Thursday, 4 December 2025

 Lily D’AMBROSIO (Mill Park – Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Energy and Resources, Minister for the State Electricity Commission) (09:43): Starting on 27 November the Ditwah cyclone hit several countries in southern Asia. Within three or four days a massive 75 to 80 per cent of Sri Lanka was under flood and multiple entire villages buried by the resultant landslides. Thousands of people have been declared dead, with multiple thousands more still missing. Around a million people have been displaced from their homes. I want to acknowledge and thank Sinantha Jayathilaka, Dr Randi Fernando Anchunda and Bahmuna Singh, community leaders, for springing into action in raising funds and mobilising donations of packaged goods to send to Sri Lanka.

Victoria has a strong Sri Lankan community, and we are working hard to raise funds and goods to support the peoples of Sri Lanka with basic needs, including food, fresh water and clothes. This catastrophic event rivals the tsunami devastation of 2006. Sadly, not enough of the Western media has focused on this massive disaster. What I want to do now is raise awareness amongst every Victorian of what has befallen many countries, especially Sri Lanka, which because of its geological formation is now under immense flood, deluge, devastation and the resultant landslides. I ask every Victorian to support the cause.