Page 913 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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we all want to do as much as possible to help the Victorian community get through this very difficult time. We are a responsive community. Given people’s shock and horror and the little that we could do from afar, countless people in our town did what they could. They organised fundraisers and coordinated donation drives. Many people have donated food, money, clothing and toys. School children have organised food collections amongst their school mates and many truckloads of donated items have made their way down to Victoria to help those affected people start in rebuilding their lives.
The RSPCA ACT have also sent resources to help with animal rescue and rehabilitation of our native wildlife, as well as equipment to help check microchip details of roaming domestic animals. The ACT community have responded to the call for donations of blood. I understand that the ACT is generally one of the highest blood donor places per capita, which is something we can be proud of. Since the bushfires, blood donations have been unprecedented. I believe there is a growing sense around the country that we are all part of the same place with the same challenges.
This Victorian bushfire disaster has highlighted the amazing sense of giving and compassion that we all share for each other. Our emergency services are a shining symbol of that goodwill. Again, Madam Assistant Speaker, I would like to thank all those ACT staff and volunteers who travel to Victoria to assist in such a dire emergency and to all those in the wider ACT community who have made contributions to the citizens of Victoria following the bushfire tragedy.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra) (5.24): I rise to support Mr Corbell’s motion and to thank him very much for bringing this matter before the house today. As we all know, the events that have unfolded over the last fortnight in Victoria have been deeply disturbing and upsetting for the whole of the ACT community. As Mr Corbell says, we have been watching this tragic event unfold each day, bringing more devastating news and horrific images as well as the images of overwhelming human kindness, generosity and strength.
We also experienced strong reminders of our own traumatic firestorm in 2003 and are reminded of the kindness, generosity and strength that were demonstrated here at the time by our emergency services workers and by other members of the community, whether in formal roles or non-formal roles. I instance the formal roles of our non-government organisations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other relief organisations, as well as the counselling and support organisations such as Lifeline, and the hundreds of volunteers who came forward at the time wanting to do something—anything—to help people who were in such need.
As we have seen then and see now, the level of interstate cooperation in times of natural disasters is overwhelming. Madam Assistant Speaker, we here in the ACT have been only too willing to make our contribution to the effort. Members of our local community have sacrificed their time and risked their lives for our fellow Australians. Our emergency services and our police personnel have readily responded, participating in fire-fighting or contributing actively to the ongoing relief and recovery effort. Mr Corbell has mentioned other people who have gone down to assist other agencies at this time of great need.
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