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| Australia fires live: South Australia, NSW and Victoria brace for return of bushfires danger – latest updates | Australia fires live: South Australia, NSW and Victoria brace for return of bushfires danger – latest updates |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Temperatures and winds set to rise as weather conditions worsen, bringing severe bushfire risk. Follow the latest news and live updates | Temperatures and winds set to rise as weather conditions worsen, bringing severe bushfire risk. Follow the latest news and live updates |
| The government is also providing $60m to councils most affected by the bushfires - at least $1m will go to all 42 disaster declared local government areas, with the remaining $18m to be distributed to the worst impacted. | |
| Fires are closing in on communities in Kangaroo Island – there are some who are refusing to leave in a bid to keep doing their work protecting wildlife: | |
| Scott Morrison moves on to the bushfire update: | |
| Scott Morrison starts his press conference with an update on Australia’s position on Iraq and Iran: | |
| The greatest of all footballs teams ever (Collingwood forever, don’t @ me) has made its own donation announcement. | |
| The club also purchased the 2010 premiership medal Dayne Beams put up for auction, for $27,500, to keep it close to home. | |
| David Littleproud spoke to PBS (the US public broadcaster) about the bushfires. He was asked whether Australia had prepared for this season, given the warnings of the impact of climate change: | |
| William Brangham: | |
| Littleproud: | |
| Victoria police have emailed media outlets over the numbers being used in ‘arson’ reports. | |
| This email is to clarify some reporting that has been made in relation to bushfire arson related offences and charges in Victoria. | |
| While we appreciate media are seeking up to date and current statistics about these offences, it is worth noting that: | |
| Official crime statistics in Victoria are released every quarter by the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA). | |
| Currently, data up until the year ending September 2019 only is available. | |
| Data for the year ending December 2019 will be released in March. | |
| We’d also like to clarify some figures that have been quoted by various media outlets. This includes: | |
| 183 people have had legal action taken against them this bushfire season in regards to fire-related offences – this relates to NSW, not Victoria. | |
| 43 people were charged in 2019 for causing bushfires – this is accurate, and relates to offences in Victoria in the 12 month period ending September 2019. | |
| If you have any questions about crime statistics, please contact the CSA: https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/ | |
| Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 1.30 in Canberra. | Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 1.30 in Canberra. |
| Roughly 100 Papua New Guinean defence force personnel will travel to Australia to join the bushfire response and recovery effort after Scott Morrison accepted an offer of assistance from PNG’s prime minister, James Marape. | Roughly 100 Papua New Guinean defence force personnel will travel to Australia to join the bushfire response and recovery effort after Scott Morrison accepted an offer of assistance from PNG’s prime minister, James Marape. |
| Over the weekend, Marape issued a statement saying 1,000 soldiers and firefighters from his country were standing by, ready to be deployed if requested by Morrison, with whom Marape said he had been in “constant contact over the last few weeks”. | Over the weekend, Marape issued a statement saying 1,000 soldiers and firefighters from his country were standing by, ready to be deployed if requested by Morrison, with whom Marape said he had been in “constant contact over the last few weeks”. |
| “Australia is the closest friend of PNG and is always the first in PNG in our times of adversities and we offer our hearts and our hands to you in this time of fire-induced tragedies,” said Marape. | “Australia is the closest friend of PNG and is always the first in PNG in our times of adversities and we offer our hearts and our hands to you in this time of fire-induced tragedies,” said Marape. |
| Marape’s offer was one of several from Australia’s Pacific neighbours, despite Pacific and Australian leaders frequently clashing over Australia’s climate policy. | Marape’s offer was one of several from Australia’s Pacific neighbours, despite Pacific and Australian leaders frequently clashing over Australia’s climate policy. |
| Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s prime minister, wrote an opinion piece for the Guardian earlier this week urging Australia to fully commit to achieving net zero emissions. | Frank Bainimarama, Fiji’s prime minister, wrote an opinion piece for the Guardian earlier this week urging Australia to fully commit to achieving net zero emissions. |
| “All across the Pacific, our prayers are with Australia,” he wrote. “But prayers alone will not turn back the tides of the climate crisis facing the world; for that, we need meaningful action.” | “All across the Pacific, our prayers are with Australia,” he wrote. “But prayers alone will not turn back the tides of the climate crisis facing the world; for that, we need meaningful action.” |
| The $70m donation from Andrew and Dr Nicola Forrest will be administered through their Minderoo Foundation. | The $70m donation from Andrew and Dr Nicola Forrest will be administered through their Minderoo Foundation. |
| The fire fund will see $10m given to immediate bushfire relief, another $10m for mobile specialist volunteers, and $50m for long-term planning for fire resilience. | The fire fund will see $10m given to immediate bushfire relief, another $10m for mobile specialist volunteers, and $50m for long-term planning for fire resilience. |
| You can find more details here. | You can find more details here. |
| The government has extended the recovery and restoration grants to the Break O’Day council, for people who lost homes or businesses in the Fingal bushfires. | The government has extended the recovery and restoration grants to the Break O’Day council, for people who lost homes or businesses in the Fingal bushfires. |
| Here’s a little bit more detail on what tomorrow’s fire weather forecast means for Victoria, from Stephen McGibbony at the Bureau of Meteorology. | Here’s a little bit more detail on what tomorrow’s fire weather forecast means for Victoria, from Stephen McGibbony at the Bureau of Meteorology. |
| As on other significant fire weather days, the BoM has forecast hot temperatures fanned by northerly/north-westerly winds, with a wind change to a south-westerly later in the day that will be followed by a few hours of very strong, gusty winds. Those gusts could get up to 90km/h in elevated areas. | As on other significant fire weather days, the BoM has forecast hot temperatures fanned by northerly/north-westerly winds, with a wind change to a south-westerly later in the day that will be followed by a few hours of very strong, gusty winds. Those gusts could get up to 90km/h in elevated areas. |
| A strong wind warning has been issued for coastal areas tomorrow, including the Gippsland Lakes and East Gippsland coast, and McGibbony said the bureau may issue a damaging winds warning for the Gippsland and East Gippsland coast and alpine regions. | A strong wind warning has been issued for coastal areas tomorrow, including the Gippsland Lakes and East Gippsland coast, and McGibbony said the bureau may issue a damaging winds warning for the Gippsland and East Gippsland coast and alpine regions. |
| The fire danger ratings for Victoria tomorrow are lower than they were on Monday last week, when the East Gippsland fires destroyed dozens of homes and killed two people, and on Saturday, when dozens more homes in the north-east and East Gippsland were destroyed. | The fire danger ratings for Victoria tomorrow are lower than they were on Monday last week, when the East Gippsland fires destroyed dozens of homes and killed two people, and on Saturday, when dozens more homes in the north-east and East Gippsland were destroyed. |
| But McGibbony said that did not mean the risk had subsided. | But McGibbony said that did not mean the risk had subsided. |
| “We are still seeing severe to extreme fire danger to parts of the state,” he said. “In East Gippsland the fire danger comes out as very high, because there’s a bit more humidity around. But it’s still a very hot day with very gusty winds. It’s still a significant day in terms of fire weather.” | “We are still seeing severe to extreme fire danger to parts of the state,” he said. “In East Gippsland the fire danger comes out as very high, because there’s a bit more humidity around. But it’s still a very hot day with very gusty winds. It’s still a significant day in terms of fire weather.” |
| In the last 20 minutes or so the town of Parndana on Kangaroo Island has been told to take shelter, with public alarms blaring, and the ADF reportedly saying they are under threat from flare-ups on the west. | In the last 20 minutes or so the town of Parndana on Kangaroo Island has been told to take shelter, with public alarms blaring, and the ADF reportedly saying they are under threat from flare-ups on the west. |
| We’ve just received a press released that a man whose uninsured house was destroyed in bushfires has won $1m in the lottery. | We’ve just received a press released that a man whose uninsured house was destroyed in bushfires has won $1m in the lottery. |
| The unidentified man from Redlands in Queensland, was told of his win after the Wednesday night draw. He said it was “unreal”. | The unidentified man from Redlands in Queensland, was told of his win after the Wednesday night draw. He said it was “unreal”. |
| “My family just lost their home in the bushfires in northern New South Wales and it wasn’t insured, so thank you very much,” he was quoted as saying. | “My family just lost their home in the bushfires in northern New South Wales and it wasn’t insured, so thank you very much,” he was quoted as saying. |
| “I can’t wait to go home and give my wife a big kiss and a cuddle! The entry was marked with her special numbers and now they’ve delivered in a big way.” | “I can’t wait to go home and give my wife a big kiss and a cuddle! The entry was marked with her special numbers and now they’ve delivered in a big way.” |
| The house in northern NSW was destroyed in during the ongoing bushfire crisis. | The house in northern NSW was destroyed in during the ongoing bushfire crisis. |
| “All that was left of the home was a few charred teacups,” he said. | “All that was left of the home was a few charred teacups,” he said. |
| “We didn’t know if we would ever be able to rebuild but now we definitely can!” | “We didn’t know if we would ever be able to rebuild but now we definitely can!” |
| Labor’s shadow health minister, Chris Bowen, has some suggestions on what should happen with mental health services during the bushfire crisis: | Labor’s shadow health minister, Chris Bowen, has some suggestions on what should happen with mental health services during the bushfire crisis: |