STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE

Mr MONCRIEFF (Hughes) (17:50): Our community in southern and south-western Sydney has been heartbroken by the effects of the tragic flash flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China, and I express that heartbreak to this parliament. On 26 August, a powerful flash flood struck Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Tanahun, preceded by the collapse of a large mass of ice and rock from a glacier high in the Himalayas.

These devastating floods wrought destruction to homes, communities and lives. The scale of the disaster has been breathtaking. We have seen infrastructure obliterated on scales that we would usually only see in a Hollywood film or in artificial intelligence generated content.

This disaster has been all too real for so many. Hundreds of adults and children have been reported as deceased. Thousands more are still missing.

At least 84,270 people, including 32,000 children, have been affected. The physical and emotional costs that these floods have inflicted upon Nepal have been immense—families digging through mud; mothers, fathers, sons and daughters in tears; and solemn commemorations. Many in this place and across Australia have been just as saddened to see these scenes as our community in recent weeks.

My community in southern Sydney is home to around 1,900 residents of Nepalese heritage. In recent weeks they have shown the world resilience and strength in the face of unimaginable grief and anxiety. A few weeks ago, I attended a vigil of hope and healing which brought together southern Sydney to honour those affected and gather in solidarity with Nepalese residents and family members.

The community came together in Rockdale, circled around a Nepali flag made of candles, to share the grief, remember those lost and pray for those still missing. I thank Karuna Rawat, who led us in reflection after coming straight from her nursing shift, along with Rishi Acharya, from the Sutherland shire Nepalese community and the Nepalese Australian Association, who helped bring together the community that night.

I also had the opportunity to join the Nepalese community of south-western Sydney to mark Teej, in an acknowledgement held by the Macarthur region Nepalese community and its president, Sony Tuladhar. Last year's Teej was a joyous celebration of the Nepalese community's contribution to the Sydney community, with music, dancing and colour. I enjoyed learning some of their traditional dance moves, and I thanked them for their patience in dealing with my lack of coordination!

This year's Teej was more sombre—in the same place with the same people, but feeling the weight of what was happening in the Himalayas. So many were still missing in Nepal and so many in the community were still feeling such anxiety as the wait for more news continued. The community showed incredible resilience in continuing on and reformatting the event to fundraise for those in Nepal who needed disaster relief.

I thank all those who have contributed to relief—not just the Nepalese community but Australians of all backgrounds, facing their own pressures, who have stepped up to support our regional neighbours. Australians wishing to donate should visit the Emergency Action Alliance webpage. The Australian government is also stepping up to provide relief.

In the days following the disaster, $5 million in humanitarian assistance was announced by the Australian government to support urgent disaster response and recovery efforts. Funding will be delivered through established partners to provide support such as food, emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation. These floods have devastated communities along both sides of the border, sweeping away villages, damaging critical infrastructure and leaving thousands displaced.

With roads and bridges destroyed, many communities remain isolated and difficult to reach, underscoring the need for rapid humanitarian assistance. Australia's assistance includes $2 million to the World Food Programme, which has already dispatched food rations and provided logistics support for Nepal's emergency response, $2 million to Australian NGOs through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership to provide support such as emergency shelter, hygiene kits, blankets, medical support and psychosocial support, and $1 million to the Emergency Action Alliance to support locally led recovery and rehabilitation efforts in affected areas.

I know many are still feeling acutely the pain of loss as well as the anxiety of not knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones, but I want them to know that Australians are with them and that the government is with them. Our hearts ache for Nepal. I acknowledge the loss that many in my community have felt, and I express solidarity with all those who have been affected.

The Nepalese community plays so many different roles across all sectors of our Australian society and our Australian economy, but one that the Nepalese Australians are particularly well known for is the care sector. I hope that Nepalese Australians can feel the care that the broader Australian community is extending back to them in their hour of need. We are with you.

I also want to acknowledge the importance of the government's action on climate change in acknowledging the role of anthropogenic climate change in the changes that we are seeing in Nepal. While this specific event can't be directly attributed to climate change, we know that events like this are going to continue to occur with higher frequency as climate change continues to have an effect in the Himalayas.

But for now we stand with the Nepalese community. We are with them in their hour of grief and sadness, and we stand with them, willing to do whatever it takes to provide whatever assistance we are able to provide in their hour of need.