Bushfire emergency: Scott Morrison announces extra $2bn for fire recovery
An elderly man has become the eighth victim of the NSW fires as the PM announces funds for ‘whatever human cost we need to meet’.
- PM pledges extra $2bn funding
- Looters target homes of fire victims
- 71-year-old man dead in NSW
- Eden timber mill ablaze
- Two missing in NSW
- Victoria warnings remain
- Kangaroo Island on high alert
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.39pm: The bushfire situation on Monday
Today rain graced parts of Australia’s south east that has been ravaged by fire over the past few weeks, signalling a few days of respite for exhausted firefighters and displaced people.
Australian Defence Force personnel and state fire service workers will now be able to safely tally some of the damage done over the weekend and people in NSW and Victoria will be able to return home to assess their losses.
Showers fell across south coast towns with Merimbula receiving 13mm of rain, Bega receiving 9.8mm and both Nowra and Lake Conjola receiving 2mm.
Forecasts indicate that showers and possible thunderstorms will occur in the state’s south on Tuesday and Wednesday before the temperature rises once again at the end of the week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled the government’s intent to rebuild, announcing that at least $2 billion will be pumped into a national bushfire recovery fund over the next two years.
The fund will support local governments, farmers and primary producers, and deliver mental health support, including first responders. “The fires are still burning and they will be burning for months to come,” Scott Morrison told reporters on Monday.
“If more is needed and the cost is higher, then more will be provided.” The prime minister says he is unfazed by the impact of the bushfire recovery fund on the federal budget.
“The surplus is no focus for me,” Mr Morrison said.
“What matters to me is the human cost and meeting whatever cost we need to meet.”
The number of homes lost in the south coast of NSW currently stands at 550 but that number is expected to climb as the area is assessed. Almost 1500 homes have been lost in NSW this fire season and the amount lost across the country could be 2000 or more.
Over 130 fires are still burning around the state and over five million hectares have been burnt – across the country almost six and a half million hectares have been burnt – an area approaching the size of the Republic of Ireland.
A man’s body was found at his property at Nerrigundah on Monday afternoon, bringing the south coast’s death toll to eight people.
Ten people have died in NSW bushfires since December 30, taking the death toll over the country to 24.
An estimated 3900 animals have been lost to bushfires, although both those numbers will climb in the coming days as the NSW Department of Primary Industries provides farmers with livestock assesment and stock euthanasia in the coming days.
Estimations indicate the amount of livestock in NSW alone could reach 20,000 animals.
DPI state incident controller Karen Roberts urged those affected to register for help via a hotline or the NSW DPI Facebook page.
“Limited access to fire grounds and loss of power and phones in the area mean the full picture of losses and damage will take some time to emerge,” Ms Roberts said in a statement on Monday.
In a stroke of good news, the 28 people missing in Victoria over the weekend have all been found safe and only a few hundred people are still stranded in Mallacoota after Australian Navy vessels and helicopters evacuated thousands of people over the weekend.
Also in Victoria, 18,000 litres of fuel has been provided to the town of Omeo and emergency supplies are being flown into the 18 cut-off communities as 31 bushfires continue to rage in the Gippsland, Northeast and Alpine regions of the state and Melbourne and Geelong were flooded in smoke.
Property assessments are still incoming, but the current estimation of 200 homes lost is due to skyrocket.
In South Australia, two people died on Kangaroo Island as fires necessitated the evacuation of two towns.
Critical infrastructure has been badly damaged with the defence force set to deliver an emergency water purification system after the fires badly damaged the plant’s water treatment system and 66,000 bottles of water had to be trucked in.
A proper estimation of losses is yet to be conducted, although the SA Country Fire Service said that property losses were inevitable.
Roads connecting Western Australian and South Australia remain shut due to bushfires.
In line with Mr Morrison’s promise to seek help from overseas on Friday, New Zealand has committed three helicopters and an engineering team, while Singapore is sending two Chinooks to East Sale in Victoria.
With AAP
Steve Jackson 9.01pm: James Packer donates $5m to relief effort
Billionaire businessman James Packer and his family are donating more than $5 million to help support the nation’s gallant volunteer firefighters and save wildlife amid the ongoing bushfire crisis gripping the country.
A sizeable million donation, split between the Packer Family Foundation and the Crown Resort Foundation, would be paid this week so that it could be put to use with immediate effect – and come after Mr Packer already pledged $1 million to support the NSW Rural Fire Service in November.
Mr Packer said the additional funds would be donated to volunteer fire services in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia – all states in which Crown has resorts – and to charitable organisations providing relief to affected people and wildlife nationally.
“Australians are digging deep to support each other in these tough times, it’s truly inspiring. My family and Crown are eager to do more and the best way we can help, is to significantly increase our donation,” Mr Packer said.
Adeshola Ore 8.38pm: Looters ransack homes of bushfire victims
Looters have targeted south coast residents forced out of their homes by the bushfire crisis to steal prescription medications, expensive jewellery and digital devices.
In Batemans Bay, thieves raided 49-year-old Karl Watson’s property on Friday while he was helping an elderly neighbour prepare their home before the weekend’s deadly bushfires. The thieves stole his prescription pain medications, a gold necklace, a digital camera and a mobile phone.
Single mother Bec Winter, 42, and her 10-year-old son, Riley, fled their property at Rosendale, 18km south of Batemans Bay, on horseback on New Year’s Eve when conditions worsened. Their property was decimated, but the house survived.
After staying at the Waterfront Hotel in Moruya, they returned to find the property looted on Sunday. On Monday morning, she visited the property with a forensic police officer to take fingerprints to find thieves had robbed the property for a second time.
6.04pm: Eighth person confirmed dead in NSW south coast fires
Police have confirmed an eighth person has died in the fires razing the NSW south coast.
The 71-year-old from Nerrigundah in the Eurobodalla Shire was last seen December 31 but due to bushfires authorities were only able to gain access to his property today.
The man’s body was found between his property and a car, which had both been destroyed by fire.
Olivia Caisley 5.52pm: Australians don’t want climate fanatacism: Howard
Former prime minister John Howard has launched a vigorous defence of Scott Morrison’s leadership amid a national bushfire catastrophe, declaring Australians “don’t want fanaticism” when it comes to climate change.
Speaking on Sky News on Monday Mr Howard defended the Prime Minister’s performance during a horror bushfire season that has seen more than 1500 homes destroyed and 24 lives lost.
“I think a lot of the criticism is completely misplaced, he’s done all the right things, he’s dealt with the issue of his holiday and since he’s been back he’s hardly drawn breath,” Mr Howard told Sky News.
Rachel Baxendale 5.49pm: Couple’s blessing in disguise
Byron Bay couple Cory Johnstone, 29, and Ethan Greiner, 27, have found themselves stranded in Myrtleford, but consider themselves lucky that their 4WD and camping holiday in Victoria’s High Country has not ended in tragedy.
The couple had planned a trip from Myrtleford to Dargo in East Gippsland, via campsites at Abbeyard, Goldies Spur and the Buckland Valley, but before they got far out of Myrtleford last week, their vehicle broke down.
Much of their planned route is now incinerated by the 66,000Ha Abbeyard fire which has joined with a 26,000Ha blaze burning northwest of Dargo.
“We were heading out to do that trip and the car shat itself,” Mr Greiner said.
“We would have been stuck out there. So we got lucky. It was a blessing in disguise, really.”
Rachel Baxendale 5.43pm: Rain brings some relief to northeast Victoria
Rain falling on the Abbeyard fireground west of Mt Buffalo in northeast Victoria has seen the immediate fire risk subside, as CFA crews work to bolster containment lines ahead of hot weather and a wind change on Thursday, which they say will put the upper King Valley town of Cheshunt under threat.
Late Saturday into Sunday, the fire travelled 20km north-northwest, fanned by strong southerly winds, racing down the Buffalo valley towards Myrtleford.
In the edge of Hancock pine plantation at Carboor East, southwest of Myrtleford on the fire’s northwestern flank, seven local tankers with two strike teams between them were on Monday preparing for the smouldering sleeping giant within the containment lines to reawaken.
Whorouly CFA captain Dan Taylor said the small amount of rain would do little to extinguish the fire.
“We haven’t even had 2mm,” Mr Taylor said.
“The concern is if this fire extends more to the northwest you’ll get a much larger front on Thursday when the wind pulls around and throws the whole fire to the southeast.
“We don’t want it taking out Cheshunt.”
He said firefighters were resigned to the fire hitting the remote community of Rose River.
“Rose River burnt last year, so if it gets over there, as long as we protect personal property along the way, we’re good for it to hit that area,” Mr Taylor said.
Myrtleford is forecast to reach 36C on Thursday and 38C on Friday before a cool change.
Mr Taylor said it was not a matter of if, but when and where, the fire jumped containment lines.
Remy Varga 5.41pm: Smoke shrouds Melbourne
Bushfire smoke and light rain have merged to shroud Melbourne in haze with visibility reduced to 500 metres in parts of the city.
VicEmergency said air quality become hazardous after visibility dropped below 1.5km.
“If your maximum visibility is 1.5 kilometres or less, your air quality is in the hazardous level, and you need to limit your time outdoors, limit exercise and follow any treatment plans,” an Air Quality alert said.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said conditions might not improve until Tuesday afternoon.
“The drizzle and smoke are combining and reduce visibility, which is now as low as 500 metres at Avalon airport,” he said.
David Ross 5.38pm: Shane Warne puts baggy green up for auction
Shane Warne has tweeted that he’ll be auctioning his baggy green that he wore throughout his test career to raise funds for bushfire victims.
Warney said the bushfires had “left us all in disbelief” and that he hoped the auction would raise funds “to help all those people that are in desperate need.’’
Bids are currently at $276,000 and rising fast.
Please bid here https://t.co/kZMhGkmcxs pic.twitter.com/ZhpeWQxqY7
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) January 6, 2020
Remy Varga 4.15pm: US firefighters set up camp
The Australian Defence Force is setting up a 100-bed camp in Victoria’s alpine region to home a crack team of American firefighters.
The Gippsland branch of the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning announced the arrival of the firefighters from the US on Monday to help the communities of Anglers Rest and Cobungra.
“A USA team of Firefighters have arrived to help us in East Gippsland,” DELWP said in a Facebook post.
“They are a great team with extensive fire experience and will be here for the next couple of months.”
DELWP said the ADF was setting up the 100-bed base camp in the East Gippsland town of Swifts Creek over the next couple of days, which will house the American as well as local firefighters.
Rachel Baxendale 3.45pm: Fire threat eases in Victoria
Rain falling on the Abbeyard fireground west of Mt Buffalo in northeast Victoria has seen the immediate fire risk subside, as CFA crews work to bolster containment lines ahead of hot weather and a wind change on Thursday, which they say will put the upper King Valley town of Cheshunt under threat.
Late Saturday into Sunday, the fire travelled 20km north-northwest, fanned by strong southerly winds, racing down the Buffalo valley towards Myrtleford.
In the edge of Hancock pine plantation at Carboor East, southwest of Myrtleford on the fire’s northwestern flank, seven local tankers with two strike teams between them were on Monday preparing for the smouldering sleeping giant within the containment lines to reawaken.
Whorouly CFA captain Dan Taylor said the small amount of rain would do little to extinguish the fire.
“We haven’t even had 2mm,” Mr Taylor said. “The concern is if this fire extends more to the northwest you’ll get a much larger front on Thursday when the wind pulls around and throws the whole fire to the southeast. We don’t want it taking out Cheshunt.”
He said firefighters were resigned to the fire hitting the remote community of Rose River.
“Rose River burnt last year, so if it gets over there, as long as we protect personal property along the way, we’re good for it to hit that area,” Mr Taylor said. “We don’t want it to, of course, but if it happens, it happens. Cheshunt’s definitely a concern.
“Basically, you don’t want your front going too long in distance, because then you’ve got a wider front to deal with on Thursday when it gets hot and nasty.”
Myrtleford is forecast to reach 36C on Thursday and 38C on Friday before a cool change.
Mr Taylor said it was not a matter of if, but when and where, the fire jumped containment lines.
“Given the state of play with most of the fires around Australia at the moment, it’ll jump containment lines at some stage, basically. I don’t know many fires that haven’t,” he said.
Remy Varga 3.40pm: Eden rescue
Victoria Police used thermal imaging cameras to brave falling embers and rescue 10 people and a dog trapped at the Naval Wharf, Two Fold Bay near the NSW town of Eden.
At about 2.30am on Sunday morning, Water Police officers received a call for help from the residents who had attempted to find cover from the fires, a Victoria Police spokesperson said.
Visibility was extremely poor with fires burning nearby spitting embers at the officers, who used thermal imaging cameras to reach the residents trapped at the wharf.
The ten people and a dog were taken to another wharf nearby were they were able to seek shelter from the fires.
Water Police officers also woke up people sleeping on vessels to warn them of the ember attack.
Remy Varga 3.30pm: Mallacoota evacuation
Victoria Police have released footage of fire trapped people being evacuated from the town of Mallacoota in the east Gippsland region.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said more than 400 people were rescued over a total of 18 flights over Sunday.
“With the help of the C27 Spartan, we were able to evacuate 407 people, including 122 children and 23 infants from Mallacoota yesterday,” she said.
“This was completed during 18 flights over the course of the day.”
In the vision released on Monday, around a dozen people including children board an aircraft on a tarmac with the cloudy sky overhead tinged orange.
The sky over Mallacoota went black before turning blood red last weekend as out-of-control bushfires trapped hundreds of people.
Olivia Caisley 2.55pm: Surplus goal put to the side
Scott Morrison says the budget surplus is of no focus to him amid catastrophic bushfires across the nation, declaring “what matters to me is the human cost and meeting whatever cost we need to meet.”
Speaking at a press conference in Canberra on Monday, where he announced the roll-out of a $2bn bushfire recovery fund, the Prime Minister said rebuilding communities was his top priority.
“What I envisage is guaranteeing to the Australian people at this time of crisis that we will meet every cost that needs to be met, make every investment to assist this crisis and the recovery needs that follow,” he said. “That is clearly the priority now.”
Mr Morrison said the government’s strong track record on financial management was why they could commit significant resources to the bushfire recovery effort.
“The reason we are in a position to do this is we have been so careful with our financial management.”
Olivia Caisley 2.25pm: PM announces $2bn funding boost
Scott Morrison has announced the Commonwealth is committing an additional $2 billion over the next two calendar years to support the bushfire crisis recovery effort across the nation.
The Prime Minister said the money – part of a new National Bushfire Recovery Fund – will be administered by the government’s new bushfire recovery agency headed by former Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin.
“The $2 billion commitment is in addition, an additional cost, and initial commitment and if further funds are required, further funds will be provided,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday. “What we are focusing on here is the human cost and the rebuilding cost for people’s lives.”
Remy Varga 1.50pm: Andrews lauds ‘long-term plan’
Mr Andrews described the recent bushfire devastation as the “new normal” and said establishing Bushfire Recovery Victoria would enable the state to recover faster.
“We hope not to see this level of unprecedented fire activity but we’re going to see more and more fires,” he said.
“And I think that means we are going to see more and more properties lost over time and we’re going to be doing more and more rebuilding.”
“I think that standing capacity, the knowledge, the wisdom, all that practical experience will serve Victorians well for many decades to come.”
The BRV will immediately begin helping cleanup the fire ravaged northeast of the state and provide assistance to residents and farmers.
The long term work of the new taskforce will include the recovery of local communities and economies including the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Rebecca Urban 1.10pm: Four missing located
Four people who went missing after bushfires devastated northeast Victoria have been found, says Premier Daniel Andrews.
Mr Andrews has also appointed former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Ken Lay to chair a new government agency to oversee the bushfire recovery effort.
The government has allocated $50 million to get Bushfire Recovery Victoria started.
Mr Andrews said that organisation would be ongoing, addressing responses to this fire and any fires in the future.
“This is going to be a standing bushfire recovery agency because we are going to see longer fire seasons,” he said. “It’s a wise investment on our part.”
Mr Andrews confirmed that property losses were now in excess of 200 and would continue to rise. Mr Lay said he was looking forward to making a contribution and developing an organisation that has the capability to address these issues “next year... and the year after and the year after that”.
The Victorian Premier said on Monday at least 200 properties had been destroyed but that he expected the number to increase to 300. — With Remy Varga
12.35pm: Crowe — ‘we must respect our planet’
Russell Crowe has won the Golden Globe for best actor in a limited series for his portrayal of Roger Ailes, the late head of Fox News in The Loudest Voice. Although Crowe was not in attendance, actress Jennifer Aniston who was presenting the award read a statement from Crowe, drawing Hollywood’s attention to the Australian bushfires, saying “the tragedy unfolding in Australia is climate changed-based. We need to act based on science, move our global workforce to renewable energy and respect our planet.” Follow the Golden Globes ceremony in our live blog here.
12pm: Melbourne blanketed in smoke
Thick smoke from bushfires is likely to blanket Melbourne for days, prompting a warning from authorities. The air quality is at its worst in East Gippsland, as dozens of bushfires continue to burn in the region on Monday. The Environment Protection Authority has also recorded “very poor” air quality in Melbourne’s metropolitan area, attributing the smoke to bushfires burning in the state as well as in NSW and Tasmania.
Chief environmental scientist Andrea Henwood urged people to take precautions to take precautions, saying the smoke will linger until Wednesday. “Close everything up. Seal the doors. Now would be a good time to do that because this is going to persist for the rest of the day,” Dr Henwood told reporters.
“If it persists into the next couple of days you want to have as much clean air as you can within your home.” Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton advised people with lung or heart conditions, the young and old, and pregnant women to stay indoors.
He said healthy people may also experience symptoms including eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, sneezing and congestion. For those severely impacted by the smoke, Dr Sutton said face masks were an option.
“They’re not for everyone. They need to be fitted properly. If they’re not fitted properly, they’re not working,” he said.
There are 31 fires burning across Victoria as of Monday morning, with 18 in eastern Gippsland and six in the northeast. One million hectares has been burnt across Victoria.
Rain has started to fall, but not across all fire-affected areas and not enough to douse the fires, and is creating new difficulties. “It does in fact create some other challenges in a strange way. We had a Forest Fire Management vehicle tip over yesterday, thankfully no one was seriously injured,” Premier Daniel Andrews told 3AW on Monday.
Mr Andrews said the track the vehicle was travelling had been greasy because rain had not fallen there in such a long time. “So it’s better than it not raining but it’s nowhere near enough for us to think this fire event’s over,” he said. — AAP
11.30am: Bishop calls for ‘climate coherence’
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop says Australia needs to show global leadership on climate change in response to the bushfire crisis. “Countries do look to Australia for direction for guidance and leadership,” she told the Nine Network on Monday. Ms Bishop said Australia must compose a coherent national climate and energy policy to present at international conferences.
“We don’t have a national energy policy in this country and a national approach to climate change ... we are part of a global effort,” she said. “If a country like Australia fails to show leadership, we can hardly blame other nations for not likewise showing leadership in this area.”
In the face of mounting pressure, Scott Morrison defended his record on climate change over the weekend. The prime minister claimed his government had always made the connection between climate change and extreme weather conditions.
Mr Morrison said Australia was focusing on beating its emissions reductions targets and argued what other countries did was a matter for them. Greens leader Richard Di Natale is not impressed.
“This should be a wake-up call to every single member of the political establishment in Australia,” Senator Di Natale told ABC radio. “The reality is we’ve had a prime minister who has chosen to effectively work as a lobbyist for the coal industry at a time when he should have been keeping Australians safe.” He said Australia should be phasing out coal-fired power and preventing the construction of any new coal mines. — AAP
11am: Army to help bury livestock
Army reservists will help bury more than 100,000 sheep and cattle killed in the bushfires. Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie confirmed Defence personnel would dig the pits required to bury livestock over the coming days and weeks. “Bearing in mind, though, it’s about getting access to those still live fire grounds,” she told the ABC on Monday. “Where it’s safe to do so we need to be getting in within a week, ideally, to really be dealing with the carcasses in an appropriate way.” Senior members of the federal government are meeting in Canberra to discuss their response to the bushfire emergency. — AAP
Remy Varga 10.45am: 100 properties lost in Victoria
At least 110 properties in Victoria have been destroyed by bushfires and some victims will have to wait until next week before they can return to what remains of their homes, says state Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville. Ms Neville said “there was no question” the number of properties destroyed would increase in the coming days as emergency service crews surveyed the devastation from the fires.
Ms Neville said she understood Victorians displaced by the fires were anxious to return home but urged patience in the face of any potential delays. “I know there are many people who are very anxious about wanting to know what has happened there,” she told ABC. “I understand, I would want to be going back in and knowing what happened [but] the problem is we have active fire. We are trying as quickly as possible to make it safe for people to get in there.”
According to VicEmergency, more than 1.1 million hectares have been burnt in the state with 31 fires still active. A statewide air quality alert has been issued as smoke from the fires in Victoria’s northeast spreads across the state.
Ms Neville said emergency crews had managed to reach some isolated communities but had found some deserted. “We’ve still got 18 isolated communities, but today and last night the ADF and VicPol were able to get through [and] provide satellite phones,” she told ABC.
“[In some cases they] haven’t been able to locate people, they may have evacuated, so they’ve put in satellite phones and also offered where they’ve met people, the opportunity to evacuate.
“No one has yet taken up that offer, they want to stay where they are.”
Buchan man Mick Roberts and Maramingo Creek man Fred Becker have been confirmed dead while four people remain missing. A cool change in the state has allowed military helicopters to deliver supplies to isolated communities and help with evacuations. More than 400 people have been evacuated from Mallacoota. Navy ships brought out more than 1100 people on Saturday. More than 3500 properties remain without power, with AusNet bringing in generators when possible and restoring the network when it is safe to do so.
Light rain fell across Victoria on Sunday, but authorities urged people to remain vigilant. — With AAP
Greg Brown 10.20am: Eden timber mill ablaze
The timber mill at Eden, the biggest employer in the NSW south coast town, remains on fire this morning as navy personnel arrive. HMAS Adelaide is parked in Eden’s Two Fold Bay and personnel are on foot in the largely deserted town.
The Australian reported yesterday eyewitness accounts of the mill being burnt but it only became visible this morning as rain and cooler temperatures caused smoke in the town to ease. The navy ship arrived in town yesterday with the intention of evacuating people if the fires escalated. Instead the blaze threatening Eden was downgraded from “emergency” to “watch-and-act” at about 3.30pm yesterday. The ship will remain in the town’s bay while fires at the NSW south coast continue. It will be a launching pad for helicopters and offer support to the RFS. A massive pile of woodchips is burning at the mill, which is controlled by Allied Natural Wood Exports.
Local tugboat captain Michael Mutch yesterday told The Australian said he made two journeys across Eden’s Twofold Bay to save firefighters and workers who were battling blazes at the woodchip mill, which locals say directly and indirectly employs hundreds of workers.
At this time of year, Eden is usually bustling with beachgoers, caravans and fishing in January as holiday-goers flock to the NSW south coast in its busy season. But this morning, Eden’s streets are just about empty.
Police and fire authorities told everyone to leave to leave the town on Sunday because an out-of-control fire could be headed its way after razing homes the night before in the nearby towns of Wonboyn and Kiah.
David Ross 10am: Albanese on royal commission
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said it was too early to support the Prime Minister’s idea of a Royal Commission, saying the fire season wasn’t over yet.
Scott Morrison on the weekend raised the prospect of a Royal Commission into the fires, telling the media there was “a broad agreement about the need … for there to be a thorough and proper review of both the contributing factors and the response and improvements that can be made”.
“What we need to do now is the immediate response,” Mr Albanese said on Sky News on Monday morning. “I don’t think the day for consideration of that is now, what is appropriate now is for measures to be put in place that will have an impact in the current season. A royal commission won’t have an impact.”
Mr Albanese said the Prime Minister’s failure to notify the RFS, after he made the order to mobilise the army reserve and the ADF, was “incomprehensible”.
“I think at a time like this people don’t want politics to be played but I find it beyond belief that he didn’t get a phone call,” he said.
He said the fact the Liberal Party was able to produce an ad with a donate button and a backing soundtrack “was the wrong priorities”. The Labor leader paid tribute to the “selflessness” of Australia’s firefighters but warned more would be expected of them as the fire season could escalate and spread to previously untouched areas. “This is not business as usual, for a long time we’ve been told we have these natural disasters and we have to get used to them. This is not normal.”
9.45am: Smoke shuts Canberra government offices
Canberra’s air quality is the worst of any major city in the world on Monday morning, as winds carry in smoke from bushfires in NSW. The department responsible for coordinating Australia’s response to disasters and emergency management has closed its doors due to poor air quality. The Department of Home Affairs has told staff to stay home as thick bushfire smoke blankets Canberra.
Staff have been told to stay away from Canberra headquarters for 48 hours, but some essential employees will work from other locations. The Department of Health is relocating staff in Canberra to other offices in the city due to the smoke but is otherwise operating.
Canberra childcare centres have also closed due to the poor air quality in the capital.
YWCA Canberra said the decision to close all its centres in the capital was to protect staff and children from the hazardous air. Shops, museums and recreational facilities have all shut their doors across the capital as air quality deteriorates.
All Qantas flights at Canberra Airport were cancelled on Sunday due to the smoke affecting ground staff.
Australia Post has also cancelled deliveries in the capital, citing worker safety, leaving the local State Emergency Service to deliver particulate-filter masks to shops with depleted stocks. — AAP
9.30am: Livestock toll
Farmers in southeast NSW have lost an estimated 2800 animals to bushfires since Christmas but the numbers are likely to rise. The NSW Department of Primary Industries is providing struggling farmers with emergency fodder and water, animal care, livestock assessment, and stock euthanasia and burial where necessary. DPI state incident controller Karen Roberts urged those affected to register for help via a hotline or the NSW DPI Facebook page.
“Limited access to firegrounds and loss of power and phones in the area mean the full picture of losses and damage will take some time to emerge,” she said in a statement on Monday.
The DPI estimates about 3900 livestock animals have been euthanised or have died in bushfires across NSW this fire season.
The figure includes 700 stock killed in the Northern Tablelands, North Coast and Hunter areas before Christmas and 400 stock lost around Lithgow and Bathurst over the Christmas and New Year period.
The nationwide bushfire death toll rose to 23 on Sunday, when police confirmed a man had died while helping a friend battling a fire at Batlow, south of Canberra. The 47-year-old is among 14 to have died in the past week. Four people remain missing in Victoria. Two are reported missing in NSW.
More than 6.75 million hectares of land — nearly seven times the size of Melbourne or the total mass of the Republic of Ireland — has been scorched nationwide since July.
Insurance claims are estimated at $375 million since November, with a further $56 million in insured property losses in September and October. — AAP
David Ross 9.15am: Kangaroo Island on high alert
Kangaroo Island in South Australia remains on high alert after fires consumed much of the west of the island. Up to 100 army reservists are headed to the island, after blazes destroyed more than 170,000 hectares, killed two people and burned a large number of homes and farm buildings.
The SA CFS has declared a total fire ban today in the wake of several fire flare ups, with worries for Wednesday when hot weather and winds return to the island. Half the Kangaroo Island’s koala population is feared to have been killed in the fires.
Fires continue to burn in the Mount Lofty Ranges and advice messages are in place for two fires in the Adelaide Hills at Watts Gully Road, Kersbrook and Hollands Creek Road, Cudlee Creek.
David Ross 9am: Victoria warnings remain
Only the Murray River separates the Corryong fire in Victoria from joining up with two huge fires in NSW. Bushfire smoke haze is hanging low over Melbourne this morning, with the EPA issuing warnings for “very poor” air quality across the city. This comes as fires in Gippsland and the Alpine district continue to burn despite rain this morning.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the rain had suppressed fire behaviour overnight but had made it difficult for firefighters to move around. Warnings are in place for Thursday, with fire authorities preparing for horror weather to once again fan flames.
Fires have cut off several communities, with the army joining efforts to drop satellite phones and supplies into several communities across East Gippsland.
Angelica Snowden 8.45am: Two missing in NSW
Two people are missing after the weekend’s horror bushfires in New South Wales and Victoria. NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons this morning confirmed that one person is missing from south of Bombala and another west of Bodalla.
Mr Fitzsimmons also confirmed that more than 130 fires are still burning across NSW and of those 54 are uncontained.
Milder weather conditions and rain brought a reprieve for firefighters on Sunday, and the Commissioner said he was pleased to confirm that all of the fires in NSW have been downgraded to advice level.
Mr Fitzsimmons said that nearly 4.9 million hectares of land had been burnt since the bushfire crisis began near the Queensland to the Victorian border.
More than 2500 firefighters are making the most of cooler weather to strengthen containment lines in the state as Mr Fitzsimmons warned the weather would heat up again by the end of the week.
At least 60 homes were destroyed in Saturday’s blazes, taking to 576 the number of houses razed since New Year’s Eve.
The RFS expects hundreds more will be confirmed lost in coming days, as assessment teams reach the hardest-hit towns.
Areas thought to be hardest hit on Saturday included Bundanoon, Wingello, Batlow, Adelong, the Jervis Bay area, Boydtown, Kiah, Wonboyn, Towamba and Cabramurra.
Commissioner Fitzsimmons said millions of hectares of land had been scorched since New Year’s eve. “I don’t think it will be too long before we are up over five million hectares of largely forested country burning along the Great Dividing Range from the Queensland border to the Victorian border,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.
8.30am: Cabinet to meet
The federal government is being careful not to put a dollar estimate on how much the bushfire emergency will cost. Reconstructing bridges, roads and critical infrastructure destroyed by the blazes is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Ahead of a cabinet meeting in Canberra, Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud was reluctant to put an exact figure on the funding envelope. “Obviously after cabinet, if cabinet approves it, we will put in place a mechanism to get that money out the door as quickly as we can,” he told the ABC.
Scott Morrison has pledged to commit “everything that is needed and more” to the recovery effort. The states will not be asked to match the federal government’s funding.
The prime minister will on Monday launch the government’s national bushfire recovery agency, to be led by former Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin.
The agency will offer income support to farmers, small business owners and residents affected by the fires.
Farmers who lost stock in the fires will be an urgent priority. Hundreds of thousands of animals are believed to have died in fires that have ravaged parts of the country for many weeks.
“We will be trying to take pre-emptive steps today with state agencies around making sure the disposal of the livestock is done quickly — there is a biosecurity risk there,” Mr Littleproud said.
“We have to think about our native species that have been decimated by the fires, too, in terms of our recovery.” Cabinet ministers will also consider mental health supports. “We won’t be just rebuilding infrastructure, we want to rebuild lives,” Mr Littleproud said. — AAP
Additional reporting: David Ross
More Coverage
Students given access to ’similar’ questions before final VCE exams
Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll has asked ‘very hard questions’ of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority boss after students accessed hidden sample questions ahead of their final exams.
Australia votes for ‘permanent sovereignty’ of Palestinians in UN
Australia had abstained on the same question in UN votes since 2011, but switched its vote to ‘Yes’ in a UN committee ballot that will proceed to a vote in the General Assembly.