Scott Morrison ‘seriously considers’ bushfire royal commission
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised the prospect of a royal commission into the bushfires during a conference call with Coalition MPs this afternoon.
National
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has raised the prospect of a royal commission into the bushfires during a conference call with Coalition MPs this afternoon.
MPs have told Sky News that Mr Morrison also requested that MPs do not do any interviews with international media on the bushfires crisis – in an apparent reference to a controversial interview Sydney Liberal Craig Kelly did with Good Morning Britain, where he was accused of being a climate denier.
Mr Morrison told MPs that a national royal commission into the bushfires would be seriously looked at but was something to consider “down the track”, according to accounts of the phone hook-up.
Mr Morrison also gave a stern message on interviews with international media, said one MP, telling those on the call that it was “completely unhelpful for MPs to do international media. The only people who should be talking to international media are myself, the foreign minister and the trade minister.”
This comes after it was announced that dozens of local council areas hit by the bushfires will each be given $1 million from the federal government.
Mr Morrison identified 42 councils eligible for the payments, while $18 million has been set aside to offer extra money to local governments worst affected by the fires.
“This is initial and urgent – there will be more,” the prime minister told reporters on Thursday.
More than 1600 Australian Defence Force reservists have been deployed to bushfire grounds across the country as emergency services brace for more horror conditions on the east coast.
Mr Morrison said in NSW and the ACT the current operational focus was on re-establishing power to blacked out communities.
“There have been thousands of homes and customers who have been reconnected just in recent days but there are still many without power,” he said.
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“It is also about getting emergency support to impacted areas and tackling the damage and risk to key infrastructure, such as transmission lines, generators and there has been a particular effort through the defence force of supporting what is occurring at the Eden woodchip mill.”
Mr Morrison said Naval assets remained off the south coast of NSW, supporting reconnaissance and prepared to assist with evacuations, while ADF medical personnel have been provided to Tumut Hospital and Batemans Bay.
“I should stress with the positioning of these assets, particularly the HMAS Adelaide and the Choules, that we are a long way from the end of this crisis and this disaster,” he said.
“Their prepositioning along the coast is very important.
“These are significant assets with significant capabilities and provide a staging post to render any amount of assistance as required.”
Mr Morrison said Victoria and NSW were about to go into some “difficult days” and the ADF would be on hand to assist.
“Everything from helicopters and engineering equipment and fully-staffed medical facilities will prove vital in the event they need to be called on at a moment’s notice,” he said.
The prime minister confirmed there have been 2131 homes destroyed by bushfires across the country but said he was sure there would be more “over the coming days” as damage assessments take place.
“We are a long way from the end of this crisis and this disaster,” Mr Morrison said.
The bushfires have killed 27 people.
– with Clare Armstrong
Originally published as Scott Morrison ‘seriously considers’ bushfire royal commission