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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-05 Daily Xml
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Motions

South Australian Bushfires

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:14): With the leave of the council, I move:

That this council—

1. Expresses its deep regret at the loss of life as a result of bushfires in South Australia so far this summer, and extends its condolences and sympathy to the families and loved ones of those killed;

2. Records its sorrow and support for those who suffered injury and who lost their homes, property and personal possessions;

3. Praises the work of firefighters and other emergency services, volunteers and community members for their courage and sacrifice in responding to the fires and protecting our communities in this time of need;

4. Recognises the profound impact on those communities affected and the role of governments and the South Australian community in assisting them to recover and rebuild at the earliest opportunity; and

5. Appreciates the great generosity and support to the affected communities by all those who have contributed to the State Emergency Relief Fund and other appeals.

In speaking to the motion on behalf of government members, can I indicate—and I am sure I speak on behalf of all members—that we would wish otherwise, that is, that we did not have to move and speak to a motion such as this at this particular time. I know that my comments and those of two other speakers today will be supported by all members. For those who might be watching our proceedings or who will read our Hansard, can I indicate that we will adjourn the motion to allow other members to speak, whether it be tomorrow or at a subsequent time, in support of this motion.

A similar motion is being moved at the same time in the House of Assembly, and a similar motion also was moved, with the support of all members of federal parliament, in both houses of the federal parliament yesterday. This is a time for everyone to come together to express grief and sympathy to all those who have been impacted, and it is a time for us all to work together on the recovery and the difficult challenges that are ahead for all of us.

In speaking to the motion on behalf of government members, I formally place on the record our deepest sympathies to the family, friends and acquaintances of those who have died and those who have been injured as a result of the bushfires in South Australia. I especially record for the record Mr Dick Lang and Mr Clayton Lang, who died on Kangaroo Island, and Mr Ron Selth, who died at Charleston, during the bushfires of recent weeks.

I cannot attest to the fact that I knew personally any of the three gentlemen, with the exception of 'Desert Dick' Lang. I did meet Mr Lang a number of years ago on a number of occasions because he was a close friend—and this will not surprise anyone—of former member of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Martin Cameron, who had similar adventurous tendencies and shared many mutual interests with 'Desert Dick' Lang.

He did tell, and I am sure is still telling, many stories of their adventures together. Without wanting to place on the public record all the detail of some of those adventures, I well recall one hairy adventure involving a plane and Papua New Guinea and a very tight opportunity for taking off from a particular airstrip. It was a challenge and particular skill was demonstrated by Mr Lang in negotiating what was a difficult flying arrangement in Papua New Guinea. It was that connection, albeit through the Hon. Martin Cameron, that I had with Mr Lang, and I met him on subsequent occasions to that as well. On behalf of, I am sure, all members, we place on the public record our sympathies to their families, friends and acquaintances.

In addition to the three fatalities from the bushfires, the information provided to the Premier and the government at this stage is that 134 firefighters have been injured during the fighting of the fires; 50 members of the public have been injured as a result of the fires; 186 dwellings have been destroyed as a result of the fires; 870 outbuildings, sheds, barns and carports have been destroyed; and there is an estimate of 60,000 stock losses. I must admit, I have seen very many differing estimates in relation to the total number of stock losses; nevertheless, that is the estimate that has been provided to the Premier and the government at this stage.

In relation just to the agricultural sector itself, there is an early estimate of a $19 million impact on the agriculture sector and an almost immeasurable impact on the tourism sector, not only in these areas but clearly in other parts of Australia as well, as a result of the bushfires and, in some cases, the way they have been portrayed around the world with a publicised impact on a much greater area of Australia than has actually occurred.

For those people who have lost their homes, as we know, it is much more than losing the physical facility of the home. It is the irreplaceable contents that make a house a family home. It is the photographs of children; photographs of grandchildren; photographs of parents, grandparents or acquaintances; and photographs of special occasions that are part of the memories that families have, which are cherished.

In many cases we saw, through the media coverage, families in essence saying, 'We are lucky to be alive, we can rebuild the house, but we have lost irreplaceable memories in terms of photographs.' It may be other objects, objects that have been left to them by parents or grandparents, family heirlooms and those sorts of things, that have special significance, as I said. They are the things that turn a house into a family home. In many respects, the people who have been impacted and who have been interviewed by the media have highlighted those as their major concerns in terms of what just cannot be replaced as a result of the bushfires.

The motion before us clearly seeks to place on the record our collective thanks to very many people in relation to the events of the last few weeks. As a parliament, we thank them and praise the work and heroic efforts of thousands of firefighters, not just those from South Australia but also those from interstate and, in some cases, from overseas who assisted our task, both paid and volunteer firefighters who collectively helped fight the fires.

We thank the leadership of the CFS, MFS and SES and the emergency services generally in terms of their work, leadership and capacity to organise the collective forces of firefighters and others to tackle the challenges of fighting these bushfires. South Australia owes an enormous debt of gratitude to those who fought the fires and those who led them during the worst of the circumstances.

We also thank the many, many other volunteers who, whilst they might not have directly fought the fires, supported the firefighters in terms of providing food, accommodation and support in many other ways. Without the support of many other volunteers and volunteer organisations, the firefighters would not have been able to do what they did. In many cases, they fought fires for weeks and weeks on end with very little sleep but nevertheless had to be fed and provided with nutrition and water, accommodation and support where it was required.

In particular we thank the Defence Force reservists, who placed an enormous effort nationally but in particular in South Australia. We have especially seen the impact of their work on Kangaroo Island. I know members of the government, members of the Labor Party and some of the crossbench have been on Kangaroo Island in recent weeks as well. I am sure we all can attest to the work that the Defence Force reservists have undertaken on behalf of the community over there—some of the thankless tasks of dragging dead or injured stock and having to bury them, helping the clean-up effort in terms of rolling up the fence and fencing wire, and a variety of other things like that, and the many, many other more specialised tasks they have undertaken on behalf of the community. It has been an enormous effort and we collectively thank them for what they have done.

We thank the many other occupations within the broader public service and the private sector as well—doctors, nurses, ambulance officers, paramedics, the police and any others who, in an administrative fashion in the public sector, have played an important role in both fighting the fires and, just as importantly, the recovery effort afterwards.

We also thank the commonwealth government, the Prime Minister and commonwealth ministers who, from a state government viewpoint, have provided extraordinary support not just to South Australia but obviously to New South Wales and Victoria as well. The early decision to make a very large sum of money, $2 billion, available for affected communities and states was a very important early decision. It is now a question of implementing the many complicated tasks in terms of ensuring that funding is delivered as quickly and in the fairest way as is possible to those who are impacted and those who need the support.

Also at the national level, the commonwealth government established the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. Under their leadership that administrative structure was established federally. That has been the vehicle through which the various states have had to work in terms of the recovery effort. That was an important initiative and we thank the commonwealth government for the establishment of that administrative structure and support at the federal level.

I do, as a member of the state cabinet, place on the record my thanks, and collectively I think it should be our thanks, to my ministerial colleagues and their staff, in particular the Premier and the Deputy Premier, who of course is a Kangaroo Island local and has significant local connections as well as interests on Kangaroo Island. Her contribution, whilst formally as the Deputy Premier and representing the Premier on occasions but also as someone with local knowledge and the capacity to work with people in the local community to help answer questions, provide answers but also to settle things down and to try to ensure that we can all work together in terms of the recovery effort, has been an enormous contribution, I think, in particular to Kangaroo Island.

I want to place on the record my personal thanks to my ministerial colleague in this place, minister Lensink, who has carried a significant role as the minister responsible for her department. She, together with Primary Industries, has managed significant parts of the grant and relief programs, but the minister's agency has to do much more in terms of the coordination of the recovery effort, the relief funds and many, many other responsibilities. I know she has been a tower of strength in relation to the work that she has undertaken, as has her office and her department in supporting her as well. Finally, the Minister for Emergency Services, minister Wingard, has been at the forefront, and I again place on the public record our thanks for the work that he, his officers and others working with him have done on behalf of the South Australian community.

I also place on the record thanks for the local government leadership right across the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island. The local government leadership has been important. We have seen in each area an important role being undertaken by mayors and CEOs in those particular areas. We thank the mayors for the role that they have undertaken but also the staff who work within local government. It is going to be an important part of working together with state government and federal government in terms of the recovery effort.

Because we have a special connection, I especially place on the public record a note and acknowledgement of the work that former member of the House of Assembly Michael Pengilly, as Mayor of Kangaroo Island, has undertaken. He in particular has been at the forefront of the firefighting and recovery effort on Kangaroo Island, and we acknowledge the work that he has undertaken.

I also place on the record, on behalf of the Premier—I know he is saying similar in the House of Assembly—our thanks for the support that the Leader of the Opposition in another place, Mr Malinauskas, has provided. The Premier has sought to keep Mr Malinauskas informed as much as he can in relation to the major and more significant issues. As I said at the outset of my contribution today, I think the community at times like this expects us as MPs and as community leaders to work together in terms of the recovery effort, and they will mark us harshly, as they should, if we are unprepared to work together on that recovery effort. On behalf of the Premier but also the government, I acknowledge the particular role that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Malinauskas, has adopted in the way he has sought to work with the Premier and the government on these difficult issues.

Clearly, there is an ongoing threat because we are just ticking over into February. Those of us with grey hair or no hair, who are much older than some of the young ones, can remember the events that are referred to as the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1980 and 1983. They were much later in the summer season, so there are extraordinarily challenging times still ahead of us in terms of the rest of February and going into March. I am sure no-one within the emergency services sector is pausing, resting and believing it is all over. We know there are ongoing challenges over the coming month or two.

Whilst we have to be mindful of the ongoing threat, we have also moved very quickly, and we have to, into the recovery stage of the two bushfires: the Cudlee Creek and Adelaide Hills, and the Kangaroo Island bushfires. We have acknowledged the contribution the commonwealth government has made in terms of an aggregate sum of money. From the state government's viewpoint, we have publicly indicated, and I do so again on behalf of the government today, that bushfire recovery costs will be our highest priority for spending approvals over the coming months; that is, there will be no higher priority than making our contribution towards what is required for bushfire recovery purposes.

You will note that the government has appointed a State Lead, Disaster Rebuilding and Resilience within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Ms Margot Forster. This is a very appropriate appointment in that particular area. She is leading a team of people to coordinate the state effort and liaising with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, and also with the other various appeals that have been conducted nationally, to try to ensure that the flow of funds is available to assist the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island, together with state and federal government funding as well.

The minister and the government have also appointed three local recovery coordinators to manage the recovery effort at the local level. Certainly, the minister has reported that community feedback has been that that process is working and working well and we are providing whatever support is required to those three local recovery coordinators.

There have been, right from the word go, personal hardship emergency grants provided immediately through the minister's department, and there was a series of recovery grants and other grants of up to $75,000 that were available to both small businesses and primary producers directly impacted by the fires. The commonwealth government has announced concessional loans of up to half a million dollars for businesses impacted by the fires, and there is a range of other grant programs and relief programs that agencies are providing.

The health portfolio is looking at mental health and wellbeing for those throughout these impacted communities, and I know that the commonwealth government has a priority in that area. Funding is needed to be provided for waste removal programs and funding is needed to be provided for tourism marketing programs, particularly in relation to the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island. The federal government has a role to play, as has the state government, in relation to that. I cannot list all the areas where state and federal government expenditure is going to be required; that is just a small selection of them.

I have to say that in recent years banks have, deservedly, got a pretty bad rap for their behaviour. There are two major banks on Kangaroo Island, and Bank SA, in particular, has been the predominant banker or lender on Kangaroo Island for a long period of time. Recently, they outlined to me the range of grants they were making available—not just loans, but grants—to many of their customers, and concessional loans are being provided as well.

As I said, they have the overwhelming majority of customers on Kangaroo Island and a significant number of customers throughout the Adelaide Hills. So I want to acknowledge that, whilst governments are doing a lot, on the surface it would appear that the banks have certainly been prepared to indicate a willingness to provide some much-needed support in these impacted communities as well.

Finally, we acknowledge the generosity of the South Australian and Australian people by way not just of the direct support they provided but by the enormous support they have provided to the various appeals that have been conducted. Minister Lensink, just prior to question time, was kind enough to give me the latest update on the State Emergency Relief Fund: as of today there was $5.16 million in that particular fund, and that does not include about $1.5 million of other donations from three particular events or functions or groups that the minister is aware of.

It would appear that in the not too distant future there will be at least $6.5 million to $7 million in the State Emergency Relief Fund. Two million dollars of that was provided by the taxpayers and the government; nevertheless, it appears that up to $5 million will have been raised, whether it be through cricket events or gala events or donations from individuals, businesses and companies towards that fund.

Mayor Pengilly indicated to us that he had $2.8 million-ish in the mayoral fund last week, and he has established a committee, with the proper governance for that committee, that has absolute discretion in terms of that $2.8 million. Of course, nationally we have seen extraordinary sums of money being raised by individuals like Celeste Barber. I think the last count I saw was $70 million, an extraordinary sum of money. With the Red Cross, I think the last count I saw was well over $100 million. Australians and South Australians have been extraordinarily generous to these appeals for funds.

The challenge for all of us now is to see proper coordination and delivery of these funds, because they have come from so many different areas. They are not being controlled by just one particular vehicle, whether that be government or Red Cross or whatever. There are so many funds, and the challenge for governments and others who control these funds is to make sure we do not waste any of it, that it is best directed to the areas of most need and that it is fairly distributed—as it should be—between all the impacted states: New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

With that, as I said, I will repeat for those who are watching, and those who might read these words later, the fact that while today there will be, as I understand it, three speakers, that is not an indication that there will not be other members speaking. I am aware that there are a number of other members who do want to speak but, because of the pressures of time today, they will speak either tomorrow or perhaps in the next sitting week and place their support for the motion that we have before us. With that, I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:40): I rise to support this motion. I do so on behalf of the Labor opposition but note that there are likely to be more speakers from this side in the coming days. I offer my sympathies and condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who lost their lives in these fires. I also express my support for those who have been injured or lost their homes, properties and possessions. I think all of us have been moved by the impact that these fires have had not just on people's homes and possessions but on the natural environment.

Australia has already endured a horror fire season and it is only the start of February. Whilst we have suffered in South Australia tremendously, I also extend my thoughts to those in the Eastern States where fires have wrought devastation over vast areas. Fires interstate have claimed the lives of people, not just Australians but people who came here from overseas to defend the property of people they had never met in places they had never been. They may not have been Australians but they acted in a way that we can all aspire to.

Many fires have burnt all over our state but the two most devastating this season were at Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island. In the Cudlee Creek fire some 24,000 hectares burnt and some 70 homes, along with hundreds of outbuildings and vehicles, were affected. Almost half of Kangaroo Island burned—more than 200,000 hectares. Many people would have watched with horror as they updated on their apps or on social media feeds and saw the disaster unfolding on Kangaroo Island. Most of the Flinders Chase National Park and large parts of the western side of the island were burnt out. More than 80 homes were lost, along with almost 300 outbuildings. Most tragically, as the Leader of the Government has outlined, lives were lost in the Kangaroo Island fires.

Kangaroo Island is a sanctuary for many unique and endangered animals. There are grave concerns for the glossy black cockatoo and the Kangaroo Island dunnart. The latter only exists on the island and mostly lived in the Flinders Chase National Park, which has been almost entirely burnt out. Estimates are that in excess of half of Kangaroo Island's 50,000 koalas have perished, along with more than 50,000 livestock. Fires took lives and farmers have been left with the terrible reality of having to destroy animals that were too sick or injured to recover.

I think it is well accepted that fire conditions around Australia have been exacerbated and made worse by the conditions caused by human-induced climate change, and these fires will not be the last. South Australia must continue to lead the way on emission reductions and renewable energy to ensure that we are contributing what we can to reduce the conditions that can cause such terrible tragedies.

We would particularly like to acknowledge the critically important work done by our firefighters, our other emergency services personnel and those who, with their own firefighting equipment and units, helped to control fires. Our volunteers fought heroically to protect lives, homes and businesses. The work of these incredible people did much to make sure that more was not lost. On behalf of the opposition, I would like to give special note and thanks to all of the international and interstate volunteers who travelled here to fight these fires. We thank the thousands upon thousands of volunteers who helped people who were forced to evacuate, and who are continuing to help people to rebuild after the fires. Without the help of these volunteers the prospects for those trying to pick up the pieces after losing so much would look much bleaker.

We appreciate the donations from all around the world that have helped with the rebuilding and relief efforts, whether through donations to charities assisting in recovery, donations to the CFS or emergency services, donations through official channels, or indirect donations from businesses who are donating proceeds from their business to the bushfire recovery.

We would like to take particular note and commend the work of the men and women of the defence forces of Australia, who have been deployed to help with recovery, especially on Kangaroo Island. Not only have Australian Defence Force personnel been involved, but they have also come from New Zealand as well.

I would particularly like to take note, as the Leader of the Government has, of individuals who have gone above and beyond during this crisis. I would particularly like to commend the tireless work of the local state member for Kangaroo Island, the member for Mawson, Mr Leon Bignell. Biggles was on the ground both during and after the worst parts of the fire, working day after day to make sure that the people he represents were reassured, and helping out in whatever role he could.

When things started turning very bad on the island, Leon asked what he could do to help. He was told that with the mobile networks going down communication on the ground was very difficult. Leon put a call out on social media to get help and more than 140 UHF two-way radios were donated. He took them to KI to give them to farm firefighters who were trying to protect their properties. These critical lines of communication meant they could relay real-time information and receive real-time updates, allowing people to be safer than they would otherwise have been. These radios and the people who donated them, I have personally heard, have saved lives. The member for Mawson was not afraid to put himself in the thick of it to help people on Kangaroo Island, even at one stage having to evacuate his own accommodation when the order was given.

I was privileged to make a visit to Kangaroo Island along with a number of other Labor colleagues. With the member for Mawson and also the member for Wright, Blair Boyer, we visited many parts of the island, from Penneshaw all the way to the very—and very devastated—western end of Kangaroo Island. Along with the member for Mawson and the member for Wright, we spent time at people's properties, helping clear burnt logs away from homes that could create potential fuel loads. We had the pleasure of camping out on the Parndana oval with the volunteers from BlazeAid and then helping them roll up destroyed fencing the next day.

The rebuilding effort after these fires is going to be a long process. For many people a lifetime of memories went up in the flames. We will need to help and support people for as long as it takes for people and communities to get back on their feet and for the local economy to be given the assistance it needs for many years to come. It will be important for South Australians to do everything that they can. I note the #BookThemOut campaign. It will not just be over the next few months but over the next few years that that support will be needed to continue.

I commend the motion to the council and look forward to supporting it when it is voted upon.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:47): I was not anticipating, but I see my name is actually on the list, so I will speak off the cuff in support of the motion, which we of course strongly support. I will be speaking more about Kangaroo Island in my matter of interest speech later on. I would like to endorse the words of the Leader of the Government here and the Leader of the Opposition in relation to the responses that were made to the emergency effort on Kangaroo Island and Cudlee Creek—and let us not forget that we also had a bushfire in Yorketown earlier this year.

I have to say that as a working journalist for many years I was certainly around during the Ash Wednesday bushfires and have covered bushfires over many decades. I do not think I felt as alarmed as I was while I watched this hell on earth in this country unfold during our summer period. First, we saw it in the Eastern States and all the devastation and heartbreak that was going along the east coast. It was just extraordinary. I have never seen extraordinary scenes like that before in my working life. We were fortunate that we did not have greater loss of life in the Eastern States this time, unlike, of course, what we had at Kinglake in Victoria some years ago.

Seeing the images and maps of Australia showing how many fires were actually burning in this country over that Christmas and New Year period was quite frightening. The images were relayed around the world. I was even getting calls from friends overseas who were quite worried about what was happening in Australia.

As many members know, I have an interest in Kangaroo Island. I have a strong affinity with Kangaroo Island. I have been there three times in the last month and a half. I was actually there for a short leisurely period as the first fire broke out at Duncan. I left on New Year's Day thinking that the fire was going to be contained. We did not think much of it at the time, but when we returned to the mainland of course the other fires broke out and, again, the damage was absolutely extraordinary.

I also happened to be at Cudlee Creek the day the Cudlee Creek fire broke out. I was visiting a constituent and got there just after 9 o'clock in the morning. As you will recall, it was a very hot morning. I got out of the car and, as I got out, I noticed a spotter plane had just gone over my head. I looked behind me and I could just see a wisp of white smoke from a hill behind. I did not think much of it until I went inside and spoke to the constituent, who said, 'We need to get out of here. We've just received an evacuation order. It's not safe to stay. We need to go.'

They left and went to a safe haven somewhere around Mount Torrens. I stayed around in Lobethal watching this fire begin to envelope part of the Hills. I could not believe the speed and ferocity with which it took hold. Within an hour or so, the white smoke had turned to acrid black and there were then concerns in Lobethal. Of course, as we all know, it then went through to Woodside where there was loss of life, injuries to people and loss of property. I know two families who lost property there. I know another family who managed to defend their property.

It was extraordinary to see that and then to see what was going on on Kangaroo Island. I decided to go over to Kangaroo Island to have a look and see if we could provide any assistance or support to the people there. I noticed immediately that there was this resilience about the community. They were facing this adversity that no-one could imagine. As I said, it was like a hell on earth.

My chief of staff, Sean Whittington, and I drove through to Parndana and then went out to Stokes Bay. The fires were still raging out there. We stopped by several houses that had been burnt. In fact, it was the same day that the Prime Minister had gone out there. The devastation on either side of Stokes Bay Road was extraordinary. Not only did you have houses that had been destroyed but I noticed that there were massive gum trees that were not burnt, but the intensity of the wind had uprooted these massive gum trees and toppled them over. It was an extraordinary sight. We then saw the damaged properties.

We ended up on a hill that looked down to Stokes Bay. I stopped by the home of Mr Dean Stanton, who is a 98-year-old war veteran. There sitting on the porch were Mr Stanton's three sons, each of whom had lost their homes the day before. We were watching from the top the fire that was burning below in the gully. They were praying that there would not be a wind change that would have brought the fire up and consumed their father's home. We were watching the almost futile nature of trying to tackle that fire. There was no way that vehicles could get there. There was nothing they could really do except sit there and watch and pray that it did not turn around, come up and take their property.

While we were watching, a CFS unit turned up and a young man got out. He was wearing sunglasses, not because of the smoke or because he had been fighting or because he had received grit and stuff in his eyes; he was actually wearing the glasses because behind those glasses he was crying. I asked him what had happened to him and, of course, he had lost his home and that of his partner. They did not own the home—they were renting the home—but nevertheless they had lost all their possessions. It was really heartbreaking hearing his story, and at the same time there he was going out defending other people's properties.

I sat with the Stantons. It is incredible the strength that they showed. They were able to even crack jokes while we were sitting there, knowing that three members of their family had lost all their possessions, lost their homes and would have to rebuild. They all had businesses, of course, as we know, but they had to rebuild. Nevertheless, they were very optimistic for the future.

My concern at the time was I hoped that the reality did not set in, because the issue of mental health would have been extremely important and something that would have needed to be addressed. But, of course, at that time there was so much adrenaline pumping through everybody's body, the fires were still going, and there was a lot of uncertainty as they tried to grasp the enormity of the scene.

I also visited a sheep property, the Kelly sheep property, very well-known farmers on Kangaroo Island. Again, the indiscriminate nature of bushfires is incredible. It took out many of their paddocks and they lost a significant number of sheep, but incredibly, the two houses were spared. I just could not believe while walking around that the fires had damaged so much of the area around, including a shearing shed barely 20 metres from the house, yet had spared the two houses. That is the house the Prime Minister had visited.

There was another sheep property across the road and I remember going there to try to talk to the owner, but he was too busy rounding up his sheep to move them from the paddock. I remember getting out of the vehicle and looking up at the hillside and there were wisps of smoke and piles burning on the hillside. It was an apocalyptic scene. It looked like a scene out of a movie. There were fires burning everywhere. They were still burning in Stokes Bay. It was an incredible sight.

Back in Parndana, there were concerns about the town itself. Fortunately, the aerial bombers had laid a fire retardant that ringed the town and saved it. I managed to stop by the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in Parndana as the koalas were being brought in. There were many of them, and again it was a really heartrending scene watching these animals that had been brought in to be treated. The Army reservists had just turned up and were building shelters for these animals.

At the same time, vets were coming in to treat the animals. I spoke to one of them, Garnett Hall, who came over from Perth. They got to work immediately. It was incredible the number of volunteers who had turned up to help with these animals. Many of the animals were in a shocking state. I doubt whether some of them would have survived after that. They came in in pain. Some were crying. If you have heard a koala crying, it is, again, quite a touching scene.

Enormous work went on at the wildlife park while the fires were still raging. A couple of days later, when I returned, the fires again threatened to consume the park. Fortunately, the Army had cut a break and the park was spared and so was the town. We will always remember these haunting images of the fires both on Kangaroo Island and, of course, in the Adelaide Hills.

One video that caught my eye was shot by Brenton Davis. His father, Peter Davis, has the Island Beehive in Kingscote, and he lost more than 900 hives. The video was taken inside their home as the fires were raging outside. It was daylight, yet it was in total darkness because the fires were rushing through at such a rate. There were sparks flying everywhere; it was incredible. To be in that house with the fires totally surrounding you would have been a frightening experience. It was a miracle that they escaped and it gives us an idea of the perils that the people on the island faced.

We have seen other images of animals that have died. I was talking to a wildlife person when I was there last week. We were speaking about the damage in Flinders Chase National Park, which is now just an ecological cemetery, unfortunately. They managed to discover two platypuses, or platypi. At last count, there were about 200, but they managed at least to see that there were two. Some of the wildlife could not be accounted for. We are not sure what happened to the cockatoos. On a positive note, if you could find one, at least it managed to curtail the feral pig problem that they were trying to combat.

One of the tourist operators there, who of course is suffering as many there are, told me of another interesting aspect. He managed to go into the park and went to Remarkable Rocks to have a look. All the infrastructure leading to Remarkable Rocks has been destroyed, but he told me that one of the rocks has exploded. If you have been to Remarkable Rocks, they are made out of granite. For one of those structures to explode gives you an idea of the intensity of those fires. It is just extraordinary.

I have mentioned the loss of life. My sincere condolences to the family of Dick and Clayton Lang, Mr Selth in the Adelaide Hills and also those in the Eastern States and those who came from America to fight the fires. I knew Dick. He was a pioneer of the outback with his airline. I was a young reporter, and the first time I ever saw Lake Eyre was in Dick Lang's plane. When I was chief of staff at Channel 7 at Gilberton, we often used Dick as the pilot to take us to various locations for stories we shot. He was such an incredible character. This is such a loss to South Australia and South Australian tourism, as well as the loss of his son Clayton, who was a leading plastic surgeon. Again, we pass on our condolences to the family as well.

The other interesting aspect of this is the extraordinary support that came in, firstly from the public but from the volunteers and firefighters who risked their lives over there. It was incredible. At Kingscote, the Army had come in and set up an Army base. They were working with the CFS, the SES and St John Ambulance. The Salvation Army had set up a mobile catering area there and were looking after people. It was an extraordinary operation. I have never before seen anything of that magnitude and the way it was carried out.

I think the important thing now for these communities is recovery, as has been mentioned. I know that the Kangaroo Island community has been particularly hard-hit, not just the rural sector but also the tourism sector of Kangaroo Island. Some businesses have been totally wiped out. Others are really struggling and may have to close or lay off staff. The turnover has been down about 50 per cent for some of them, and that will make the difference as to whether their businesses actually survive.

It was strange being there last week and seeing hardly any tourists on Kangaroo Island. At this time of the year, it is just teeming with tourists everywhere, but there were few to be seen last week. I commend the South Australian government for quickly reacting and getting the campaign #BookThemOut underway. It was a great initiative by the South Australian Tourism Commission.

The video put together by the South Australian Tourism Commission was excellent and certainly conveyed strong feelings of getting people over there on the island. Disappointingly, I was told that the South Australian government had not allocated any extra funding to market and promote tourism in the Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island and other parts of South Australia, but I imagine that is probably going to be addressed anyway.

The fact is that these people need help; they need it urgently. They need support financially and they also need it psychologically. I congratulate the Hon. Michelle Lensink. I spoke to her briefly in between my trips to Kangaroo Island. I mentioned the fact that many people on the island were going to be needing mental health support. She indicated to me that they had already undertaken to send several staff there. At the Kingscote volunteer centre I noted that SA Water had a psychologist over there to look after their staff at Little River. The psychologist was also counselling people at the Kingscote volunteer centre who had lost their homes. These people had come in, entire families, young kids with only the clothes that were on their backs, looking dishevelled and in a daze, wondering what was going to happen tomorrow to them. You really had to feel for them. It was an extraordinary experience.

Incredible support has come from all quarters—from government, from volunteer organisations, and from other organisations from as far away as the BlazeAid people. I went and saw them as well and the incredible work they are doing. The support from people overseas and the amount of money that has been raised for them is incredible, and it continues to be raised. I think it lifts your faith in human nature when you see people come together like that. It is just extraordinary and it will continue to be like that.

I will finish up by saying that SA-Best certainly commends this motion, commends the work of the South Australian government and the federal government for the support they have been giving. I would also acknowledge the strong work that has been put in by their local member, Leon Bignell. I bumped into him a couple of times in the work he was doing there. I also thank our own Rebekha Sharkie, the federal member for Mayo, and the Kangaroo Island mayor, Michael Pengilly. They were extraordinary efforts by Michael, who had to leave his own property to take a very strong role as the leader of an island that had been devastated emotionally and knocked around every which way. I think he showed great leadership for them and tremendous effort in raising all that money for that community. Let's hope that the island and the Adelaide Hills—I have not spoken much about the Adelaide Hills because I have not been back there but I intend to go back there next week—recover and they become more resilient communities.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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