. Both of those people put in an inordinate number of hours. There was also a haven established at the Calliope River Historical Village, and I recognise the managers there who opened up the old Raglan Hall to allow people who were cut off from the north to be able to have dry feet for a couple of days while they waited for the floodwaters to drop. The teams at each of these centres worked tirelessly. Dealing with people coming out of trauma is a specialist gift, I believe. It is not just about training but it is also a gift. We had representatives of the Salvation Army, the Lions club, Rotary and, as I said, the management team there—Zeta Ware, Trish Adlam and a number of other people—as well as those who dropped in casually, if you like, to give a helping hand. I put on the record now that if I miss people out I am not intending to offend anyone. There

98 Motion 12 Feb 2013 are so many wonderful people who put their hands to the wheel and made the recuperation from that period as good an experience as was possible. At the PCYC, Officer John and Kerry Whitaker and her team worked tirelessly to support the people who were there. Certainly the PCYC closed earlier than Tanyella, but in each instance there were up to 100 or 120 people at the centres trying to find some warmth, some comfort and some food while wondering what was happening to their residence. Also at the recovery centre, which was at the Boyne Tannum Community Centre, was the Salvation Army, COC representative Phil Adlam, and staff from the department of communities, Centrelink and other support services, and they did an amazing job. I think each of us in our electorates saw that. They were trained, they came in and they were able to direct people to where they could get assistance. They got their details and provided them with emergency funding and relief. It was the first step for those people affected by the floods in not only feeling valued but feeling that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I also have to put on the record my thanks to the men and women who work for the Department of Transport and Main Roads and their contractors who in our area, and I am sure in other areas, were out in the most appalling weather filling potholes. At times they just turned their back and the pothole would pop out because there was so much water under it. But they were so dedicated to the cause that they made sure that as much as possible the roads were kept safe, and it was a thankless task. I would like to thank very publicly those ministers who visited the electorate—initially Treasurer Tim Nicholls and Minister David Crisafulli, who came up very early in the piece and toured parts of the electorate that were accessible. I know that their presence was an encouragement to the residents who met and spoke with them. I know that the Treasurer has already alluded to this, but at the Tanyella centre the people who were evacuated from the caravan park in their own inimitable way were sitting around a barbecue and took a shot at both of the gentlemen from Brisbane over a beer—neither of the gentlemen from Brisbane had a beer. But the caravan park people were in good spirits in the sense that they had friends around them who they knew and they were all in the same boat. They did not know what was going to be left of their homes—their caravans—but they were going to support one another. Tim and David also visited the Boyne-Tannum areas that were accessible to see the extent of damage. As I said, parts of Tannum and Boyne that were flooded have never seen water. I have been there since 1978 and Gail, the mayor, has lived there all her life and we have never seen water in those areas. I am sorry to hear that Minister Crisafulli, possibly the worst, and maybe Treasurer Tim Nicholls had trouble after their meal, but I can vouch for the spaghetti. It was topnotch. A government member: It wasn’t like his mama’s. Mrs CUNNINGHAM: No, I think there was more to it. I also commend Minister Andrew Powell and Minister Tracy Davis for their visit. Andrew’s was probably quieter than that of the Minister for Communities, Tracy Davis. Minister Davis visited Tannum, Boyne, the Boyne Valley and Gladstone, and I know that her visit was greatly appreciated. She allocated a considerable period of time to that tour. I do not think she will ever forget the discussions she had with Olive and her daughter, who were from Baffle Creek, at the Boyne Island recovery centre about what they had lost and how they were going to find their way back to enjoy the life that they love in that region. Finally, we had a visit from Premier Campbell Newman, who met with the council. He introduced to the council and others at the meeting Don Cousins, who is going to lead the recovery effort. The fact that all of those people who came and visited gave up their time was a great encouragement to people who, at that moment in their lives, felt that they had really faced some extraordinary challenges. Whilst we are very grateful that we did not lose any people in our community, many are finding it a hard road back in terms of restoring their property, restoring their livelihoods and restocking their farms. I also appreciate the work of the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon. John McVeigh, and the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience, the Hon. David Crisafulli, for succeeding in having those parts of the electorate of Gladstone and a part of Burnett included in the category C funding round for agriculture and business. Without that declaration many of those primary producers and business owners would not have any assistance to get themselves back on track. As many people in the debate on this motion have said, we need to support our local producers and buy locally as much as we possibly can. They are the ones on whom we can rely during tough times. This is their tough time and we need to support them. I also acknowledge Jim and his team from GAWB, the Gladstone Area Water Board, and the constant updates and information that they provided to the disaster coordinating committee and to anyone else who required information. At one time there was significant concern that the saddle dam would crumble, which it was designed to do which brought with it its own problems. Thankfully, it only started to crumble and then the rain stopped and it was able in great measure to be retained. That saddle dam is intended to relieve the main stress on the dam wall. At one stage there was a rumour going around that the main wall of the Awoonga Dam was going to fail. Honourable members can imagine the drama and fear

12 Feb 2013 Motion 99 that that caused in people’s minds. It was not that; it was the saddle dam. I also commend Ergon Energy for their quick response in getting the power reconnected when they were able to access properties. One of the issues that came to light during this event was the plight over time of Boyne Valley. In heavy rain the Boyne Valley gets cut off, both north and south and at Blackmans Gap Road, but it has become worse since the dam was lifted at a place called Nellie Simpson Road. It used to be cut off for only a couple of days, but with the backup of the dam at Nellie Simpson it can now be cut off for a week or two, and the Gladstone-Monto Road is the main road into Boyne Valley. For a considerable number of days Boyne Valley had no phone, no power and no contact at all. They do not generally have mobile phone coverage. I think there are two or three people with mobile phones that actually work in Boyne Valley. I have a sneaking suspicion that they stand on one leg and lean sideways on the top of the hill to get a signal. Everyone else does not have coverage. I know that when Minister David Crisafulli and the Treasurer, Tim Nicholls, visited they were without phone service for about six hours and I know they felt their throat was cut. These people do not have mobile phone coverage and in quite mild weather with small amounts of rain their copper line goes out as well. It is really important—and it was highlighted during this event—that they have mobile coverage or emergency coverage. They rightly were saying that they feel neglected because no-one was contacting them—and there was no way to contact them—and at the height of the storm it was too dangerous to get boats in. These are four discrete communities: Nagoorin, Ubobo, Many Peaks and Builyan. Each of those discrete communities were cut off from one another and they have no means of communication. Either we get mobile coverage or an emergency communication should be situated in those communities on a constant basis. As I said earlier, the dairies had to dump milk on a daily basis and all of the primary producers faced stock losses during the event. Tragedies like this bring out the best in people: families helping families, friends and strangers helping one another, neighbours helping neighbours. We had wonderful organisations like the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, St John’s, the SES, the firies, the ambos, the rural fire brigade, the Rotary clubs, the Apex clubs and the Lions clubs out helping in all of our communities. I would like to commend Graham, an electrician, who helped rewire a hall at Lowmead or Baffle. Because he got in there and rewired it as soon as he could get in, the community then had a central place to get together. As I said, there are the Rotary clubs. There is also an employment company called Phoenix Group. They do engineering and all sorts of things. It is only a young company in Gladstone. Matt Burnett and some of that company’s staff went to the Boyne Valley as soon as the valley opened. They went into fencing gangs and worked on the fencing on some of the farms so they could cut out the cattle and get them back into a contained area. I congratulate the Phoenix Group and the Rotary clubs that helped out, as I said earlier. I also thank Subway, who provided meals for those at the PCYC recovery centre. As I said earlier, there is always a risk of missing someone when you start to name people specifically. I would like to say to everybody who helped: thank you, thank you, thank you. Along with the best, these events also bring out the worse. Like every town that was affected by flooding, we had stealing and looting—not to a great extent but it was there. I have a message for all of those people: if you don’t own it, don’t touch it; and if you do touch others’ belongings, clean them up, restore them and hand them back. To those tempted to do the wrong things I say: stay at home or volunteer to help with a group; you will feel much better in the end. One of the things that, again, was highlighted during this event was the hospital services in my electorate. The hospital remains accessible in all weather. Our airport remains accessible and open in all weather. Telemetry is being installed at the airport which will mean that there will be more take-offs and landings during some of the low cloud events and some wind events. That can be constrained to an extent, but telemetry is being installed as we speak. The hospital also has a helipad. Again, I ask on behalf of the community, because it came up over and again, that our hospital service be commensurate with not only our community, our risk profile and our growth but also the strategic role that we can play in these tragedies and events. Both our airport and our hospital are accessible. If we had the facilities, the services and the resources at that hospital, we would be able to extend assistance to a great number of people. I would also like to thank my electorate officers Trish Adlam, who helped in the evacuation centre at Boyne Tannum, and Jill Hopson, who also helped. Both of them are priceless. They dealt with people in my office with energy and with understanding and compassion. I am blessed to have both of those ladies in my office. I would like to thank John, my husband. He came around on a couple of food runs. He has good muscles and can carry a lot when he has to. So I say: thank you. Finally in the last couple of minutes I want to address the Red Cross appeal. It was a privilege to be asked by the Premier to be on that committee. If you had asked me a couple of years ago if I was going to be working with Terry Mackenroth on anything, I probably would have laughed and said, ‘It’s not likely.’ But Terry has been a very competent, able and experienced leader and I place on the record my thanks to him. My concern was that the money would not get out quickly enough, and I articulated that to the Premier. We had our first meeting on 4 February. The application forms were available for distribution on 7 February. We had our second meeting on 11 February—that was yesterday—and the first distributions will be made

100 Motion 12 Feb 2013 this week. Our third meeting next Monday will be in Bundaberg and the chair, Terry Mackenroth, is also going to visit Maryborough. The other members on this committee are John Pinney from the Red Cross, Greg Hallam from the LGAQ, journalist Madonna King, Grant Cassidy and David De Paoli. Grant is from Rockhampton and David from Bundaberg and they are both businesspeople. Yesterday we had $7.2 million, and unless more is given we will be lucky to have one emergency round of funding. Everybody whose house was inundated or structurally damaged—inundated as in water above the living area floor and structural damage from tornado-like winds—is eligible for $2,000 for each adult and $1,000 for each child, and this is not means tested because the ATO does not require that in an emergency round. I urge you to give. It is a great appeal. No money from the appeal will be used to pay for the running of that committee; that is all coming from government or from individuals. Give for those who need it. I commend the motion to the House. Mr MULHERIN (Mackay—ALP) (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (9.31 pm): I wish to join with other members of this House in expressing our condolences for those affected by the recent flooding as a result of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald which, again, has devastated so many people in our communities. In particular, I wish to pass on my thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the six people who tragically lost their lives as a result of last month’s flooding. My heart goes out to the thousands of people in all of the flood affected areas who have lost their houses and their livelihoods. Sadly, the process of rebuilding and recovery after flooding in Queensland is becoming all too familiar. However, each disaster is different and each disaster comes with its own unique challenges and difficulties in the recovery process. In the last six years Queensland has experienced a number of natural disasters, including Cyclone Larry, the north-west and gulf floods, the south-west floods, Cyclone Ului and of course the summer of natural disasters which impacted all communities from the Tropic of Capricorn south and the communities in the north that were impacted by Cyclone Yasi. Over the last couple of weeks I have visited a number of flood affected regions throughout Queensland to see firsthand the extent of the damage and also to ensure that Queenslanders are receiving all of the support they need to assist in the recovery and rebuilding process. On 30 January I travelled to the Lockyer Valley and met with flood affected people in the town of Laidley. I visited St Mary’s school where deputy principal Tracey Gaddes and her husband, Wayne, were leading the massive clean-up effort. The physical and emotional exhaustion was evident on all of the faces in Laidley. However, the resolve to get on with the clean-up job was stronger. Tracey was adamant that she would have the school opened by Friday, just a couple of days after the start of the school year. While in the Lockyer Valley I also met with fruit and vegetable growers in the Gatton-Lockyer area to discuss damage to farms, machinery and crops. I also met with the President of Growcom, Mr John Bishop. As with all disasters, the damage to some properties is worse than others. However, what locals kept referring to was the sheer amount of rain that fell in such a short period of time. Until last month most producers were concerned about the summer months being too dry, and in one weekend that was all washed away. On 31 January I visited the to assess the damage there and met with Gladstone Mayor Gail Sellers, who is doing an amazing job in leading the recovery in the region. The Gladstone Regional Council was most concerned about the residents of Baffle Creek, Lowmead and also the producers in the Boyne Valley. On the day of my visit it was disappointing that the communities minister put the wrong information out to Gladstone locals about a new community recovery centre to help flood affected locals. The minister issued a news release around midday of that day saying that the Boyne Island community recovery centre was up and running to help flood affected residents. As I was in Gladstone to see the flood recovery works, I visited the centre once the statement was issued—only to find that no-one was there. In fact, I was told that the community recovery workers packed up the day before and had moved on. This was disappointing, as clear communication from the government in a natural disaster is imperative. This example shows how important it is to get the correct information out during the recovery process. Last week I visited primary producers in the North Burnett region to ensure they were receiving the level of assistance they required from the Queensland and federal governments. I have been in regular contact with Charles Burke from AgForce, Dan Galligan from QFF, Adrian Peake from the Queensland Dairyfarmers Organisation and Steve Greenwood from Canegrowers who have relayed to me how severe the damage was to citrus growers and graziers in the North Burnett and of course to the cane growers in the Bundaberg region. I also travelled to Mundubbera and Gayndah and met with North Burnett Regional Council Mayor Don Waugh, Deputy Mayor Faye Whelan and Councillor Joanne Dowling. I also visited Rob and Sally Wells, owners of a piggery and farm in Mundubbera; Don Whitman, the owner of an orchard and small crop farm in Mundubbera; and Ken and Megan Roth, the owners of an orchard in Gayndah who specialised in mandarin exports to China. These farms were well affected by floods. The mayor and the deputy mayor of North Burnett Regional Council have been doing a fantastic job in the recovery and the clean-up of the area. Householders in Mundubbera had previously invested in flood mitigation—in particular they went about raising their houses on stilts. It was terrible to see that these residents who had

12 Feb 2013 Motion 101 taken advice from previous floods to raise their house were once again impacted by this inundation from the remnants of Cyclone Oswald. All producers in the region relayed to me how extreme the flooding was in the North Burnett, saying that it was the worst flood in more than 70 years and higher than the infamous 1942 flood. In some places the flooding was the worst in European history, with the Roth’s mandarin farm which exports to China particularly hard hit. The dairy industry was heavily affected and there are concerns that the damage may result in more people exiting the industry. This will have an impact on those communities, because the North Burnett relies a lot on tourism and agribusinesses. Also, a reduction in the number of dairy farmers in Queensland will see the potential for a shortfall of fresh milk and that will require fresh milk to be transported from the southern states. I would urge Woolworths and Coles to engage with the dairy farmers in the Lockyer and Laidley area, the Gayndah area and the North Burnett Regional Council area to discuss the long-term support and the pricing mechanisms that they can give to those producers so that they can continue to participate in the industry that they have committed so much of their lives to. It is also important to get the message out that not all producers were affected and many are still open for business. It is really important to let the central markets in southern states—Woolworths, Coles and Metcash—know what is available. The North Burnett Regional Council, through the excellent leadership of the mayor, will undertake that exercise of detailing to Woolworths and Coles and Metcash in the southern markets what is available in that region currently and also in the coming months. I acknowledge that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, John McVeigh, visited the region the day before I did to ensure that local producers were receiving from the government the support and assistance that they required for recovery. Last week, the NDRRA category C assistance grants of $25,000 were approved by the federal government for primary producers and small businesses in this region. I note that today the category C assistance was extended to additional local government areas. I also acknowledge that last Friday industry recovery officers were deployed to help primary producers and small businesses in flood affected areas. IROs play an important role in assisting in the prioritisation and coordination of the clean-up. IROs also assist primary producers with applications for referrals to the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority and also referrals to financial institutions. Of course, IROs keep an eye on the emotional wellbeing of primary producers and small businesses in those affected regions. IROs provide technical assistance to the sector. They also provide business advice and work in conjunction with project coordinators to provide feedback and identify areas of improvement to enhance future resilience. Further assistance could also be provided by state and federal governments through the reinstatement of farm financial counsellors, whose services were terminated by this government last year. I urge the government to reconsider that decision to scrap the agricultural department’s farm financial counsellors from 13 locations throughout Queensland. Those farm financial counsellors have a commendable history of assisting the rural sector in times of disaster and crisis. Farm financial counsellors would be invaluable in assisting dairy farmers in particular by helping them understand their financial position and develop options and strategies and plans for improving their business. In more serious cases, farm financial counsellors assist producers and growers to negotiate arrangements with their financial institutions. After the summer of natural disasters, farm financial counsellors provided direct and much needed help to primary producers and small business operators whose farms and businesses were affected. They are an essential part of flood recovery in regional areas and it is at times such as this that we realise the value of what has been taken away through these cuts. I also acknowledge that Treasurer Tim Nicholls and the federal minister for flood recovery, Joe Ludwig, have implemented a national partnership agreement which would put in train additional NDRRA assistance under category D to provide much needed assistance to those severely impacted primary producers and small businesses throughout the flood impacted areas and also to provide additional financial assistance to the regional councils in those areas. Going forward in the recovery process, when the media is no longer interested in the flood affected areas, the real challenge for the people in those communities will be to sit down with the two levels of government and negotiate how they can speed up the economic recovery. I think one of the most important things is to retain the labour in those communities. As we know with previous disasters, if we cannot keep people employed, they will leave those regions and it will be difficult to bring them back, which will have a devastating impact on those communities in the long term. There should be consideration in those discussions between the two levels of government around wage assistance to keep those people who were employed by primary producers and small businesses up to a period of 13 weeks. But in the longer term it might be necessary to implement labour employment programs to ensure that these communities retain people. As is the case after any natural disaster, as the recovery process continues over the coming months, all that Queenslanders want to see is all levels of government—federal, state and local— continuing to work together to benefit those Queenslanders who have lost so much.

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Finally, I want to thank the Queensland police, the Queensland Ambulance Service, State Emergency Service workers, health workers, officers of the department of communities, officers of the Department of Main Roads and Transport, officers of the Department of Housing and Public Works and all the other public servants who have come to assist those most in need as they recover from the effects of Cyclone Oswald. I would also like to put on record the great leadership that mayors and their councillors have shown in dealing with the crisis and also the ongoing recovery. As many other members have said, I urge Queenslanders to consider donating additional funds to the Queensland Floods Appeal. A lot of people who have been impacted by this event will not have the insurance to effect repairs to their properties. Through all Queenslanders coming together supporting the appeal we will certainly make a difference to the lives of many. Mr BERRY (Ipswich—LNP) (9.45 pm): I rise to speak to the condolence motion. Once again, our great state of Queensland has suffered the flooding rains and terror, as vividly written by poet Dorothea Mackellar in her famously accurate poem titled My Country. Although those words were written in 1904— over 100 years ago—we still suffered when the grey clouds of Tropical Cyclone Oswald gathered, which, as the poem states, paid us back threefold. As all Queenslanders are aware, our state is always at the mercy of the elements. But when this tropical cyclone conspired by teaming up with a low-pressure system to traverse Queensland’s coastline, little did we then realise the extent that Cyclone Oswald would affect our lives. On 25 January 2013 we Queenslanders followed Cyclone Oswald’s footprints of flooding rains from Far North Queensland to leave Queensland only days later when it set about harassing the residents of New South Wales. The path of destruction caused by the flooding and the cyclone really left all of us in disbelief. Communities rally in trying times and the 2013 January flooding was such a trying time. I recall the devastation inflicted on Ipswich in 2011. Although we suffered the effects of Cyclone Oswald, they were not anywhere near the level of devastation as that suffered by other parts of Queensland. North Bundaberg and its residents suffered, as did Laidley in the Lockyer Valley and Rockhampton. I have friends in Laidley. On listening to the member for Lockyer, it was a saddening experience for me to hear of a solicitor colleague of mine, Mr Peter Hooper, who was badly affected by that flooding. So on a personal note I take this opportunity to extend to Peter and Bev Hooper my best wishes and sincerely hope that their recovery moves at speed, and I extend those thoughts to all of those in Laidley in their hour of recovery. Bundaberg took the full force and fury of Cyclone Oswald’s downpour. North Bundaberg drowned to an extent that locals could not believe. Television reports showed the extent of the devastation to the disbelieving eyes of Australia and, indeed, the world. Of course, as Queenslanders we realise that tropical cyclones and rain depressions are a fact of life. However, we have difficulty in accepting that the 2011 flooding was so closely followed by the 2013 flooding. Ironically, only weeks before Cyclone Oswald hit Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales experienced vast areas under bushfire, with the spread of burning so readily fuelled by full-force winds, which treated firebreaks with utter contempt. My thought goes to the residents of those states who also had their lives imperilled. While my hometown of Ipswich escaped the level of devastation that was suffered by the residents of Bundaberg, there was still an effect on this city and its residents. While power outages and minor flooding dotted the city, it was not any consolation for those who did suffer loss or damage to a home or business. I visited Keogh Street, West Ipswich, as did Minister Tracy Davis. It was just so depressing to see houses and small businesses again suffer the torment of another flood. A good friend of mine, Gary Duffy, lost his mechanical business. In the same industrial complex Queensland Independent Fire Systems also had their business inundated, as did CrossFit Gym. They have in fact now relocated. They are still in Keogh Street but on higher ground. Gary Duffy and the proprietors of Independent Fire Systems are now in the process of cleaning, repairing and replacing wherever necessary. They will soon be open for business, if they are not already. Resilience is the key ingredient in Queenslanders that have them stand up, scrape off the mud and restart. It is gratifying to talk with business owners and residents who all displayed this quality of resilience. Flood affects people in different ways. My good friends Mr and Mrs Bob Gartside, whose house and business is adjacent to the Bremer River near the town bridge, suffered a complete loss in 2011. To have to contemplate another flood was soul destroying for them. Again, with the help of their friends and the keen assistance of the State Emergency Service, sandbags were supplied to Mr and Mrs Gartside as well as all other residents and business owners. I can report the good news that their business was not affected on this occasion. On the Australia Day holiday on Monday I had the privilege to work alongside SES volunteers at the Ipswich depot making, tying and loading sandbags. It was edifying to be joined by Premier Newman and Minister Crisafulli, who also assisted in filling the sandbags. The residents of Ipswich experienced flooding and rain from a different perspective on this occasion. Electronic flood markers at various locations, social media, the Marburg radar and mobile phones all played an increasing role in alerting and informing residents of impending weather changes and the growing height of rivers and creeks, all of which

12 Feb 2013 Motion 103 concerned Ipswich residents. The effect of these technologies allowed for better preparation and evacuation and for others not affected by floods to aid other residents who were affected. At the SES depot in Ipswich the procession of utilities, cars and four-wheel drive motor vehicles moved in an orderly manner to collect sandbags for their businesses or residences, though more often than not on behalf of friends, relatives and sometimes strangers. For example, Liberal National for Blair Teresa Harding and her family pitched in collecting sandbags for distribution to local businesses in Brisbane Street. Mrs Margaret Hooper’s carpet business located on the corner of Brisbane Street and Marsden Parade geared up for the evacuation of her stock in trade and equipment. We in Ipswich know Marsden Parade very well. It is the flood barometer for Ipswich City. It is usually the first place for the Bremer to break its banks. It did so on this occasion, but not to the devastating effect that occurred in 2011. All along Brisbane Street, between East Street and the recently restored Ulster Hotel located at the corner of Brisbane and Mortimer streets, businesses made preparations by combining evacuation and sandbagging. In fact, driving down Brisbane Street it looked a little like the preparation of bomb shelters as the sandbag walls steadily grew throughout the day. Mr Geoff Schafferius, the manager of the department of housing, chronicled later on to both me and Minister Tim Mander the forethought in preparing and executing their evacuation plan. The department of housing happened to have their car park back onto Marsden Parade. They called in the assistance of staff, friends and relatives of staff. They moved the computers, raised furniture off the floor and removed Queensland government fleet cars from the car park adjacent to Marsden Parade. Geoff told us of the loss of the fleet during the 2011 floods and how determined both he and his staff were to minimise the effect of flooding on their functionality. They knew they would be required to meet the needs of Ipswich in the very near future. Both Minister Mander and I congratulated the Ipswich office on their initiatives and thanked them for their hard work during this most difficult time. There are many other people and organisations to whom there ought to be an acknowledgement and a thank you. The people of Ipswich mobilised not only to help relatives and friends but also people who they had not met previously. Strangers went up and helped others. One example is in Keogh Street, West Ipswich where one lady resident told me of how she received overwhelming assistance in moving to higher ground. Unfortunately I have to report that a resident who is located adjacent to the Bremer River in Keogh Street was not so fortunate and his house was completely inundated. I have tried to contact that resident but so far he has evacuated and clearly, seeing the devastation, he is not readily contemplating coming back. That family will need assistance in due course. I have acknowledged the never-ending assistance and support of the Ipswich branch of the State Emergency Service. From speaking with SES volunteers it became very clear that these volunteers came not only from Ipswich but also from various other SES organisations throughout South-East Queensland. I acknowledge and thank the Ipswich volunteers who just showed up at the SES Ipswich depot to help with sandbagging. I remember speaking with a fellow called Geoff and, though we did not have very much time between filling sandbags, we had an opportunity to exchange a glass of water and we just simply kept on filling sandbags. It was really full-on. There was a fleet of motor vehicles stretching at least half a kilometre waiting for bags to be allocated to them. It was a relief to have the Army arrive to help. For the first time in the day a couple of hours after I started, we volunteers, with the might of the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, were ahead of the pack when it came to supplying sandbags. Not only were we the audience to the regimental banter of the members of the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment but also we were treated to a regimental lunch of sausages, bread and onions with a choice of your own sauce. I supplied the soft drinks. We ate heartily and it was a real pleasure to serve beside the Army and experience their camaraderie. They worked very hard. The Ipswich Show Society once again allowed the Ipswich Showgrounds and facilities to be used as the focal point of government services and the evacuation centre, and we thank them for that again. My visit early on Tuesday morning verified the dedication of the department of communities, Red Cross, volunteers and members of Lifeline. They all helped so readily and were so giving. Again, these volunteers came from places other than Ipswich. I spoke with a volunteer from the bay area who told me the hours that he was doing and how difficult it was to reach Ipswich. I thanked him for his input and dedication. The staff of the department of communities put in a fantastic effort in holding advice forums, ensuring evacuees knew what emergency funding was available. I listened to their address and the questions asked by the evacuees. The department’s resources were on hand and any person who cared to stay for more than just a few minutes—without necessarily referring to any particular member of this place—would have witnessed their empathy and hard work. Certainly my observations revealed the effectiveness of this department’s committed staff. I take my hat off to the staff of the department of communities and regional director Brooke Winters, who ably led her team in compassionately assisting thousands of people to access personal hardship grants. As at 4 pm on Sunday, 10 February, 1,538 Ipswich households had received grants totalling $783,920.

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I have been told that Brooke Winters and her team had done such an outstanding job in rapidly assisting the flood affected residents at the Ipswich Showgrounds flood recovery centre that, when it closed, five members of the Ipswich department of communities team were deployed to Bundaberg to assist with the recovery efforts there. That is a great example of what an ably led and well-resourced team with a can-do attitude can achieve in our community. In times of hardship, members of parliament should exercise leadership and compassion and lead by example. I am so proud to be a member of this government, which leaves the talk to others and gets in and does the job. It is gratifying to see our government support our community and lead by example. I spoke with residents of Ipswich after the Bremer River had peaked. They were so relieved at not being the subject of another devastating flood and, more importantly, they were pleased that this government got it right. I wish to give acknowledgement to the hardworking staff of the Ipswich City Council. Once again, I pay tribute to Mayor Paul Pisasale, a man who understood the effects of the flood of 2011 and who again knew what Ipswich was experiencing. Like our Premier taking control of the Wivenhoe Dam situation, he delivered on leadership. Mayor Pisasale mobilised the resources at his disposal and assisted those in need. I acknowledge Councillor Cheryl Bromage for the role she played in coordinating the services. Due recognition is given to Councillor Sheila Ireland for her leadership and efforts. In my part of the electorate of Bundamba, I acknowledge Councillor Bruce Casos, whom I have spoken about in the highest of terms concerning his work and efforts during the floods. I wish to pass on to the families of the six Queenslanders who perished in these floods the condolences of the people of Ipswich. Those who perished were young and old, born in Queensland or born overseas. Each and every case was a tragedy of nature, pure and simple. A sad loss of life in any circumstance is a great loss and to lose six people is, indeed, the greatest loss. We all wished for another outcome. The honourable the Premier respectfully recorded their names and affirmed to all that those who had lost their lives will not be forgotten. As time passes, while the memory of this catastrophe will fade we will not forget them. I say to all Queenslanders that the honourable the Premier is determined for Queensland to learn from this event and to improve our resilience. Minister Crisafulli has now been appointed as the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. The minister’s hard work throughout Queensland, along with that of other ministers and members, is to be applauded. He is an appropriate choice for that position. With financial assistance from the federal government and resources from all local governments, we will reconstruct and flood-proof Queensland. With all their resilience, Queenslanders will benefit from our experiences. For the electoral district of Ipswich, Oswald affected 30 residences, eight residential units, 28 student accommodation units and 10 businesses in six buildings. I thank my staff—Michael Davenport, Josh Christian and Edward Boutchard—who all worked through the weekend and the Monday, helping to keep Ipswich informed of what was happening. Lastly, I have very good friends in Mundubbera. Keith Rennick is a dedicated provincial solicitor who, while blind, practises as a sole practitioner. He is highly regarded by the residents of Mundubbera and his clients. I do not know how Keith fared. I have been trying to contact him. I will contact him shortly. I certainly hope that Keith and his wife did not suffer much inconvenience and that the impact on him, his practice and his family is minimal. I wish Keith and his wife all the best. Mr GRIMWADE (Morayfield—LNP) (10.04 pm): I rise to speak in support of the honourable the Premier’s motion in relation to the January 2013 flood event. There is no doubt that, living in Queensland, we are used to severe weather events such as cyclones, bushfires and floods. As Queenslanders, we deal with those events with a unique attitude, which is what makes us fellow Queenslanders. Sadly, during the most recent Australia Day long weekend, Queensland was again impacted by very severe weather events. Throughout Queensland we saw Tropical Cyclone Oswald wreak havoc, we saw areas hit with tornadoes, we saw towns inundated with water and communities from Far North Queensland to the southern border and into Western Queensland torn apart. On behalf of my wife, Leila, I express our most heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones during this event. My heart, prayers and thoughts are with all those Queenslanders who have been severely impacted. As fellow Queenslanders, we will support you today, tomorrow and well into the future to ensure that you can get back onto your feet in this great state of Queensland. If we can take anything positive out of the most recent natural disasters, it is that the worst of Mother Nature sometimes brings out the best of human nature. I acknowledge all the volunteers, community groups and mums and dads who assisted those in need and supported their fellow neighbours in my electorate. Thank you to all the SES workers who worked tirelessly around the clock to assist those in need, preparing sandbags, manning evacuation centres and, at times, putting the safety of others well ahead of their own to rescue people in flooded rivers. I had the honour to stand shoulder to shoulder with SES volunteers relentlessly and tirelessly filling sandbags as fast as they were being requested by the

12 Feb 2013 Motion 105 community. Those men and women had high spirits and attitudes towards helping those in need and definitely deserve a good pat on the back. To the emergency services, police, ambos, firies, Energex crews and others: your work during those events has not gone unnoticed and your contribution in keeping our community safe is commended. To my local Rocksberg Moorina Rural Fire Brigade, I thank you for your efforts. Not only did they offer to provide generators, chainsaws and volunteers to assist, they also sent crews of fine young men and women to Bundaberg to assist that area. On behalf of my colleagues in Bundy, I say thank you. I thank my local Moreton Bay radio station, 101.5FM, for their continued services to the community and for allowing me the airtime to continually brief the community on information important to them. Thankfully, my electorate of Morayfield was fairly well spared from the severe weather events in 2013. However, flooding occurred in a number of streets, and people’s lives were again turned upside- down as they watched water inundate their homes. In my electorate, one such street was Dale Street in Burpengary. I spent a considerable amount of time in this area, helping people throughout the event. In the days that followed the peak of the flood, I returned to the street to stand and see firsthand the devastation that families had gone through again. Some families had only just finished rebuilding after the January 2011 floods. I must say, it was heartbreaking to stand there and watch them go through it again. One morning I met Dale Street resident Shelley Wight. Shelley was able to show me the devastation that occurred when water swept through the bottom section of her high-set home. Many residents in the street were returning home and, although I could see the devastation and emotions in their faces, they were doing what Queenslanders do: they were getting on with it, putting on a brave face and keeping positive for the sake of their neighbours and their children. On this morning I decided to put a call out to our community to start a local mud army. Not knowing what support I could muster, I hit the airwaves on 101.5FM and I used social media such as Facebook to call for fellow community members to come out and help our neighbours. Within one hour of this call, more than 50 people had arrived with buckets, brooms, mops and high-pressure cleaners. There were mums and dads, kids and elderly people. Some people had been impacted themselves but had left their families at home to help those who were more in need. We had people arriving with coffees, cakes and hot sausage rolls. They offered their shoulders to strangers and shared a hot cuppa throughout this event. This outpouring of humanity from the community was amazing. I cannot thank enough the people who answered the call for help. Since the disaster, I have received many calls and offers of assistance from the community and support to help those in need in the worst affected areas of Queensland. I would not have the time to thank all the people who have opened their hearts and offered clothes, furniture, household items and other things to those who were affected by the floods in Queensland. I would like to acknowledge, though, one example of the community coming together to help another community in need. I want to thank Lenny Vernall and her four friends. These ladies baked around the clock to produce over 900 homemade biscuits. They secured a donation of 25 kilograms of lollies from local businesses. These were packed on a pallet and delivered to the Bundaberg branch of the QCWA where these goods were distributed to families in need. I would also like to thank local business Skyreach, which assisted in the transport of that pallet to the Bundaberg region. Another example of extraordinary assistance and effort to help those in need in Bundaberg is Scott Meredith. Scott is a resident of my area. He has organised two 20-foot containers and 1½ semitrailers full of items to be donated to flood affected residents in Bundaberg. Scott started a Facebook group called the Bundy Flood Run. I have kept in touch with Scott. Every day I am humbled to see the generosity of my community as photographs are uploaded onto that page showing the sheer volume of items being collected. It is truly amazing. You are a true Queenslander, Scott, and my hat goes off to you, mate. I want to thank the staff of my electorate office who worked around the clock with me preparing information letters detailing hardship grant information that could be accessed and delivered to those who were affected by the floods and power outages in my electorate. I would also like to thank the department of communities for the support they have given my local area. These staff offered to deploy themselves in the worst affected areas of my electorate and offer an outreach service to my community. I would like to especially thank Julieann Cork and Tammy Myles, who headed this team of department of communities employees. This personalised, professional service was fantastic and I know that their contribution in assisting those in my community was well received. I thank them. I thank the minister for allowing these staff to assist our residents. In supporting this motion tonight, I again want to express my most heartfelt condolences to those in Queensland who have lost loved ones or been affected by the most recent natural disaster. Whilst I acknowledge my presence in this place will be of little comfort to you in these very emotional and difficult times, I want to say that we are here with you in Queensland and we are here to support you until the job is done and you are back on your feet. I commend this condolence motion to the House tonight.

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Mr COX (Thuringowa—LNP) (10.12 pm): I rise to speak in support of the condolence motion moved by the Premier. I firstly express my deepest condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the recent floods and events across this state. The loss of life in times like this is unforeseen and comes as a great tragedy to those families. It comes as a reminder to us all of the dangers and perils of floodwaters and that ‘if it is flooded, forget it’. The families who have lost loved ones will need the support of their community for a long time to come. While we cannot bring back the lives lost, we can help to rebuild the lives and homes of others affected. The loss of property and homes we have seen too many times in recent years. I am always amazed how communities pick themselves up and come together with the support of many others and soldier on. We see children who may have lost everything heading back to damaged schools with the fantastic help of their teachers and parents. Why? Because it is time to go back to school. It is the start of a new school year and it is all part of getting life back to normal as quickly as possible. It is far from a case of ‘life goes on’, but I believe more in the inbuilt instinct within us to get back up again. It has become all too much for some, though, as they have been affected year after year by flooding. Some are struggling to hold it together and find that drive to carry on. The member for Gympie reminded us today that his town has had four floods in two years. The damage to businesses and rural areas in some districts has been enormous. It is important we help these people get their lives back to normal as soon as possible as they are the ones who create the revenue and jobs that people need to assist them to recover after such events. Towns and little communities generally only survive on what industry and businesses provide in the way of structure and employment. It is essential that, while this year we set about rebuilding people’s homes, we support local business where we can to get them started again. As residents throughout Central Queensland and Southern Queensland were inundated by floodwaters recently, I had flashbacks to Cyclone Yasi and knew that there would be a lot of Queenslanders needing help. I spoke with the local Vinnies manager in Townsville who explained that it is best to wait and make sure we deliver the support and goods that are actually needed on the ground in the affected areas before we rush into collecting goods from the public. The best way to help those affected is by donating cash to appeals such as the Red Cross appeal. This can then in part be used to help local businesses get going again by purchasing goods from them. Last week I got a phone call from a local resident in Townsville. Julianna Adcock has family in Bundaberg. She was keen to lend a hand somehow. Her idea was to send practical assistance in the form of linen, baby clothes and toiletries, which she had been told by her connections with a local church in the Burnett would be needed in the coming weeks. She had the idea of setting up a Facebook page for her appeal which she called ‘From Townsville to Bundaberg with love’. She was asking for help in setting up the collection of goods. She had already lined up Lindsay Transport and the Seventh Day Adventist Church. I managed to get on to Amcor packaging in Townsville to get boxes to put the goods in. Local businessman Brad Webb, who runs another charity called Food Relief, supplied the pallets. The Townsville City Council graciously came on board and supplied storage in the V8 track’s pit lane. 1300SMILES donated boxes of toothbrushes. I went online and endorsed her appeal and made an effort to go to the local media, who have been fantastic in trying to get this promotion out there. Julianna was very clear about what sort of items she wanted to send down to Bundaberg. She knew that as the families camped out in the Bundaberg showgrounds or in the ruins of their homes they would need simple things like bedding and toiletries. She also explained about the importance of sending items in new or near-new condition. Julianna said, ‘These people have lost many things and we will not permit anything to be sent to them that is stained or damaged in any way.’ Last Saturday was the first day for collection. There was a fantastic response from the community. Sadly I cannot take part in Thursday night’s kissing booth at the Kirwan Tavern organised by local radio personalities CK and Blake. They will be donating the proceeds to Julianna’s Bundaberg appeal and had invited me to take part in a special round called ‘Pash a Pollie’. Believe me, I am keen to help flood victims in Bundaberg and surrounding regions, but something tells me that this would not have been a money-spinner if they had got me involved. Julianna’s appeal, ‘From Townsville to Bundaberg with love’, will continue to collect donations for the remaining Saturdays in February and she is keen to get the first pallets going. It is gratifying to see the capacity for generosity Queenslanders have for one another. On a related note, I recently represented the Minister for Police and Community Safety in handing out Australia Day Awards to local fire, ambulance and emergency workers. The awards ceremony was a great opportunity to recognise the outstanding contributions made to community safety by operational staff and volunteers in 2012.

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Here are some facts on how the brave men and women from the emergency services were involved in rendering assistance in the 2013 floods and disasters. It must be remembered a lot of these are volunteers. The following is a breakdown of requests to the SES: 1,283 for roof damage; 999 for leaking roofs; 1,026 for trees down; 1,082 for sandbagging. Over 380 SES volunteers from across the state were deployed to assist in the Rockhampton, Bundaberg, North Burnett, Maryborough, Gayndah and Scenic Rim areas. Some 20 SES volunteers came from Tasmania and were deployed to the Scenic Rim area to assist in the clean-up for two days in late January. The EMQ rescue helicopters from Brisbane and Townsville conducted a total of 65 winch rescues resulting in 135 people being winched to safety from rooftops, isolated areas and flooded streets. The Australian Defence Force deployed a total of 248 personnel, 156 of these to Bundaberg alone. In Townsville, the city I come from, the Black Hawks of 5th Aviation Regiment were also deployed. More than 3,500 fire service workers including rural fire brigade volunteers and fire support staff were involved. I think a great way to show the continued support to affected families, businesses, volunteers and emergency workers in the towns and local communities is for us all to go along and help celebrate Australia Day II on 23 February. I commend the Premier’s motion to the House. Mr PITT (Mulgrave—ALP) (10.19 pm): I rise to speak in support of the motion before the House. Two years ago almost to the day I stood in this parliament and remarked that when I saw the South-East Queensland flood events of 2011 I felt somewhat guilty that for once it was not the northern part of the state that was on the receiving end of nature’s fury. Little did I know how wrong I was, as we were hit by Cyclone Yasi shortly after. Today I stand here truly thankful that, while Tropical Cyclone Oswald began its journey in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Far North Queensland was by and large spared. We consider ourselves very lucky that we were not isolated like so many communities down the coast of Queensland. As the motion suggests, we in this House pay tribute to residents in affected areas helping friends and neighbours who have been hardest hit, and to the tireless workers from emergency services, police, workers from utilities such as Ergon and Energex, Defence Force personnel, government agencies, NGOs and of course the hundreds of volunteers. And, as many in this place today have said, these events tragically took the lives of six people. I want to pay tribute to them individually: 65-year-old Roger Boyles from Greenbank; 81-year-old Wolfgang Kaden from Bundaberg; 27-year-old Jacob Luke Shearer from Widgee; 25-year-old Yu-Kun Pan from Gatton, originally from Taiwan; and 34-year-old Swee Leong Fan from the Lockyer Valley, formerly of Malaysia. All of their deaths were tragedies and all will be missed. But it was the death of little Angus Burke from Gordon Park that hit me the hardest. When I heard the news about three-year-old Angus, my eyes immediately turned to my three-year-old son, Tristan. I looked at my son. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a huge hug, and I cried. I simply did not want to let him go. I truly felt for the family that could no longer do the same to their loved one. Any parent who has lost a child will tell you that it is heartbreaking every time you see the loss of a life so young. Of course all of the lives that were lost were very special. On behalf of the people I have been elected to represent in Mulgrave and on behalf of my own family, I extend my heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and to those who have had their lives forever changed. As I mentioned earlier, Far North Queensland was not spared a massive drenching from the rain which was a product of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald. This has had impacts both in terms of physical infrastructure and in terms of people in our region. One impact was the collapse of almost the entire telecommunications system in Gladstone north and out to the west including Mount Isa due to damage to two Telstra fibre-optic cables. For more than 24 hours, there was erratic internet connectivity. Because of this, people were reminded what it was like to have to rely on cash again. For me the worst impact was doing a trolley full of shopping only to be informed at the checkout that it was cash only, followed by a drive to find an ATM that was not reliant on Telstra. For others it was a full tank of fuel with no ability to pay. But for some it was far more serious, with interrupted and at times non-existent 000 for emergency services. Now I know Telstra worked to restore these communications links as quickly as possible and there will always be some natural occurrences that we will never be able to mitigate despite the best preparation. I also note that the issue was raised in federal parliament and the Prime Minister is taking an active interest in the crisis, managing it with the Queensland government. I accept all of this, but I trust that there will be a lesson in this to better inform us as to how we can guard against a repeat of this problem in the future. There were also many roads in Far North Queensland that were cut due to the flooding and the repair bill will not be small, particularly in the southern end of the Cassowary Coast Regional Council area where it is estimated to be around $6 million. This includes the restoration of bridges, culverts and roads— both sealed and unsealed—including some existing road projects underway under National Disaster Recovery and Relief Arrangements. Members would be aware that the NDRRA generally provide for the Commonwealth to fund 75 per cent of disaster costs. Discussions around national partnership agreements and NDRRA are probably best left for another day.

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When Far North Queensland was hit hard by Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi, we received support from members of the SES from around Queensland and interstate, and we were grateful for that support. One of the things that has come from the fact that the Far North was not affected to the same scale as those communities in Central and South-East Queensland is that it provided an opportunity for those emergency services volunteers to return the favour to other communities who assisted us in our time of need. Several waves of volunteers from the Far North headed south to assist with the flood recovery in places like Bundaberg and Maryborough, helping with things like vegetation clearing and tarping of roofs. One of the volunteers, John Lacava, put it best in the Cairns Post when he said—

We’re all Queenslanders. We’ve all got to pull together and if the shoe was on the other foot, they’d be up here. I also agree with him when he said— ... as with a lot of these situations, it always seems to hit the people who can least afford it. I have seen some of the people involved in action before, and I know how hard they worked. So I was very pleased to hear the Minister for Community Safety talk about the important fatigue management processes that were in place—not just for the volunteers but also for the paid emergency services workers and those working for utilities and the Defence Force. Another link to the Far North came in the form of a hospital evacuation. In 2011, the unprecedented decision was made to airlift more than 320 patients from the Cairns base and Cairns private hospitals during the lead-up to Cyclone Yasi. The speed and efficiency with which it was undertaken is a credit to hospital staff and the Defence Force. It was the right decision, not the least because it freed up capacity at the hospital in the event that the main population centre of Cairns felt the full force of a catastrophic event. Since that time, a review has been undertaken by Major General Paul Alexander AO, who became a standing adviser to the previous government on health service disaster management planning issues. It has been conceded that, while things could have been done better, lessons have been learned. Contingency plans were put in place to ensure constant and reliable communications and power, as well as continuous safe water supplies. The district has invested almost $500,000 to improve communications between its health facilities across the district in the event of power or telecoms failure in the cyclone season. This includes digital radios, satellite phones and five repeater stations. These improved communications devices were needed when the Telstra line went down. The plan identifies three venues for use as alternative hospital style treatment centres if Cairns Base Hospital has to be evacuated, and a new health precinct at Edmonton in my electorate of Mulgrave is a longer term solution. The redevelopment of the Cairns Base Hospital has been specifically designed to continue operating effectively even during a disaster, including extra capacity for back-up power generation, onsite fuel storage and onsite water storage to allow the hospital to continue to operate for a period if utilities are disrupted. The Cairns Base Hospital Evacuation Plan was endorsed in January after being tested in December 2012, and there are now procedures in place to decide whether future evacuations would be needed. I understand that the learnings from the Cairns experience were important in terms of determining the response to residents in Bundaberg. Again, it is pleasing to know that as a state we continue to build our knowledge, expertise and resilience through past experience. During the 2013 flood events, some media outlets incorrectly reported a cost to government of $2.4 billion as being higher than the cost of events in 2010 and 2011. In the summer of disasters in late 2010 and early 2011, the ultimate damages bill faced by the state and federal governments for public infrastructure was $7 billion—about $6 billion for floods and $1 billion for Cyclone Yasi. That total of $7 billion did not count the cost to private insurance companies of close to $2.4 billion for private property damage. In blunt terms, the cost of recovery from the current floods will have to be met by all levels of government and private insurers. I mention this to remind the government that they need to remain firmly focused on the people who have been hit hard by the natural disasters and not on the damage bill. I think there are more important things afoot. They need to focus on giving Queenslanders the support and the facts they need to recover and rebuild their homes, businesses and lives. Recently we marked the second anniversary of Cyclone Yasi and, as was the case in previous disasters, the 2013 natural disasters saw emergency services workers and volunteers tireless in their efforts to evacuate those at risk of flooding and to support the numerous communities hit hard by the floods and severe weather. The affected communities still face significant challenges in coming weeks and months, and the patience shown so far by those affected by loss and disruptions will no doubt be called upon again. As I have said many times before, recovery is more than rebuilding roads and buildings; it is also about restoring wellbeing to people, families and communities. Three weeks after Cyclone Yasi struck the Queensland coast in 2011, I was sworn in as the state’s first mental health minister and I had an immediate focus to provide support for the emotional wellbeing of those affected. After going through a frightening situation like floods or other natural disasters, often people experience several different stages. Each person will experience their own range of emotions, but in general terms there are four distinct phases. The heroic phase comes amid disaster survival and

12 Feb 2013 Motion 109 evacuation. Raised anxiety and stress are common. The honeymoon phase occurs in the days after the disaster and usually carries with it a great deal of public support and media coverage. Fundraising and volunteer recruitment is high. But sooner or later people hit a wall and disillusionment sets in. The community and survivors get tired, stress levels are raised and often there is a strong sense of disappointment, anger and resentment towards how things are, or are not, moving. Finally, the long-term reconstruction phase of the disaster comes around when physical property and emotional wellbeing begins to take shape. As was the case following the 2011 disasters, we know that the Easter period this year will likely be a highly stressful time for disaster affected Queenslanders. It is the first major holiday break and it is probably when the reality is expected to sink in, especially for those who were deeply affected by the disasters who might be staying in temporary accommodation or with family and friends. I have donated to the Queensland Floods Appeal and I have urged others in my part of Queensland to do likewise—to never forget the generosity of the tens of thousands of Australians who donated to the Cyclone Larry and Yasi appeals, which greatly accelerated the recovery and reconstruction following our own natural disasters. Many have donated, but I have heard so many others say that they have nothing left to give. Perhaps the same parallel can be drawn to the emotional wellbeing of so many Queenslanders who have had the nightmare of natural disaster call on them all too soon. But at the times when people think all is lost, it is the human spirit that we have seen demonstrated time and time again that should be their guide. It is not just up to those in power at the local, state and federal levels. It is the responsibility of all of us in this House as leaders of our communities to do whatever we can to help. I will finish where I started with something I said in 2011 because I do not know any other way to say it. I know that all Queenslanders have the strength, the determination and the will to go forward from these disasters. The 2013 flood events reminded us all that the force of nature does not discriminate between rich and poor. They reminded us that the things we have in common far outweigh any differences we may have. They reminded us that we are part of a community and even during times of great disaster, something magical can happen when people come together. Mr SORENSEN (Hervey Bay—LNP) (10.30 pm): I rise to support the motion moved by the Premier. I would like to talk about the amazing community spirit that comes through when communities are faced with extraordinary situations and natural disasters as we have experienced. I must mention my electorate of Hervey Bay and the wonderful people who live there. Hervey Bay copped a bucketing of rain and wind from ex-Cyclone Oswald as did many cities and townships across Queensland. It was suitably named, as my secretary told me that Oswald means ‘God’s power’. It certainly had a bit of power for a couple of days. The Hervey Bay electorate and its constituency is no stranger to being isolated in such heavy rain events. We cannot get through to Torbanlea or Maryborough or to the Bruce Highway. Luckily, our airport remains open but supermarket fridges and shelves containing milk and sometimes bread look a bit bare. While we see such tragic loss that has touched us all directly, indirectly and emotionally as the devastation is beamed across the TV and radio stations, we also see a great side of humanity and the generosity of people which makes us proud to all be on the same side. I extend my sincere gratitude to the people of Hervey Bay, who have shown such great patience when faced with the fact that natural gas has been disconnected from Hervey Bay homes, properties and businesses. The gas line was severed north of Bundaberg under the Burnett River. I wish to thank Mr Josh Hankey of the APA who has worked tirelessly to remedy the situation and to keep everyone up to date with the current status. He and his team were relentless in pursuing the fastest fix, but it is still not fixed. No gas means there is no big industry laundry. Adam Roberts of Consolidated Linen Service in Hervey Bay has had a terrible time trying to cope with the linen. He is one of the biggest linen services in our area. He provides that service not only for Hervey Bay but also for Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast and Maryborough. He supplies the hospitals, motels, units et cetera. Having dirty linen from those sorts of places for long periods is not very good. He has struggled on at great cost. He needs a bit of a support. All that the motels and hotels of Hervey Bay can offer is a room with cold showers and limited linen service. Some restaurants cannot cook while others struggle with a reduced menu using hired equipment. I would like to thank all those people in Hervey Bay for their patience. It has now been well over a fortnight since the natural gas was turned off. I would also like to thank Mark McArdle for all the work he has done to keep us updated about the situation. Hervey Bay did not see flood inundation to the levels that Bundaberg, Maryborough, Gympie or the Burnett saw. I wish to acknowledge the federal MP Paul Neville, Jack Dempsey, Anne Maddern, Stephen Bennett and David Gibson. I know they have been working very hard in the recovery effort for their electorates. My sincere condolences go to those who have lost loved ones. My heart goes out to those people also who have lost all their property. Imagine going home and finding no home to go to and that all your goods and chattels have gone and your memorabilia with them. It must be a real heartache for those people who have suffered that loss.

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In Hervey Bay some seawater did go into properties, especially on the king tide. We copped a lot of erosion on the foreshore, which is the same situation for the entire eastern seaboard with the erosion from high tides and winds biting into it, undermining trees and property. We will continue to work with the Fraser Coast Regional Council to ensure the fixes are done as quickly as possible and with minimal red tape. I would like to thank Andrew Powell for assisting. I think he has a done a fantastic job in getting bulldozers and excavators working to get some of the sand back onto the beaches to stop that erosion. I would also like to thank the mayor Gerard O’Connell. In his duties of taking the helm in the event of natural disasters he has focused efforts with the state government on receiving and getting news out to people professionally in order to get the recovery processes underway. I would also like to talk about Wide Bay Transit and the care that they showed for 36 people from Hervey Bay who were supposed to be on a two-day trip which ended up being a five-day trip. The people on the bus were aged between 40 and 80-plus. They went to the Gold Coast to see the Outback Spectacular on Australia Day and were supposed to go to Mount Tamborine on the Sunday. Paul Otto, the bus driver, thought the weather was closing in and it was best to get back to Hervey Bay. So they missed out on going to Mount Tamborine. They made it to Burpengary but had to turn around. It was thought it would be an idea to go through Toowoomba and sneak up the back way to Hervey Bay. However, Oswald had dumped a huge amount of rain throughout the region. The bus went on through Nanango and on to a small township of Moffatdale and that is where the bus stopped, cut off from the north and south with nowhere to go. One would think this would be a diabolical situation but then entered Mrs Sharon Tuesley, the principal of the Moffatdale State School, where 70 students attend and were due to start the following week. Sharon knew of the bus and she waited at the school for its pending arrival. She knew that if she waited she would be cut off from her own home but she waited anyway. She welcomed the bus’s arrival, rallied the townsfolk who came good with mattresses, pillows and sheets and put the folks up for the night—or two or maybe three. Community assistance poured in from concerned locals. Some of the locals kindly opened their homes to the elderly who really could not sleep on the floor. I thank them for that. People often will not think about the need for weekly medication when embarking on a two-day bus trip so they may not take it with them. Principal Tuesley took note of all the medication needed by the stranded bus folk and made sure they were all in receipt of what they needed. The Hervey Bay folk are all home now, humbled by the generosity that was shown by the people in the community of Moffatdale. I wish to thank the principal, Sharon Tuesley, from Moffatdale State School on behalf of the travellers, who will always remember her unselfish contribution to assist this group when things were quite dire. She showed us the very best of humanity and kindness and I would like to thank her very much for that. Hervey Bay had a mini tornado at Dundowran and I inspected a couple of homes afterwards. One resident had his car smashed by a tree that fell down and one of their neighbours had a piece of wood fly through the roof of the house and in through the ceiling and down onto the floor. That left a bit of a mess but nobody got hurt, and that is the main thing. A number of units also got flooded in the Urangan area, and I thank George Dack from the boat club and his crew who helped an elderly pensioner move to another house which the real estate agency found for her. She had to throw all of her furniture out and she was fairly distraught when I saw her. I also want to thank the nursing homes of Hervey Bay for taking in residents from Bundaberg, especially Baycrest and Torbay which have taken a number of people from homes in Bundaberg into Hervey Bay. It is great to see that they can all help out. I also want to thank Lol Wilton from the SES. She always does a great job leading that organisation. She kept me informed of what was going on all of the time. She is always a great leader. I also want to thank Meals on Wheels for producing food for Bundaberg at Hervey Bay and Maryborough. They are cooking the meals for Meals on Wheels in Bundaberg. I especially thank Ray Fleming and Avis from Meals on Wheels Hervey Bay. The only thing that they lacked was a couple of deep freezers to be able to put the meals into after they cooked them. People come down from Bundaberg to pick up those meals twice a week, so that has been an interesting operation. I also want to thank all of the emergency services such as the police and the SES for all of the hard work they do in these conditions. The message that we have to get out there for a lot of businesses at the moment is that many of those businesses are open for business. The only way that we can really help a lot of these businesses is to ensure that people do know that they are open for business and support those businesses that have been damaged, especially in Hervey Bay and Maryborough and all of those towns which have suffered from this flooding rain. I commend the motion to the House. Mr TROUT (Barron River—LNP) (10.41 pm): Tonight I rise to speak on the Premier’s motion of condolence to the House. We in the tropical far north are no strangers to severe weather events, yet this year—once again—we looked in horror and with a certain helplessness at events unfolding to the south as we escaped fairly unscathed from this year’s first tropical cyclone. Who would have imagined the severity of the effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald as it pushed south from Cairns after leaving us with a much needed but, for the most part, manageable deluge? Little were we to know what would unfold as we bade this relatively innocuous weather mass farewell. Our hearts go out to those who have lost family members

12 Feb 2013 Motion 111 and friends. I cannot find the right words to express my sorrow and condolences to those fellow Queenslanders who have lost loved ones and friends. How can I begin to understand how you feel? I can only express my sincere sympathy and thank all those who were nearby and could offer support in any way they could. My admiration abounds for those who put their own lives at risk to help those in need and for those community leaders who showed strength and resilience in bringing some normality back to their flood and tornado stricken areas, to all those amazing individuals who comprise our emergency services, and to all those who do not but have demonstrated community spirit and selflessness in going above and beyond for those in need. If there was a medal for all of those incredible people who have shown such altruism in recent weeks, we could build an Eiffel Tower with the amount of metal we would need. This was demonstrated in the far north when a Laura couple became trapped by floodwaters for 10 days. They watched the water rise rapidly—five metres in a few minutes—and they knew they had to get out of the A- frame house they were living in. There is no roof to climb on in an A-frame and, having been trapped by floodwaters for 10 days, Richard’s heart condition was aggravated by anxiety. Local pilot ‘Spida’ Ryder landed the Emergency Management Queensland helicopter on an area of grass the size of a tennis court to pick them up that evening. He flew straight through the trees to land on the only water-free tiny patch of land. Safely in hospital, Richard was near to tears as he told local journalists how scared the couple were and how incredible the pilot was. Many Cairns residents faced concerns for the safety and wellbeing of friends and loved ones, their properties and livelihoods, but for the most part there was little most of us could do. That was the most frustrating part. My own aunt and uncle, Mick and Mae Rogers, narrowly missed being killed as a tornado tore through their home in Burrum Heads. A huge log was flung through their house, all of the windows of the house shattered and the roof of the shed landed on their car. My aunt said that it sounded like an aeroplane had landed on the house. Neighbours have rallied to help the elderly couple. It has really brought the very best out in people—brought the community together. I take my hat off to the courage and resilience of Queenslanders throughout the flooded regions and also those members of our own SES branches who gave of their time and risked their own safety to help those in stricken areas. All members of our local SES branches are quick to point out that their actions are reciprocal—that is, SES branches from all over the state are quick to render assistance to the far north in times of need. Thirty local SES members from Cairns and Townsville were deployed to Maryborough, some onward to Burrum Heads to help in the aftermath of the tornado, some to clean mud in Maryborough and others to ferry people to hospital, among other tasks as needed. Amazingly, the irrepressible members of the SES responsible for helping my elderly aunt and uncle mend their broken home after the tornado were none other than Serge Van Dycke of Holloways Beach and Mark Proud and Pat Moloney of Edmonton, ably led by Glenn Alderton of Emergency Management Queensland. My aunt spotted the words ‘Holloways Beach’ on Serge’s uniform and of course she recognised this as being the suburb in which yours truly lived. Establishing the connection to her nephew, she was amazed and delighted. In the meantime, Serge was texting photos of me as a youngster from the interior passageway of the house, cropping all but me from the photos he sent to me and having me guess where he was and who he was with. From the bottom of my heart I thank these amazingly generous people who sacrifice their time to help fellow Queenslanders all over the state, but that is the nature of the SES: have heart, fortitude and community spirit; will travel. In the meantime, there are no words that will make this tragedy less tragic, replace loss of family and possessions or heal broken hearts. But there are immense feelings of empathy, unity and caring that resonate through the state of Queensland which nothing or no-one can take away from those in need of our thoughts and prayers. I urge all Queenslanders to give generously to the Red Cross appeal to assist families in need. I commend this motion to the House. Mr BOOTHMAN (Albert—LNP) (10.47 pm): I rise today to speak in support of the Premier’s flood condolence motion. The name ‘Oswald’ will forever be linked with 2013. The name will go down in history— a weather event that left a trail of destruction down the eastern seaboard of our great state from the tropical north to the south-east corner. The fury of Mother Nature has no equal, and Oswald is a prime example of that. The enormous physical and economic damage inflicted upon residents of the Burnett and Bundaberg regions will require all Queenslanders to support their recovery. We can show our support by purchasing products and produce from these areas and certainly by donating to the Red Cross flood appeal. I offer my condolences to all of the families and friends of those who lost loved ones. Mother Nature can certainly be kind, but she can also be extremely cruel. Our emergency services worked tirelessly to save multiple lives through their dedication and hard work. Without these individuals, the cost of life could have been much, much higher. Whilst the Albert electorate did escape widespread physical destruction, we too suffered isolation through communities being inaccessible due to rising floodwaters. Parts of the Buccan region became almost an inland island as the area was cut off from the rest of the world, apart from a very small goat track which actually provided a valuable lifeline for locals.

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I wish to thank the Mayor of the Logan City Council, Pam Parker, and Councillor Don Petersen for their quick thinking in opening up this crucial link, which is the so-called goat track, named by Mayor Pam Parker, which allows emergency supplies to this area. Whilst my region suffered power outages for extended periods, the Energex workers worked extremely hard around the clock to restore power. I must add that I personally witnessed Energex workers working to exhaustion. I spoke to a team when they took a few minutes break to grab some lunch at the local BP service station at Yatala. I could not help but go up to them and pat them on the back and thank them from the bottom of my heart for all of their dedication and work. I say well done Energex. The community certainly thanks them for their tireless efforts. The community spirit in Buccan was high, with the neighbours looking out for each other, sharing food and conducting large neighboured barbecues. Watching these individuals certainly lifted spirits. The main damage occurred just outside the Albert electorate on Mount Tamborine, where massive rainforest trees were pushed over like matchsticks. Roads were cut and the famous Mount Tamborine goat track, which links Mount Tamborine to Canungra, suffered extensive damage. The tourism industry within the Mount Tamborine region also suffered an additional blow with the closure of the John Muntz Causeway. During the flooding event the John Muntz Causeway was hit by a wall of water. I have never seen the Coomera River rise so quickly. Members of this House may remember that in a previous speech I referred to this crucial arterial road, which links Mount Tamborine, Wongawallan and parts of Upper Coomera to the rest of the Gold Coast. I am happy to inform the House that the downstream culverts did not sustain any further damage. That is an incredible feat if you take into account the wall of water that smashed against the bridge. That is a direct reflection of the skill of the engineers and workers who strengthened the causeway after the last flooding event. RoadTek crews worked long hours preparing the bridge for single-lane traffic use and on a daily basis I went to see their handiwork and stewardship. The John Muntz Causeway is now open to single-lane traffic, which is under traffic light control, which is certainly allowing people to access the Upper Coomera, Wongawallan and Mount Tamborine regions. I would like to take a moment to thank the members of my community for their understanding whilst the causeway was closed. Their patience was greatly appreciated. The construction of a new bridge is estimated to start in March or April this year and the new bridge is designed for better flood mitigation. I owe a big thanks to the Cedar Creek community for their efforts to clean up the Cedar Creek State School. In one single day they managed to clean up the yards of the school and the classrooms if there was any damage to them. They did a fantastic job. I can certainly say that the Minister for Education, Training and Employment, the Hon. John-Paul Langbroek, was very impressed with the community spirit at Cedar Creek. The Principal of Cedar Creek State School, Andrew Cummings, certainly has a wonderful community at Cedar Creek who back him up. I wish to extend a warm thanks to all the volunteers in the Rural Fire Service, the State Emergency Service and other community groups. The rural fire units and the council did a fantastic job in getting out there and making sure that the roads that needed to be closed were closed and that there was plenty of signage, which certainly ensured the safety of motorists. I will always remember the Rural Fire Service crews manning the roadblock on Howard’s Creek crossing, fighting off horizontal rain backed by gale force winds. The ‘road closed’ signs kept on flying over, but those crews held their ground and made sure that nobody was going to cross that flooded crossing. I certainly thank all the professional emergency service workers who saved countless lives. I would also like to thank Councillor William Owen-Jones of division 2 of the Gold Coast City Council and Councillor Donna Gates of division 1 of the Gold Coast City Council for their hard work during the crises in getting out information that was so sought after. In closing, I would like to ask people to support the local businesses in the Upper Coomera, Wongawallan and Mount Tamborine regions. They are open for business now. They desperately need coins. So I ask people in the Gold Coast region to please go up to those areas. There are lovely places to have nice coffees or to grab a nice beer. So I ask people to support their local businesses. Mr JOHNSON (Gregory—LNP) (10.54 pm): This evening at this late hour I rise to speak to the Premier’s condolence motion on the recent tragic events of the aftermath of Cyclone Oswald. Many members from both side of parliament have canvassed a series of issues and have related different stories. Going back to mid-January, I witnessed what could have been a tragic event in the far western town of Jundah. I also saw that same storm guide its way through Stonehenge, Ilfracombe and touch the edge of Longreach. I thank the Hon. Tim Nicholls, the Treasurer of this state, for coming to Jundah and seeing firsthand the destruction that that tornado caused as it tore through that small western town. I thank the Lord that the school at Jundah was empty as it was school holidays. The trees at that school had fallen. The major shade shelter, which was built by the federal government, was pushed severely to one side and nearly blown flat to the ground. It will have to be removed and dismantled. It is in a dangerous state. The council road camp dongas there were also turned over on their side and some of them had rolled. That just goes to show how lucky you can be.

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The main crisis that is confronting us is the aftermath of Cyclone Oswald. On a global scale, we see these terrible disasters occur annually throughout the world. Until such time they strike our own shores or strike our own backyard, it is a stark reminder of how lucky we have been in the past. Over recent years we have seen cyclones occurring along the North Queensland coast, the Northern Territory and Western Australia and we have seen mass destruction. We were lucky that we never had a huge loss of life when Cyclone Yasi and Cyclone Larry hit. But two years ago people tragically lost their lives in the Lockyer Valley and in other flooding events in Queensland. This year, six people perished in this disastrous event on Australia Day 2013. My condolences, prayers and thoughts are with the families of those people, as are the hearts of the people of my electorate as they think of these people at this sad time. I want to talk about the huge flood event that affected the eastern end of my electorate of Gregory adjacent to the electorate of Mirani and the electorate of Callide. A couple of days after the event on Australia Day 2013 I had a phone call from a lady to tell me that the power had gone off at their property—a place called Anchor. The lady’s name was Dolly Servin. She and her husband, Robert, have two little children, Tom and Sophie. They live on this cattle property and run a 1,000-head feedlot. As members would appreciate, before the rain this cattle property was in the grip of drought. All their other herd stock was in the paddock. Those members who understand the livestock industry would know that cattle are like a horse in feed. You just cannot let them out into the flat. You have to let them down before you let them out onto rough tucker. When there is nothing there for them to eat, it is a different situation. As a result of the power going off—they lost power on the Sunday and it was off for about four days—they lost their ability to run the pumps at the feedlot and also the conveyor belts and the crushers for the grain. As a result these cattle were let out. To date, the last time the Servins checked there was something like 208 cattle dead. When you look at 100-day cattle in a feedlot, these bullocks could be worth anywhere from $1,400 to $1,500 a head. I would estimate that the Servins have lost in the vicinity of $300,000 in a matter of a couple of days because of the loss of power. I have heard other members make reference here today to loss of power. We have to take out of this tragic event the heartache that these people have endured and the heartache they are still enduring. As members have mentioned in this House, many people have been wiped out. The Deputy Premier made mention of the terrible devastation in his electorate of Callide. Areas that have been affected include properties further down along that river stream on the Duaringa-Baralaba Road and properties from Roxborough in the north down to Coominglah in the south and all properties on the Duaringa-Biloela Road parallel to the Dawson River on the east side, from Kingsley in the north through to the Don River Crossing. Also affected were, as I mentioned, the feedlots at Anchor where the Servin family live, Duaringa Station and Inverio which suffered stock losses. I salute the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and also the Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience. I thank those two gentlemen for having the vision, the drive and the determination to make absolutely certain that all shires are taking advantage of the programs available and the category C measures that are available to a lot of property owners for the reconstruction of fencing and the replacement of livestock et cetera. I know that the ministers have also made representations to negotiate with the federal government on a range of category D measures. This is very important in getting the livelihoods of these people back to normal. What many people do not realise, and what people here in the chamber who have been primary producers understand fully, is that when you are wiped out like this you do not get those stock back overnight. To lose cattle of that quality and of that value is a huge impost on their operation, as well as the interest and redemption payments. I urge the two ministers, the Treasurer and the Premier to make sure they exchange dialogue with financial institutions to see the way clear to give these people the opportunity to redeem their situation at this sad hour and to help them back onto an able footing. In closing I thank Councillor Peter Maguire, mayor of the Central Highlands Regional Council, for bringing this to my attention. I also thank Councillor Charlie Brimblecombe and his wife who went down and stayed for a long period of time with Robert and Dolly Servin and the two little ones to comfort them in their time of need. I also pay respect to Laurie Ryan from the Ambulance Service at Duaringa and, importantly, to Jason Akers, the works foreman and supervisor at the Central Highlands Regional Council based in Duaringa. Jason played a very forthright and responsible role in informing me of what was going on at that end. As members are well aware, most people right across the eastern end of Queensland did not have any communication. It is people like Jason Akers and Laurie Ryan and also Glenn Bell from the Central Highlands Regional Council who braved all odds to make certain that the care for these unfortunate people was there. I also congratulate the government for restoring counselling services to people in rural and regional Queensland. There is no time greater than this hour of need to give comfort to those people. Everyone is well aware that the worst person in the world to get anything out of is the Australian country male. He does not like to divulge too much. He will not talk too much. It is the women who observe and understand there

114 Adjournment 12 Feb 2013 is a problem. I believe that the government should be congratulated for restoring these counselling services. Those people and their professional dedication and commitment to the cause are the ones who will help many of those people through. I thank the Premier, the members of cabinet and the government very much for their drive, determination and dedication. I thank all those emergency services people who risk their lives at all times to protect others in their hour of need. May the souls of the persons who are deceased rest in peace and may their families be comforted at this time of need. Madam SPEAKER: I speak to support the condolence motion. As a state MP, like my parliamentary colleagues I think of the entire state, a state of great expanse filled with men and women of great determination in the midst of great devastation in so many areas. Though the members of state parliament may hold diverse political opinions, at times like this such opinions are put aside so that we can together focus on responding during crisis and providing comfort to those who have lost so much. Our heart is heavy for those who have lost livelihoods or who find themselves once again having to battle against the odds to see an agricultural or commercial business survive such a hit. We mourn with those who have lost homes and who have also endured seeing memories and special mementoes swept away or destroyed. The loss of tangible symbols can weigh heavily. It can leave people feeling unanchored or adrift, isolated from their past and unsure of their future. Particularly we grieve with those who have experienced the greatest loss of all, the loss of loved ones. Our hearts broke with the news of each death and the loss of a child is perhaps the saddest of all. My local electorate of Maroochydore was fortunate to escape the worst of the flooding from ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald with only relatively minor damage experienced in local areas except for some extensive shoreline damage. However, many in my electorate and across the Sunshine Coast were impacted by loss of electricity supply with an unprecedented number of homes and businesses losing power across South- East Queensland. Crops in the hinterland also suffered greatly. I recognise the diligent efforts of hardworking Energex teams to restore power as quickly as possible to the majority of homes and businesses. I wish to also acknowledge and thank the Minister for Transport in regard to urgent dredging work that was required on the river mouth of the Mooloolah River. The department of communities was quick to respond in providing emergency assistance information for those residents who were experiencing hardship. As has been mentioned today, already the response of Queenslanders has been heartwarming and we all commend the tireless work of volunteers and the professionals. I continue to encourage individuals and organisations to donate financially to the flood appeal as far greater resources will be required to help those affected. To all my parliamentary colleagues who have been working so hard to bring relief and attend to the practical needs of their constituents, you have our ongoing support and thanks. Like each of you, I support this motion. My heart is with those who have experienced great loss and my prayer is that in the midst of the darkness of their grief they will find the light of hope and comfort. Question put—That the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to.

ADJOURNMENT Mr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (Manager of Government Business) (11.08 pm): I move— That the House do now adjourn.

Brookwater Woolworths; Redbank Plains State High School Mrs MILLER (Bundamba—ALP) (11.08 pm): It was with great pleasure last week that I attended the grand opening of the new Woolworths at Brookwater. This new facility shows the commercial and retail confidence in my electorate and meets the needs of a growing community. I would like to acknowledge Woolworths for involving the local schools in the opening and showcasing the outstanding performances by students at the Augusta State School and St Augustine’s College highlighting the talented young students we have in our community. In fact, Augusta State School sang Advance Australia Fair and St Augustine’s College sang the Woolworths song. The students are a great credit to the work undertaken by Tammy Swane and her team at Augusta State School and Leon Capra and his team at St Augustine’s. Woolworths kindly donated $1,000 to each school and there were plenty of parents and grandparents in attendance and we all had a good morning. Another fantastic example of the efforts undertaken by strong school leadership is Redbank Plains State High School. Llew Paulger, his team and the P&C have done great things in their school community. Community confidence in the school has gone up, with student numbers the highest that they have been in 15 years. Year 8 enrolments have gone from 240 last year to—wait for it—329 this year, with total numbers

12 Feb 2013 Adjournment 115 increasing by 98 students to 1,367 students. The school began the national partnership program last year. In just its first year, the improvements in school results can be seen in the figures. One hundred per cent of graduating students exited the school with either a QCE or VET qualification, that is, all students left with a qualification. Eighty-six per cent of students completed QCE, an increase from the previous year of 72 per cent. The school saw a 10 per cent increase in students receiving between an OP1 and an OP15 result and 95 per cent of students who applied for a QTAC entrance got an offer. On behalf of our community, I say congratulations to Llew and to all of the teachers, particularly the specialist teachers. I say congratulations to the wonderful students of Redbank Plains State High School and the P&C. With the wonderful funding that has come through the national partnership program to schools such as Redbank Plains State High School, can members imagine what miracles can happen? Education miracles could happen if Gonski got through and was funded by the federal and state governments. I believe in education miracles, I am a Gonski girl and I support it all the way.

Broadbeach State School Mr STEVENS (Mermaid Beach—LNP) (11.11 pm): I rise to bring to the attention of the House the inaccurate and malicious rumour being spread by the likes of the Queensland Teachers Union on behalf of its Labor Party colleagues that the Broadbeach State School will be sold under the Newman government. It is categorically an outrageous representation of the truth about the Broadbeach State School. The truth is simply that the Broadbeach State School will not be sold under this Newman government. I have spoken to the education minister to ensure my pronouncements on this matter are correct and he reaffirms my view of the importance of the rapidly growing Broadbeach State School to the ongoing success of Queensland education on the Gold Coast. With over 700 students attending now and the prospect of more to come with the increased densities planned around Broadbeach by the arrival of the light rail, it would be negligent in the extreme for any government to sell the Broadbeach State School, despite it being worth a reported $150 million. We have schools all over Queensland on very valuable property, such as the Surfers Paradise State School on the Isle of Capri, which would be a very valuable commercial site, but we do not just sell school sites because they are worth a lot of money. Apart from the economic and social responsibility of the Newman government to keep the Broadbeach State School, the school represents an oasis of open space on what will eventually be a cluster of high-density high-rise living, which is already showing its face on the school edges. The school is an important part of the educational and social infrastructure for the community of Broadbeach and its surrounds. I will continue to support the Broadbeach State School, as I have done over the years, just as when I rallied behind it when the previous Labor government was looking at selling off the school. The union needs to stop worrying the school community and spreading rumours that are concerning to the school community. Education is a key priority for the LNP Newman government and will continue to be a standout focus for the future of our Queensland children. The Broadbeach State School will continue to serve the community of Broadbeach and surrounds with the full confidence and security it deserves. These false accusations by a few stirrers are very hurtful to the Broadbeach State School community of teachers, parents and students. I would like to lay to rest any rumours or fearmongering by the unions and their associates, and confirm that the school will not be sold off at any time under this Newman government. The Broadbeach State School is an integral part of my community and I am very proud to represent the school in its wonderful endeavours. It is very successful as represented by growing numbers and the support it has within the community. At no stage—and the minister supports me on this matter— are we contemplating doing away with the Broadbeach State School. Please, stop the rumour-mongering and let them get on with the job of educating our kids at the Broadbeach State School.

Men’s Shed Carina Mr MINNIKIN (Chatsworth—LNP) (11.14 pm): Tonight in this chamber I rise to talk about my visit late last year to the Men’s Shed Carina. During my visit to the Men’s Shed, I had the privilege of attending their planning meeting, which is held every six months. As the famous business saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Therefore, it was wonderful to see all the members defining the next six months ahead for the Men’s Shed. Without the commitment and dedication displayed by all members, those sorts of voluntary organisations simply do not prosper. The Men’s Shed Carina had humble beginnings, which started as the vision of Mr Georgie Hickey. Just over 12 months ago, eight financial members met underneath Georgie’s house. Fast forward to early 2013 and the Men’s Shed Carina has not only over 80 financial members and a massive new shed located at the back of the Clem Jones Centre but also a variety of equipment, tools and materials. With its active website and monthly newsletter, there is no doubt as to why this Men’s Shed membership is rapidly

116 Adjournment 12 Feb 2013 expanding and is on the cusp of opening four days a week to accommodate that expanding membership base. The reason I wish to highlight the work of the Men’s Shed Carina tonight is to draw attention to not only the great work of President Mal Weir and the rest of the shed’s executive but also what the Men’s Shed delivers in terms of practical benefits to the physical and mental wellbeing of men in the Chatsworth electorate and surrounds. On average, men are not comfortable talking about their feelings, emotions, health or life issues so the Men’s Shed concept provides a nurturing outlet, combined with keeping busy in an environment with true-blue Aussie mateship at its core. That is why it is no surprise that many prominent mental health organisations such as beyondblue sing the praises of organisations such as the Men’s Shed Carina. In its first 12 months, the Men’s Shed Carina has already given back to the Chatsworth community tenfold, from making possum boxes to building footstools for children studying the piano and wooden toys for the Cracker Jack Carnival, as well as assisting other community groups with projects or repairs. Without a doubt, there is a wide range of skills and knowledge amongst the Men’s Shed Carina membership. However, that does not stop the members from continuing to learn and enhance their toolbox of skills and knowledge through CPR training to demos and various presentations from organisations such as the Cancer Council and the Heart Foundation and many others over the year. Indeed, it is inspiring to see a big emphasis on tool skills, safety procedures and furniture restoration, which all contribute to ensuring that members get the most out of the shed. It is with great pride that, as the member for Chatsworth, I recognise the outstanding work of the Men’s Shed Carina.

Saltwater Crocodiles Mr BYRNE (Rockhampton—ALP) (11.17 pm): Few in this House would be unaware of my close association with the local rowing community in Central Queensland. I have been an active proponent for all types of watersports, particularly when there is an opportunity to engage children and young people. Increasingly, the capacity of my constituents to enjoy the waterways of Central Queensland is being threatened by a greater prevalence of saltwater crocodiles. Some will say that the animals have always been present and that I am simply hyperventilating about a matter that has always existed. I am sure that there will be credentialled departmental people who will suggest that the population of saltwater crocodiles is not increasing but has remained constant in Central Queensland. I beg to differ. At a personal level, I have noticed a very dramatic increase in the number of sightings of crocodiles in the Shoalwater Bay area of Central Queensland over the past 15 years, as well as in the Fitzroy. There was once a time when one crocodile sighting every three to five years was considered normal and few people actually believed the animals were seen, anyway. Over recent years, many crocodiles are seen on an annual basis. We know that there is a healthy and fully developed population of saltwater crocodiles in the area generally, while previously they had essentially been removed. It is simply a function of logic that as the populations increase they will propagate further and further into adjoining areas. Members will not find a more ardent conservationist than I. However, I do not believe that there is any equity in the value of a crocodile’s rights as compared to the life of a human being. I fully support the protection of the species and I have no problem with commercial exploitation through farming and, on a case-by-case basis, wild harvesting. I do have a problem when the fear of attack from these animals forces our community away from the water in areas that have been used for recreational purposes for generations. That is unacceptable to my community and any sane person. I believe it is completely unacceptable for watercraft sports to be made problematic because they have to share popular areas of the local river with large crocodiles. Nobody is suggesting that there will ever be an absolute guarantee. But I do think that it is the government’s responsibility not only to ensure the survival of the species but also to include the survival of constituents in the equation. I believe it is essential the government is able to provide some measure of comfort to users of our estuarine areas. This means that the government must be able to investigate the habits of these animals and report adequately and regularly to those using those areas. This has not necessarily been the case in the past. I would like to talk about my efforts to talk to the department about such matters, but that was a journey in itself that took me over a week to find someone to talk to. I assume that sensible persons would share my concerns.

Magpies Sporting Club, Magpie of the Year Awards Mr COSTIGAN (Whitsunday—LNP) (11.20 pm): I rise in the House to recognise the wonderful sporting achievements over the past year in Mackay, across various codes, under the umbrella of the Magpies Sporting Club. This great club, of which I am a proud member, hosted its Magpie of the Year awards before the Christmas-New Year break. I was delighted to be there alongside members, Deputy

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Mayor Kevin Casey, Dawson MP George Christensen and special guest, my good old mate from Sarina, Mackay’s dual international Wendell Sailor. Before I recognise specific athletes, I would like to acknowledge the Magpies Sporting Club for stumping up $750,000 in community benefits in 2012, with a large percentage helping affiliated sporting clubs like Magpies rugby league—seniors and juniors—cricket, netball, and soccer. As Jamie Woods, the sports coordinator, remarked, 2012 was a big year for the Magpies, with the black and whites boasting the largest number of registrations in Mackay junior league and cricket. The sport of basketball also had a super season, with the Magpies going from just two teams to 10 teams, with six of those taking out their respective grand finals. Hoop it up, they certainly did! On the night, 158 players were recognised as regional, state or Australian representatives, with grand final appearances coming in not only basketball but also junior and senior league, soccer, cricket and netball. Also part of the Magpies family, water polo, AFL, the Magpies Fishing Club and the Mackay and District Dog Obedience Club. The Magpie of the Year went to Greg Jensen from Magpies Junior Rugby League, the club I played for, although not very well. Mr Johnson interjected. Madam SPEAKER: Member for Gregory, I remind you that you are not in your seat. Mr COSTIGAN: Greg has been involved with the Magpies for over 40 years, playing for them in his junior days before moving up to the seniors. In the 1990s Greg’s association continued as team manager and then as coach, not only at club level but also coaching representative teams. He later served as club vice-president and club president. Today, the Magpies boast 300 juniors, not bad considering numbers at one stage dwindled to about 75. Greg and a few others turned the ship around. So congratulations Greg Jensen, the 2012 Magpie of the Year, who follows in the footsteps of Ken Shuttlewood, Glen Cole, Rob Wallace and Ron Cussens, just to name a few. In other awards, a gold medal went to Jared Patterson, who represented Queensland country, Queensland and Australian teams in water polo. That is truly a magnificent effort in his chosen sport. Seven athletes also came away with silver medallions: cricketer Liam Landrigan, playing for Queensland under-12s; netballer Danica Szepanowski, playing for Queensland under-15s; soccer players Ezra Kennell and Alec Lablache, Queensland country representatives in under-13s and under-15s respectively; basketballer Taylor Teske, playing for Queensland under-16s; and James Bartholomew and Thomas Bissett, from Magpies rugby league, who represented the Queensland police team. Finally, well done to all those bronze medallion winners who represented Mackay, Capricornia or North Queensland. To everyone, congratulations. You’ve done the Magpies proud!

Toowoomba, Second Range Crossing Mr WATTS (Toowoomba North—LNP) (11.23 pm): I wish to bring the attention of the House to the Toowoomba second range crossing. We recently had a meeting in Toowoomba that was convened by Mayor Paul Antonio and the Toowoomba Regional Council. It was attended by 250 people, including people from businesses and politicians. Senator and Ian Macfarlane, our local federal member, were there. Warren Truss came and spoke about the federal coalition’s position going into the next election, which is that they have committed $700 million to the project. This is a substantial contribution, but there will still need to be other contributions either via a toll or maybe a state contribution. At this meeting where we had mayors from five of the shires around the area—four from the west and one from the east—Labor were sadly absent. The federal government really showed their contempt for anything west of the divide by not sending any politician to the meeting. They are not committing any funding at all. In fact, they do not really care what is happening in my region with regard to this crossing. At the moment 26,000 vehicles travel along this road a day, up to 6,000 of which are heavy goods vehicles. They pass 20 and 30 metres from people’s front doors. The livability of Toowoomba is being destroyed by these heavy goods vehicles servicing the Surat Basin. The only real solution is to build this second range crossing. Anybody who wants to see what a massive task this will be can go to my website at trevorwatts.com.au and see a 3D visualisation that was put together by the department. I need to thank the Deputy Premier for his work in putting together the business case and the Treasurer and Projects Queensland for presenting it. It was very well received by everybody in our area. Unfortunately, we had one mayor, Steve Jones from the Lockyer Valley, who seemed to think that putting a toll on the road might mean that truck drivers do not want to use it. I ask if he will come and doorknock with me down James Street, which is part of the Warrego Highway, and talk to the residents so that he can truly understand that a toll on trucks travelling through the heart of our town and actually putting

118 Adjournment 12 Feb 2013 them on a bypass route is all about giving the town back to the people of Toowoomba so constituents can enjoy the lifestyle and amenity of the garden city.

Chillagoe, Cave Tours Mr KNUTH (Dalrymple—KAP) (11.26 pm): I wish to raise an issue that is critical to the future of the small community of Chillagoe in Far North Queensland. Chillagoe is a small community that was built around the mining and smelting of copper, silver, lead and gold at the turn of the century. However, since the closure of the smelter in the town, tourists visiting the world famous caves of Chillagoe have become more and more important to the town’s economy. National parks have been running cave tours since about 1970. At that time there was no charge for the tours. As the tours grew in popularity and required greater resources in terms of manpower and administration, the charge grew to $11 in 2002. In 2002 the responsibility of handling cave tour bookings was handed over to Chillagoe Hub owners, Jim and Tonia Evans. They were given a five-year-plus contract. Over the past 10 years Jim and Tonia have worked diligently to increase the reputation of the Chillagoe cave tours as one of Far North Queensland’s premier tourist destinations. They negotiated an incremental yearly increase in tour charges which provided a modest income for the state and contribution to the local economy by providing friendly local service and encouraging visitors to the caves to stay in Chillagoe and see the historic smelter site. At present the cave tours bring in $23 for every adult taking the tour, which is a significant income in a small community like Chillagoe where every dollar spent locally has a great effect not only on the economy but also on the morale and resilience of the community. Through their dedication to friendly, personal service, Jim and Tonia use the cave tours as a means to draw tourists to spend money in the town on a meal at the Bottom Pub or the Post Office Hotel or stay at the tourist village, the guesthouse, the ecolodge or one of the fine camping grounds Chillagoe has to offer. The Evans’s second five-year term is about to end and they decided to allow the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to put the contract out for tender and see who it might bring to the town. It is important to note that Jim and Tonia Evans use the earnings received from the cave tours to subsidise the Chillagoe Post Office, which is a vital service to the Chillagoe community as well as the surrounding area which includes remote cattle stations. Members will understand the shock and dismay that Jim and Tonia felt when the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service advised them that the state government would not be renewing the tour sales contract but installing an impersonal ticket machine. A ticket machine that would be unable to refer tourists to the Chillagoe Tourist Village for a nice meal and a cold beer. A ticket machine cannot tell tourists about the historic Post Office Hotel or direct them to the Bogey Hole where their children can have a swim or tell them about the award-winning ecolodge or the iconic Chillagoe Guest House. Jim and Tonia have worked hard. I encourage the minister to investigate this. (Time expired)

Ambulance Service Mr COX (Thuringowa—LNP) (11.29 pm): In the wake of recent natural disasters around the state, we have heard stories of the brave community safety workers and volunteers who are committed to helping others. But recently I came to appreciate the importance of also having the right tools for the job. I had the honour of meeting with Queensland Ambulance Service Assistant Commissioner Rodney Walz on Monday, 4 February at Kirwan Ambulance Station to hand over the keys for a new Toyota Land Cruiser off-road ambulance. Within my electorate of Thuringowa there are many semi-rural properties and regions that can be isolated by rain and mud. A standard ambulance may get bogged when trying to service areas such as Greenvale, about 250 kilometres west of Townsville. This means not only better service for these towns and regions but better safety for our men and women ambos. The new ambulance has the high clearance of a four-wheel drive utility plus the power of a V8 engine and is ideal when responding to call-outs off the sealed roads of urban Townsville and Thuringowa. The rig was designed with the input of ambulance officers and, unlike previous retrofitted four-wheel drive vehicles, it is custom built. This shows the new direction of the current government to make sure that we lose that ‘one size fits all’ approach under Bligh’s government, with its ingrained approach of what works for the south-east part of this state should work in regional areas. It has headroom clearance and plenty of room for storage with ready access to medical equipment, enabling officers to continue working effectively on patients while in transit. I am proud to say that, as long as I am the member for Thuringowa, I will fight for the tools of the trade our emergency services require to perform their duties. While at the Kirwan station, I also met with Queensland Ambulance Service Area Director David Lowe, Regional Operations Supervisor Wayne Paxton

12 Feb 2013 Adjournment 119 and Acting Officer-in-Charge at the Kirwan Ambulance Station, Ross MacDonald. I spoke, too, with those officers who daily bear witness to the accidents and illnesses of local residents. The job these people do is invaluable and they deserve to have the best equipment we can provide. The commitment by this government to provide 130 new ambulances around the state, as part of our six- month plan for the first half of 2013, is a great initiative. Just two days prior to my visit to the ambulance station I had stopped in next door to meet with the local Kirwan Fire Station crews, not just to talk about their vehicles and the equipment they use but also to get feedback from them on where they fitted in and how they felt they played their part in emergency services and community safety. Our great fire men and women have had to be trained in many extra skills over time, and they asked that I made sure that they are recognised for the duties they now perform and that they not only continue to have the best equipment available to them but also have the manpower to perform the duties across the region. The Newman government is keeping its promise to the people of Queensland to strengthen our emergency services. The outcome of that, ultimately, will be saving lives and supporting those who work there.

Nerang Neighbourhood Centre Dr DOUGLAS (Gaven—Ind) (11.32 pm): The local community has rallied behind the Nerang Neighbourhood Centre since the committee of management, which I am on, announced the closure of its food service last week, a reduction in staff hours, the closure of the centre one day each fortnight and rotating the number of staff on certain days, and the closure of its crisis counselling service. Like most community organisations, the centre is suffering from reduced funding, coupled with a flow-on of wage increases from last year; the closure of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program; and, in this centre’s case, a reduction in rental income with fewer organisations looking for rental space. Following a widespread media campaign in the past few days, there is a chance that community support and donations may help get the food service back up and running. After a very unsympathetic hearing from the communities minister for emergency funding, the centre decided it no longer had the money to run a crisis counselling service or an emergency or weekly food service. Whilst I do not condone any organisation going so far into the red to offer these services, it will have a devastating effect on battling families in my electorate. In 2011-12, 9,800 people paid nominal amounts for food from the food service. As well, many received free boxes of food. Now they will be simply handed a list of other food agencies across the Gold Coast when they come to the centre for emergencies. People wanting crisis counselling will be referred to the Lifeline telephone counselling service, and emergency relief applications will be referred to a Reedy Creek centre. More than 80 families have been saved from homelessness through emergency relief. From the start of April, the centre will no longer offer its employment service for stream 1 category job seekers—that is, school leavers, New Zealanders, parents returning to the workforce, recently unemployed or retrenched workers. All the more disappointing is that the centre has had the highest job placement statistics in Queensland, with 85 per cent of signed job seekers placed in sustainable employment. The centre was funded for 160 people over two years, but it actually assisted a further 320 people into employment, and spoke to and liberally assisted nearly 1,000 people. Funding ceases at the end of March. As there is no other service catering to this group, there will be no place to refer these people. Centre coordinator Vicky Va’a and the staff are devastated. Vicky is a dynamic advocate for the centre and in true form took to the media this week to seek support from our community. The centre receives an average of 40 inquiries daily from the community including face to face, email, phone, via their website or Facebook pages. Predominantly they come from people in crisis, and on the Gold Coast there are plenty of those. How will these cuts impact on our most needy and vulnerable? From Monday, 4 March the centre will suffer the loss every Monday of one of the officers who works for that community. The centre will continue to support the Youth at Risk program for 10- to 25-year-olds, it will continue its free legal and financial advice services and various support groups, and it will continue to provide community advice and information. So far the local police, the Titans, an elderly widow philanthropist and a variety of public have pledged support. We would ask people to support this very needy cause.

Southport Electorate Mr MOLHOEK (Southport—LNP) (11.35 pm): I rise tonight to inform the House about how the new year is bringing with it new challenges, changes and opportunities for Southport, the Gold Coast and Queensland. I started last week in Bundaberg, joining the mud army, and ended the week back in my

120 Attendance 12 Feb 2013 electorate with the rebirth of the Gold Coast brand. It was a stark contrast of realities, but both situations have a common theme—opportunity to build strong, lasting legacies. The new Gold Coast brand symbolises a renewed approach that the Gold Coast City Council is taking to highlight the Gold Coast as a modern, dynamic city and economic powerhouse in Queensland. And what an appropriate place to launch the brand—at the Broadwater Parklands in my electorate of Southport. The new brand showcases our innovative and entrepreneurial strengths—up there with some of the world’s most innovative cities. Southport, as the business capital of the Gold Coast, is leading this reinvigoration of the Gold Coast as a world-class city. My electorate of Southport is currently seeing investment by government and private enterprise to the tune of some $5 billion. This is all coming about from the desire to create a legacy from infrastructure projects such as the Gold Coast light rail, the Gold Coast University Hospital and the 2018 Commonwealth Games village project, to mention but a few. Even today representative of one of Southport’s largest landholders came to see me to discuss their plans for a two-hectare site right in the middle of Southport. This investment and focus on Southport will have a positive impact not only on the local economy but also on the constituents who are lucky enough to call Southport home. The electorate will soon be home to world-class health facilities, transport infrastructure and educational resources, plus a CBD that will provide more local and permanent jobs. My goal is to see Southport become the best place to raise children and our young people, giving them opportunities in every stage of life from education to employment. I also intend to make sure that the often overlooked areas of Southport—our local parks, sporting fields and other community assets—are not overshadowed by the larger infrastructure projects. These places are the cornerstones of a strong, connected community and will help make up Southport’s identity. While the council’s new brand is ‘Gold Coast, full stop’, let me say there simply is no full stop in my electorate of Southport. From Ashmore and Keebra Park to Arundel, Parkwood to Musgrave Hill and Molendinar to downtown Southport, our communities are working together to make sure that the best social and economic legacies are created to sustain a reinvigorated Southport. Question put—That the House do now adjourn. Motion agreed to. The House adjourned at 11.38 pm.

ATTENDANCE Barton, Bates, Bennett, Berry, Bleijie, Boothman, Byrne, Cavallucci, Choat, Costigan, Cox, Crandon, Cripps, Crisafulli, Cunningham, Davies, C. Davis, T. Davis, Dempsey, Dickson, Dillaway, Douglas, Dowling, Elmes, Emerson, Flegg, France, Frecklington, Gibson, Grant, Grimwade, Gulley, Hart, Hathaway, Hobbs, Holswich, Hopper, Johnson, Judge, Katter, Kaye, Kempton, King, Knuth, Krause, Langbroek, Latter, Maddern, Malone, Mander, McArdle, McVeigh, Menkens, Millard, Miller, Minnikin, Molhoek, Mulherin, Newman, Nicholls, Ostapovitch, Palaszczuk, Pitt, Powell, Pucci, Rice, Rickuss, Robinson, Ruthenberg, Scott, Seeney, Shorten, Shuttleworth, Simpson, Smith, Sorensen, Springborg, Stevens, Stewart, Stuckey, Symes, Trad, Trout, Walker, Watts, Wellington, Woodforth, Young