STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE

Mr TAYLOR (Hume—Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): I thank the Prime Minister for his heartfelt words. The federal opposition joins the government in reflecting on this devastating natural disaster and the human tragedy that's unfolded. The massive ice and rock avalanche on the Nepal-Tibet border that triggered the flash flooding and landslide has killed more than 1,300 people, with around 5,000 still missing.

UNICEF says at least 65,000 people have been affected. Thirty-six Australians remain unaccounted for. The uncertainty for the families of these Australians is nothing short of gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.

We pray for the missing Australians, and we pray for their loved ones. We hold on to hope as a nation, even as hope becomes harder to grasp with each passing day. Nepal has a long history of disastrous earthquakes, avalanches, floods and landslides, with early records dating back almost 500 years.

Several natural disasters have caused a catastrophic loss of life, and that was heartbreakingly again the case on 26 August. Many of us have seen the shocking CCTV and mobile phone footage of the devastating surge of mud, water and debris that consumed all in its path. It was described as liquid concrete.

Only a handful of buildings weren't swept away. Some people escaped the cascading flooding by reaching higher ground at the critical moment. A six-year-old girl was pulled from the mud after being buried for four days.

As I say, we hold on to hope. Last Tuesday I was in Ingleburn with Senator Bragg. We met members of our Nepali community and business owners, and we held a minute's silence to honour all the lives lost and to pray that there will be more survivors.

I commend Binod Paudel and Usha Pokharel, two dedicated community leaders in South Western Sydney. Usha is the New South Wales state coordinator of the Non-Resident Nepali Association. The association has been doing incredible work to connect loved ones caught up in this tragedy.

Immediately, upon leaving school back in 1984, I was lucky enough to travel to Nepal. It was my first trip beyond our immediate region. A country with inhospitable terrain, Nepal has some of the most hospitable people in the world.

I still fondly remember the warmth and generosity of the Nepali people, and I see that same generosity and warmth in Australians of Nepali heritage today. They have committed to Australia, and so we are absolutely committed to supporting them. As I said in Ingleburn, the coalition stands ready to work with the government to do what's necessary amidst this tragedy and to help in any way we can.

We support the provision of humanitarian disaster assistance, and we welcome the government's decision to send specialist advisers, drone teams and an ADF humanitarian flight to assist the rescue and recovery efforts. I thank the officials from DFAT who have briefed the coalition and whose consular and humanitarian response teams are working to assist Australians and the Nepali government.

I thank all Australians who have responded to the calls for help, especially the aid workers with Red Cross and World Vision, the Australian rescue experts who are tirelessly working on the ground and Australians who have generously donated to the disaster appeal. To the government and the people of Nepal, to the families in Tibet who have suffered alongside them and to every Australian family holding out hope for loved ones missing, the coalition extends its heartfelt thoughts.

The SPEAKER: As a mark of respect to those missing and those who have lost their lives, I ask all members present to rise in their places. Honourable members having stood in their places— The SPEAKER: I thank the House.