Page 8 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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the local businesses there and here in the ACT to make sure that they can all get back on their feet and stay on their feet. Canberra has a big heart and it is time for us to show it.
The Canberra Liberals agree that there needs to be special recognition of the courage, fortitude, resilience and generosity shown by so many people this fire season. We believe there should be permanent recognition of the wonderful contribution that these people have made to our city and the region. We honour them, and I thank the Canberra community for all that they have done in this very tough summer. I am proud to be a Canberran.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10.25): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and all the other members. On behalf of the ACT Greens, I would like to give my sincere and heartfelt thanks to all the emergency responders who have worked so hard to keep our city safe over this difficult summer.
It has also been an incredible coordinated effort by our entire public service, and I would like to acknowledge the role that everyone has played. From the education and community services directorates’ proactive coordination of evacuation respite centres, to the long hours that media advisers and communications officials have put in to ensure a consistent stream of quality advice and information to our community, and the efforts of our parks and conservation rangers and ACT Policing, everyone has contributed and should be proud of their efforts.
A standout, of course, is our incredible emergency services personnel. They have the thanks and admiration of us all, and their level of dedication and sacrifice has been incredible. Commissioner Georgeina Whelan deserves a special thanks and credit. As the head of the ACT Emergency Services Agency, she has been so hardworking, calm and communicative. It has been great leadership, and I know the Canberra community have been highly appreciative.
We need to thank all the people who have gone beyond their usual roles to assist during these difficult times—people from other agencies like the Australian Defence Force who have given up their family time to assist and people who have travelled from overseas to offer assistance. You usually hear of people making sacrifices to help their fellow countrymen. Here we have people helping their fellow humans regardless of borders. It is just people helping people, with a true global spirit.
It has, of course, not just been the officials and volunteers but regular members of the community who have banded together to help. They have given donations, provided shelter, or even just lent care and support to people in need of it and to fellow community members in a difficult time. We have seen tremendous efforts from our non-government organisations. Red Cross and WIRES, in their different roles, are perhaps two of the higher profile organisations, but there are many other organisations which are more localised or which play very specialised roles. They have contributed to the immediate response needs and will continue to contribute to the longer term efforts. We have heard the media stories of individuals who just decided that something needed to be done and created a Facebook group and put together friends and supporters from the community to get in and give a hand.
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