Embattled prime minister Scott Morrison today insisted his government would not “walk away” from the coal industry as authorities warned the wildfires crisis could rage for months.
About 200 fires were burning in four states. New South Wales alone accounts for more than half of them, including 60 which were out of control.
The disaster has led to renewed criticism that Mr Morrison’s conservative government has not taken enough action on climate change.
Mr Morrison, who returned to Sydney from a much-scorned holiday to Hawaii over the weekend, rejected calls to downsize Australia’s lucrative coal industry.
“I am not going to write off the jobs of thousands of Australians by walking away from traditional industries,” he told Seven Network.
More than 7.4 million acres of land has burned nationwide during a torrid past few months, with nine people killed and more than 900 homes destroyed.
NSW, which last week was paralysed by a seven-day state of emergency, will have some relief with cooler conditions forecast. But the state’s rural fire service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said: “We’ve got to keep in mind that we’re not expecting any rainfall to make any meaningful difference to these fires until January or February.”
Mr Morrison’s coalition government won a surprise third term in May. It pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent by 2030. Mr Morrison has insisted Australia would meet its emission targets.
He said: “I’m going to maintain the course of responsible management, responsibly addressing the changes of climate change and responsibly ensuring that we can grow our economy in what is a very tough climate.”
