Lismore Hailstorm

Mr NATHAN REES (Toongabbie—Minister for Emergency Service, and Minister for Water Utilities) [3.20 p.m.]: Just before 3.00 p.m. last Tuesday, Lismore and the surrounding district were hit by a massive hailstorm and rainstorm. When I arrived in the area on Wednesday morning locals told me that it was the worst storm to hit the town in more than 70 years, with hailstones the size of tennis balls. The damage was made worse by a second storm that quickly followed when heavy rain entered buildings through holes caused by hailstones. The local State Emergency Service swung into action after receiving 250 calls for assistance in the first half hour. It received a total of 680 calls for assistance, 640 of which came from Lismore with other calls coming from the Tweed, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Casino.

On my arrival in Lismore the member for Lismore, Thomas George, who recognises that these emergencies are above politics, met me. With the State Emergency Service regional controller, Scott Hanckel, we toured the worst hit parts of the city. Many homes had smashed windows, damaged roofs, gouged cladding, broken skylights and awnings, and water damage. Hailstones had damaged hundreds of vehicles. The St Andrew's Anglican Church sustained major damage to its slate roof and stained-glass windows. St Carthage's Cathedral and its school buildings were also damaged, as was Richmond River High School. Numerous public buildings were damaged including the city hall, the base hospital, the ambulance centre, the TAFE college and the Lismore police station. Local producers told me of damage to the region's valuable fruit industry, particularly its macadamia crops.

I had no hesitation in declaring a natural disaster for Lismore and Byron council areas, which triggered a range of assistance measures to residents, business owners, primary industries and council to help with the cost of the clean-up, and repairs to property and infrastructure. However, the assistance that really counts was already in place. The State Emergency Service crews were in action covering roofs, boarding up smashed windows and setting things right throughout the towns. In the first hours, teams from the Lismore area were joined by emergency crews from Ballina, Casino, Woodburn, Kyogle and Tabulam, two New South Wales Fire Brigades crews and a Rural Fire Service strike team of 30 volunteers. In all, 25 State Emergency Service teams, seven New South Wales Fire Brigades teams and three teams from the Rural Fire Service responded to the emergency.

More than 100 State Emergency Service volunteers travelled from as far afield as Sydney, Queanbeyan, Wellington and Inverell. After six days of hard work, all 680 tasks were completed. State Emergency Service members, such as local controller Lindsay Matterson and unit controller Brett James, worked tirelessly day and night till the job was done. The Insurance Council of Australia has reported that 9,000 insurance claims have been lodged with a damage bill at almost $15 million. Climate change with global warming is a reality, with more bushfires, more summer storms and more calls on our emergency services volunteers.

Today, as the Premier outlined, there are bushfires at Mount Kembla and to the north of Sydney, and also at Maroota, Tamworth and Port Stephens. I am advised that all of them are under control at this stage. In times of trouble the State Emergency Service volunteers and members of our other emergency services, such as the New South Wales Fire Brigades, the Rural Fire Service and the Volunteer Rescue Association, turn out to help those communities in need. But it must be said, when I visited Lismore last week and attended two major functions over the weekend for our volunteers, it was obvious that a worrying trend is emerging. Unprompted, volunteers raised their concerns about WorkChoices.

The SPEAKER: Order! Members of the Opposition will come to order. The Opposition will have an opportunity to respond.

Mr NATHAN REES: Whether those opposite like it or not, WorkChoices is having an adverse impact on our ability to recruit and retain volunteers in the emergency services. In enterprises in which people have to negotiate their agreements individually, the right to emergency service leave will become increasingly difficult to secure. WorkChoices undermines the collective spirit of goodwill upon which our volunteer system is based. We owe our volunteers a huge debt of gratitude.

Mr Adrian Piccoli: Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Mr NATHAN REES: It is not one of the five protected conditions, and the member for Murrumbidgee knows it.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Murrumbidgee will cease interjecting.

Mr NATHAN REES: It is also imperative that we provide the framework, the equipment, the encouragement and the guaranteed opportunity for those volunteers to get on with their selfless work.

Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [3.25 p.m.]: I join with the Minister for Emergency Services in recognising and thanking the many volunteers, emergency service workers and Lismore City Council who supported the community of the city of Lismore last week. However, I do not agree with the rest of his speech. Let us not forget that most of the volunteers had spent the previous week fighting fires in the Bundgalung National Park; they had arrived home just that day. As the Minister said, the hailstorm hit Lismore at two o'clock in the afternoon. I pay tribute also to the families of the volunteers who provide support and especially the employers who provide the time for volunteers to do the job. However, as the Minister said, this is above politics.

I am very proud to be the member for the electorate of Lismore. I have never had one volunteer raise WorkChoices with me. I am sure I understand the Lismore electorate better than any other member of this House. On behalf of the community I thank all the volunteers, their families and their employers for their support of the Lismore community. I refer to the support that Lismore has received from not only local volunteers but also volunteers from around the State. I sincerely thank them on behalf of the community.