STATEMENTS

Senator HUME (Victoria—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (10:42): My colleagues from the coalition and I rise today to stand with the people of Nepal and with the Nepalese Australian community following the devastating flood that struck 12 days ago. We grieve for the more than 1,300 that have been confirmed dead and for the thousands that are still missing. The footage from the ground is so confronting, and the scale of loss is just unimaginable.

Now is the time to stand with our Nepalese friends, with support and with mateship. This tragedy will extend beyond this moment, with countless lives and livelihoods upended by this tragedy, and it will be felt in the months and years ahead. This is not a distant disaster for Australia.

There are 36 Australians that remain unaccounted for. We mourn Michael Keats of New South Wales, the first Australian who was confirmed dead, who reached the border crossing just minutes before the flood struck. We give thanks for those that have been found safe, including Cara Severino, and for the rescue crews, both Nepalese and international, that are working around the clock.

Also among those that are still waiting for news are Australian families of foreign nationals, including Abhijit Bhide, who is the chairman of the Australian Hindu Community. His sister and brother-in-law, both Indian nationals, both doctors in Mumbai, were crossing the border the morning that the flood struck. Theirs is one of the thousands of families trapped in agonising anticipation, waiting for a name to appear on the list of the rescued.

We should also recognise the Australians that have answered the call, none more so than Professor Arnold Dix, who helped free 41 workers from the Silkyara tunnels in the Himalayas. He's now lending that expertise to Nepal's flooded hydropower tunnels. Professor Dix insists that this remains a rescue and not a recovery.

His refusal to give up hope, I think, speaks to the best in us all. We also recognise DFAT, the crisis officials on the ground, and acknowledged that the Australian government has committed a further $3 million in aid, as well as some of the families who have flown to Nepal to search for their own. This is Australia playing its part in a global community, as we always have, as we always will and as we always should.

We should all seek to extend our support to those who need it, when we can and where we can. To the people of Nepal, Australia mourns with you and we hope alongside you. To the families still waiting, including the families of Australians that are still missing, this parliament holds you in its thoughts and we will not give up hope.