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The Guardian - AU
National
Christopher Knaus and Amy Remeikis

PM announces recovery effort in fire crisis that has 'months to go' – as it happened

Day turns to night in the Snowy Mountains on Saturday north of Adaminaby.
Day turns to night in the Snowy Mountains on Saturday north of Adaminaby. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The day so far

Time for a quick wrap up of what we’ve learned today.

  • Conditions have eased in both Victoria and NSW, as temperatures drop and winds settle. Authorities in both states have warned the danger is far from over. These fires will continue to burn for weeks, and any deterioration in conditions will again place lives and property in peril. In NSW, temperatures are forecast to reach the 40s again on Friday.
  • Three emergency warnings remain active in Victoria, particularly in the Gippsland region, and four people remain missing in the state. It has been hard for authorities there to survey the damage, due to heavy smoke cover, and the lack of access to isolated communities. The evacuation from Mallacoota is continuing, since it was isolated on New Year’s Eve.
  • No emergency warnings are active in NSW, but seven fires remain at the watch and act level. Crews have begun to assess the damage across the state, and believe at least 60 homes have been lost. That number is expected to increase significantly, as crews conduct further assessments. The worst-hit regions have been in the southern highlands, particularly Kangaroo Valley and Wingello, and the Snowy Mountains foothills, particularly in Batlow, where a man died trying to protect his friend’s home. On the far south coast, Eden has not yet been reached by bushfire and concerns eased slightly on Sunday afternoon, when the fire was downgraded to watch and act status. Most of the town’s residents have already been evacuated. Smaller towns south of Eden were hit hard, and experienced property loss.
  • A fire that flared up south-west of Sydney, at Voyager Point, is not threatening homes and firefighters were bringing it under control on Sunday evening.
  • A clearer picture has emerged from the fires that tore through Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The fires caused significant damage to the island’s tourism industry, destroying businesses like the luxury Southern Ocean Lodge, and devastating the broader Flinders Chase wilderness area. The fire has also destroyed at least $20m worth of bluegum and pine trees on plantations run by Kanagaroo Island Plantation Timber.
  • Air quality continued to be extremely poor in Canberra, where bushfire smoke caused the closure of multiple businesses, the cancellation of flights, the continued suspension of the postal service, and the movement of sporting teams and events. The government has promised stocks of P2 masks will be replenished today and tomorrow, following a shortage.
  • The prime minister, Scott Morrison, again came under scrutiny today for failing to tell the NSW RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, before he announced he was calling up 3,000 army reservists to help with the recovery effort. Fitzsimmons was furious. Morrison blamed a communications breakdown. Morrison also came under further pressure for the political ad he released about the federal government’s efforts at the height of the crisis.
  • Morrison announced a new federal agency to coordinate bushfire recovery and support. He said he is considering whether a royal commission is needed.
  • An extraordinary outpouring of support has continued to fuel donations to firefighters and the Red Cross. The fundraising effort started by the comedian Celeste Barber has now attracted more than $20m in donations. The Victorian government has announced its own community relief fund and has urged residents not to donate goods, but instead make financial contributions. Large contributions have been made by Nicole Kidman, Ash Barty and Pink.

Thanks again for sticking with us. It’s been another challenging day and we’re far from out of the woods yet.

Updated

The forest scientist Tom Fairman has just published a really interesting thread on the impact of recurring fire events on the snow gums in Victoria’s alpine region.

Updated

Faces from the southern highlands, by the Guardian’s Jessica Hromas. The region endured a torrid night last night, when fires raced north from the Shoalhaven River. The scale of the damage is slowly being revealed today, and we now know multiple homes were lost in Kangaroo Valley and Wingello.

Klaus Elber, from Penrose in NSW, plans to stay with his property and defend should the fire reach his place. He feels he is well prepared
Klaus Elber, from Penrose in NSW, plans to stay with his property and defend should the fire reach his place. He feels he is well prepared. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Steve Urquhart from Camden West Rural Fire Service, who has been fighting the fires at Wingello
Steve Urquhart from Camden West Rural Fire Service, who has been fighting the fires at Wingello. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
John from Jamberoo Rural Fire Service at Wingello, which lost a number of houses last night from the bushfires
John from Jamberoo Rural Fire Service at Wingello, which lost a number of houses last night from the bushfires. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

Updated

Svitzer, a tug boat company, has performed exceptionally throughout the fire crisis on the NSW far south coast. The company has just posted this on Instagram:

More than 60 local residents, aged between six months and 90 years old, took shelter on Cooma and Wistari, which remained moored to the Eden wharf overnight. The team made it safely through the night with two emergency callouts performed by Svitzer pilot boat Mersey over the course of the evening

Updated

The Australian tennis champion Ash Barty has promised to donate any prize money she earns from next week’s Brisbane International to the Red Cross. That could be up to $382,000 if she wins the tournament.

She follows Nick Kyrgios, who pledged to donate $200 per ace served over the summer.

Meanwhile, the actress Nicole Kidman has pledged to donate $500,000. The American pop star Pink donated $500,000 yesterday.

The fundraising campaign started by the comedian Celeste Barber has now received more than $20m.

Updated

Some good news in Bundanoon in the NSW southern highlands, where we’ve had a little rain. We also witnessed some rain earlier today in Batemans Bay on the south coast, which has been ravaged by fire.

Updated

Rob Rogers say the RFS is comfortable for people to stay in Eden currently. He says the fire has not reached the town.

Crews are there. We are watching the fire and if the situation changes, we will advise that community but at the moment, we need to let the community just recover a little bit. They have had a rough day and a rough night last night and obviously we will stay closely monitoring that.

He says the fire burning at Voyager Point, in Sydney’s south-west, has not been contained. But he says he is comfortable that the fire will be brought under control this evening.

In the southern highlands, he says firefighters are using the easing conditions to build containment lines. Their focus on the active fires continues to be to prevent property loss.

Rogers says the bushfire threat is not going anywhere, anytime soon.

There is an enormous amount of fire in that part of the world and these aren’t going to go out for some time and we have been dealing with these fires non-stop now for more than five months and I can’t see that changing, certainly over the next month, so it does make you think of, you know, six months of constantly dealing with fires and just where that will end.

Updated

NSW loses at least 60 homes

The RFS deputy commissioner, Rob Rogers, has confirmed at least 60 homes have been lost across the state.

We haven’t been able to get a lot of aircraft off the ground today but I can confirm there is confirmed 60 homes lost but we know there is more. And we know there is a significant damage to infrastructure in the Snowy area and we also know that there are communities like Batlow that have been extremely hard-hit and we really have to get in there and have a good look at everything that has been damaged and we are also aware of significant impact to livestock in the area.

Updated

Images are continuing to emerge from the southern highlands, where some towns were was overcome by fire on Saturday evening. Embers from the Currowan fire jumped the Shoalhaven River and started a new blaze that moved northward towards the town of Wingello, where multiple homes have been destroyed.

These images are from Guardian photographer Jessica Hromas, who was on the scene today.

Properties and vehicles where destroyed by the bushfires on Railway Parade, Wingelllo.
Properties and vehicles where destroyed by the bushfires on Railway Parade, Wingelllo. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
A burnt lawn mower at destroyed by burnt out houses on Railway Parade, Wingello.
A burnt lawn mower at destroyed by burnt out houses on Railway Parade, Wingello. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Steve Urquhart from Camden West RSF, who has been fighting the fires at Wingello.
Steve Urquhart from Camden West RSF, who has been fighting the fires at Wingello. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Properties and vehicles where destroyed by the bushfires on Railway Parade, Wingelllo.
Properties and vehicles where destroyed by the bushfires on Railway Parade, Wingelllo. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Local Lucy Sharman hoses down bush by a neighbours property that is on fire by Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley.
Local Lucy Sharman hoses down bush by a neighbours property that is on fire by Moss Vale Road, Kangaroo Valley. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
A Wallaby stands in the burnout bush be the side of Moss Vale Rd, outside of Kangaroo Valley.
A Wallaby stands in the burnout bush be the side of Moss Vale Rd, outside of Kangaroo Valley. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

Updated

New Zealand’s defence force is pitching in to help Australia. The defence minister Ron Mark announced NZ would send three NH90 helicopters and crew, two NZ Army combat engineer sections, and a command element to support the ADF.

“This latest NZDF support is being provided in addition to the latest rotation of five NZDF firefighters deployed to bolster numbers of emergency responders on the ground,” Mark said in a statement.

Updated

Just back on those air quality issues in the ACT for a moment. Residents have been frustrated by shortages in P2 masks. To make matters worse, Australia Post has suspended services in the territory because of the heavy bushfire smoke, so ordering online is no help.

Chief minister Andrew Barr now says new stocks of masks are due in Canberra, through chemists and hardware stores, either today or tomorrow.

Updated

The Voyager Point fire burning to Sydney’s south-west is causing nearby residents considerable concern. But the RFS has advised that crews are working to contain the fire and that there is no threat to homes.

Updated

The Victorian premier Daniel Andrews mentioned a little earlier that relief centres were struggling to process donated goods like clothing and food.

Victoria’s emergency services have echoed that message. They want people to channel their noble intentions into donating cash instead.

Updated

The terrible air quality in the nation’s capital – rated the worst in the world on three separate days in recent weeks – is continuing to pose problems. This time, one of the ACT’s universities, the University of Canberra, has announced it has been forced to close its main campus for 48 hours.

Updated

Eerie footage of the drive between Tumut and Batlow in the foothills of NSW’s Snowy Mountains. Posted by Tom Lowrey, a reporter with the ABC.

Updated

The Kangaroo Island fire has also destroyed at least $20m worth of blue gum and pine trees on plantations run by Kanagaroo Island Plantation Timber.

On Friday KIPT said it was still assessing the damage, but at least 13% of its forests had been burned.

The company said it would try to salvage wood from the areas that have already burned by bringing forward harvesting.

“It was unfightable”, Bates said of the fire.

“Is this our new normal? That’s the fear.”

She said the fires were “greatly subdued, but we’re in for some warmer weather midweek”.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Fire crews from Adelaide have relieved tired local volunteers, but Bates said locals would be keen to handle the mop up.

She said tourists were evacuated to Penneshaw before boarding Sealink ferries to the mainland.

“This is our very busiest peak time, this is when the influx comes”, she said.

“There were 10 or 11,000 people here, in total – that’s a bit of a guess.”

Visitors have been asked not to come to the island unless it is essential.

“Most tourists want to visit our beautiful iconic sites – and of course there’s no access to that end of the island,” Bates said.

“It’s best to give us all a bit of breathing space and then come back later.”

Updated

Farmers on Kangaroo Island were shooting fire-injured sheep on Sunday as the small community prepared for more dangerous days ahead when hot weather returns in the middle of the week.

Ferries to the mainland have been running almost around the clock to evacuate thousands of tourists back to the South Australian mainland, former mayor Jayne Bates said.

Bates lives in Penneshaw, which is on the east of the island closest to the mainland and hosts its ferry terminal.

Firefighters on the island have been battling fires since before Christmas that blazed out of control after extreme weather on Friday.

The fires, which are still burning, started at the western end of the 160km-long island, and have burned about a third of it, devastating the island’s two main industries, tourism and farming.

Most of the tourist attractions are at the western end of the island.

They include the luxury Southern Ocean Lodge, which has been destroyed by fire, and the broader Flinders Chase wilderness area.

Bates said a large number of farm buildings had also been destroyed.

“A lot of our blokes have gone out today to destroy injured sheep – you’re talking thousands,” she said.

“They’re digging pits.”

The fires were “the worst we’ve ever had”, she said.

“We had a big one in 2007 but not to this extent.”

“And the loss of the two lives – well.”

Former pilot Dick Lang and his son Clayton Lang were killed when fire over-ran their car on Friday.

Updated

Back in NSW, the latest figures suggest 146 fires are still burning across the state. About 65 have not been contained.

A huge firefighting effort is continuing with 2,700 personnel in the field.

The RFS says no total fire ban has been issued for Monday.

Andrews is also quizzed on whether Victoria is doing enough hazard reduction work in the lead-up to the bushfire season. He said it’s getting harder and harder to find safe times to do hazard reduction burns.

Andrews also praised the logistical and funding support offered by the prime minister, Scott Morrison, to Victoria.

I was pleased to hear the prime minister really clear about the fact that we’ll get everything we need and indeed more than that. We are also very pleased that he’s not hung up on a 50/50 funding arrangement and some of these things will be beyond the capacity of Victoria, New South Wales, any state really, to be able to get it done on our own or even perhaps on equal terms. I’m also very pleased this is not just about, as important as it is, roads, bridges, public housing and schools and the other infrastructure, the full damage to which won’t be known until we can get into the communities and complete the disaster impact assessments we have been making. I’m also pleased that the prime minister’s also indicated that as far as driving economic growth, stimulus in getting the tourism industry going again, helping small business, supporting local councils, all of this is very positive news.

Updated

Number of unaccounted persons in Victoria falls to four

Andrews announces the government will match the $2m donated to a Bendigo Bank community fund to support the bushfire recovery. He urges the community to donate cash instead of food and clothing. Andrews says they cannot take any more food and clothing donations.

I don’t want to appear harsh in any way, but we don’t need any more clothes, food, trucks on our roads, we don’t have the warehouse capacity, the people or the time to sort through. I know it all comes from a place of kindness and I thank everybody who’s made those donations but we are getting to a point where we don’t have the space or the people or the need.

Importantly, he also announced the number of missing persons in Victoria has been reduced from seven to four.

So we have found another three people from around between midday and now. We hope those numbers continue to fall but again we do have fears for the safety of those four people who we cannot account for and of course, there’s still many communities that we have not been able to get into, particularly those that came under significant fire attack yesterday and throughout the evening, particularly in the north-east of our state.

Updated

Daniel Andrews is speaking from a police operations centre in Victoria. He says conditions there have eased today, but the heavy smoke is creating new challenges.

Today is a little easier, but there’s a whole lot of additional challenges. The smoke, the visibility, we had hoped to fly into the incident control centre at Tallangatta, we were unable to be do that given how thick the smoke was. We hoped to be able to look at the fire damage on the way back to Melbourne, we couldn’t do that because it wouldn’t have been safe to do so. Despite the fact that it’s a little easier, there is those extra challenges, smoke particularly in the north-east has been a really significant issue, but it’s pleasing to note that with smoke clearing in Gippsland, we have been able do a number of airlifts to get people out of Mallacoota and again, the brigadier might want to update you on that or he can provide further information fur interested.

Updated

Hi everyone, and thanks to Amy Remeikis for keeping us up to date this morning.

The Victorian premier is just giving an update on the bushfires in that state now. I’ll bring you that in a moment.

For now, some distressing images are coming out of south-west Sydney, near Voyager Point. That fire is currently listed as only at the “advice” level, but it is out-of-control.

This is the current RFS advice for that fire:

Current Situation

  • The fire is burning to the north of Voyager Point, near Orlando Crescent.
  • Conditions are easing.
  • Firefighters are working to slow the spread of the fire.

Advice

Voyager Point or Hammondville and surrounding areas:

  • Monitor the conditions.
  • Activate your bush fire survival plan.
  • Know what you will do if the fire threatens.
  • Be alert for embers that may be blown ahead of the fire. This may create spot fires that threaten property before the main fire front arrives.

Updated

I am going to hand you over to Chris Knaus for the evening.

For those wanting a quick catch up:

There are no emergency warnings in NSW at the moment, although the Eden fire is causing a bit of trouble.

There is one emergency warning in Victoria.

This emergency warning is being issued for Barwidgee, Bobinawarrah, Bowmans Forest, Buffalo Creek, Buffalo River, Carboor, Carboor East, Carboor Upper, Dandongadale, Edi Upper, Everton, Gapsted, Kneebones Gap, Markwood, Meadow Creek, Merriang, Merriang South, Milawa, Mount Buffalo, Myrtleford, Nug Nug, Rose River, Whorouly, Whorouly East, Whorouly South.

Cooler conditions are giving a slight reprieve – firefighters are using it for shift changes and to attempt to get some more containment lines strengthened.

There is some rain in some areas of the south coast, but not enough to make a difference.

The ADF is continuing to evacuate people in Mallacoota – everyone who wants out should be able to leave today.

Scott Morrison has defended his leadership again, including releasing an ad detailing the government’s ADF response.

Again – thank you. Please, take care of you.

Updated

There are not a lot of flights coming in or out of Canberra at the moment.

Here is one of the reasons why:

Updated

Scott Morrison is asked what his message is, to the world at large, which is watching, and told that the social media hashtag is “Australia is on fire”.

His response is brief.

Thank you for your support.

Updated

He is again asked about his leadership during this crisis:

The response you are seeing rolled out here in Australia at a state and commonwealth level is unprecedented. This is the largest single call out ever of defence force reservists, working together with our fall time defence forces to provide support which this country has never seen before.

On top of that, the financial support that will be provided, I made more announcements about that yesterday, but already some 25 million working in close partnership with the states and territories.

What matters is the resources are made available on the ground, the delivery of services necessary in the building and recovery effort that we will see in the future, the focus on the work that needs to be done, by the commissioner, the premier and the major general.

Updated

Scott Morrison is asked if he has apologised to Shane Fitzsimmons for not telling him in advance about the ADF deployment – he says he has already done that.

Updated

The defence force chief Angus Campbell is also there.

Updated

Shane Fitzsimmons though, seizes the chance to provide another update:

I can confirm that we have still got 150 fires across New South Wales, we are certainly seeing an easing of condition right across the state, has even been a bit of drizzle down on the south coast, and it certainly is a welcome reprieve, it is psychological relief if nothing else, all the communities being affected by these fires, but unfortunately it is not putting out the fires, it is not helping us with the furthering of the work of backburning and consolidation, so we will have to wait and see this moisture dissipated so we can get on with the important work of containment lines and backburning and consolidation right across the enormity of these playgrounds are.

Hundreds of thousands of hectares, as a matter of fact, millions of hectares currently in New South Wales, and we will do that right to the coming week before we see a return to these warm and windy conditions at the end of the week.

All our fires are off the emergency warning level, we have nine at the watch and act alert level which is indicative of ongoing fire behaviour and potential, and fire still burning in and around lots of communities.

A lot of damage and destruction, so roads are being assessed and repaired and being made good, so people, please sustain your vigilance, maintain the focus, yes, we can take a bit of a reprieve in the weather conditions but what we have to do is remain focused, complacency kills, and we still have a long part of this summer to go.

Gladys Berejiklian is very quick:

It is good to be here and to continue to work together, the defence forces have already been embedded in our operations intimately in New South Wales, a significant number of months, and we are grateful for the report we have seen today, with this ongoing close working relationship.

The prime minister doesn’t want a press conference – he mentions both he and the premier had “fairly lengthy” ones already today, and they need to move on.

There is a cabinet meeting tomorrow, as well as a meeting of the national security committee of cabinet.

Updated

Scott Morrison visits Nowra

The prime minister, who said he would join Gladys Berejiklian and Shane Fitzsimmons today, is in Nowra.

I want to thank you premier for the close work and the relationship we have had over many months as we work through all of these fires.

...And also thank you, commissioner Fitzsimmons, for your leadership going back to August for you, and I note that puts a very heavy load on you, and despite that, you turn up fresh every single day, and it’s always a great encouragement to see that.

Has been a good opportunity for you and of course the commissioner in the premier and I to talk about the announcement that was made yesterday, and to address any range of issues to make sure we have close communication in place and looking forward to it being a very strong relationship going forward, as it indeed has been, due to the nature of the ADF and New South Wales operations for very long time.

Updated

NSW emergency services minister David Elliot has visited Wingello with deputy RFS commissioner, Rob Rogers.

The small village of about 300 people in the southern highlands was hit hard last night. At least six properties are confirmed destroyed – many of the along the main street. In the backstreets there are black paddocks and molten cars.

Elliot greets a number of firefighters there. They have had a big couple of days and tonight’s prospects are concerning. He asks a few of them what they need. “We’re good, thanks David, we’ve got everything”, one says.

Speaking to the ABC, Elliot says there are going to be huge concerns for mental health and trauma among the firefighters and affected residents.

He notes the mental health funding and services announced by the NSW government.

“My advice is if you need it, use it”, he says.

“Don’t be ashamed…we all need help.”

He’s also asked about going on holidays.

Elliot says that the holiday was planned with his family a long time ago, and that plan always included coming straight back if he was needed. He says that’s exactly what he did.

Updated

The ACT is expecting 100,000 P2 masks from the commonwealth tomorrow morning.

Updated

ACT chief minister Andrew Barr:

I know this is extraordinary bad air quality. This is an extraordinary situation and no-one wants to be in this situation but please, stay indoors and stay safe.

ACT residents told to stay indoors

Andrew Barr is addressing the media.

Canberra has the worst air quality in the world at the moment.

Barr says masks are coming (you should be able to get them at your local chemists, with some hardware stores also providing them) but he advises residents to avoid leaving their homes.

Again, the very best advice from ACT Health is the best way to limit your exposure to this smoke is to stay indoors. I want to repeat that, the best way, far and away, to avoid that smoke exposure is to stay indoors. Please do so.

Dangerous fire conditions will return

It may seem a bit better today but we are just in the eye of the storm, Victorian authorities say.

When you’ve had a rush of hot weather and you had people’s adrenaline up, and people can actually see the danger, they can see the fire, they can see the smoke, when that updates and you get a cool spell of weather and the weather will move in cycles, people definitely let their guard down.

There’s absolutely no doubt that. At the moment, I’m sure people will be thinking, ‘That’s all over for me. That’s the end of it.’

This is a slight reprieve in the weather. The danger is the fire conditions will return and we are saying to the community, the tourists and anyone else in the fire-affected area, this is simply a reprieve.

People need to be prepared to act again and when we put the call out to leave now or to self evacuate, please listen to those messages and move on.

Updated

[cont from previous post]

Likewise David and Denise Gatrell, who have set up camp on the water’s edge.

They evacuated from the village of Towanba, near Eden, last week. First they moved to Eden, then, like John, got sent into Merimbula last night.

“We decided to leave early because a fire was a new experience for us and we were worried we might panic if we stayed,” Denise said.

“We’ve been told the village is safe for now but the fire is apparently circling around the village so we don’t know.”

Just in the past few minutes a few things have happened. First, the fire in Eden was downgraded from emergency level to watch and act. Then the first aerial support anyone has seen for a while started flying overhead. And now, incredibly, it’s started to rain a little bit. Not enough to make much of a difference, I’d say, but enough to elicit a few cheers from the people camping here.

Updated

Greetings from Merimbula, just north of Eden on the New South Wales far south coast.

I’ve travelled over here today from the Snowy Mountains. After the drive I think I know how Frodo felt heading into Mordor. The light went from orange to red to black and then back again.

There are people scattered everywhere. The official evacuation centre at the Sapphire Club is at or near capacity, and a lot of people have just taken up residence in parks along the water’s edge.

I spoke to a few of them just a minute ago and they’re in remarkably good cheer despite what they’ve been through. A number of people have been evacuated twice, first into Eden and then, last night, into Merimbula.

Eden resident John Ironmonger got a knock on the door from the police at 5pm yesterday was told to get out. Like everyone here, he had no idea whether his property had come under threat and is staying put with a friend for the time being.

“I don’t know when I’ll get back into Eden and to be honest I wouldn’t want to go back yet,” he said. “It was pretty bad yesterday. The sky was much darker than it is here and we didn’t really know what was happening.

“The information wasn’t really coming through other than the local ABC which is all we’ve been relying on. If the house goes it goes, we’re here and we’re safe.

“Everyone here has just been shuffled around from place to place.”

Updated

But the reprieve is not predicted to last long:

So while we have these cooler temperatures now, they say by Thursday we should start to see a return of the 40-degree temperatures north of the Great Dividing Range and high 30s south, and weather modelling is indicating another windy weather change Thursday or Friday this week.

So while we have relaxed those warnings, we expect emergency warnings to return to the landscape with those dangerous conditions later in the week.

Updated

There’s an update on the East Gippsland fires:

So the cool weather, all that means is we have a bit of time to take a breath in the firefight, we have a bit of time to refocus, we have a bit of time to readjust and to try and somehow come to grips with what we have been seeing in the last few days in East Gippsland.

In East Gippsland so far, we have seen nearly 800,000 hectares of forest and farmland affected by fire.

And we expect that still to continue to grow as the conditions deteriorate again later this week.

So we are asking the community at the moment if they do want to return to their properties, and their access is clear, it is safe to do that at the minute but that they continue to still need to watch and monitor the VicEmergency app and as emergencies and situations change, that they act and heed those warnings and get out of the way of these fires as they move through the landscape.

Updated

Looks like the M5 is moving again, if you, or someone you know, were stuck on that.

It was silly at the time too. Anyone with a newborn, an elderly loved one, or just respiratory issues which make them more vulnerable are in distress. Even if they live in high-rise buildings and vote differently from the Queensland MP.

Updated

P2 masks are coming to Canberra.

They are sold out across the capital, and with mail deliveries still suspended and planes increasingly unable to land, there has been no word on when they would be restocked.

Updated

John Howard continued:

“It is going to go on for some weeks. And the loss of life has been quite tragic. Any loss of life is tragic in a disaster like this, although the scale in Victoria of some 10 years ago – was close to 180 people – perhaps it is a reflection on the more compact nature of Victoria and more people living in houses very close to the bush.

What is inspiring out of all of the gloom and personal grief and loss is the volunteer spirit. They are magnificent, those men and women who do the volunteer firefighting. It is something that I think is going around the world ...

What is really amazing is the response to the fact that we have all these volunteers who come out, day after day, hour after hour. I’ve got friends who are doing it and it is just part and parcel of life.

And it is a reminder of our bush origins too. And that’s something that is quite important.

So it is a terrible tragedy and we haven’t seen the end of it yet, but it does bring out the very best in us. And that’s something we ought to be incredibly grateful for amidst the terrible sadness of young men being killed in the service of saving their neighbours.

Updated

I turned 80 last year, so from that perspective, I can’t recall such a long phase of smoke haze,” John Howard tells ABC Grandstand about the fires.

What is different about this set of bushfires is both the intensity and the spread. To have them in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and not long ago in parts of Queensland at the same time is different.

Governor general is a quiet achiever

For those who have been asking where David Hurley has been, the governor general has been out and about. He’s just been a bit quieter about it.

Updated

The latest update from VicEmergency is out:

This watch and act message is being issued for Castleburn, Cobbannah, Cowa, Crooked River, Dargo, Grant, Shepherdson, Tabberabbera, Talbotville, Waterford, Wongungarra, Treasures.

  • The bushfires north and east of Dargo, Tabberabbera and surrounding areas are not yet under control.
  • Fire activity has subsided in today’s benign weather conditions.
  • Use this time to review your bushfire plan and make any changes needed.

Updated

John Howard has had a busy day. He took a call from Scott Morrison this morning and has just popped into the Sydney ABC 702 cricket commentary box.

Updated

Conditions in Victoria have eased but there is no end in sight to the danger.

Updated

In case you missed it ...

In case you missed Shane Fitzsimmons this morning, here you go:

Updated

Updated

Big four bank ANZ says it will donate at least $1m to bushfire relief, including $300,000 for volunteer fire services in NSW, Victoria and South Australia and $500,000 for local community support services and home loan customers who face financial hardship after their houses burned down.

It comes after accounting firm KPMG on Friday pledged a bushfire donation at the same time as it cancelled its annual couta boat race for chief executives.

All the banks also have hardship programs in place for customers hit by the fires.

Updated

The border fire has been downgraded to watch and act.

Updated

Victoria’s Country Fire Authority has asked people in Freeburgh, Harrietville, Smoko, Wandiligong and surrounding areas in the state’s high country to evacuate because multiple fires in the district are not yet under control.

The CFA warns those who stay that emergency services may not be able to help them.

A relief centre is open at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre.

Updated

Smoke stops premier's plane from landing

Daniel Andrews has had to delay his press conference, the ABC reports, because his plane can’t land due to smoke.

Updated

On Wonboyn, where up to 30 people sheltered in a NSW RFS shed after they were cut off by the border fire, the RFS is working on accessing them today.

“There’s a search and rescue operation for those who may still be trapped in townships such as Wonboyn,” the RFS’s Ben Shepherd told the ABC.

Getting supplies to them will probably have to come by sea.

Updated

Helen Davidson has arrived in Wingello.

She says six homes have been confirmed to have been destroyed so far, with another four in Bundanoon.

If you need help with the government’s disaster management payment application, Centrelink call centres are open.

Disaster payment line 180 22 66 open today until 5pm AEDT.

Updated

Meanwhile New Zealand police have had to ask people in Auckland to stop calling their version of 000, because the sky (orange, as the sunlight is filtered through Australia’s bushfire smoke) is freaking them out.

Updated

Latest update on the NSW fires:

Updated

Meanwhile, Australia has reached “pray for” status on social media thanks to French footballer Kylian Mbappé’s efforts on Instagram and Twitter.

Earlier today the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who has more than 37m followers on Instagram, urged his followers on both social media platforms to #prayforaustralia.

So far the Instagram version of the message has more than 2m likes.

View this post on Instagram

🇦🇺🙏🏽... #PrayForAustralia

A post shared by Kylian Mbappé (@k.mbappe) on

Updated

Celeste Barber’s fundraiser is now at $21.5m.

She started it on 3 January.

The government pledged $26m for additional aerial support on Saturday. Barber’s fundraising could top that.

Updated

Here is the latest warning on the Eden fire:

Current Situation

  • The fire crossed the Victorian border and spread rapidly following a strong southerly change.
  • The fire is burning south of Eden.
  • The fire has impacted the areas of Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds.
  • The fire also spread on its western edge near Burragate.
  • Building impact assessment teams will be deployed to assess damage to properties.

Advice

Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds

  • The fire has moved through this area.
  • Monitor the conditions and know what you will do if the fire threatens.
  • Be alert for falling trees and branches.
  • A number of roads are fire affected, blocked or closed.

Burragate and Towamba

  • Monitor changing conditions and remain in place.
  • Seek shelter as the fire approaches and protect yourself from the heat of the fire.
  • A number of roads are blocked and closed.
  • Be alert to embers and spot fires.
  • Be aware of the danger of falling trees and branches.

Wyndham, Rocky Hall, Nethercote, Eden and surrounds

  • Monitor the conditions and know what you will do if the fire threatens.
  • If your plan is to leave, or you are not prepared, leave towards Merimbula or Pambula.
  • Be alert for falling trees and branches.
  • Local roads may be affected by fire, blocked or closed.

The areas of Merimbula, Pambula and surrounds are not under threat.

According to the Live Traffic App, there is a section of the M5 which is closed in both directions between Henry Lawson Drive and Heathcote Rd in Hammondville because of thick smoke from nearby fires.

The border fire (which was renamed overnight as fires on the Victorian and NSW border merged) is still the one fire crews are most worried about.

That is the one that is impacting Eden.

Updated

More totally normal things.

Updated

Reports flights are being diverted because of the smoke.

Updated

Cooma is also dealing with the flooding impacts of a 4.5m-litre water tank exploding.

Updated

Asked if Labor could also be accused of playing politics with this – which is what it is accusing the government of having done – Ed Husic has this to say:

I am happy if people get me for the strength of my criticism that I have levelled today, but I think a lot of people will be hopping mad that the way this has been managed at the national level by this government has been found wanting, either drawing national or international criticism about the way they have been going.

But I think it is absolutely right to call out some of this stuff because we expect, deserve, and should see it coming out of this government.

And I think it’s important that this be called out now in an effort to see better emerge.

Because people in those communities, they need support, they need serious support. They don’t need it after the event, they need it right now.

Updated

Ed Husic is speaking to David Speers about the government’s response and the ad:

I was genuinely concerned that the RFS commissioner’s intervention demonstrated something deeper, which is potentially that the RFS had not been consulted or engaged early enough or substantively enough in the federal government’s response that was hurriedly announced yesterday, because they are saying it will take time for them to integrate what has been proposed with their own efforts.

So it was not just an issue of communication, it’s an issue of consultation. It’s an issue of using resources in a timely and effective way.

And I think we should be all hopping mad about this. And if I can say, I think what the federal government, the way they have been managing this, has either been mean-spirited, flat-footed, or in some cases wrongfooted, and we are absolutely entitled to expect better in terms of the quality of leadership than we are seeing at the national level. It is just plain wrong.

Updated

More advice about Eden from NSW RFS

Ben Shepherd from the NSW RFS just clarified the Eden advice (in case there was any further confusion) on the ABC:

As you just mentioned we did have the fire move across the border yesterday afternoon and move quickly through the areas of one point and move towards Eden.

As you mentioned it is still safe for people to move up that roadway towards Merimbula but that road may be closed at short notice.

For those people where the path is not clear, it is best to move inside a house or solid structure as the fire moves through to protect you from the heat of the fire.

There are fire trucks in the area. There is reduced visibility.

We need people to start today and know what they will do when the fire threatened ...

Ideally if people have the time to move, we would like them to move on.

Being outside, especially as a fire moves through, you are exposed to the smoke and embers, which is not pleasant obviously.

If they have time to move to places like Merimbula which is safer than in the Eden township we are asking people to follow those orders. We will continue to provide alerts as they come to hand as well. People should be following those directions.

Updated

Totally normal things.

Updated

Ian Campbell, the emergency operations spokesman for the Bega Valley shire council, has just spoken to ABC local radio about the situation in Eden and its surrounds. He says most residents have already left the town. But the message to those who remain is to monitor the situation closely.

He said: ”Many people have left Eden this morning on the back of advice from NSW police and the Rural Fire Service. Certainly for those still in Eden, it’s crucial that you monitor conditions, get yourself in a safe place, and be aware of what’s going on.”

It’s clear that properties just south of Eden have already been lost. Fire and Rescue NSW units in Eden reported an hour ago that they had just attended a house on Jim McMahon Drive in Kiah. A “very slow fire” was travelling through the area and had destroyed some homes.

Updated

And for those needing help with their insurance claims.

Updated

So much of our wildlife is in distress.

Australia’s smoke is still reaching New Zealand.

Updated

Journalists on the ground in Eden are reporting police told people gathered at the Eden wharf they had to evacuate unless they were fully prepared to protect their property.

Many of those people have moved north to Merimbula, which also looks like the gates of hell have been opened.

Updated

Eden evacuation confusion

Just a little update on the situation in Eden.

There is some conflicting information coming out about evacuation advice.

Police and the Bega Valley shire council are telling people to leave to Merimbula or Bega immediately.

But the Rural Fire Service says no evacuation order is in place for Eden.

We’re trying to get some clarity on this.

Updated

In his press conference earlier, Scott Morrison argued that his government had always drawn the link between climate change and the bush fires and that was not in dispute.

Someone may want to tell backbencher Craig Kelly that.

Not 24 hours ago, he was on BBC radio in the UK telling listeners that scientists claim there is no link between the fires, the drought, and climate change:

HOST: So just to be clear, Mr Kelly. I want to be clear in what you’re saying. You are saying there is no link between these fires in your view and global climate change?

KELLY: Well, firstly there is no link. The facts that cause the fires are the drought and the drying of the environment and on this our climate scientists down here have been very clear and they have said that there is no link between drought and climate change.

This claim seems to be the one often evoked on Sky News. The claim that the climate scientist who they quote has repeatedly said is being misquoted.

When asked if he was speaking for many Australians, Labor MP Catherine King explained where Kelly sits:

HOST: But Mr Kelly is speaking, isn’t he, for many Australians who don’t believe this and who believe the economy depends on mining jobs and this is in many ways a damaging plot to undermine the Australian economy.

KELLY: *Chuckles* ... That’s not exactly right, but anyway ...

HOST: You’ll have a chance to put it in your own words in a second, Mr Kelly. Catherine King first.

KING: To be quite honest, within the parliament Craig is seen well on the far fringe of these issues. He’s certainly not seen in the middle of these issues. Craig would be one of the people who is on the far right of the climate change debate. I think he would perhaps not describe himself as that, but he doesn’t speak for many Australians. He speaks for a small proportion of Australians who have those views.

Updated

Eden evacuations

The situation is deteriorating in Eden on the far south coast. A bushfire moved quickly up from the NSW-Victorian border last night, as the southerly change moved up the coast and turned fires northward. The fire, dubbed the “border fire”, burned last night from the Victorian border to the southern shores of Twofold Bay.

It has already affected the areas of Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds. Properties have been damaged and building impact assessment teams will be deployed to assess the destruction.

The border fire is threatening the town of Eden. An update posted on the Bega Valley shire council’s website a short while ago warned Eden residents, including those in Snug Cove Wharf, to leave now and head to Merimbula or Bega. Authorities were still attempting to define the fire line near Eden.

“Eden residents, if you are not prepared to mentally and physically defend you house, leave now,” the advice read. “If you are in the areas of Burragate and Towamba, it is too late to leave. The RFS is advising that you seek shelter as the fire approaches and protect yourself from the heat of the fire.”

Authorities say Merimbula, Pambula and surrounding areas are not under threat. The Princess Highway remains closed at Broadwater to southbound traffic.

We’re also getting reports that journalists in Eden to cover the far south coast bushfires are being told to evacuate.

Updated

NORTHERN TERRITORY

* No bushfires

* Five homes confirmed destroyed

ACT

* No bushfires

* Significant smoke haze from interstate blazes

Updated

QUEENSLAND

* About 30 bushfires burning

* 250,000 hectares burned

* 45 homes confirmed destroyed

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

* 30 bushfires burning

* 1.5m hectares burned

* One home confirmed destroyed

TASMANIA

* 23 bushfires burning, three of significance

* 30,000ha burned

* Two homes confirmed destroyed

Updated

Just to update you on the fire situation across the country. Here is what is happening in each state (via AAP):

NSW

* 18 people dead

* 150 bushfires burning, 64 uncontained

* More than 3.6m hectares burned, greater than the size of Belgium

* 1,365 homes confirmed destroyed but number expected to rise significantly

VICTORIA

* Two people dead, seven missing

* About 40 bushfires burning

* More than 970,000ha burned

* 330 structures confirmed destroyed but significantly more expected

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

* Three people dead

* 15 bushfires burning, four of significance

* More than 200,000ha burned

* 88 homes confirmed destroyed but number expected to rise significantly

Updated

The Brumbies are (temporarily) leaving Canberra because of the air quality.

Updated

Seven people missing in Victoria

The number of people missing in Victoria has risen from six to seven, the police minister, Lisa Neville, says.

Neville and the emergency services commissioner, Andrew Crisp, have been speaking to the media.

She says the state of disaster declared on Thursday will “continue today and for the next few days”.

The state of disaster, which gives the government extraordinary powers, will stay in place to help authorities deliver relief to fire-hit communities and “because we also now are facing some more spike days, particularly Thursday and Friday and particularly up in that north-east area where we have got those active fires that have spread and moved around,” Neville says.

Crisp says the emergency is not over.

“It is still dynamic, it is still dangerous,” he says.

“You need to be aware of the conditions where you are at the moment.”

The rain will allow emergency services to get into communities that have been cut off but will not end the danger, he says.

“In terms of people thinking that the rain is going to put the fires out, that’s not the case. There is such a drought, there has been such a drought, particularly in these Gippsland areas, we know these fires are with us for a long time.”

Updated

So much of the country looks like this at the moment:

Thick smoke blankets the Monaro high plains west of Cooma this morning .
Thick smoke blankets the Monaro high plains west of Cooma this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Coalition MP again says 'no link' in climate change and fires

My colleague Josh Taylor will have more for you on this in a moment, but Craig Kelly went on BBC radio a little earlier and said there was no link between climate change and these fires.

He was representing the government when he said it.

Well firstly there is no link. The facts that cause the fires are the drought and the drying of the environment and on this our climate scientists down here have been very clear and they have said that there is no link between drought and climate change.

Labor’s Catherine King, who was also being interviewed, explained that Kelly was on the far right.

Someone might need to let Scott Morrison know, given his comments this morning:

I have to correct the record here. I have seen a number of people suggest that somehow the government does not make this connection. The government has always made this connection and that has never been in dispute.

Updated

This is distressing but this is just some of what people are dealing with and will have to continue dealing with over the next few weeks and months, so it is important.

Updated

Victorian authorities say that everyone who wants to get out of Mallacoota should be able to evacuate today.

There are also supplies coming into the town for those who choose to stay.

Updated

Richard Marles on the other hand, did not beat around the bush:

The first thing besides this, the Australian defence force has to be above party politics. Scott Morrison and the Liberal party do not own the Australian army. They don’t. Yesterday was one of the worst weather days in this horrendous fire season. And what the prime minister chose to do on that day was to go out and make a party political ad. I mean, we need, in a time of national crisis, national leadership.

We need a prime minister who is the prime minister for all Australians, irrespective of how they vote. But if Scott Morrison can’t see himself as being anything more than a Liberal party agent, then ultimately he is not the prime minister for anyone. I mean, what this is about and what we saw this morning is the loss of homes.

This is about the loss of lives. This is an unprecedented event which is enormously scary for the whole nation. And what we need is a government which is there providing support for people, providing a sense of comfort, and providing national leadership.

What this is not about is the popularity of the prime minister. What this is not about is Liberal party polling.

What this is not about is making a party political ad. And what this is not about is Scott Morrison’s own image.

Updated

Anthony Albanese held a press conference at the same time as Scott Morrison. As per the transcript, he was asked about Morrison’s leadership and Shane Fitzsimmons’ criticisms and said he was “determined, during this crisis, to not focus on Scott Morrison” but rather on the people affected by the fires.

But he did also mention this:

It really is up to the prime minister to explain how it is that he was able to ring the police commissioner about Angus Taylor but didn’t ring the commissioner for the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales about a significant change in policy and strategy that he announced yesterday.

Updated

People in an area near Mt Buffalo have been told to get out before it gets too dangerous to leave.

The area, which stretches from Whorouly South in the north down to the Rose River in the south, is west of an area surrounding Lake Buffalo which the Country Fire Authority ordered evacuated overnight.

A bushfire near Lake Buffalo is burning out of control and there are reports of embers falling into the area around Dandongadale, to the south of the lake, the CFA said.

The CFA said the fire was moving north and heavy smoke over the entire area would make driving dangerous.

They had about six hours to leave, the authority said in a warning issued at 10.47am.

People in the Buffalo River Valley should use the Buffalo River Rd to drive towards Myrtleford, those in South Whorouly and the Carboor area should use the Snow Rd to drive to Wangaratta, the CFA said.

Meanwhile, fresh watch and act warnings have been issued in some of the areas that have already been hit by fires. These include Mallacoota and the Upper Murray area, including Corryong and Walwa.

Updated

The last bit on Scott Morrison, on why he thinks there has been criticism of his response to this emergency:

What I have noticed in these disasters, which has been – I was talking to prime minister John Howard this morning, former prime minister Howard this morning – in comparison with things that were dealt with in the past, there has always been, I think, a good understanding of the first responder nature of state governments.

But on this occasion, I think the scale of things has been calling for a more – the role of national agencies, which have been there as I’ve stressed, but how that flows on to these other questions of state responsibilities of hazard reduction and planning and development laws and things of that nature, that’s fundamentally a discussion for the federation.

I think people like things to be as local as possible.

They want things to be delivered as locally as possible. That’s always been my inclination.

You can have no doubt that we will provide the national perspective on this and integration and coordination using the authorities that we have.

People want to see that and just as those wanted to see what we’ve announced yesterday and we built up to now for several weeks.

So we will work together to do all those things. That’s the key. We’ve got to work together. We are working together. We are working together incredibly well. That is important, especially for the many months we’ve got to go on this issue.

Updated

No safe place in Eden.

Updated

The fire has crossed the Victorian border.

Residents are being told to move on futher to Bega or Merimbula - the wharf is no longer considered safe.

Eden urgently evacuated

Eden looks absolutely horrendous.

People have been told to get out now.

Updated

On his previous comments on hazard reduction, Scott Morrison also walks that back a little as well:

Let me be clear first about the comments I made on hazard reduction.

They’ve been in response to questions like yours just now and they have also reflected what I have been told on the ground.

Whether it’s in East Gippsland or other parts of the country. So it would be no surprise to anyone who was closely associated with this, that that is a matter that I would say has been most commonly raised when I’ve been out and about.

You’re correct to say those issues are overseen entirely by state governments. As many of the other issues that will come into play – whether it’s planning and zoning laws and building codes and things of that nature. They are state responsibilities. What is important, I think, in the first instance, is to have a proper consideration of what the contribution of those factors are and what state and territory governments may do in response to those.

Morrison has previously raised hazard reduction when asked about the government’s climate change policies. Authorities have repeatedly said they did as many burns as they could, but the safe time of when they could carry out hazard reduction burns has been shortened – it is getting warmer, quicker, and the drought is exasperating fuel loads, meaning it is harder to get in and do the burns. (I wonder what could be causing that.)

Updated

What would we do differently next summer?

Scott Morrison (who is not at all impacted by the commentary, despite constantly bringing it up):

Every summer we handle it differently. Every summer we handle it better. Every summer the response that is provided and the improved response that is provided undoubtedly ensures that we save more lives and save more homes and properties and we save more livelihoods. There’s no doubt about that. After every event like this, we will all work together to do it better next time. I must say, as I said many months ago, our response to these calamitous bushfires is world leading.

Australia’s firefighters, emergency services, Australia’s defence forces, are world leaders in responding to these events. That is on display out there now.

As much as there will always be frustration when you cannot in all cases completely counteract the forces of nature, there will undoubtedly be shortfalls and frustrations, undoubtedly, but what you do is you identify them and you seek to improve on the way that you address those challenges again in the future, but one thing we can always rely on is the good nature and amazing spirit of the Australian people.

That assists greatly in how we respond to these crises and keeping the focus amongst our authorities on the things we need to focus on.

There are a lot of distractions out there at the moment. There’s a lot of commentary out there on issues that are a long way away from the things that matter most and that is getting help to the people who need it now.

Updated

Ultimately though, its the commentary which is to blame, according to Scott Morrison (who, for someone who is not attributing blame, brings this up several times):

Let me assure Australians, the purpose is to communicate as simply and helpfully as we possibly can about what the government is doing to get resources, to get supports, to those places that need it. It’s important, I think, that over-analysis of these things can create unnecessary anxiety and we’re simply seeking to help people know what we’re doing.

It wasn’t a Liberal party-sponsored ad. It was authorised by me, the leader of the Liberal party, the only thing can I post on my page. That is the same thing that applies to other politicians in Australia. It is simply complying with requirements of Australian law and to infer from that that there was some other purpose in these communications I reject absolutely, absolutely and the commentary on that along those lines, I think, is false.


Updated

On the ad Scott Morrison’s office released yesterday (complete with that ridiculous backing track), Morrison says:

I think this issue received a lot of attention. Let me stress that the postings we’ve made in messages has been to inform the community about what the commonwealth government is doing. That is what we must do. Wherever I’ve been, people have said, ‘What are you doing? What are you providing?’

It’s important that I communicate what we are doing with the Australian people. As much as we’d all like to only rely on the reporting of the media to get that information out, I would also seek to carry that message directly to the Australian people to ensure they are aware of what we are doing.

This is the same format that’s been used to communicate these messages now for months, including the sorts of images you have referred to, and no objection has previously been made when that has been done.

There’s been some talk of the authorisation that sits on the end of that video message. That is a requirement of Australian law. It is not something that I can post on my social media page without carrying that authorisation. That does not mean it is a political message in any way, shape or form. It is just complying with Australian law.

Updated

On whether or not the government was prepared – because, you know, the prime minister and the defence minister were out of the country, Scott Morrison says:

As I have said on a number of occasions, we had similar fears going into last year’s fire season and they were not realised.

This year they have been realised and some. Well beyond even what the most severe predictions were.

And that is why the response that we have now escalated to has been lifted to that level.

There are many views in hindsight, and that is why you have ... the benefit of that hindsight to help you respond to future events, which no doubt will occur again in Australia.

Updated

But the point, Scott Morrison says, is that we all keep working together:

I mean, one part of this fire crisis and catastrophe across the country, which is not unprecedented in one way, but its extent is more extreme than we have seen, and that is the smoke and the haze that sits over this city, that sits over my home in Sydney, and many affected areas, and that smoke apart from its direct health effects, really does, I think, impact on people’s sense of wellbeing, and that can have broader impacts about how people are feeling through these events.

And despite all that I have been so impressed by the calmness and support people have provided.

I understand that, I really do. Jenny and I understand it, our kids are here, they can breathe the smoke like everybody else, and we have the same concerns that others do who would be in an area that is not impacted directly by fire. But it makes it very ever-present in people’s minds.

I can understand how that contributes to how people are feeling about this issue around the country, and that is acknowledged, but what most importantly what is needed is that we just keep working together, and we are.

Updated

On the blame that the Greens have been getting for this fire crisis (and Scott Morrison himself has raised the issue of hazard reduction at every opportunity, most notably when asked about the government’s climate change policies), Morrison launches into a monologue on blame:

There has been a lot of blame being thrown around. And now is a time to focus on the response that is being made.

Plenty of people have blamed me, people have blamed the Greens, people have blamed ... Who knows?

Blame. It doesn’t help anybody at this time, and over-analysis of those things is not a productive exercise.

The appropriate exercise at the moment is coming together, as David [Littleproud] was just saying.

That is the other piece of feedback that I get in response to a lot of the noise and blame and commentary and analysis on particular issues that are a long way away from the main issue which we need to focus on, and it is a frustration in elements of the community that too much attention has been placed on that at the moment and there is a need for the community to want to come together, despite the great frustration.

Despite the heavy sense of loss and the heavy sense of grief and the fear.

Updated

Asked whether the government can still deliver its promised surplus, Scott Morrison says:

Based on my media statement and my discussions with the treasurer, the treasurer is a member of the national security committee as is the minister for finance and we consider those matters yesterday, and the commitments that we can make, particularly what is needed right now, we can meet within our budget requirements as they are currently assessed.

Obviously as you go into the budget, there are other economic parameters which will impact on that ultimate outcome, and I can’t foreshadow those at this present point in time but based on the financial position that was outlined not that long ago in the media statement, that enables us particularly ... to be in a position and next year to be able to provide significant support.”

That’s not an answer, you may note.

Updated

Defence minister admits Bali holiday.

Samantha Maiden gets Linda Reynolds to admit that she was also overseas on holidays during this crisis (it took quite a few repeated questions)

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 prime minister, with Minister Littleproud constantly.

Maiden: So you haven’t been out of the country?

Reynolds: I have had a holiday with my family.

Maiden: Was that in Bali?

Reynolds: Yes it was. I spent a few days with my family yes.

So that is the prime minister (Hawaii), the defence minister (Bali) and the NSW emergency services minister (Europe) who all left the country this bushfire season

In terms of “meet and beat”, apart from the accounting trick of using the Kyoto credits there is also the issue of the amount of carbon these fires have released. You burn all that land, including the soil, and it will have a fairly significant impact.

Updated

On whether or not Scott Morrison will talk to allies about what they are doing, he again uses the “meet and beat” line:

I participate in these discussions globally at this time and if you look at what is occurring in the United States and you look at what their emissions trajectory is currently, you will note that it is not increasing, and whether that is done and it is achieved in isolation as an individual country or how they choose to engage in an international agreement is ultimately a matter for sovereign governments to determine.

Other governments are engaged in their commitments but I am pleased Australia is one of the countries that can say that this year, as we face this crisis, as climate change has impacted on the world’s weather patterns that has led to where we are here today to some extent, combined with many other factors, the drought being the most significant, that right now, Australia is beating the commitments that have been made in 2020, and there are very few countries that can make that claim, so in terms of our response, particularly what we have been able to do, it means our emissions per year are 50m tonnes less on average each year then when we first came to government.

This is something that has been achieved through many efforts but they included the efforts of the government as well to ensure we can be in that position and meet the targets we have. We will continue to engage in those forums but most importantly we will continue to carry our share of that burden and demonstrate that through the way that we are going to meet and beat our emissions reduction targets to ensure we can have the proper effect on global temperatures.

Updated

The government continues to rewrite history on its position on climate change and how it has linked to disasters. Asked whether Australia will exert diplomatic pressure on its allies – such as the US – to do more on emissions reductions, Scott Morrison says:

I should stress that there is no dispute in this country about the issue of climate change, globally, and its effect on global weather patterns, and that includes how that impacts in Australia.

I have to correct the record here. I have seen a number of people suggest that somehow the government does not make this connection.

The government has always made this connection and that has never been in dispute.

What we are focused on is what our response is and we set that out very clearly and that response, as it always has, will continue to be upgraded to make sure we have met the commitments we have made.

And before the PMO calls me, the total of this “always accepts” before this crisis, was pointing to a statement Morrison delivered in February, which mentioned climate change “among a number of other factors” as being to blame for worsening natural disasters.

The deputy prime minister, at the beginning of this emergency, said it was only “raving inner-city lunatics” who were making the link between climate change and the worsening bushfire season, which was backed up by several members of the government.

Updated

He also defends what has been done to date – and says the government had acted as quickly as it needed to.

Updated

PM defends his handling of crisis

Scott Morrison has also once again defended his handling of the crisis, and his leadership.

I continue to demonstrate what we’ve been doing through our actions.

There has been plenty of criticism. I’ve had the benefit of a lot of analysis on a lot of issues. But I can’t be distracted by that.

The public I know are not distracted by that.

What they need us to focus on, all of us actually, all of us, focusing on the needs and the communities in getting the support it needs.

That is very much my focus and that’s where it will continue to be, working closely with the states and territories, working closely with my ministers and the agencies, the defence forces, the recovery agency, to be led by Mr Colvin and ensuring they have the support they need.

Updated

The prime minister has also ruled out a disaster recovery levy to help pay for the recovery.

There will be no levy.

We have been assuring people that we have been in a position to deal with matters such as this.

And so we will be committing everything that is needed and more as it is required.

We will be considering the details of that but there is already a firm proposal that was considered by national security committee yesterday about what the initial investment will be and I will make further announcements about that with the treasurer tomorrow, and will be focusing on what the needs are and ensuring it is met. I will give further details about that tomorrow after it has been considered by cabinet.

Updated

Scott Morrison has again defended the funding his government provided to the nation’s firefighting capabilities ahead of this crisis.

Updated

Things are moving very quickly at Eden:

Updated

It looks like Scott Morrison is trying to walk back some of the damage from yesterday’s “commonwealth stepped in, because NSW wasn’t asking”, which went out to some media outlets yesterday.

Asked about NSW RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmon’s frustration at not being told about the ADF deployment, he says:

I want to stress the decisions we took yesterday and enacted yesterday were statements all about the scale of this crisis.

It is in no way a statement on the performance of the state and territory agencies.

I have been consistently complimentary and remain absolute complimentary of their extraordinary work.

And without their work, without the planning, without the preparations, I fear what has really been a terrible tragedy would have been far worse. And so we have enjoyed, as the commissioner himself has said, a strong working relationship.

There was a breakdown in communications at the defence liaison level with the headquarters yesterday, but that matter was addressed by the minister for defence as she made comment about that this morning in the media.

And so there has been a subsequent conversation between myself and the premier, and the minister ... and we have addressed any of those issues that arose from that. We communicated the decision as soon as it had been made.

Updated

Doesn’t look like we have an Auslan interpreter at this press conference.

The government should probably start considering that.

Andrew Colvin to lead national bushfire recovery agency

The former AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin will head up the national bushfire recovery agency, which will report to minister, David Littleproud.

Updated

Scott Morrison says the commonwealth services will be working in conjunction with what the states are doing, but he won’t be seeking matching contributions from the states for the commonwealth funding.

Updated

The government is also announcing mental health support:

“Those who have been in some of these areas will know that this fire and the haze and the fear and the quite extreme conditions will have had a profound impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people in these communities, not just in those areas where people are resident but people that would have been there during these fires.

“It’s important we are addressing the mental health needs as well as the many other health needs that will need to be addressed.

“This organisation will be stood up for at least two years and we will be able to talk more about its funding arrangements in the not-too-distant future after cabinet considers the formal proposals, which are coming forward and have already been considered by the national security committee.

Updated

Our neighbours are offering us more defence support.

Scott Morrison:

The ADF is engaging with the New Zealand defence force and the Singapore armed forces to identify options for the kind offers of military support they have generously put forward ... And the Papua New Guinea government has made similar offers through the prime minister to me directly, which has been passed on to the ADF for consideration.

Updated

Emergency warning for border fire

Updated

Scott Morrison says he’ll join the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and NSW RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, later today.

You’ll know why eyebrows would be heading a little skyward at that if you have followed along with the relations between the two governments over the past 24 hours. But this is about reassuring the public they are working well together, despite the political games that have been played.

Updated

Scott Morrison press conference

The prime minister is in Canberra, holding a press conference updating on what the ADF has been doing.

In the last 24 hours, in Victoria, navy support, navy ships evacuated 1,100 isolated persons from Mallacoota and the MV Sycamore arrived in Western Port this morning on the Mornington Peninsula with 61 evacuees and pets. HMAS Choules arrived in Western Port, on Saturday, I should say, with some 1,100 evacuees.

Chinooks are also involved in evacuations.

The ADF is also working to clear roads as the recovery begins in some areas.

Updated

Here's what happened this morning

Just before the prime minister speaks, we’ll update you on what has happened so far this morning

  • A 47-year-old man suffered a heart attack and died helping a friend prepare his Batlow property against fire
  • Four firefighters have been injured overnight
  • Hundreds of homes have been lost in the southern NSW fires
  • More than 35,000 people remain without power in that same area
  • Canberra’s air quality is once again the worst in the world
  • The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, says NSW is facing something it has never seen before
  • The NSW RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, has expressed his “disappointment” the prime minister didn’t tell him about the additional ADF deployment ahead of the media announcement, although he welcomes it. The premier was informed.
  • The defence minister, Linda Reynolds, was conceded communication could have been better.

Updated

Essential Energy say 35,600 customers remain without power in southern NSW, a situation which is likely to remain for quite a few days.

Updated

The prime minister’s press conference is due to start any minute now.

Celeste Barber raises more than $18m

We updated you a little while ago on the fundraiser Celeste Barber started for the rural fire service reaching $16m. That has been surpassed again.

From AAP:

Comedian Celeste Barber has raised more than $18m million for fire services battling Australian blazes.

An Australian comedian who won over fans with her celebrity parodies on Instagram has helped raise a staggering $18m from 450,000 donations in three days.

Barber, who has 6.4m Instagram followers, drew pledges from as far the UK, US, France, Italy in her bid to raise $20m for the NSW Rural Fire Service.

NSW has raised more than $773,000, surpassing a $500,000 target, in one day.

There is growing global and celebrity support for bushfire fundraising efforts, with reality TV star Kim Kardashian West among those lending support by sharing social media links on how to donate.

Updated

Just below Mt Hotham:

Updated

Here is the latest advice on the border fire from the NSW RFS:

A bush fire is burning north from the Victorian border. The fire is more than 140,000ha and is out of control.

Current situation

  • The fire crossed the Victorian border and spread rapidly following a strong southerly change.
  • The fire is burning south of Eden.
  • The fire has impacted the areas of Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds.
  • The fire also spread on its western edge near Burragate.
  • Building impact assessment teams will be deployed to assess damage to properties.

Advice

If you are in the area of Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds, the fire has moved through this area. Monitor the conditions. Be alert for falling trees and branches.

If you are in the areas of Burragate and Towamba, monitor changing conditions and remain in place. Seek shelter as the fire approaches and protect yourself from the heat of the fire. A number of roads are blocked and closed. Be alert to embers and spot fires. Be aware of the danger of falling trees and branches.

If you are in the areas of Wyndham, Rocky Hall, Nethercote, Eden and surrounds, continue to monitor conditions and be prepared to act should conditions change.

The areas of Merimbula, Pambula and surrounds are not under any current threat.

Updated

This is one of the areas NSW authorities are worried about today.

Updated

The air quality in Canberra is getting no better.

Updated

Woolworths has given an update on which of its stores are open in the fire zones:

Woolworths bushfire update 10.30am Sunday 5 January10.30am

NSW

  • Woolworths Merimbula, Bega, Tura Beach and Narooma are open today but will operate limited trading hours due to team availability.
  • Woolworths Moruya is open but stock levels remain low and the store will operate limited hours today.
  • Woolworths Ulladulla is open but may need to close early due to team availability.
  • Woolworths Vincentia, Nowra and Culburra beach are open today.
  • Woolworths Batemans Bay remains closed. We are working to open the store today subject to power, team availability and safe access.
  • Woolworths Bermagui is likely to remain closed today due to access to the town, power and team availability.
  • Woolworths Jindabyne and Tumut have reopened after closing early yesterday due to nearby bushfires.
  • Woolworths Bowral and Mittagong in the Southern Highlands are open.

VIC

  • Woolworths Bright has reopened today after closing early yesterday.

Updated

It's cooler today – but it's far from over

The cooler conditions today don’t mean this is over, by any means.

Updated

This news clip on Seven Network is still doing the rounds – and for good reason.

Updated

The latest update from the NSW RFS has come out:

Food, water and other donations are flooding in.

There are also those hoping to help when it comes to livestock.

Updated

Here are some of the people Helen Davidson was talking about in her posts, captured by Jess Hromas.

Anita Khelawan drove up from St Marys in western Sydney with her family to deliver donations to affected communities on the south coast.
Anita Khelawan drove up from St Marys in western Sydney with her family to deliver donations to affected communities on the south coast. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Ali Kourouche drove up from Sydney to deliver donations to affected communities on the south coast.
Ali Kourouche drove up from Sydney to deliver donations to affected communities on the south coast. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
A Northern Territory fire crew that has been working the NSW south coast gets supplies from the staging ground at the rugby oval at Nowra.
A Northern Territory fire crew that has been working the NSW south coast gets supplies from the staging ground at the rugby oval at Nowra. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Mohammed Alhaje also drove up from Sydney with a tonne of water and other food supplies to donate to affected communities.
Mohammed Alhaje also drove up from Sydney with a tonne of water and other food supplies to donate to affected communities. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 11am I am told.

He is in Canberra.

Updated

[cont from previous post]

While we speak, Moey al-Haje and Ali Kourouche roll up with a trailer full of water, food and toiletries. There are cheers.

Al-Haje has had almost no sleep. He was up until 1am getting donations together and then got on the road from Greenacre before dawn.

He’s kind of excited, he says.

“People just donated like beans, snacks, lady stuff like tampons and pads and everything, water,” he says.

“Whatever we could get we just got.

“It’s good to donate, but where’s it going to? People need stuff right now; they’ve lost everything. I think I’ll bring some more animal food next week.”

Updated

Maddison Elabed tells me they’ve got an enormous collection of donations, including the trucks and vans to bring everything down.

“Everything we got was 100% donated and is 100% for the fires.”

They went to Flemington Markets this morning and loaded up. They spent hours making chicken sandwiches.

They’re all from western Sydney: Auburn, Guilford, Cabramatta, Greenacre.

The reception has been unbelievable, she says.

They’ve been inspired by stories of firefighters finishing a shift only to come back to base and find no food.

They did a run on Wednesday.

“When we saw the state of these two firies that were sitting in a car waiting for a food truck to come and it came and it was empty, we were like: you’ve got to be kidding me,” says Melissa Nasr.

“God sent us there,” adds Elabed.

“They were about to leave when we rocked up. They’re saying thank you to us, but we’re saying thank you to them.”

They said it’s an eye-opener going out to fire-affected areas.

“I know the world is falling apart too but this is our home. We’re going to do everything we can to keep our home safe. People are out there leaving their families to fight and save us. Anything we can do we are gonna do it.”

Updated

A woman named Margaret Bruce is speaking to the ABC about what happened her Batemans Bay area home on New Year’s:

It must have been embers, we don’t know. The grass around the house was like walking on straw, it was just so dry.

The people in our street ... are fine ... but our house blew up.

There is about eight properties in that little area alone that have been affected by the fire ...

We have got our lives; we are all alive. And we are lucky. We are one of the lucky people because we are insured.

So, you know, we can replace what we haven’t got. It is just shocking. You just don’t get it. You just think, you’ll be fine.

“Like I said, we didn’t think we would have any problem at all, until I lost it, and said, you know, we really need to do something.”

They just got out in time.

Updated

More on the airlift out of Mallacoota.

Updated

[cont from previous post]

Yesterday conditions were “pretty horrendous”.

There were some firefighters with heat stress and heat stroke, and one with minor burns, but he’s back at work today.

“We have had some structural losses; we did have reports of structures being under threat in and around Kangaroo Valley. We’ve been trying to ascertain any losses up there.”

Today it’s “looking clear” to send in aerial support, Collins says. They had “so many” out yesterday.

“But we could have had 50 more and still wouldn’t have been able to contain the spread.”

It looked particularly bad at Bundanoon last night. I ask about the group of people who sought to escape during the fire, only to get stuck in the firefront and require an escort out from firefighters. He doesn’t have details about the incident, but says it’s “a really good talking point”.

“We tell people leave early, leaving early is your safest option. Don’t leave it to the last minute. We saw in 2009 in Victoria a 170-odd people killed and a lot of those people were killed in their cars.”

Updated

Helen Davidson from Nowra

We’re at Nowra and have just had a briefing about the local situation overnight.

Brad Collins, public liaison officer with the RFS in Nowra, tells me the night saw a lull after the southerly before it picked up again.

“We weren’t expecting the strength of the southerly,” he says. It gusted about 85km/h here in Nowra, and over 100km/h over fire grounds down south.

“Some of the fire behaviour was terrain-driven as well. Fire runs faster up hill, etcetera etcetera.”

Fire was expected to jump the Shoalhaven River and get into the Morton national park but it ran through extraordinarily quickly.

The fire is now in the Wingello area, and that will be split off from the Morton fire from a management point of view. This is partly because the Bundanoon-Exeter flank of the Morton fire may join with the Green Wattle Creek fire.

“It’s absolutely a possibility,” says Collins. “After yesterday I’m not ruling anything out.”

Updated

The interview with these people in Eden was just heartbreaking, and one of thousands we are going to hear as the weeks go on.

Adam told the ABC he was “pretty sure I’ve lost my house”.

It’s terrible. We’ve got our lives. We’re alive. We can rebuild. Beautiful people there. We are stuck here together. We will get through it.

Watching out for people’s mental health is going to be increasingly important as the fires move on. A lot of these people may intellectually know they have lost their home, but that is not the same as actually seeing what they have lost. Keep checking in on your friends and family as these weeks and months continue.

Updated

AAP has also looked at the Victorian forecast:

Steady rain over the next two days could help fire crews gain more control over massive blazes ravaging Victoria’s east and north-east.

Light mist fell on Sunday at some centres including Bairnsdale, on the western edge of the East Gippsland fire ground.

More widespread cooler conditions are expected to bring respite to the affected areas, a Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster, Keris Arndt, says.

“The conditions are much cooler, moisture’s a lot higher than we’ve seen over previous days and the winds are also easing off a fair bit, especially through Gippsland today,” Arndt said.

“Hopefully that gives the fire agencies a bit of a chance to have a go at the fires and try to get a bit more control in there.”

However, while rain may help dampen the fire ground, it could also prove a double-edged sword for crews by making some areas more difficult to access.

Four emergency warnings remain, with three in East Gippsland and one in north-east Victoria. Two evacuation orders are in force near Mt Buffalo and Mt Hotham in north-east Victoria.

Updated

AAP has an update on the P2 mask filter shortage:

National medical stockpiles of particulate-filter masks will be opened up to help authorities on bushfire frontlines in Victoria and NSW.

It comes as the ACT State Emergency Service works to deliver P2 masks to stores in Canberra after Australia Post stopped deliveries because of bushfire smoke over the capital.

The federal government will send 450,000 masks from the national medical stockpile to help Victorian authorities.

It was also working to get masks to NSW frontline workers, having already provided 3000 to Australian federal police officers in bushfire-affected areas.

Australia’s acting chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly. said on Saturday the masks were not an alternative to avoiding smoke.

“The effectiveness of P2 masks to protect against high levels of air pollution is limited and they are not recommended for general community use,” Kelly said.

Anyone with heart or lung problems should consult a doctor before using P2 masks, and anyone who felt dizzy, faint or out of breath while wearing one should take it off and get to a place with cleaner air.

Kelly also said the masks were effective only if fitted perfectly and men had to be clean-shaven to wear one properly.

Updated

This is happening all over the place, and it is just heartmeltingly lovely how ordinary people are reacting during this emergency.

Australians are so much better than

David Speers keeps questioning Linda Reynolds

David Speers then attempts to find out what has changed with the ADF announcement – as in, who will be calling the shots: the states, or the commonwealth, on where and when the defence assets will be deployed.

Linda Reynolds: So that authority still rests with the states and territory, absolutely. What we found – this is an unprecedented natural disaster in terms of scope and defence engagement.

So what we have said to the states and territories and what the prime minister clearly said yesterday is we are ramping up more assets and making it known through our liaison officer network of what the states right down to the local community level can ask for.

Speers: That work, as you said, has been there for a while.

Reynolds: You’re talking over me again.

Speers: I’m trying to establish what changed.

Reynolds: So what that means is that it is still finally the responsibility of the states and territories to ask and coordinate but we are forward positioning and we are making equipment and also activated reservists in these states to make sure the states are very clear on what we can do and we have the people and the resources in location so that they can respond very quickly.

So we’ve now got, for example, with the army, we’ve got specialist medical teams available, engineering teams, transport teams, aerial reconnaissance and also of course evacuation assets.

So it is ultimately still the states’ and territories’ call, but what the prime minister said yesterday is we are being as forward leaning as possible to make sure that we have the maximum amount of resources available when the states ask for it.

Updated

That exchange continues:

Speers: I’m not talking about communication. My question, minister, sorry, was about consulting. Wouldn’t you want to consult with the operational chief to make sure this is a necessary step rather than just simply making a decision and communicating it?

Reynolds: Well, David, you are conflating two issues there. The first one is in terms of the decision that the national security committee took yesterday, which was not only the call-out of the reserves, but also the other measures that we announced yesterday. That was done in absolute consultation with the states in terms of what more resources are required.

Speers: So Shane Fitzsimmons was consulted about this?

Reynolds: I said that the state authorities were consulted.

Speers: Shane Fitzsimmons, the fire commissioner, was consulted?

Reynolds: David, with respect, we have liasion officers at all of the impacted state headquarters. We’ve got liasion officers and incident controllers right across New South Wales. We consulted very widely in terms of the resources ...

Speers: This is an important point, minister.

Reynolds: The commissioner said this morning ... You’re talking over me.

Speers: The commissioner said this morning that even the liasion officers you’re referring to weren’t aware of the details.

Reynolds: David, that’s the reason we have the liasion officers out there.

I do acknowledge yesterday that we could have, defence could have worked quicker to push the information out. We acknowledged that yesterday.

We put measures in place to make sure that our defence change chain of command have that information available as soon as possible.

I would say in relation to the commissioner of New South Wales, that that information was passed to the premier. That information was communicated to the state authorities.

Updated

David Speers has started his ABC career with an interview with Linda Reynolds. He asks about Shane Fitzsimmons not being told of the ADF announcement ahead of time yesterday.

Speers: What is your reaction or explanation as to why Shane Fitzsimmons, the Rural Fire Service chief in New South Wales, has expressed disappointment and frustration he wasn’t kept in the loop or consulted about this?

Reynolds: Well, David, the first thing I would say is that the national security committee of cabinet met yesterday morning to put together this new suite of measures, not just on behalf of defence but on behalf of the federal government. Straight after that meeting, the prime minister personally contacted each of the impacted premiers to advise them of the measures that we had agreed to take. That was done before we went and made the public announcement.

Speers: Would you not want to consult the guy who’s actually in charge operationally about whether this was a good idea?

Reynolds: Well, the prime minister has been in constant contact with the premiers, daily, in fact, in some cases.

Speers: I’m talking about Shane Fitzsimmons, the fire commissioner.

Reynolds: David, you asked me a question, please allow me to answer it. The prime minister, as is absolutely normal, will let the state leaders know and it is entirely a matter for the state authorities of how they communicate that through their own bureaucracy and their own emergency management processes.

Updated

The defence minister, Linda Reynolds, tells the ABC that defence bases between Brisbane and Adelaide are being opened to help house people who have lost their homes in the bushfires.

She also gives an update on where the HMAS Adelaide, which is working to help the HMAS Choules with evacuations:

The HMAS Adelaide, which is our very large amphibious ship, left Sydney yesterday and is now arrived in location off the south coast near Eden, and MV Sycamore and also HMAS Choules dropped off 1.100 evacuatees in Victoria at Western Port.

We are in discussions with the New South Wales and Victorian government on how best to utilise these vessels and moving forward. All sets are very capable, particularly HMAS Adelaide. Adelaide has 400 troops embarked. We have 300 tonnes of emergency relief stores. [The ship] has a hospital on board.

Updated

'Enough' to climate change denials, says Council of Small Business Organisations Australia

The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia has released a statement on the “horror and shock” it and its members are feeling, while calling for a coordinated recovery response.

It has also said “enough” to the climate denialist garbage, because it has “endangered us all”.

From chief executive Peter Strong:

Failure to accept and manage change and risk has been a key issue leading up to this disaster. We are concerned that the attitude from climate deniers that ‘this is normal’ and ‘nothing to see here’ means that we will continue to have that small number of government MPs with ideological beliefs and dented egos having too much say and too much influence. This will only hold us back from repair and regrowth ...

We have for some time been trying to take the emotion out of the climate debate by talking about ‘change management and risk management’ but the small cadre of deniers in government ranks and elsewhere have refused to budge because they believe they are right and the rest of us are wrong.

They have denied anything has changed and when confronted with the common sense of preparing for the risk of fires and disaster they have turned deaf and refused to prepare for what always happens in Australia: bushfires, droughts and floods. Their denial is because they do not believe disasters occur any more often than in the past.

This intellectual indifference of the few has endangered us all. No successful business will ignore a risk as unlikely and will always prepare for any situation.

You can read the whole statement here

Updated

Power is still out in a lot of places - we are working on finding out a number. You can find out more here in the meantime.

Authorities are still asking residents in NSW and the ACT to keep non-essential power use down, if possible.

Updated

Stephanie Convery has also done an excellent synopsis of how the Morrison government has reacted to the fire crisis, since it began in September, as well:

[Cont from previous post]

The road was surrounded by fire.

“I didn’t know there’d been a call to take shelter. We came up to a crest or bend and there was a fire surrounding the road,” Mordy says.

“We were in the middle of it so we just had to keep going.

“I’m pretty calm but I was terrified. It gave me a massive shock. The raining ash. The fierce wind. The confusion seeing all those cars suddenly pull over.”

They spent the night in Wollongong and can’t get back to Bundanoon. The property at this stage is safe, which Mordy describes as “a miracle” given its proximity to the national park.

“I think it’s good for people to know the app doesn’t necessarily update fast enough. It was lucky my dad looked at the sky. Sometimes it’s good to look past your screens.”

Updated

In Bundanoon, the sky turning red was a sign that it was time to leave. Gabrielle Mordy had been visiting her father, Martyn, whose property backs on to national park. It is under threat from the Morton fire, which started after the Currowan fire jumped the Shoalhaven River on Saturday night.

For days Gabrielle and Martyn had been preparing and monitoring fire activity. She had been watching the Fires Near Me app and believed they were safe to stay and defend.

“We intended to stay and were preparing the property more. I was watching the app all the time and the fire due to come towards Bundanoon didn’t appear to be moving,” she said.

“Then the wind started and then it started to rain ash and black leaves and still the app said we were safe but it was extremely unnerving.”

Then pyrocumulonimbus clouds started forming and, at 9pm, Mordy says “the sky went red”.

“At that point we thought something is really wrong now.”

They left in two packed cars and were driving out of town on the Bundanoon Road when “all of a sudden the cars in front of us started pulling over”.

Updated

Helen Davidson has been covering the southern NSW fires overnight. Here is some of her report:

“Right here we are the meat in the sandwich, so thanks for coming down.”

And so began Mark Coombes briefing for a new shift of firefighters in Nowra.

There were fires to the north, fires to the south, minimum 20-metre flame heights on one side of the Shoalhaven River, 40 metres in the other, and in areas that hadn’t burned in decades.

The dirty pyrocumulous cloud rumbled with its self-generated thunder outside.

“The southerly is going to hit around nine, 9.30 and unfortunately you’re the ones that deal with it,” Coombes continued.

“What it’s going to do I have no fucking idea.”

To get an idea of what the rest of the night was like, you can find the story here:

Updated

For many areas, February is the worst month of the fire season. We have a long, long way to go this summer.

Campbell Fuller of the Insurance Council of Australia has given an indication of just how much property damage has been done so far:

We’re looking at 5,850 insurance claims as of this morning,” he told the ABC.

The insurance losses are $375m since 8 November.

That’s 430m since the start of the bushfire season, since September.

So we’re talking extensive losses across four states in Australia and insurers are keeping a close eye on other parts of the country.

Updated

Andrew Crisp, the Victorian emergency commissioner, has given the ABC a very quick update on what his state is facing today:

We’ve still got four emergency warnings for fires in the east of the state.

Three in East Gippsland, one up in the Corryong area. Two ‘evacuate now’ orders in place. They’re for communities around Dandongadale and Mount Buffalo.

What we saw yesterday was significant fire activity; it looks as though we have additional property losses on the eastern side of the Corryong fire, Pine Ridge and Tallawong.

Updated

The Australia Defence Association is a non-partisan organisation:

Piers Morgan is a conservative commentator:

And you know who Kevin Rudd is (although I am trying to imagine the response if he did this):

Anthony Albanese will hold a press conference at 11am.

He is in Melbourne today.

Updated

Craig Emerson is also on the ABC talking the response and the ad:

If they made that announcement yesterday, I haven’t seen Gladys Berejiklian putting ads to air with Liberal [branding] on it and a donate button.

That donate button to the Liberal party is just there anyway, but it’s those little things, let’s delete the donate to the Liberal party button, just in case people may think it’s political.

To be fair, they did delete the “donate” to the Liberal party button, but not before it was spotted and spread across social media.

Updated

That leads to this to and fro:

Georgina Downer: It’s incumbent on the government to get out the message what they’re doing to help.

ABC host: Why? It wasn’t just informative. It wasn’t telling them important emergency information. It was promoting the government’s response.

Downer: That’s your interpretation.

She does later admit though that the government’s response has been “slower” than some people would have liked.

Updated

For some reason Georgina Downer is on the ABC defending the prime minister’s decision to release an ad in the middle of the fire crisis:

This advertisement is really just a way for the federal government to get out the message that they are deploying ADF resources.

And they are doing what they can to respond to what is a catastrophic set of conditions across Australia.

And I would like to also just acknowledge the amazing efforts that are put in across the country by volunteers, and firies and everyday people supporting each other through this very, very difficult season.

Here in South Australia we just had catastrophic conditions on Kangaroo Island. Where I live in the Adelaide Hills, just before Christmas, people had lost their homes, people in my school community have lost their homes. It’s been a very difficult time and talking to people who have been on the fire ground, what they have been really focused is getting through this time.

They’re not bothered by the politics. What they want is the support they need to get through this season.

Updated

Meanwhile in Cooma residents also had to deal with flooding after a 4.5m-litre tank burst. From AAP:

A large water tank has burst in a southern NSW town flooding streets and homes and injuring a woman.

Residents of Cooma, south of Canberra, began raising the alarm about 9.15pm on Saturday with some reporting water had flowed through their homes.

Police said a woman suffered minor injuries after water entered her home and knocked her to the ground.

Some cars were damaged, including one that was swept 800 metres down a road and into a truck.

Updated

In case there are still some people down the back who missed that, this is not business as usual. By any measure.

The NSW premier doubles down on that point:

It’s not something we have experienced before.

What we have done during the fire season, when I get briefed and advised on a regular basis, I know the experts take the lessons forward to the next day and next week.

The weather activity we’re seeing, the extent and spread of the fires, the speed at which they’re going, the way they are attacking communities that have never seen fire, is unprecedented.

We have to accept that.

I’m not surprised that nations outside Australia are looking at that as well.

Updated

"We can't pretend this is something we have experienced before. It's not"

Gladys Berejiklian gets very real here as she talks about exactly what the state is facing:

We can’t pretend our state is in charted territory.

The extent of this bushfire season in living memory, and many experts have been around much longer than I have, who fought fires and observed circumstances, all agree: we’re in uncharted territory.

How people interpret that is to them.

As the premier of this state, our state is facing a difficult time ahead. I’m absolutely confident we’ll get through it.

But we can’t pretend that this is something that we have experienced before. It’s not.

It’s the concurrence of events. Normally you have one or two big fires to worry about.

We have several of them at the one time, several townships who never ever experienced a threat of bushfire were at threat of being completely wiped out.

That’s why through the night many people were monitoring the system. We had townships completely under threat which never happened before.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian also steps up to the microphone to reassure people that NSW citizens “are at the heart of everything we do”.

She says that the prime minister did call her ahead of the announcement and she was “pleased to take the call and welcomed the additional support”.

I want to ensure our citizens in New South Wales, I appreciate deeply what our communities are going through. Every time we hear of a life lost, it cuts us deeply. That is our focus. The working relationship with all of our agencies including the federal agencies to date, in my view, has been exceptionally strong. We want that to continue.

It will continue, because our citizens need us now more than ever.

I can’t thank enough the professional men and women that are here to support those efforts that are supporting every level of government in those efforts and I’ve been humbled to see them in action as they keep motivating and inspiring our volunteers, our firefighters, our emergency services personnel on the ground.

What is important to our citizens today and moving forward is that all of us work together to focus on what matters, and what matters is saving life, getting people into homes, those who have lost homes, making sure they have what they need, and start the recovery and rebuilding process. We know for some communities it won’t take just months, it could take years to rebuild.

Updated

Shane Fitzsimmons finished that answer with this:

An assistant commissioner has been dedicated and assigned to provide the conduit between NSW operations and the commonwealth.

The focus is looking at how we can best utilise whatever the number out of 3,000 it turns out to be, into helping support particularly recovery efforts and getting to some of our most vulnerable and affected people of NSW, help to clean up their communities, clean up their properties and restore them to functions capability.

I was very public this morning and I make no apologies for it. I was disappointed and frustrated in the middle of one of our worst days with massive dislocation and movement of people.

I had my conversations with the prime minister’s office. It was an amicable conversation. They apologised in hindsight.

We’re all working together now to make the best out of this announcement.

Like we have done, to ensure our highest priority and focus is on the communities of NSW, that continue to be so terribly affected by the enormity of this bushfire challenge.

Updated

Shane Fitzsimmons was asked about his comments regarding being disappointed he was not told about the prime minister’s announcement ahead of time yesterday.

Here is what he had to say:

The help and assistance we had from the ADF and the commonwealth right throughout the previous months has been exceptional.

All that we’ve asked for, we have received.

Not only that, the ADF have worked very closely with us in a very proactive sense about offering up other capabilities, other solutions, that we may not be aware of.

We have been working extremely closely with the ADF and the commonwealth over the recent months, particularly during the worst of these conditions.

The partnership and arrangement has been better than ever before in the history of this state that I can recall over my decades.

What I commented about was my disappointment about learning about this intervention yesterday through media reports and having said that, we spent a fair amount of the day yesterday trying to seek clarity from our commonwealth liaison personnel embedded here in the state operations centre, our ADF people embedded here in the state operation centre, it’s fair to say they weren’t across the details either.

It took us some time to understand what the announcement was, what it meant, and how it was it expected to be integrated into what was already a high performing and a highly effectively integrated suite of operations across New South Wales.

We got through that process.

Updated

The man who died had traveled from Goulburn to help a friend prepare his Batlow property for the coming fires.

He was 47. He began feeling unwell and was being taken for medical attention when he suffered a heart attack and could not be revived.

Four firefighters have also been injured – two protecting the Milton waterworks, who suffered smoke inhalation and exhaustion.

Another Cessnock firefighter was also treated for smoke inhalation and exhaustion.

A fourth firefighter suffered serious burns to their hands attempting to protect a home.

Updated

Shane Fitzsimmons on the two fires still at emergency alert levels:

The two at emergency is the one down on the southern border region, south-west of Eden.

That fire has crossed through and burned to the southern side of Eden, fortunately not impacting the town site.

It’s moving a bit further north and towards rural and isolated property just to the west of Eden.

Still pretty active down there, and lots of attention from local firefighters. Lots of the people from Eden were evacuated or chose to relocate further north last night out of harm’s way.

And they’ll be reassessing that today as to when the passage is clear for people to get back into the community of Eden.

We have got this other fire that emergency warning alert level, now called the Morton fire.

It’s effectively the Currowan fire that crossed the Shoalhaven and Kangaroo rivers under a very aggressive southerly and south-easterly change last night.

We saw it cross in a number of locations. And headed towards the communities, particularly Wingello and Bundanoon, and reports of property damage around Wingello and Bundanoon.

Updated

NSW RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons explains a little bit more about what firefighters were dealing with yesterday:

Once again, can I just commend and praise the extraordinary effort of our men and women, whether they’re paid or volunteers, the effort yesterday was quite remarkable.

It goes down as the second busiest and most challenging day in terms of the number of concurrent fires we had burning at the emergency warning alert level, we got to 13 or 14 at any given point, second only to what we saw a couple of months ago, where 17 concurrent fires were burning.

It was an awful day yesterday. It was a very difficult day yesterday.

But their resolution to, their resolve to making a difference and partnering with their local community has yielded dividends in terms of no unaccounted for people across the fire affected areas

A recovery coordinator has been appointed for southern NSW (there is also one in the north)

Gladys Berejiklian

Of course, the RFS HQ still has embedded, all the 30 government agencies, including the contributions from the ADF, whether it’s Navy or army or other support personnel, and we’ll rely on those resources as we continue to fight fires, where appropriate, we’re now moving into recovery mode to send a strong and clear message to communities we’re with you during the rebuilding process.

For some communities, that rebuilding will start in the next few days, for others, it will take a bit longer.

Certainly the message today is the milder conditions mean for this episode at least, many towns which will under threat, many communities which feared the worst, can take a slight breather, but that’s not to say we don’t have volatile conditions, we do, because there are still two fires at emergency alert level, that means anything can happen during the day.

NSW fires: one dead, 'hundreds' of homes lost

Gladys Berejiklian says NSW police have confirmed one person died from a heart attack overnight during the Batlow fire.

This morning we still have two fires at emergency alert level, and also very sadly one person lost their life due to a cardiac arrest just outside of Batlow last night and police have just issued details about that one deceased person and of course our hearts, thoughts and minds go to their families during their very difficult time.

The good news is no one is currently unaccounted for in NSW.

Updated

The light here is not because of nearby fires – it is the sunlight coming through the smoke.

Updated

You can hear what Shane Fitzsimmons had to say to the Today show here:

Updated

Shane Fitzsimmons and the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, are about to hold a press conference, having just received a morning briefing.

Relations between the NSW Coalition government and the Morrison Coalition government seem a little strained at the moment. In fact, it seems like Scott Morrison is getting along better with the Victorian Labor premier, Daniel Andrews, at the moment.

Updated

Instagram influencer and comedian Celeste Barber’s fundraiser for the NSW RFS has surpassed $16m.

Updated

The prime minister’s office has responded to Shane Fitzsimmons’s “disappointment”.

Updated

There are a number of major Victorian roads which are still closed:

The latest update from VicRoads shows:

Hume Freeway is closed southbound and being diverted through Euroa back to the freeway.

Northbound traffic of the Hume Freeway is now open. The Princes Highway is closed between Old Bunga Road (Lakes Entrance) and the New South Wales border in East Gippsland.

If travelling, please be vigilant in smoky conditions and use your headlights to be seen.

Updated

NSW RFS commissioner learns of ADF deployment through the media

Shane Fitzsimmons, the NSW RFS commissioner who has steered the state through one of the worst fire crisis the country has ever seen, gave a very measured – but very telling – interview to the Nine network’s Today Show.

Asked about the additional ADF deployment, he had this to say:

I found out about it via the media reports.

It is disappointing on one of our worst days this season to hear that announcement. Then have to try to work through on top of everything else what it means and how it is going to operate.

The announcement came as the NSW RFS were dealing with mass evacuations of southern NSW, and an almost record-breaking number of emergency fire warnings.

I spoke to the PM’s office last night in relation to my disappointment in the middle of a very busy day.

We are working through it and we will see the resources gainfully employed.

We have people assigned at the NSW level particularly looking at utilising those crews to help with the recovery and the support operations to people who have been heavily impacted. It will be a valuable thing. It will help our communities.

Updated

The Kangaroo Island fire, which has so far claimed two lives, a father and son, is also still burning.

About a third of the island has been ravaged. That’s about 150,000ha. At least one resort has been destroyed, but it is still too dangerous to get too much of an idea of what else has been lost.

Updated

And then we hear this from the NSW RFS commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. He learned of the prime minister’s decision to send in more ADF resources from the media announcement:

Updated

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has done an exclusive interview with the Sunday News Corp papers.

Here is some of what he had to say.

On the decision to provide resources without being asked by the states, he said it became “palpably clear” the commonwealth needed to step in:

“We have spent three to four months operating under … the national set of arrangements the states and territories recommended and wanted.

“Now I have said, ‘We are doing this.’ ”

And on the criticisms of his leadership, including the forced handshakes:

Whoever wants one, whoever wants to shake the hand, whoever wants to flip the bird … bring it on.

People are in different frames [of mind]. Some people need a hug. You just roll with it; you’ve still got to go out there … People do want to see you.”

And on why he is not taking any of the criticism personally:

That’s your job.

If you think of it in personal terms you will miss the point … the point is anger, frustration, feelings of isolation … what that means is help.”

Updated

People in Canberra have woken up to a yellow-brown sky and the world’s worst air quality again.

Victoria fire update

  • More than 900,000ha has been overrun by flames in Victoria, with about 110 properties and 220 outbuildings razed so far.
  • More than 70 new fires were sparked in Victoria in the 24 hours to 6pm on Saturday.
  • Dozens of fires were burning in Victoria early on Sunday, 13 of which were subject to emergency warnings, the highest alert level.
  • Six people remain missing in the East Gippsland blazes, on top of two confirmed dead.
  • The mercury is forecast to peak in the early 20s in East Gippsland, with rainfall of about 20ml expected later in the day. In the north-east, temperatures could hit the late 20s in some parts, with some rainfall – albeit likely less than 5ml – expected. This will bring some relief to firefighters but Daniel Andrews has warned Victorians to remain vigilant.

Updated

Merimbula in the far south coast is the main evacuation zone for the surrounding areas, including Eden.

Updated

The fire there also briefly closed the Hume highway, which links Sydney to Canberra, between Picton and Majura overnight. The smoke over that 100km stretch was judged too dangerous.

The fire is still at emergency alert, so the highway could close again. We’ll keep you updated.

We are slowly getting news out of the Southern Highlands after the fires burned through there overnight.

It’s not looking good.

Updated

Also closed in NSW:

South of Nowra:
• Jerrawangala to Tomerong – Turpentine Road is closed
• Wandandian – Wandean Road is closed
• Nowra Hill to Charleyong – Braidwood Road/Nerriga Road is closed

South of Tilba Tilba:
• Cobargo – Cobargo Road is closed

Around Braidwood:
• Braidwood to Nelligen – the Kings Highway is closed
• Braidwood to Moruya – Araluen Road is closed
• Braidwood to Cooma – Cooma Road is closed

In and around the Snowy Mountains:
• Adelong to Tumblong – Grahamstown Road is closed
• Adelong to Rosewood – Wondalga Road
• Tumbarumba to Batlow and Gilmore – Batlow Road is closed
• Green Hills to Courabyra – Lower Bago Road/Taradale Road
• All roads in the Kosciuszko national park are closed including:
o Jindabyne to Khancoban – Alpine Way
o Jindabyne to Charlotte Pass – Kosciuszko Road
o Paddys River to Khancoban – Swampy Plains Creek Road/Tooma Road/Snow Ridge Road/Goat Ridge Road/Elliott Way

At Holbrook:
• Holbrook to Jingelic – Jingelic Road is closed

A number of smaller local roads are also closed in these areas as well as roads across the New South Wales-Victorian border.

If you need to travel, take extreme care due to heavy smoke in many areas, be prepared for conditions to change at short notice, and follow the direction of emergency services and traffic crews.

Updated

Make sure you follow www.livetraffic.com for NSW road closures. The most recent list includes:

On the South Coast:
The Princes Highway is still closed between;
• Falls Creek (Jervis Bay Road) and Milton (Corks Lane)
• North Batemans Bay and Lake Tabourie
• Mogo and Moruya
• Broadwater (north of Eden) and the Victorian Border

In the Southern Highlands:
• The Hume Highway is open after being closed between Wilton and Marulan but there is thick smoke in the area.
• The Illawarra Highway remains closed between Sutton Forest (the Hume Highway) and Moss Vale (Moss Vale Road)
• Nowra Road and Moss Vale Road are closed between Fitzroy Falls and Bomaderry
• Trains are not running between Campbelltown and Goulburn on the Southern Highlands Lane. Replacement buses are running between Campbelltown and Picton only so delay travel.

In the Snowy Mountains:
• The Snowy Mountains Highway remains closed between:
o Mount Adrah (the Hume Highway) and Gilmore (Batlow Road)
o Tumut and Cooma
o The Monaro Highway and Princes Highway via Bemboka

There is still quite a bit of anger over this ad, put out in the midst of the fire crisis.

The prime minister responded to it last night:

Not sure that is going to cut it.

Updated

The governor general, David Hurley, has passed on a condolence message from the Queen to “all Australians” over the bushfire emergency.

“I have been deeply saddened to hear of the continued bushfires and their devastating impact across many parts of Australia,” the statement read.

“My thanks go out to the emergency services, and those who put their own lives in danger to help communities in need. Prince Philip and I send our thoughts and prayers to all Australians at this difficult time.”

Updated

NSW authorities are still asking people to lay off the non-essential power use.

Fires in the Snowy Mountains have affected the electricity supply.

Updated

In NSW, two fires are still at the emergency alert level.

That’s the border fire in the Bega Valley, near the Victorian border, and the Morton fire, which is in Bundanoon.

From the RFS:

Bundanoon, Wingello, Penrose, Meryla, Exeter, Avoca, Fitzroy Falls and surrounding areas – It is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches. Protect yourself from the heat of the fire.

If you are in the area of Wonboyn, Kiah, Narrabarba and surrounds, the fire has moved through this area.

If you are in the areas of Burragate and Towamba, it is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches and protect yourself from the heat of the fire.

If you are in the areas of Wyndham, Rocky Hall, Nethercote, Eden and surrounds, continue to monitor conditions and be prepared to act should conditions change.

The areas of Merimbula, Pambula and surrounds are not under any current threat.

Updated

In the last 30 minutes, Victoria has gone from 11 emergency warnings to five.

But authorities are warning people not to get complacent.

People in north-east Victoria – Dandongadale, Wandiligong and Freeburgh – were told to leave overnight when the wind changed.

Six people remain unaccounted for.

Nearly one million hectares of land has been burned in Victoria alone.

Temperatures have dropped, which is good news for firefighters. The weather bureau puts temps in the low 20s for the East Gippsland today. It’ll be warmer in the north-east, which could reach the high 20s.

The big worry today – and for the near future – is that the Corryong blaze could merge with the Dunns Road fire across the NSW border.

Updated

This morning looks like it will be another tough one for firefighters as the fire that took hold in the Southern Highlands overnight continues to rage. We have yet to hear the extent of the damage from the catastrophic conditions yesterday but slightly cooler conditions have seen some fires downgraded.

We’ll bring you all the days events as they happen.

Updated

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