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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 updatesThe 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
And in more sport news, the bidding for Shane Warne’s baggy green – also auctioned off for bushfire relief – has already hit $100,500, in just 90 minutes.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan earlier bid $25,000, but was soon overtaken.
Hi all, Naaman Zhou here taking over. I think I speak for everyone when I say a huge thanks to Amy Remeikis for piloting the blog all day.
In sport news, tickets are now on sale for the Rally for Relief – a charity match organised by the Australian Open, where all the proceeds go to the bushfire effort.
The line-up is still secret (and will be announced slowly in coming days, it seems). But Tennis Australia promises “the world’s top players” with “many Grand Slam titles between them” have said yes.
This all started after Nick Kyrgios suggested the idea for the charity match to Tennis Australia – and the Australian had already promised to donate $200 for each ace he hit across the summer.
Tickets for the charity match are as low as $54 for adults and $35 concession. The match is on January 15.
I am about to log off for the day, but Naaman Zhou is standing by to take my place.
To recap the main points of the day:
Two people remain missing in NSW.
No emergency alert fires are burning, but there are still many watch and act warnings in place.
Cooler conditions have given firefighters a chance for shift change overs and a rest, as well as working on containment lines.
Dangerous fire conditions are forecast for the end of the week, so the reprieve will not last long.
The evacuation order has been lifted in Victoria, but the disaster order remains.
The government has committed $2bn over two years to a disaster recovery management fund, to be administrated by the Andrew Colvin-led National Disaster Recovery Agency.
Victoria has also established a standing disaster recovery agency, to be led by former police commissioner Ken Lay.
The surplus is basically kaput.
I will leave you in the exceptionally capable hands of Naaman.
Please – take care of you.
The Insurance Council of Australia has confirmed those figures Josh Frydenberg gave during the press conference:The Insurance Council of Australia has confirmed those figures Josh Frydenberg gave during the press conference:
The Australia Institute has responded to the government’s funding announcement. From its statement:The Australia Institute has responded to the government’s funding announcement. From its statement:
Russell Crowe has shown everyone his fire truck supplies (wait to the end):Russell Crowe has shown everyone his fire truck supplies (wait to the end):
Having lived through this for the past week or so, I hope anyone impacted by the smoke at the moment is OK.Having lived through this for the past week or so, I hope anyone impacted by the smoke at the moment is OK.
As my colleague Bridie Jabour has pointed out already, there are going to be a lot of confused toddlers looking for Emma, but I can think of a lot of parents who will be excited by this.
Shane Warne has put his baggy green cap up for auction for bushfire relief.
This is ongoing.
The CFMEU construction division has donated $100,000 to bushfire relief.
It is calling on others within the construction industry to do what they can.
You can read the whole announcement Scott Morrison just made, here:
The local government areas affected are listed below:
New South Wales· Armidale· Ballina· Bega Valley· Bellingen· Blue Mountains· Byron· Central Coast· Cessnock· Clarence Valley· Coffs Harbour· Eurobodalla· Glen Innes Severn· Greater Hume· Gwydir· Hawkesbury· Inverell· Kempsey· Ku-ring-gai· Kyogle· Lake Macquarie· Lismore· Lithgow· Mid Coast· Mid-Western· Muswellbrook· Nambucca· Narrabri· Oberon· Penrith· Port Macquarie-Hastings· Queanbeyan-Palerang· Richmond Valley· Shoalhaven· Singleton· Snowy Monaro· Snowy Valleys· Sutherland· Tamworth· Tenterfield· Tweed· Upper Hunter· Upper Lachlan· Uralla· Walcha· Wingecarribee· WollondillyVictoria· East Gippsland· Towong
The government has suspended Centrelink’s welfare debt recovery operations and mutual obligation requirements for jobseekers living in bushfire-affected areas.
It should allay fears that people receiving benefits, including potentially volunteer firefighters, could have their payments suspended during the crisis.
Scott Morrison said the suspension will be in place for two months before it is reviewed. The same arrangements will be in place for the Australian Taxation Office.
As Amy has noted, the government will also establish 20 Services Australia (Centrelink and Medicare) pop-up shopfronts, which will be welcome news for those in fire-affected communities that have had difficulties today.
Stuart Cameron, who has been evacuated to Bega after fire threatened his family home near Bermagui, told the Guardian on Monday some stranded locals had gathered outside the Centrelink this morning frustrated that it was closed.
“... in just a couple of minutes there two women arrived saying that they had been seeking to apply for the crisis payment and had been directed to the office from the evacuation centre,” he said.
And on the immediate priorities of the new National Disaster Recovery Agency:
Build on the effective working relationships with state, territory and local governments, including their recovery and reconstruction bodies, and to work with stakeholders in bushfire-affected communities and relevant commonwealth agencies to inform and integrate recovery and rebuild activities.
Ensuring affected communities have ready access to meaningful support and all available services.
Providing advice and recommendations to government on the economic and social impacts of bushfire on affected communities, in consultation with relevant agencies across all levels of government.
Developing and coordinating the delivery of a long-term plan for the recovery, rebuild and resilience of bushfire-affected communities.
Stuart Robert, the minister for government services, has provided an update on what Services Australia has been doing: