Speech 14th of August 2021 (excerpt)
Ms MADELEINE KING (Brand) (16:50): My speech tonight on the adjournment is all about giving thanks. I would like to offer my thanks, on behalf of the community and on my own behalf, to the individuals and groups that help us out and give of their time to serve the community. All Western Australians would be very well aware of the tremendous storms and heavy rainfall we’ve experienced across recent months. It is of course winter, but it has felt like a period of particularly nasty weather. With these storms have come damage to homes, businesses and properties all across Kwinana and Rockingham, in my electorate. No matter how well forewarned we may be about an imminent storm, damage is always inevitable.
Fortunately, local residents can count on the local Rockingham-Kwinana State Emergency Service volunteers to come to their aid when these wild winds rip off roofs and cause trees to fall on houses. Indeed, in one of the recent severe weather events my own home in Shoalwater flooded, as the rain was so heavy and intense it overwhelmed the gutters that we had clearly failed to clean out as well as we should have. Fortunately, we only needed a lot of towels to soak up the mess, but it is reassuring to know that the wonderful SES volunteers stand by ready to assist in severe weather.
Over recent weeks the Rockingham-Kwinana SES has helped many hundreds of local residents deal with the damage to their homes caused by these storms. It is dangerous work, it is uncomfortable work and in this weather it is of course very, very wet work. This work is all carried out by the volunteers in our community. The local SES crew help out wherever they are needed. Right now some members of the unit are in Meekatharra helping to search, in what has now been a five-day search, for a missing 83-year-old gold prospector. These local volunteers from across Kwinana and Rockingham have driven for nine hours to join this search. I thank them for their commitment and wish them the best in their efforts to locate the missing gentleman. The local SES also posts severe weather warnings on their Facebook page, and I urge residents to follow the page to get these timely updates. If you need assistance after a storm, call 132500.
