Mr SCHULTZ (Hume) (13:48): At this very moment there are people in the southern part of New South Wales being subjected to quickly rising floodwaters as a result of the saturation of the ground that has occurred over the last two or three months. As of today the mayor of Goulburn has advised me that there are people isolated on their farms because of rising floodwaters and unable to get off their properties. There are significant problems associated with all of the towns and villages in the electorate of Hume, which covers some 36,500 square kilometres, being isolated or affected by rising floodwaters. I refer to the towns of Cowra, Cootamundra, Young, Crookwell, Taralga and Goulburn and many other small communities in between.

I raise this issue in the parliament today because, even though the State Emergency Service and police and other emergency services are well advanced in terms of trying to protect the community, I have to let the federal government know that there is an impending disaster coming down the line with 300 more millimetres of rain predicted to fall in the next three days. I seek the government's assurances that they will participate in the relief process that will eventually occur.