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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 updatesScott 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 group pushing for a royal commission have been asked for more specifics over why they think it is necessary: Scott Morrison has promised a Kangaroo Island garlic farmer that he will place an order by the end of the day as community members share stories of the bushfires that have torn through the island community, destroying homes and livelihoods.
Shane Leahy, a garlic farmer and CFS volunteer who has lost his home, told Morrison he was not looking for a “hand out”, but told him the island community needed help to get back on their feet.Fires are still burning on the island, and authorities are on high alert as conditions are expected to worsen over the next few days.
Leahy said he had been working 20 days straight volunteering for the CFS and was now sleeping on a friend’s floor.
“I was out on the western end of the island fighting the fires on Friday night, and I couldn’t get back...there was no saving my house. My whole property is gone. I have got one shed left,” Leahy said.
He is hoping garlic stored in the shed may still be saleable.
“At the end of the day I have got to live, I have got no home,” Leahy said.
Morrison visited the sheep station of the Kelly family who lost a shearing shed his grandfather had built after WWII, while his home suffered ember showers.
Their home survived.Tourism operators asked Morrison to support a new tourism campaign, a call also being made by Mayo MP Rebekha Sharkie
“We need to start planning now - the best way for the regions to recover including KI and the Adelaide Hill is to get people visiting and spending money again,” Sharkie said.
“It will still be the best holiday of your life.”
Local tourism operator Chris Schumann told the PM he had been inundated with cancellations - including in the far-off months of April and May.
“There’s no reason for people to cancel then,” he said.
“What I’m saying is, don’t abandon us - we need your business.
“And ScoMo just said to me .. somewhere I’m going to do a press conference and say hey, if you’re asking for a refund from a small business doing accomodation or a tour operator for $500, give ‘Em a break and suck it up.”
Morrison is now touring a defence staging station near Kingscote, which is housing the 9th brigade of reservists from Adelaide.
He will give a press conference shortly.
Victorian authorities are pleading with climate protesters to delay their protest action beyond Friday, given the heat spike which is expected - and with it, the dangerous fire conditions.
From AAP:
Victoria’s environment minister has endorsed a police call for climate activists to abandon a planned protest on the state’s next high fire danger day.
The demonstration has been set down for Friday night in Melbourne’s CBD in response to the bushfires which have blackened more than 1.2 million hectares of Victoria.
Authorities on Wednesday urged Uni Students for Climate Justice organisers to call off the action, change the date or at least confine it to one spot.
They say the protesters so far are not budging.
Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio says people can protest but Friday is not the day given there is a heat spike expected and emergency services personnel are needed to help fight fires.
“People are entitled to protest, absolutely, but the timing is wrong,” she told reporters while at the airport to greet North American firefighters coming to help.
“People are recovering, trying to recover, at the same time they’re preparing for another spike event.”
The last thing emergency services need is people “deviated or distracted” by the well-meaning t but poorly timed protest, she added.
While police are duty-bound to provide a well-sourced contingency for a public protest, Acting Assistant Commissioner Tim Hansen also said Friday is not a good time.
“This is a distraction for us. We see frontline staff returning from the fire ground ... fatigued that do need a break and this is now another operation we need to resource,” he told reporters.
“We are frustrated by this protest timing and we are also frustrated by the lack of flexibility by the protest organisers to work with us in trying to find a more suitable time.
“These are unprecedented times for emergency services.”
Back in the Iraq action at the moment, there are no reports of US casualties, as yet.
However there are reports of Iraqi casualties.
Our Pacific neighbours continue to assist – Vanuatu has donated $250,000 to the NSW RFS.
Our colleague Josh Taylor has looked at the causes of bushfires in the last financial year, according to the NSW RFS.
You may notice that the number put down to arson is 1.3%.
That information came from here,
Arson happens, but it is not the overwhelming cause of these bushfires. Of the 180 or so legal actions NSW police have taken this fire season, just 24 are arson charges. The rest are for things like ignoring the total fire ban, using fireworks, angle grinders, improperly disposing of lit cigarettes – that sort of thing.
And we say legal action, instead of arrests, because not all have been arrested.
We have had quite a few questions about fundraisers today.
This is a very good guide.
We are expecting to hear from the prime minister very soon.
Anthony Albanese is speaking in Adelaide, repeating that the bushfires are “not business as usual”.
“This is a national emergency,” he said.
He said the first priorities are saving lives, and protecting communities – but then the broader impacts have to be looked at: “This will have a very significant impact into the future,” he said.
“We also need to have proper assessments into whether this is the new normal. I hope that is not the case.”
The group pushing for a royal commission have been asked for more specifics about why they think it is necessary:
Q: You say you need more resources. What specifically do you need?Q: You say you need more resources. What specifically do you need?
A: Leighton Drury notes the different kinds of technology across different organisations which don’t work together efficiently. A: Leighton Drury notes the different kinds of technology across different organisations which don’t work together efficiently:
“In Fire and Rescue NSW we’ve got less professional firefighters now than we did in 2011. We’d certainly like to see that addressed.” Stewart Little:
Stewart Little: There needs to be funding from state and federal governments to recognise that firefighters… are frontline. John Oliver says there isn’t even a national radio protocol. Scale up in a different way, communicate in a different way:
We’ve had budgets cut during many many years… We have to plan, we have to fund, we have to permanently plan.”
John Oliver says there isn’t even a national radio protocol. Scale up in a different way, communicate in a different way.
“If we can’t get unified comms protocol across the country… what hope have we got on the foreground?”
[cont from previous post]
Max Adlam, State Secretary, United Firefighters’ Union of South Australia:
Agencies do work together really strongly. The metro fire service has a facility called strike teams ready to send out providing the resources are available. The beginning of this season there were no spare vehicles available.
[old vehicles, not fully equipped]
They’re not equipped with halo systems. There are concerns.
Our people work very hard on the smell of what frankly is an oily rag.
Stewart Little, General Secretary, Public Service Association of NSW:
The PSA and CPSU supports the call for a royal commission.
We think that’s the only way we can really cut through and look at three broad areas.
Only a federal royal commission will look at the failure over numerous years to implement past recommendations from past inquests and royal commissions.
There’s been a complete failure federally to look at coordinating activity across various jurisdictions.
Sure they’re talking about it now but why on earth weren’t we talking about this at the beginning of the fire season?
These are quotes from some of the representatives from firefighter unions calling for a royal commission.It’s worth noting that there has been talk of royal commissions previously, and others pushing back on it because royal commissions don’t solve anything if governments ignore the recommendations.
Leighton Drury, State Secretary, Fire Brigade Employees’ Union (NSW):
We have grave concerns about the resourcing and funding provided to these agencies.
We’re not equipped to fight these fires as we’d like to.
We treat this with the upmost seriousness and it’s time for our government to do the same.
John Oliver, State Secretary, United Firefighters’ Union of Queensland:
We’re calling for a RC into these fires. We need to properly examine the facets of what’s occurred this summer. Why is this season different to the past?
Only a RC can give us that. Coroners reports can go someway, but a thorough examination is needed [pre during and post] fires.
[re previous inquiries] We can no longer rely on these reports to provide unbiased reports the decision makers.
We need to look at the fires as they are, even if they were put out tomorrow. The next fire season is in nine months time.
We need to act quickly, and governments need to act on this very quickly.
Queensland
Emergency hardship assistance
Up to $180 (person) and $900 (family)
Essential services hardship assistance
Up to $150 (person) and $750 (family)
For those who lost power, gas, water or sewerage
Essential household contents grant
Up to $1,765 (singles) and $5,300 (couples and families)
For those uninsured or unable to claim
Structural assistance
Up to $10,995 (singles) and $14,685 (couples and families
For those uninsured or unable to claim
Essential services safety and reconnection grant
Up to $200 for safety inspections
Up to $4,200 for repairs
For those uninsured who pass an income assets test
Disaster assistance loans
Up to $250,000 for primary producers for up to 10 years
To replace machinery, infrastructure and livestock
Grants also available to small businesses and non-profits
Tasmania
Emergency assistance
Up to $250 (adult), $125 (child) and $1,000 (family).
South Australia
Personal hardship emergency grants
Up to $280 (adult) and $700 (family).
Re-establishment grants
Up to $10,000 per eligible household
For those uninsured whose primary residence is damaged
Disaster recovery funding
Up to $15,000 for primary producers and $10,000 for small businesses
Western Australia
Disaster recovery funding
Payments to replace essential items and repair households
Small businesses
Eligible interest payment subsidies capped at $6,000 for up to 10 years
Primary producers
Also eligible for interest payment subsidies
Up to half of freight costs subsidised
All fencing reconstruction costs reimbursed
Up to $1,500 for professional advice
AAP have put together a handy guide on what financial support is available in each jurisdiction impacted by the fires:
Commonwealth
Up to $1,000 per adult and $400 per child
For those seriously injured, who lost immediate family, were made homeless or had homes damaged as a direct result of bushfires
Disaster recovery allowance
Up to 13 weeks support for income loss.
Victoria
Emergency relief assistance
Up to $560 (adult), $280 (child) and $1,960 (household)
For those unable to access homes for up to seven days
Emergency re-establishment payments
Up to $42,250 per household
For uninsured whose homes are uninhabitable for more than seven days
NSW
Disaster relief grants
Uncapped payments to help replace damaged essentials
For those whose homes and contents have been damaged or destroyed, meet a low income test and have no insurance.
Natural disaster recovery relief
Up $15,000 for primary producers, small businesses, sporting clubs and not-for-profits
Scott Morrison has arrived at a fire-affected property in Kangaroo Island, near Stokes Bay in the north of the island.
The property belongs to Madelyn and Simon Kelly, who are wool farmers.
He is being joined by the SA premier, Steven Marshall, the SA senator Anne Ruston and the KI mayor, Michael Pengilly.
Morrison said conditions on KI and across the country had been “shocking and terrifying”.
He said he has seen “solidarity” in affected communities and a commitment. “We are going to rebuild ... and the platform we are going to build upon is you, because you built it in the first place,” he told community members at the property.
Sarah Hanson-Young visited the firezone on Kangaroo Island yesterday.
She has called for help for the wildlife, as well as the community.
Getting to the Victorian coastal town of Mallacoota has been challenging.
There has been a mass evacuation for those who wanted to go, involving the ADF. Now the operation to take supplies to those who remain has begun in earnest.
The prime minister has issued this statement after the attack on a base housing US troops in Iraq:
To give you a better idea of what Kangaroo Island has faced, here is the latest photo gallery.
Just a reminder, that these fires have affected one-third of the island – there is still much that has not been impacted. If you have a holiday planned for the area, just check before you head off.