Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): on indulgence—There are few things more heartbreaking right now than more heavy rain in South-East Queensland and in northern New South Wales—to know that our fellow Australians who have already been through hell are in danger of going through another round; to know that evacuation orders are in place in communities that had every right, by now, to hope for even a slight reprieve but are instead reaching once again for the sandbags. Right now those orders are in place in the Northern Rivers, including parts of Lismore, Kyogle and Billinudgel. The rains are moving south, causing concern in the Bellinger and Kalang catchments. With the landscape already saturated, the New South Wales State Emergency Service is warning of life-threatening flash flooding. The SES is warning of a higher chance of landslip, and, as if that weren't enough, damaging wind could bring down trees and powerlines. Overnight the Gold Coast was again bracing for the possibility of flash flooding. It has been unrelenting.

Already this year we have seen huge swathes of our landscape transformed into a brown sea. So many have lost their homes. Those surging waters do not discriminate between a city apartment and a country house carefully built according to modern flood regulations. Towns and houses have been submerged. Farms and businesses have been devastated. Dreams have been shuttered. Livelihoods have been snatched away. So many Australians have lost everything. Some, tragically, have lost their lives or lost someone they loved. Bridges have been wrecked. Roads have been destroyed. In some places the landscape has been transformed; sometimes, it has just slipped away.

I travelled to Brisbane to see the damage with my own eyes. In the electorate of Lilley, with the local member, we had a barbecue in Deagon with Senator Watt. There, I spoke with a man and his family who had got in a dinghy and travelled along the street in which we were hosting the barbecue event. He told a story about the waters going up to the second level of the Queenslanders along that street. He said that, at one stage, a dad passed his baby to a stranger and said: 'Take our child to safety, I've got to go back and help my other family out.' There were stories of extraordinary bravery by Australians who were just helping each other out in the way that we do in this great country. But also, of course, we want to thank the SES, the emergency service workers, the police and our Australian Defence Force, all of whom provided assistance at that time.

I walked through the streets of Lismore and Murwillumbah. I rang the member for Page at the height of the incident. At one stage, we were in the shopping centre in the main street of Lismore. It was remarkable. We were looking at the levels the water got to. It was easy to forget that we were not on the ground floor; we were on the second floor, which is where the water had got to. The force of the water knocking over walls was extraordinary to see—and the resilience of the people there in Lismore. As I walked the streets and chatted to everybody who wanted to have a chat, what I got back was incredible courage and resilience. Pacific island workers were there using skills normally used in rugby union. They were big blokes. As volunteers, they were helping people out. They were here in our great country as guests.

With the member for Richmond, I went to Ballina, Murwillumbah and other parts of her electorate. And I've got to say—and I say this with due respect, Prime Minister—there are parts of south Murwillumbah that look just like Lismore. Every house and every business is gone, devastated. Every car on the street is of no use. And everyone who's been impacted by these floods deserves support—maximum support.

I've listened to the stories of people who've lost everything and somehow have to find within themselves the strength to begin again. Then there are those who have just made it through this time around, but are left with the sense that their home is on borrowed time. Australians are strong—we see it over and over—but no-one's invincible. Everyone has a breaking point, and our hearts are with everyone who has suffered. We must stand with them, not just in sentiment but practically and meaningfully. That includes planning ahead. The Prime Minister spoke about a once-in-500-years event. The problem is that these once in 100, 200 or 500 years events are happening pretty frequently. It's called climate change.

Not every event in Australia is because of climate change. We have always had natural disasters; we know that's the case. But the events are more extreme and they are more regular, and we need to get that message and act—and not just ourselves; we know we need to be a part of global action on climate change. We need to be better prepared with emergency responses. We need to act on flood mitigation. We need to make proper use of the disaster funds that have been established for this very purpose. They're not term deposits; they're there to be used. Those of us in this place owe our fellow Australians nothing less.

I wish all those who'll be very nervous at this point in time all the best over coming days and over coming weeks. I thank once again, in advance, those workers, be they full-time or volunteers or just fellow Australians helping out other Australians, for what they'll do again over the coming days and weeks. At the worst of times, we see the best of Australians, and that is what we have seen over recent weeks.