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| Australia fires live: NSW and Victoria bushfire communities assess damage as PM visits Kangaroo Island – latest updates | Australia fires live: NSW and Victoria bushfire communities assess damage as PM visits Kangaroo Island – latest updates |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Scott Morrison to tour island where there are grave fears for unique wildlife. NSW and Victorian communities clean up during a brief period of cooler weather. Follow the latest news and live updates | Scott Morrison to tour island where there are grave fears for unique wildlife. NSW and Victorian communities clean up during a brief period of cooler weather. Follow the latest news and live updates |
| The RFS have released the latest impact figures: | |
| 1,687 homes destroyed | |
| 692 homes damaged | |
| More than 11,000 homes saved | |
| More than 4,000 outbuildings or facilities damaged or destroyed | |
| And 771 homes have been destroyed in only the past week (from 1 January). | |
| Delta Goodrem has released a charity song, called Let It Rain, and it’s already shot straight to the top of the Australian iTunes charts. | |
| Mark Butler says Labor is hoping to reach a bipartisan position on climate change policies with the government. | |
| From AAP: | |
| Labor is promising more ambitious policies than the Coalition at the next election to tackle climate change after Australia’s bushfire crisis. | |
| Opposition climate spokesman Mark Butler also wants the government to allow a debate on climate change in parliament when it returns in February. | |
| “Hopefully we could fashion a bipartisan position,” he told ABC radio on Wednesday. | |
| Mr Butler said the bushfire crisis had raised the tempo of the debate around climate change in Australia and overseas. | |
| He said Labor’s focus now was on the current emergency. | |
| “There will be a need for a very thorough inquiry into these events and also a full national debate about how we protect future generations around climate change impacts,” Mr Butler said. | |
| “What people can be assured of is that we will have a more ambitious climate change policy at the next election than the coalition.” | |
| Labor leader Anthony Albanese recently toured Queensland coal country, throwing his support behind the industry. | |
| But Mr Butler said if the world was going to meet international carbon reductions targets, fossil fuel use would have to decline sharply. | |
| A group of volunteer and profession firefighting organisations will come together today to call for a royal commission into the bushfires: | A group of volunteer and profession firefighting organisations will come together today to call for a royal commission into the bushfires: |
| Leighton Drury, state secretary, Fire Brigade Employees’ Union (NSW) | |
| John Oliver, state secretary, United Firefighters’ Union of Queensland | |
| Lea Anderson, state secretary, United Firefighters’ Union of Western Australia | |
| Max Adlam, state secretary, United Firefighters’ Union of South Australia | |
| Stewart Little, general secretary, Public Service Association of NSW | |
| Mick Holton, president, NSW Volunteer Fire Fighters Association | |
| The Greens have also made noise about wanting a royal commission. | The Greens have also made noise about wanting a royal commission. |
| Since 1939 there have been almost 20 major inquiries into bushfires in Australia. | |
| If there is misinformation to be spread, chances are a Trump will jump at it. | If there is misinformation to be spread, chances are a Trump will jump at it. |
| Twenty-four people have been charged with deliberately lighting fires in NSW. The rest of the arrests are for defying the total fire ban – angle grinding, fireworks, etc. So far, none of the Victorian fires have been deliberately lit. | Twenty-four people have been charged with deliberately lighting fires in NSW. The rest of the arrests are for defying the total fire ban – angle grinding, fireworks, etc. So far, none of the Victorian fires have been deliberately lit. |
| No one is saying arson doesn’t happen. But spreading false claims like this does nothing to fix any problems. | No one is saying arson doesn’t happen. But spreading false claims like this does nothing to fix any problems. |
| Anthony Albanese was asked about hazard reduction burns this morning on Adelaide ABC radio. | Anthony Albanese was asked about hazard reduction burns this morning on Adelaide ABC radio. |
| Here is what he had to say: | Here is what he had to say: |
| While we have focused on hazard reduction burns, there is also a conversation to have about Indigenous burning techniques: | While we have focused on hazard reduction burns, there is also a conversation to have about Indigenous burning techniques: |
| This is from an an article on the practices published on the Conversation: | This is from an an article on the practices published on the Conversation: |
| Our Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, has also alerted me to this fundraiser for First Nations people who have been impacted by the bushfires. | Our Indigenous affairs editor, Lorena Allam, has also alerted me to this fundraiser for First Nations people who have been impacted by the bushfires. |
| Just a reminder, after NSW police said they were taking legal action against 183 people for fire-related offences – just 24 of those have been people charged with deliberately lighting bushfires. The rest are for disobeying the total fire ban – things like lighting fireworks, dropping lit cigarettes, that sort of thing. | Just a reminder, after NSW police said they were taking legal action against 183 people for fire-related offences – just 24 of those have been people charged with deliberately lighting bushfires. The rest are for disobeying the total fire ban – things like lighting fireworks, dropping lit cigarettes, that sort of thing. |
| The smoke haze is back in Sydney. | The smoke haze is back in Sydney. |
| It’s not only reached New Zealand – it has also made its way 10,000km away to Chile. | It’s not only reached New Zealand – it has also made its way 10,000km away to Chile. |
| Australian NBA players have come together to donate US$750,00 to the bushfire crisis – that works out to just over A$1m. | Australian NBA players have come together to donate US$750,00 to the bushfire crisis – that works out to just over A$1m. |
| This is happening in so many areas right now. | This is happening in so many areas right now. |
| The ADF has been deployed to help farmers deal with the widespread loss, including burying dead livestock. | The ADF has been deployed to help farmers deal with the widespread loss, including burying dead livestock. |
| NSW RFS crews will assess the Blue Mountains from the air this morning, after last night’s lightning strikes | NSW RFS crews will assess the Blue Mountains from the air this morning, after last night’s lightning strikes |
| Another of those claims is that hazard reduction burns were stopped by the Greens and other environmental groups. | Another of those claims is that hazard reduction burns were stopped by the Greens and other environmental groups. |
| Apart from the easily verifiable fact that the Greens are not in power anywhere in Australia, there is also fire authorities repeatedly telling us that hazard reduction burns were done, are becoming increasingly difficult to do because of shortened windows when it is safe, and these fires are so hot and enormous that they are burning through areas which had previously had fuel loads minimised by hazard reduction burns. | Apart from the easily verifiable fact that the Greens are not in power anywhere in Australia, there is also fire authorities repeatedly telling us that hazard reduction burns were done, are becoming increasingly difficult to do because of shortened windows when it is safe, and these fires are so hot and enormous that they are burning through areas which had previously had fuel loads minimised by hazard reduction burns. |
| Shane Fitzsimmons this morning: | Shane Fitzsimmons this morning: |
| There is a lot of misinformation about the Australian fires being spread out there. A lot. | There is a lot of misinformation about the Australian fires being spread out there. A lot. |
| Some of the most damaging is that the fires have all been deliberately lit. | Some of the most damaging is that the fires have all been deliberately lit. |
| Christopher Knaus has examined how those claims are being spread: | Christopher Knaus has examined how those claims are being spread: |