Mr MILLS - 2001-02-22
I understand the minister visited Katherine yesterday and assessed the town’s response to the floods in the Victoria River district. Was the minister satisfied with the necessary arrangements that have been put in place?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, under the auspices of the Territory Counter Disaster Council and the Katherine Counter Disaster Committee, which is headed up by Commander Manison, the Police, Fire and Emergency Services have been attending to Territorians affected by flood waters from Borroloola through to the Victoria River district. That massive separation of centres affected by floods has resulted in an extreme demand on resources, but Police, Fire and Emergency Services have undertaken an incredible task in providing support and assistance and where necessary, evacuating Territorians if they have been threatened personally, or their property threatened by flood waters.
I commend their professionalism. It has gone virtually like clockwork. In visiting the evacuation centre yesterday, I spoke to evacuees from Kalkarindji, Pigeon Hole and other centres and they were full of applause and expressing appreciation for the way they have been handled. Bearing in mind that some of these people have been sitting at Kalkarindji airport for a couple of days waiting for the ...
Dr Toyne: Yes, exactly.
Mr REED: Yes, says the derogatory member for Stuart, not understanding why they have been at the airport. They were at the airport at Kalkarindji because first of all they had to get away from flood waters, and secondly because the airstrip itself had to be assessed in terms of the ability to carry aircraft. Not only aircraft landing but loaded aircraft taking off to evacuate people. If he is going to make derogatory comments like that in the face of the enormous effort of Police, Fire and Emergency Services and so many hundreds of people who have come to assist people, well, that just does put in a very clear focus how the opposition fails to respect the efforts of these people who are doing this work.
To get back to the real issue, the evacuation centre in Katherine has run, as I say, very smoothly. The Red Cross Katherine Branch are conducting the registry area where people who are transferred from Tindal, having arrived from their homes, are being transported, registered and are assisted by community volunteers and some from government agencies.
RAAF Base Tindal has been incredibly quick in providing support. They have moved a field kitchen into the racecourse pavilion and yesterday, just before lunch, there was an amazing range of food available for those people and lunch was about to be served. And all with a minimum of fuss and with the professionalism and efficiency that we expect of the Defence Forces. In addition to that, over 40 tents were being erected by RAAF Base Tindal personnel on the oval. They were also putting in place stretchers and bedding. I must hasten to add that in declaring the state of emergency, it enables the Territory Counter Disaster Council to seek Defence Force assistance. The Defence Force indeed was forthcoming before the declaration. They were up and running and providing assistance to Territorians, and I cannot express strongly enough the positive and very efficient response of the Defence Forces, particularly RAAF Base Tindal staff who are now, at this moment, providing the kind of assistance people appreciate when they are in the circumstances that they find themselves.
As I say, I have mentioned a couple of agencies, Territory Health Services, Commonwealth agencies and Centrelink. The Katherine West Health Board has moved in because the clinic at Kalkarindji was flooded. There was also the Red Cross, individuals who have come forward and many others who are just too numerous to name, but who are contributing to the same level as all those I have named. I express on behalf of members and all Territorians my appreciation for their willingness to come forward and help people in need.
Apart from the communities, there are some 400 or 500 people who have been evacuated into Katherine mostly from Kalkarindji, also from Pigeon Hole, and some from the Victoria River Wayside Inn. Cattle stations affected - VRD station and, for those who have been there, that was evacuated yesterday and they were concerned about the rising flood waters. Mistake Creek Station has been affected. Bundah the homestead was flooded; I understand there was four foot of water or so through the house. Inverway Homestead likewise. Camfield I heard reports, but don’t have any confirmation, they were being threatened. That demonstrates the area over which these problems have been experienced.
This morning I endorsed the appointment of a whole-of-government coordinator and a police liaison officer for the flood recovery operation. I also signed the declaration of a state of emergency to extend the state of emergency. Once signed they only remain in place for two days, and I have signed another one to see us through for the following two days. I have also endorsed a policy of channelling air freight subsidy claims in times of emergency through Police, Fire and Emergency Services, so that decisions can be made in a timely way.
The waters are receding at Borroloola. There are close watches being kept on the circumstances. The RAAF yesterday provided a C130 Hercules aircraft. Assessments were being made on airstrips at Borroloola and Kalkarindji and it was expected today that aircraft would take generators into Kalkarindji so that we can get services back on the road as quickly as possible, also to carry food and other items into Borroloola. I just give some of the details of the enormous amount of activity that is taking place to assist those people who need it and thank those folks who are working so hard to do it.
I also take the opportunity to advise the House that together with the Police Commissioner and the member for Victoria River, the local member, I will be travelling at lunchtime to Kalkarindji to personally assess the situation. Not that I am not getting adequate briefs. I am getting them almost on a minute by minute basis from Police, but it does help to be able to assess these situations on the ground. I must say that is very much in response to some of the comments that were made to me yesterday by some of the evacuees who are now over - and I have been through this myself, I know just how it works - they are over the personal concerns about their personal safety and just getting out of the place and being safe, and now starting to think about the future, the condition of their homes, and how they are going to replace their personal possessions. So I will be with the member for Victoria River and the Police Commissioner looking at that this afternoon, and making sure that we provide every level of assistance that Territorians would expect us to for these people in their time of need.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, under the auspices of the Territory Counter Disaster Council and the Katherine Counter Disaster Committee, which is headed up by Commander Manison, the Police, Fire and Emergency Services have been attending to Territorians affected by flood waters from Borroloola through to the Victoria River district. That massive separation of centres affected by floods has resulted in an extreme demand on resources, but Police, Fire and Emergency Services have undertaken an incredible task in providing support and assistance and where necessary, evacuating Territorians if they have been threatened personally, or their property threatened by flood waters.
I commend their professionalism. It has gone virtually like clockwork. In visiting the evacuation centre yesterday, I spoke to evacuees from Kalkarindji, Pigeon Hole and other centres and they were full of applause and expressing appreciation for the way they have been handled. Bearing in mind that some of these people have been sitting at Kalkarindji airport for a couple of days waiting for the ...
Dr Toyne: Yes, exactly.
Mr REED: Yes, says the derogatory member for Stuart, not understanding why they have been at the airport. They were at the airport at Kalkarindji because first of all they had to get away from flood waters, and secondly because the airstrip itself had to be assessed in terms of the ability to carry aircraft. Not only aircraft landing but loaded aircraft taking off to evacuate people. If he is going to make derogatory comments like that in the face of the enormous effort of Police, Fire and Emergency Services and so many hundreds of people who have come to assist people, well, that just does put in a very clear focus how the opposition fails to respect the efforts of these people who are doing this work.
To get back to the real issue, the evacuation centre in Katherine has run, as I say, very smoothly. The Red Cross Katherine Branch are conducting the registry area where people who are transferred from Tindal, having arrived from their homes, are being transported, registered and are assisted by community volunteers and some from government agencies.
RAAF Base Tindal has been incredibly quick in providing support. They have moved a field kitchen into the racecourse pavilion and yesterday, just before lunch, there was an amazing range of food available for those people and lunch was about to be served. And all with a minimum of fuss and with the professionalism and efficiency that we expect of the Defence Forces. In addition to that, over 40 tents were being erected by RAAF Base Tindal personnel on the oval. They were also putting in place stretchers and bedding. I must hasten to add that in declaring the state of emergency, it enables the Territory Counter Disaster Council to seek Defence Force assistance. The Defence Force indeed was forthcoming before the declaration. They were up and running and providing assistance to Territorians, and I cannot express strongly enough the positive and very efficient response of the Defence Forces, particularly RAAF Base Tindal staff who are now, at this moment, providing the kind of assistance people appreciate when they are in the circumstances that they find themselves.
As I say, I have mentioned a couple of agencies, Territory Health Services, Commonwealth agencies and Centrelink. The Katherine West Health Board has moved in because the clinic at Kalkarindji was flooded. There was also the Red Cross, individuals who have come forward and many others who are just too numerous to name, but who are contributing to the same level as all those I have named. I express on behalf of members and all Territorians my appreciation for their willingness to come forward and help people in need.
Apart from the communities, there are some 400 or 500 people who have been evacuated into Katherine mostly from Kalkarindji, also from Pigeon Hole, and some from the Victoria River Wayside Inn. Cattle stations affected - VRD station and, for those who have been there, that was evacuated yesterday and they were concerned about the rising flood waters. Mistake Creek Station has been affected. Bundah the homestead was flooded; I understand there was four foot of water or so through the house. Inverway Homestead likewise. Camfield I heard reports, but don’t have any confirmation, they were being threatened. That demonstrates the area over which these problems have been experienced.
This morning I endorsed the appointment of a whole-of-government coordinator and a police liaison officer for the flood recovery operation. I also signed the declaration of a state of emergency to extend the state of emergency. Once signed they only remain in place for two days, and I have signed another one to see us through for the following two days. I have also endorsed a policy of channelling air freight subsidy claims in times of emergency through Police, Fire and Emergency Services, so that decisions can be made in a timely way.
The waters are receding at Borroloola. There are close watches being kept on the circumstances. The RAAF yesterday provided a C130 Hercules aircraft. Assessments were being made on airstrips at Borroloola and Kalkarindji and it was expected today that aircraft would take generators into Kalkarindji so that we can get services back on the road as quickly as possible, also to carry food and other items into Borroloola. I just give some of the details of the enormous amount of activity that is taking place to assist those people who need it and thank those folks who are working so hard to do it.
I also take the opportunity to advise the House that together with the Police Commissioner and the member for Victoria River, the local member, I will be travelling at lunchtime to Kalkarindji to personally assess the situation. Not that I am not getting adequate briefs. I am getting them almost on a minute by minute basis from Police, but it does help to be able to assess these situations on the ground. I must say that is very much in response to some of the comments that were made to me yesterday by some of the evacuees who are now over - and I have been through this myself, I know just how it works - they are over the personal concerns about their personal safety and just getting out of the place and being safe, and now starting to think about the future, the condition of their homes, and how they are going to replace their personal possessions. So I will be with the member for Victoria River and the Police Commissioner looking at that this afternoon, and making sure that we provide every level of assistance that Territorians would expect us to for these people in their time of need.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016