Q&A bushfire special: Jim Molan heckled over climate comments

Jim Molan’s comments on climate change and bushfires sent the ABC’s Q&A audience into a frenzy.

Jim Molan appears on the ABC's Q&A.

Fires and climate change were always going to be the topic of Monday night’s episode of Q&A, but NSW Liberal senator Jim Molan’s comments on climate change sent the audience, and social media, into a frenzy.

Asked by climate scientist Michael Mann as to why he had “an open mind” on climate policy, Senator Molan responded: “Michael might say that the science is settled. And I very much respect scientific opinion but every day across my desk comes enough information for me to say that there are other opinions.”

Asked for evidence, Senator Molan simply said: “I’m not relying on evidence, Hamish.”

Come on #qanda Jim Moylan’s comments are an insult to Australians who have suffered so much. #auspol

— 🌏 Zali Steggall MP (@zalisteggall) February 3, 2020

Jeers and laughter met Senator Molan on several occasions throughout the night, as his defence of his government fell flat with an audience ready to take swings at the government at all levels.

Professor Mann asked the senator why the government had failed to heed warnings stretching back more than a decade.

#QandA is live from Queanbeyan, NSW with @KristyMcBain, @AndrewConstance, @V_Steffensen, Cheryl McCarthy, @MichaelEMann and @JimMolan https://t.co/rvDrv5FZYW

— ABC Q+A (@QandA) February 3, 2020

“We knew this was coming. One would expect that policymakers should have used that information, used the information provided by the great scientists here in Australia,” said Professor Mann, a Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University.

Senator Molan defended the government’s response to the bushfires, but noted in future things would be different.

“It’s unfortunate, that happens to be a fact. And that’s the way we have run every one of these fires since the constitution,” he said.

“It’s very, very difficult for the federal government to be prepared for bushfires when we’re not fighting bushfires.

“We have got to look at who is responsible for fighting bushfires. Now that’s changed and the PM has made a statement in the future that will change.”

But when asked by new Q&A host Hamish Macdonald why his government hadn’t “stepped in earlier,” his response that “we did step in earlier” was met with jeers and laughter.

“A lot of people say it’s an unprecedented fire. You can make up your own mind as to is it unprecedented,” Senator Molan said.

Macdonald fronted Monday’s episode of the ABC’s Four Corners, which was also a bushfire special, before hosting the Q&A audience in Queanbeyan who “wanted answers”.

Producers had originally planned to film the first Q&A of the year in Bega but with fires once again flaring near the town, the program was moved to an evacuation centre in Queanbeyan.

“This room is packed full of people who are living on the front lines of all of this,” MacDonald said.

Hazardous conditions mean our Bushfires special will now broadcast from Canberra, with input from the Bega community. If you have evacuated from the south coast to Canberra, we’d love you to join the audience. Your stories are important - register here: https://t.co/U1E0ml8FAr https://t.co/jaVnWRU2ih

— ABC Q+A (@QandA) January 31, 2020

Andrew Constance, the member for Bega who came to national prominence after his emotional appearance on TV the day after fires swept through the Bega valley, called for united action on bushfire funding.

“We’re expending so much energy not being united,” he said.

“We don’t want to get into the finger pointing stuff. We can’t afford it anymore. Because we’re letting us all down,” he said.

Andrew Constance has become the most real politician in the country these last few weeks. #QandA

— Peter van Onselen (@vanOnselenP) February 3, 2020

Asked whether he would ask NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for more funding for the Rural Fire Service, Mr Constance replied: “Of course. Gladys is probably watching this.”

Will the NSW State Government commit to increasing resourcing of the RFS? #QandA pic.twitter.com/vrqf8r5wRu

— ABC Q+A (@QandA) February 3, 2020

But he maintained the rage of the south coast in his appearance, saying response and relief from the government was failing.

“The last thing you want to do is give people another hotline number or registering again to get support like Centrelink or you name it,” Mr Constance said.

“There’s no excuse for it. This is not a business-as-usual scenario.

“I keep saying that to anyone who will listen, and there’s a few people watching this tonight, not in this room in political circles, this is not business as usual.”

Mr Constance and several other panel members, as well as members of the audience returned repeatedly to relief from the government which they branded as inadequate, overly complex, or failing to reach everyone affected.

Panel member Cheryl McCarthy, Director for the Far South Coast Surf Life Saving, who helped save many people at the Bermagui Surf Club, said it was clear the scheme wasn’t up to the task.

“I don’t know how many people have looked in to how you go about claiming (payments for firefighters).

“I did just out of curiosity and I know how tired I’ve been and I know those fireys are more tired than I am. And I would be amazed if more than 10 per cent applied,” she said.

“I can’t even mentally get my head around this at the moment. So that’s perhaps a leadership opportunity for the federal government to step up and say, ‘Let’s cut through some of this red tape and let’s get some of this money back, where it needs to be right now without all the hoops that they’re requiring people to jump through’.”