Many members contributed to the Nepal floods condolence motion moved by the New South Wales Premier in this place last week. I make mine now, and for the beautiful Nepalese diaspora in the Blue Mountains electorate. I offer my deepest condolences to the people of Nepal and to the communities in adjoining Tibet following the catastrophic floods that have taken lives, injured many more, and left families waiting and praying for news of those they love. Watching the horror unfold on 26 August via images and photographs was heartbreaking and shocking. Like many others, my heart felt heavy. I offer my deepest condolences to our Australian friends, neighbours and others who have family missing.
When disaster strikes, the numbers can never tell the whole story. Behind every life lost is a family, a home, a story and a future. Behind every missing person is someone deeply loved. Whole communities along the Nepal‑Tibet border region have been devastated. Homes, bridges, roads, businesses and places of worship have been swept away in seconds, with lives and livelihoods gone in moments. Every grieving person's loss matters, and their loved ones matter. We cannot take away their pain, but we can refuse to let them carry it alone.
This tragedy is being felt personally in the Blue Mountains, where we are blessed with a growing, generous and hardworking Nepalese community. Nepalese Australians are our neighbours, business owners, health workers, students, aged-care workers, volunteers and friends, and they strengthen our region every day. Across the Blue Mountains and beyond, Nepalese families are part of the fabric of my community. Because they are part of us, their grief is our grief. Many local Nepalese families have relatives and friends who connect them to the places that have been devastated. Some are waiting anxiously for news from home.
Others are mourning while continuing to care for family and to work and support their communities. The impact of disaster is not an abstract thing for people in the Blue Mountains. We know the shock of disaster for communities left to rebuild post-bushfires. We know the long recovery that follows disaster and the strength it takes to begin again. That shared experience gives us a particular duty of compassion. It reminds us that support is expressed not only through words spoken but also through acts of kindness, supporting families in grief and rallying together when people need help the most.
Along with the Government, I acknowledge the emergency workers, volunteers, community leaders, faith leaders, medical teams and humanitarian organisations responding in Nepal and across the border region. It is such a massive task. They are searching for the missing, caring for the injured, supporting displaced families and beginning the immense task of recovery. I also acknowledge the Tibetan communities affected by the disaster. The flood did not stop at a line on a map. Its damage crossed borders, and so must our compassion. We stand beside the members of the Nepalese community in the Blue Mountains, and we hope they know that. We grieve with them. We honour their loved ones and their connection to home. We will continue to offer friendship, practical support and solidarity in the months ahead.
I also acknowledge the compassion shown through the fundraiser held in Katoomba on Monday 7 September, which I was able to attend. I thank Kalani Gacon, who organised our community, alongside the members of our Blue Mountains Nepalese and Tibetan communities and other local residents who stand in solidarity with those grieving, who hold hope for those still missing and who support the families affected by the tragedy. I also thank everyone who donated so generously. In many ways and through many organisations, more than $11,000 was raised for those affected by the recent floods and hardships in Nepal, and I thank the local Blue Mountains community. The local Nepalese community said:
To be completely honest, we never expected the response we received. We were hoping to bring together and raise whatever (money) we could, but seeing more than 200 people come along, donate, support, encourage and stand with us was something we will never forget. Katoomba and the Blue Mountains have shown us what a beautiful community truly looks like. The generosity of the locals, businesses, friends, families and everyone who contributed has touched our hearts deeply. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU.
In moments like this, distance can feel great. However, grief, community and compassion close that distance. May those who have died rest in peace. May those who are missing be found. May those who mourn be comforted. May the people of Nepal and the affected communities of Tibet find strength through one another, their traditions, their faith and the solidarity of friends from around the world and from this Parliament. On behalf of the people of the Blue Mountains electorate, and with particular care for our Nepalese neighbours, I extend heartfelt condolences and abiding friendship to all who have been touched by this tragedy.
