State quick into action helping after natural disasters
Queenslanders are well versed in dealing with natural disasters. Bushfires. Floods. Cyclones. Every disaster takes a toll. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Infrastructure damaged.
The emotional and financial burden is enormous and over the years these disasters have become more frequent, each seeming to be more devastating than the one before.
A month into the Queensland summer and we been hit by twin disasters days apart.
Record rainfall fell in the state’s Far North, the deluge impacting homes and almost wiped the tiny town of Wujal Wujal from the map.
Days later, storms tore through the southeast and left the Gold Coast battered, bruised and broken leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
The damage to the power network has been unprecedented – thousands of lines were brought down leaving thousands of people without power.
Properties destroyed, towering trees that have stood for generations snapped in half, bridges washed away.
Since forming government in 2015, this government has steered the state through 63 natural disasters.
While this was not the 2023 Christmas season we all had planned, this government knows all too well how to respond in a disaster.
People needed help so my team and I rolled up our sleeves to help, with our doors open, answered emails, phone calls, social media questions, visited impacted businesses and got the trailer out with a group of volunteers to help residents clean up.
Our state government services also stepped up to respond.
From our Energex teams who were out in challenging conditions to repair power lines, SES volunteers helping make homes safe, Roadtek crews making roads accessible, housing staff finding accommodation for people in need through to Department of Communities staff helping and processing grants that have so far been made to more than 61,000 people. The list goes on.
The Premier, Deputy Premier, Energy Minister, Police and Community Safety Minister, Small Business Minister, Minister for Communities, Transport Minister, Minister for Fire and Disaster Recovery through to Gold Coastbased Senator Murray Watt have all been on the ground on the Gold Coast, some multiple times, to see and hear first-hand what help was needed and to facilitate action.
We’ve activated personal hardship payments, support for small businesses, primary producers and not-for-profits and established a dedicated 24/7 lifeline support service.
Despite what LNP Leader David Crisafulli claimed in Saturday’s Gold Coast Bulletin, a waste levy exemption was immediately approved when requested by council.
Mr Crisafulli knows that where a council applies for this exemption for genuine reasons we grant it, which is what happened within a day of the Gold Coast lodging this request.
To those of you impacted by this weather, I’m sorry you’ve had to go through this. I acknowledge it’s been challenging for those who live in the hinterland, those trying to entertain kids, elderly Gold Coasters and those working pay cheque to pay cheque.
We look out for each other, recover, learn and build back better.