Bushfire 2020 Condolence Motion

Debate resumed from 4 February 2020.

Dr JOE McGIRR (Wagga Wagga) (09:48:20): Tragedy, gratitude, recovery and healing—these are the themes I will speak about in support of the motion moved by the Premier. I express my sympathy to those who have lost family, friends and people they know in the bushfires; those who have sustained injuries; and those who have lost homes, beloved pets, stock, property, land and livelihoods. I acknowledge the contributions to this motion made by my parliamentary colleagues, particularly the member for Prospect and the member for Bega. I will focus mainly on the impact across the electorate I represent, within the Snowy Valleys Council and the Wagga Wagga City Council areas. The communities in my electorate include Laurel Hill, Green Hills, Yaven Creek, Wondalga, Adelong, Talbingo, Batlow, Oberne Creek, Kunama, Gilmore Valley, Tumut and surrounding areas. I offer my sympathies, my most humble prayers and my ongoing thoughts.

First I will speak of the tragedy and the devastation. My condolences go out to the families and friends of the 25 bushfire victims across New South Wales, including three NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers, and in particular to the loved ones of David Harrison, who died in Batlow on Saturday 4 January. The 47‑year‑old was helping to defend his friend's Snowy Valleys property on that fateful day. Despite being urged to leave before the fire hit the small Snowy Valleys town Mr Harrison stayed, refusing to abandon his mate. When he failed to return from a water run, a search found him already unconscious. He had suffered a suspected heart attack and could not be revived. According to Mr Harrison's brothers, the Goulburn man was a favourite uncle to his nieces and nephews and would be missed by all who knew him. Words cannot express the sorrow of such a tragedy.

To the family, friends and especially the NSW Rural Fire Service colleagues of Samuel McPaul, Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer I also wish to share my heartfelt sorrow. I acknowledge the moving tribute given yesterday by the member for Prospect. My heart goes out to everyone affected by these losses. Every single volunteer and member of an emergency service working on the front lines puts the lives and wellbeing of others before their own. We stand with you as you mourn the loss of your comrades. I also offer my sympathies to those who have lost their homes and property across the State and in particular across my electorate. As bricks and mortar go up in flames, so too burn years' worth of treasured memories, plans, hopes and dreams for the future; so too burn businesses, livelihoods and legacies. While these can never been replaced, it is critical that we help rebuild. While your lives may be forever altered, we must stand with you as you forge a fresh future.

I want to recap some of the statistics as the bushfires affected my electorate. Today marks the twenty‑ninth day of active firefighting across the Wagga Wagga electorate. As of Monday the Dunns Road fire, which began following a lightning strike on 28 December, had burned through 333,940 hectares. This includes over 125,000 hectares of national park, more than 92,000 hectares of State forest and 113,000 hectares of private land. But I want to speak about the communities affected because these figures do not capture the trauma, particularly in the towns. If you look on a Rural Fire Service map of the electorate you will see a large area of black. That is the burnt area. In the middle of that you will see a couple of white spots. They represent the towns of Talbingo and Batlow.

As the blaze forged a path around Batlow on 4 January, I believe that there was a deep scepticism that the town would survive. I was very grateful to receive a text of support from the Premier on that day. I remember a discussion that evening with the people in the operations centre, who believed that the town would not survive. But the work of the firefighters, the community members who chose to stay and the volunteers kept the flames from passing through the town. Although I am advised that close to 50 homes have been lost there, the town has survived.

I was able to visit there the very day after, with my upper House parliamentary colleague Wes Fang. The scene was extraordinary. We drove in through a smoke-filled horizon of burnt trees and of scorched, dying and dead stock. There was no noise. There were no birds. It was just smoke and ash. When we arrived at the town, the service station had been burnt. The old hospital had been burnt. But people were there, people who had stayed. People had defended the town and the town was intact. They were pretty raw. The firefighters were absolutely dazed; they could hardly speak. And yet the people who lost houses, the people who survived the windows blowing in on them, the people who survived the fires coming up to their doors, with embers landing on their front verandas that they pushed back into the garden to save the town, were still helping others. There was a sense of hope, despite the trauma. I will never forget the courage of the people I met nor my gratitude to them.

The next day I went to Talbingo, a town that believed itself to be protected because there was a large property with relatively clear ground surrounding it. But on this occasion something happened that the residents had never witnessed before. They told me that it was like a tornado of fire. It came down across the Jounama Pondage and consumed an entire hillside in minutes. One resident told me that the noise was like standing next to a jet airliner as it takes off, but 10 times worst. Through a miracle change of wind as well as the efforts of the residents, the fire reached parts of Talbingo but did not consume it. The town survived. The firefighters and residents saved it from the fire. Only six homes were lost that day. Remarkably, the Snowy Hydro Tumut 3 power station survived, despite the fact that that firestorm rolled down the hill and nearly consumed it.

Adelong also came under threat, losing power just as the flames cruelly licked within metres of the town, stopping just short of the cemetery. Thanks to the work of the NSW RFS and emergency service volunteers as well as the use of fire retardant, the flames were diverted around the town. When you drive into Adelong you will be gobsmacked that the town survived because the burnt area on either side of the road comes right up to the town. I acknowledge also the community of Oberne, who were among the first to deal with the fire when it took a run on New Year's Eve and who have finally now received the disaster classification they need to rebuild. Within the week that followed the Dunns Road fire merged with the then East Ournie Creek blaze, which had earlier joined with the 233,000 hectare Green Valley fire. That is the mega fire that continues today.

On the worst days there were upwards of 400 service personnel on the ground battling these fires and supporting the firefighters. They were backed up by more than 100 pieces of heavy plant machinery and aviation teams. More than 182 houses across the Snowy Valleys Council area were destroyed by mid‑January, along with 446 facilities and 570 outbuildings. On‑farm losses and the heartbreaking deaths of thousands of farm animals, beloved pets and wildlife bring these figures into perspective. It is hard to quantify or describe the impact of the devastating wounds that people are suffering from—economic, physical, social and emotional wounds. On top of all of that, there is an impact on our forestry industry, which will take 20 to 30 years to recover. There will be an effort to salvage blackwood, which will result in an increased workload for the next 12 to 18 months but after that will come the challenge of finding jobs to allow those industries to continue.

At Batlow the apple orchard growers face a combined loss of one‑third of their production, with almost 30 per cent of their 900 hectares lost. It will take seven to nine years for that land to recover. Then, of course, there is the impact on tourism and seasonal trade. January is often the month that makes the year for many businesses. Now that is gone, replaced by ashes. My condolences go out to those involved in seasonal trade industries and those who will continue to feel the effects of this catastrophe for years to come. When you visit these communities you barely have to scratch the surface to realise the impact on people. While walking through the streets of these towns the aftershock experienced by the residents is palpable. One word can bring people to tears. Last week I was at the RSL club in Batlow having a discussion about an aspect of the recovery process when a lady came up to me, looked at me and burst into tears. She had not lost property but she is part of a group that lives with a constant sense of overwhelming anxiety, uncertainty and hopelessness, punctuated by episodes of terror. Those feelings are experienced by people in my electorate and, of course, all the other electorates that suffered the fires. For many, this trauma will trigger depression, guilt, shame and grief. I do not believe there is one person in New South Wales who has not been affected, but many in my electorate have been very badly affected. We need to put health and wellbeing first in our efforts.

From the ashes of tragedy comes camaraderie, heroism, and stories of courage and sacrifice. This was an unprecedented catastrophe that shocked the world. Some 5.4 million hectares have burnt, which is almost four times more than the previous worst season this century and the season is not finished yet. But it could have been much worse. In moments, firestorms created their own weather and engulfed entire hillsides. The land's red demon roared and terrorised even the most hardened, but our brave working heroes denied this fire monster more carnage, and I thank them. Firstly, I thank the volunteers who battled the blazes in this hell on earth. Many of the RFS brigades and SES units across my electorate had been sending staff across the State months before. when they were called on to defend their own homes they were supported by firefighters from across the State. I particularly acknowledge the leaders of those brigades, Captain John Scott in Talbingo and Daryl Watkins in Batlow.

In addition to the exemplary work of the many thousands of New South Wales firefighters across the Riverina regions and the State, there were supporting members and staff. I acknowledge the interagency partners, including Fire and Rescue NSW, Forestry Corporation, National Parks and Wildlife Service and the emergency and fire services of Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.Local agencies also supported the overall firefighting effort. I acknowledge the New South Walespolice that organised the operation centres, particularly the efforts of Steve Radford and his team in Tumut and Bob Noble and the team in Wagga. The operation of those centres often goes unnoticed but it is absolutely critical to the coordination of all the emergency services. I acknowledge the very real contribution that they have made.

I acknowledge New South Wales Ambulance,NSW State Emergency Service,Hume Forests and the Australian Defence Force. Inparticular, I thank and acknowledge the role played by the Snowy Valleys Council including Mayor James Hayes, Deputy Mayor John Larter, general manager Matthew Hyde, councillors and staff who were under enormous pressure through the holiday period. They responded with courage and grace and kept the confidence of the community. The work that happens in the background is really important.

The combined efforts during the Dunns Road fire meant that 774 houses, 286 facilities and more than 1,600 outbuildings were untouched. We have much to be grateful for. People responded and supported the evacuation centres and countless volunteers and members of charities supported those people who had to evacuate their homes. I acknowledge theRed Cross,Anglicare,Salvation Army as well as chaplains and counsellors,disaster welfare officers and representatives from the Department of Communities and Justice,Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Primary Industries and Local Land Services.

I acknowledgeCharles Sturt University staff and volunteers who did an outstanding job looking after the pets and animals in the region, including horses. I acknowledge the role of health staff from the Murrumbidgee Local Health District and people from Sydney who came to assist. I acknowledge Karen Murray fromKildare Catholic College, her team of volunteers and those who supported other centres where donations were taken such as in Tumut and Batlow. I acknowledge the role played by local media, the ABC and emergency services.

I acknowledge the Wagga Wagga City Council for quickly and wholeheartedly responding to calls for help and assisting in the setup of the evacuation centre at the Wagga Equex Centre. It operated very effectively. Mayor James Hayes has spoken about the ongoing support Wagga Wagga City Council provided to Snowy Valleys Council. The evacuation centre assisted more than 1,200 residents and their pets who sought refuge. Almost everyone who arrived came with a pet. I must say, I know pets are important to people but I had not really appreciated how important until this time. When you take all that may be left in your car with you and take your pet, it shows it is an important part of your life. Providing care for those animals was absolutely critically important. I am pleased to say that the local animal services did an outstanding job, supported by Charles Sturt University and its team.

Family and Community Services representative Donna Argus described the numbness of families and individuals who came to the Wagga Equex Centre. I thank the staff who manned that centre. It was a place of comfort and respite for people who were suffering the dislocation of leaving their homes with limited possessions. On many days as I sat in that centre it was cool and people were patient and calm. It was a place where people could talk to others and work through some of their anxieties and issues. I think it was a really important service. Perhaps not all evacuation centres have worked well, but I acknowledge that while this one operated it did seem to provide an important place. I recognise the courage and strength of the men, women and children I met who came from all across the electorate as well as from Tumbarumba.

I also acknowledge the donations of goods, money and time that came from people across the electorate, particularly Wagga Wagga. I have simply been blown away by that generosity, compassion and kindness. Never before have I witnessed so many neighbours and strangers coming together to help each other. I know other members have talked about how important this has been in bringing community together. Throughout all of January a person could not walk into a store or down the street without someone saying the words "stay safe". I thank everyone for standing by each other and looking out for each other.

I thank Premier Gladys Berejiklian for her leadership and support, which I very much appreciated. I acknowledge and thank Deputy Premier John Barilaro, the Minister responsible for disaster recovery, who was also responsiveness and provided support. I acknowledge the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott; and health Minister, Brad Hazzard, who contacted me early on and responded very quickly with sending support staff to the region. I also acknowledge the Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services, Gareth Ward; Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier, Steph Cooke; my upper House colleague Wes Fang; the Leader of the Opposition, Jodi McKay; as well as the shadow Minister for Industry and Trade, Mick Veitch; the member for Wollongong, Paul Scully; and the member for Albury, Justin Clancy.

I pay tribute to the member for Lakemba, Jihad Dib. In the middle of all this he organised, with a group of Islamic charities, two van-loads of supplies to go to Adelong. The mayor and I met him there at about nine o'clock on a Monday night. They had driven straight from Sydney through some horrific traffic. To me it was a wonderful illustration of the Australia that we live in. Those communities from the city are so different in cultural background to the communities of Adelong and those residents in the BlazeAid camp. I thank BlazeAid for what it is doing. In a way it was communities of the new Australia and old Australia coming together to help each other. In the midst of Islamic prayers and eating old-fashioned Country Women's Association cake and slice, we unloaded the vans. They then drove back to Sydney. I do not think they returned until the early hours of the morning. I recognise and thank them for that moment of outreach. I also thank for their support those who checked in with me during the worst of the catastrophe. [Extension of time]

I finally speak about healing and recovery. Communities can be repaired. They can rebuild and they can be stronger than before.It is important that this fervour that we have seen during this time is maintained throughout the tough months and years to come. As life moves on and media interest fades, our communities will still be struggling. They will be struggling economically because this has been a real deep cut. The communities I represent will feel the economic effects for decades. It will take years to rebuild tourism and agricultural industries. However, in the orchards of Batlow and the softwood industry we have to think in terms of decades.

People will be struggling psychologically because they know the time it will take for scars to heal, but I believe hope is the key. We must provide hope and that means early action, quick action and responsive action. I am pleased with the speed of the appointment of the Recovery Coordinator for Southern NSW, Dick Adams, and the early work and visits of his team. I also recognise and applaud the visits by the Premier, the Deputy Premier, Ministers and the Leader of the Opposition. In particular, I acknowledge the work of the Deputy Premier who has been active and responsive in addressing concerns after quickly grasping the issues we faced. But there is much to do. I wish to speak briefly about some of the key issues.

Delays in the clearance and clean-up process will impact on people's wellbeing. I support the coordinated process that has been announced: It will remove the cost from owners and ensure the safest possible outcome. But let us not delay because delay will cause more grief. That is the message I have received loud and clear from the communities. They want to get on with it. We can give them all the counselling they like, but until that physical change is made and debris is cleared away to begin rebuilding, counselling will not work. But counselling is important. There is a need for on-the-ground coordinated effort to continue counselling from the ground up.

There seems to be a willingness among agencies and people to work together at the different levels of government. I acknowledge the efforts of the Murrumbidgee Local Health District in this regard and the health system and the counselling support they have received. As I have said, I acknowledge the quick action of the Minister for Health and Medical Research, but I believe that this needs to be ongoing. I believe that communities will be better supported if there is an on-the-ground—from the ground up—coordination of State agencies. I have spoken to the recovery coordinator about this, which I would like the Government to consider.

I must also say that we need to ensure that our schools have the support they need because they are the hubs of small communities. We will often see the effects on young people so the provision of ongoing support for children and their teachers is critical. I know a counsellor has been appointed to Batlow for four weeks full time. That is excellent. I would like to see that continue because it is important for the community.

Tourism has been spoken about and I add my voice to supporting this. A season has been lost and often that means the loss of what businesses would have relied on for the year. We need to consider innovative ways of bringing visitors back to our region. Initiatives, such as providing project offices to assist with local events, will be a great help. I know that the Snowy Valleys Council is looking to do that with the Batlow Ciderfest. Encouragingly, when the Batlow Ciderfest announced that the event would be going ahead this year, they got 41,000 hits on their Facebook page in a day. That is great support.

In my electorate industry support will be vital. It will be critical of course that the Government continues to support agriculture and develops and funds packages of support for the softwood industry and the orchard industry. I want members to know that the Batlow apple is Australia's best-known apple brand. It is internationally recognised for its quality.

Ms Gabrielle Upton: And they taste good too.

Dr JOE McGIRR: They taste good and we cannot lose the Batlow apple. Despite that a third of the orchards are gone we must develop a scheme to preserve and enhance that industry. Finally I will talk about the inquiry. I applaud the Government for the decision to get on and have that inquiry, for the terms of reference and for the personnel. But it will be a difficult process. I think that all who want to be heard should be heard. There will be some good things to hear—and I have tried to talk about some of the good things that have happened—but there will also be painful lessons.

It is clear that with our changing climate we now realise we have challenges to adapt to and mitigate. A third of our softwood plantation has gone, towns have been overrun, farms have been destroyed, national parks have been alight and wildlife has been incinerated. How close were we to losing significant parts of the Snowy Hydro scheme? We were perilously close to losing a great national achievement which is a key element of our renewable energy future. Everywhere I go people talk to me. They have been thinking about what happened and how we responded and they want to make this better. We owe it to those whose lives have been lost, to their families and loved ones, to those who have lost homes, livelihoods and memories, to those who have been traumatised and will continue to suffer to learn from what has happened as we rebuild even better communities for our future. I support the condolence motion.

TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Mr Lee Evans): I thank the member for Wagga Wagga for that comprehensive speech on the motion.