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| Australia fires live: NSW and Victoria bushfires heap pressure on Scott Morrison – latest updates | Australia fires live: NSW and Victoria bushfires heap pressure on Scott Morrison – latest updates |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The PM’s handling of the Australian bushfire crisis comes under further scrutiny as NSW and Victorian towns gain brief reprieve from fires. Follow the latest news and live updates | The PM’s handling of the Australian bushfire crisis comes under further scrutiny as NSW and Victorian towns gain brief reprieve from fires. Follow the latest news and live updates |
| Karl Stefanovic went on about hazard reduction burns and the “huge issue there...a massive issue that’s bigger than anything Scott Morrison has done wrong” because he’s an expert, obviously. | |
| I refer you, again, to this: | |
| Julie Bishop popped up on the Nine Network’s Today show. | |
| She was, of course, asked about Scott Morrison’s leadership and response in the fire crisis. | |
| “I think Scott Morrison is doing the best he can,” she said, before going on to describe the “national crisis”. | |
| Linda Reynolds was asked about her holiday in yesterday’s press conference. | |
| Here is how that exchange, with Samantha Maiden, went down: | |
| Maiden: The Prime Minister has obviously copped a bit of belting for going to Hawaii during the bushfire crisis. Minister Reynolds, have you taken any leave during this period? Have you been out of the country at all? | |
| Reynolds: Like many of my colleagues, I have certainly spent time with my family over Christmas. But throughout that time I can assure you that I have been regularly on the phone with the CDF, with the Prime Minister, with Minister Littleproud constantly. So... | |
| Maiden: So you haven’t been out of the country? | |
| Reynolds: I have had a holiday with my family for a few days over Christmas, but again, I wasn’t on leave. | |
| Maiden: Was that in Bali? | |
| Reynolds: Yes I was. | |
| Maiden: Were you on holidays in Bali? | |
| Reynolds: I spent a few days with my family, yes. But again, I was in total contact with the Prime Minister and the Secretary and the CDF. | |
| Samantha Maiden at The New Daily reports defence minister Linda Reynolds went on holiday in Bali with her family, after Scott Morrison was forced to return from Hawaii. | |
| Maiden reports the prime minister approve Reynolds’ leave from December 28, but she was away as the Navy was called in to evacuate Mallacoota, after residents were forced to shelter on the beach. | |
| From Maiden’s report: | |
| There is good news for Canberra residents as well – you can actually see the sky today. | |
| The smoke pollution which has covered the city for the past few days (with a slight reprieve on Saturday) has cleared but it will be back when the bushfires flare up again. | |
| Given that this KEEPS coming up, Graham Readfearn has taken another look at it. | |
| The focus today, the NSW authorities said, will be on “turbocharging” the recovery effort. | |
| That includes getting fuel and food back to the NSW south coast and southern highlands communities which have been cut off. | |
| Power is likely to be out for a few more days but authorities are also working on getting communications up and running. | |
| There is no update on the number of homes which have been destroyed as yet. | There is no update on the number of homes which have been destroyed as yet. |
| There are 54 uncontained fires burning in NSW, but the RFS has no emergency alert level fires as yet. | |
| There are still 2,500 firefighters on the ground, working on containment lines. | |
| Some 4.9m hectares have been burnt across NSW. Shane Fitzsimmons says that number will grow: | |
| Gladys Berejiklian has begun her briefing. | Gladys Berejiklian has begun her briefing. |
| She says two people in a remote part of the fire zone are missing. | She says two people in a remote part of the fire zone are missing. |
| Helen Davidson wrote about what she saw at the weekend on the NSW south coast: | Helen Davidson wrote about what she saw at the weekend on the NSW south coast: |
| Gladys Berejiklian and Shane Fitzsimmons are about to give their morning briefing. | Gladys Berejiklian and Shane Fitzsimmons are about to give their morning briefing. |
| We’ll bring you that in the next few minutes, hopefully. | We’ll bring you that in the next few minutes, hopefully. |
| Australia has had another offer of help. | Australia has had another offer of help. |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| You have Amy Remeikis with you this morning as we enter another day in the bushfire emergency. | You have Amy Remeikis with you this morning as we enter another day in the bushfire emergency. |
| But we have good news for you today – conditions in those bad bushfire zones have eased with some much needed and welcome rain, thanks to a couple of developing lows, including one off the Western Australian coast. | But we have good news for you today – conditions in those bad bushfire zones have eased with some much needed and welcome rain, thanks to a couple of developing lows, including one off the Western Australian coast. |
| It’s not over, not by a long shot, but it takes some of the pressure off fire crews, who can use the reprieve to rest, change shifts and try to get a little ahead of the fire’s path. | It’s not over, not by a long shot, but it takes some of the pressure off fire crews, who can use the reprieve to rest, change shifts and try to get a little ahead of the fire’s path. |
| Scott Morrison is still under pressure though. He has been on the back foot since coming back from Hawaii and is still trying to find his balance. | Scott Morrison is still under pressure though. He has been on the back foot since coming back from Hawaii and is still trying to find his balance. |
| We’ll see what happens today. | We’ll see what happens today. |