CYCLONE SEROJA — EMERGENCY ACCOMMODATION
203. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Emergency Services:
I have a supplementary question.
Given that the minister has accepted there is an urgent need in those towns,
will he commit to delivering temporary onsite accommodation options into
Kalbarri and Northampton, as called for by the chief executive officer of that
council?
Mr R.R.
WHITBY replied:
As I said, I am committed to
supporting all those communities, whether it is Northampton or communities
right across the midwest region. We are in detailed negotiations with our
friends in the commonwealth. We will be advancing support through categories C
and D of the joint disaster relief arrangements and that will include looking
at how we provide accommodation on the ground. The member will appreciate that
in a very successful economy like Western Australia,
where there is demand in the resource sector as well, that getting our hands on
temporary and transportable accommodation can be a challenge, but we are up for
that. We are going to negotiate with our friends in the commonwealth. We will look at all options and we are going to
make sure that we tailor specific accommodation for every community, being mindful that there is a range of different
and specific needs in each community.
I
make the observation that when I have been in the area recently, including
Kalbarri, I have seen tradespeople on the ground already, very active, and tourists back in the town supporting
that community. My advice to Western Australians is to get back into the midwest and support those communities, and we
will keep working for the long term to see those communities rebuilt. I wish I had
a magic wand that provided accommodation magically; I do not. It is going to be
a long journey. Building a new house is a major undertaking. The insurance assessors
have to get in there and the whole process of building accommodation at any
time, in any economic condition, is a long process. We have particular
challenges at the moment, with our economy being very active and competing for
skilled jobs, but we will deliver the services and accommodation that is
required, in cooperation with the federal government. I hope that we can also
work together, government and opposition, on the same team delivering a positive
outcome.