Category: Australia

The Greens have called for a Royal Commission into the bushfire crisis, Labor says it’s open to it.The Greens have called for a Royal Commission into the country’s bushfire crisis amid weeks of political debate and calls for stronger action on the fires from the federal government.

Fires have so far ravaged New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.

The death toll from the bushfires continues to rise with seven dead in New South Wales since Monday and the first fatality recorded in Victoria on New Year’s Day.

Greens Senator Richard Di Natale said Prime Minister Scott Morrison has failed his “duty to keep citizens safe from harm”.

“His totally inadequate response to these fires and his obstinate refusal to accept what we have known for decades: that burning climate changing fossil fuels would lead to more frequent and intense bushfires is putting the lives of Australians at risk,” he said.

Senator Di Natale also called for a Royal Commission, saying more action is needed to go to the “root cause” of the bushfires.

“Australia’s climate has changed and we need to make sure that our land management, disaster response and climate policies are relevant to the new reality we face.”

But Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said while he wouldn’t rule out a Royal Commission into bushfires, he wants to see action now.

“I think it’s immediate action that is required, not something that will report in six months, which is the minimum time for a Royal Commission normally,” he said.

“They take years rather than months and what we need right now is for COAG [Council of Australian Governments] to be convened.”

Mr Di Natale also called on the Prime Minister to convene an emergency summit to “ensure that everything is being done to address the immediate crisis”.

He said the federal government and the opposition must both step up to tackle extreme weather by phasing out coal.

“While we need a national response to the bushfire crisis, any process that does not have at its heart a commitment to phase out fossil fuels like coal and rapidly transition to a renewable energy economy is doomed to fail from the start,” Mr Di Natale said.

“We need to anticipate and prepare for these emergencies, but we also need to go to the root cause, which is the burning of fossil fuels that is dangerously heating our planet.”

But Natural Disaster and Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud said Australia is “leading by example” on emissions reduction.

“We are leading by example and we expect the rest of the world to come with us, because we are 1.3 per cent of emissions and we expect the rest of the world to do their bit as well.

“If we work together, collaboratively as a world community, then we will be able to meet our emissions reduction targets as a globe, not just Australia.”

Mr Morrison came under scrutiny on Wednesday after making a speech about the fires to cricketers who were at Kirribilli House for a function.

“It is a time of great challenge for Australia,” he said.

“Whether they be started by lightning or whatever the cause may be, our firefighters and all of those who have come behind to support them.

“Whether they’re volunteering in the front line or behind the scenes in a great volunteer effort, it is something that will happen against the back drop of this test match.

“But at the same time, Australians will be gathering, whether it’s at the SCG or around television sets all around the country, and they’ll be inspired by the great feats of our cricketers from both sides of the Tasman.”

Mr Morrison’s speech was met with anger on social media, some saying the Prime Minister is not taking the crisis seriously enough. 

Mr Albanese said he believes the Prime Minister is taking the emergency seriously but Mr Morrison’s tone does not reflect the mood of the community.

“Young people watching the footage on the news at the moment would be pretty scared, it is scary, scary for everyone,” he said.

“That means that what we need is a considered response but I think that the Prime Minister in terms of some of his tone could accurately reflect the views I am getting back from the community.” SBS NEWS

Australians are bracing for a dangerous and unpredictable night as bushfires are expected to worsen.New South Wales (NSW) fire commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has warned of “volatile” conditions that could intensify the fires.

Hundreds of fires burned on Saturday, damaging power lines and cutting out electricity in thousands of homes.

Since September, fires in Australia have killed at least 23 people.

Dozens of people are missing and some 1,500 homes have already been lost this fire season.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced 3,000 reserve troops will be deployed to help tackle raging bushfires across the country.

He has been criticised for posting an advert on Twitter showing how the government is responding to the crisis, accompanied by an upbeat backing track.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was “very volatile situation” and “we are yet to hit the worst of it”.

“We are discouraging people from moving from where they are, given the serious threats and the fact that we have so many fires at an emergency level,” she was quoted by ABC as saying.

Some fire crews have been pulled out of the Snowy Mountains in the state of Victoria due to worsening conditions, The Guardian reports.

Skies reddened and darkened in areas of south-eastern Australia as wind gusts exacerbated the fires.

Temperatures surpassed 40C (104F) in some areas. In Penrith, west of Sydney, temperatures reached 48.9C. Some reports suggest it was for a time the hottest place on Earth.

Almost a million more acres were reported to have burned in the state of Victoria alone, according to ABC News.

Bushfires damaged two power substations in New South Wales, threatening supplies to the state including Australia’s largest city, Sydney, AFP reports.

In the Batemans Bay and Moruya region in NSW, thousands of people are without power as a result of fire damage. Provider Essential Energy has warned this will continue overnight as it is not able to access the damaged area safely.

Emergency warnings were issued throughout the day urging residents to leave certain areas, while some were told it was too late to evacuate. They were instructed to find shelter.

NSW Transport Minister and Member for Bega, Andrew Constance, has compared the South Coast fires to “an atomic bomb.”

“It’s indescribable the hell it’s caused and the devastation it’s caused,” he told ABC.

Fires on Kangaroo Island in the south of Australia killed two people – a well-known pilot named Dick Lang and his son, Clayton – after a quarter of the island was ravaged by fire.

As well as deploying the military, Mr Morrison announced A$20m (£10m) has been allocated to lease four water bomber planes. Defence force bases would provide temporary accommodation, he said.

NSW has declared a week-long state of emergency. Tens of thousands of residents and holidaymakers have been told to evacuate coastal areas, where a “tourist leave zone” has been declared.

Several organisations are raising money for relief efforts and people are giving generously.

The singer Pink has pledged to donate $500,000 (£382,000) to the Australian fire service after saying she was “totally devastated” at watching the crisis unfold.

The fires in Australia began in September. In addition to the fatalities, they have so far destroyed more than 1,300 homes, as well as millions of acres of bushland.

Meteorologists say a climate system in the Indian Ocean, known as the dipole, is the main driver behind the extreme heat in Australia.

However, many parts of Australia have been in drought conditions, some for years, which have made it easier for the fires to spread and grow.

Prime Minister Morrison has been criticised for his handling of the bushfires. He has faced persistent accusations of being absent, including by taking a holiday to Hawaii, and underplaying the role of climate change.

At a news conference on Friday, he said he understood that people had “suffered a great lot” and were “feeling very raw”.bbcnews

 

A well-known Queensland snake catcher has been released from hospital after being bitten by an eastern brown snake at a house south of Brisbane.

Tony Harrison was live-streaming on Facebook on Saturday when he was bitten by a brown snake which was hiding under an air conditioning unit outside the home in Pimpama.

The video shows the snake striking at Mr Harrison as the air-conditioning unit is lifted up.

A woman is then heard saying, “He didn’t get you did he? Oh he did! Are you right?”.

The snake catcher, who attends homes in the Gold Coast, Logan, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast regions, is known for his outgoing personality on jobs.

Mr Harrison’s partner Brooke Smith confirmed he was receiving care in hospital. She said it was not the first occasion he had been bitten by a brown snake.

In a video from his hospital room, Mr Harrison said he was allergic to snake venom and had suffered anaphylactic shock after his last bite 20 years ago.

In an update to his followers, Mr Harrison said the encounter was his “worst nightmare being lived out”.

“I often think of the repercussions and it frightens me a lot … then today I get a quick ninja tap,” he said.

“See blood, and my worst nightmare was being lived out. Imagine the feeling of knowing you may die in a few hours.

“Well thanx [sic] to good universe powers or something it turns out I was not envenomated [it was] a dry bite.”

Mr Harrison said he would be back at work this morning.

The eastern brown snake is considered the world’s second most venomous land snake after the inland taipan.

The incident comes just a day after footage of Mr Harrison extracting a red-bellied black snake from tangled electrical cables went viral online.

Just an hour before the incident with the eastern brown snake, the ABC spoke to Mr Harrison about the challenging task of identifying a camouflaged snake.

He said the red-bellied black appeared to be almost the same width and colour as some of the cables, which were stacked “about a metre high”.

“A lot of the cables were black and red so I was thinking: how the hell am I going to find a snake in this?”

“When I did catch him, I picked up a lead that looked exactly like him. I held them side-by-side and they looked identical … it was quite dangerous.”

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Mr Harrison likened it to searching for a “needle in a haystack”.

“Which one is which? If you’re going to camouflage, you may as well do it properly,” he joked in video of the snake removal posted to social media.

Still, he said it was one of the easier removals of the season.

“When we first opened their garage, I thought we could be here for a while,” he said.

“They had a whole heap of stuff in their garage, as everyone does, and I think he [the homeowner] was a sparky.

“He showed us a photo of where the snake had been earlier on the cables and it took us a couple of minutes to find it.

“I just grabbed him by the tail and did what I did as I do and it was pretty simple. A pretty straightforward job actually.”

The Australian navy has evacuated around 1,000 tourists and residents who were trapped in the fire-ravaged town of Mallacoota on the Victoria coast.

Throughout Friday, landing vessels took people to two ships – MV Sycamore and the much larger HMAS Choules.

A local MP, Darren Chester, called it an “unprecedented mass relocation of civilians”.

Some 4,000 residents and tourists fled to the beach on Monday night, when racing bushfires encircled the town.

The evacuees will be taken to Western Port, the navy said – around 16 hours’ voyage down the coast.

With roads cut off, the military evacuated around 60 people by helicopter on Thursday. The air has so far been too smoky for further air evacuations.

The evacuation was voluntary. By Thursday night, 963 had signed up for the boats, with a few more doing so on Friday morning, Commander Scott Houlihan said.

The larger ship, HMAS Choules, has a “few hundred beds”. Further trips are possible, depending on demand.

The evacuees were allowed to take their pets on the ship.

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews declared a state of disaster for six areas and resorts, including Mallacoota.

“Some people will want to go, some people will be happy to stay,” he said of the evacuation.

High temperatures and strong winds are forecast for the weekend, leading to what officials call “widespread extreme fire danger”.

In other parts of Victoria, people were urged to evacuate by road in convoy. There were also large queues at railway stations.

“It is forecast we will see dry thunderstorms coming across the state and the potential of lightning strikes,” Andrew Crisp, emergency management commissioner for Victoria, warned on Friday.

He called on people to leave as soon as possible.

“This is your opportunity to get out,” he said. “It is not just the fires we know [about]. It is the new fires that might start today.”

Thousands of people are also fleeing parts of neighbouring New South Wales, where a week-long state of emergency is in force.

Since September fires have killed at least 20 people in the two states and dozens remain missing.

The fires have so far destroyed more than 1,300 homes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under attack for his response to the fires.

He was heckled by angry locals in Cobargo, New South Wales, and had to cut short his visit to the fire-hit town.

In a news conference on Friday, he said he understood people’s anger and that they had “suffered a great lot” and were “feeling very raw”.

Mr Morrison has also faced criticism for his climate change policies, with many saying urgent action must be taken.

But he insists that Australia is meeting the challenge “better than most countries” and fulfilling international targets. bbc.new

 

Adelaide has recorded its driest year in more than a decade due to severely below-average rainfall, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says.

In 2019, the city’s rain gauge recorded exactly 358 millimetres — 170.3mm less than the long-term average of 528.3mm.

The BOM said the 2019 figure was the lowest since 2006 and among the lowest on record.

Senior forecaster Tom Boeck said while data was still being analysed, the trend was likely to be replicated across the state.

“Possibly over northern parts of the state, the Northern Pastoral districts — it’s likely to be the driest on record.”

Adelaide’s driest recorded year was 1967, with only 257.8mm falling over the 365 days.

The city set a new benchmark for its hottest recorded temperature on January 24 last year, reaching 46.6 degrees Celsius.

A record for the month of December was set less than a fortnight ago amid an extreme heatwave, with the mercury climbing to 45.3C in the city.

“We certainly started off very hot and finished off very hot as well,” Mr Boeck said.

During that heatwave — which triggered the deadly Cudlee Creek bushfire — temperature records tumbled across parts of southern Australia.

The nation as a whole set a new record for its hottest-ever day, with the national average maximum temperature reaching 41.9C two weeks ago.

Mr Boeck said the extreme heat towards the end to the year could have secured another unwanted milestone for 2019.

“As far as Australia goes as a whole, it’s looking like it’s going to be the warmest year on record,” he said

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed a total $189 billion stimulus package to help the Australian economy through the coronavirus pandemic.

This figure is worth about 10 per cent of the size of the Australian economy and includes extending the eligibility to benefit payments.

“We will be focusing on those in the front line, those who will be filling the first blows of the economic impact of the coronavirus,” Mr Morrison said on Sunday morning.

“We will be supercharging our safety net and supporting the most vulnerable to the impacts of the crisis, those who will feel those first blows.”

The measures will double income support for those on Jobseeker (formally Newstart), more support for pensioners and carers and grants of up to $100,000 for small and medium-sized businesses.

Mr Morrison also criticised Sydneysiders for heading out in droves to Bondi Beach on Saturday and warned there would be “far more Draconian measures” discussed as a result.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra on Sunday morning, Mr Morrison said what happened at Bondi Beach was “not OK and served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough”.

He said the national cabinet had already taken “significant actions” but he knew more would need to be done to ensure social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. The next meeting has been moved forward to Sunday evening, which will focus on stronger measures to deal with outbreaks in state and territories.

“The measures that we will be considering tonight means that state premiers and chief ministers may have to take far more Draconian measures to enforce social distancing particularly in areas of outbreaks than might otherwise be the case,” he said.

“In the months ahead, we will find out just how strong we are,” Mr Morrison said.theage

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sent a special message to Australian Muslims wishing them ‘Ramadan Kareem’ (a blessed Ramadan) Scott Morrison urges Australia’s Muslims to obey coronavirus restrictions during Ramadan.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged members of Australia’s Muslim community to maintain social distancing protocols ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Friday.

In a prerecorded video distributed on Thursday, Mr Morrison acknowledged the unprecedented restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus would prove challenging for those trying to observe Ramadan.

“The holy month of Ramadan is a time of special devotion for Muslims across the world. It’s a time of fasting and prayer, as well as reflection and renewal. However, this year will be very different as we all experience a global health crisis,” he said.

“This year Iftars will only be with those you live with,” he said.

“Like you, I wish it could be different. But we all must be mindful of our duty to each other: to keep people safe.

“Today, the world is more in need than ever of the hope and strength of spirit that faith imparts. So I encourage all of you in the Muslim community to stay strong.” SBS

Ramadhan Kareem dari Scott Morrison, Australia PM 🇦🇺🦘 pic.twitter.com/JyWCDupHNy

— #JagaJarak 🚧 (@Aceh) April 23, 2020

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been tested for COVID-19 and is in self-isolation after having a coughing fit in parliament.

Treasurer @JoshFrydenberg is spending what was meant to be Budget Night in self-isolation awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. Having last year claimed the budget “was back in the black” he is now set to deliver the biggest deficit in Australia’s history. #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/zEuaZUyRkP

— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) May 12, 2020

In a socially distanced parliament on Tuesday, Mr Frydenberg struggled to suppress a coughing fit as he discussed data revealing the economic effects of the coronavirus.

“Today while delivering my ministerial statement I had a dry mouth and cough,” Mr Frydenberg said in a statement issued a few hours after the incident.

“The Deputy Chief Medical Officer advised me that out of an abundance of caution it was prudent I be tested for COVID-19.”

Mr Frydenberg said he would await the test results, expected tomorrow, in isolation.

While delivering the economic update which revealed coronavirus would wipe the equivalent of $50 billion from the economy, Mr Frydenberg was forced to stop for about three minutes as he coughed and lost his voice.

He coughed into his hand several times before touching his face and the despatch box, going against medical advice to cough and sneeze into your elbow to limit the spread of germs.

After delivering his address, Mr Frydenberg remained in the House of Representatives chamber for Question Time.

Several federal politicians have already returned positive COVID-19 tests, including Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick.sbs

 

Hail as big as golf balls and ferocious winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour have torn through Canberra in a storm that had residents running for cover.

More than 1,000 homes lost power, with outages reported in Florey, Griffith, Deakin and Kambah, and dozens more suburbs across the territory.

Since midday, the ESA had received a record number of requests for assistance, more than 1,900, with ACT Ambulance Service attending to two people for minor injuries sustained during the storm.

That was more than double what the service had received in the preceding two years.

ESA Commissioner Georgeina Whelan said they had withdrawn personnel from the firegrounds just over the ACT border where bushfires have threatened the territory in recent weeks.

“Obviously we have been stood up for weeks now in response to the threat of bushfires to the west of the ACT,” Ms Whelan said.

“And based on the information we had received from the Bureau of Meteorology, both last night and this morning, we had withdrawn a number of our assets off the fireground and then we redirected a number of those assets along with our SES capability that we had pre-emptively stood up.

“We were responding to a number of the requests for assistance within a matter of minutes.”

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Ms Whelan said the damage to the ACT had been “quite considerable”, with the areas most impacted including Belconnen, the city, the Australian National University and the inner south.

A specialist intelligence gathering helicopter was flying over Canberra in the storm’s aftermath conducting a damage assessment from the sky.

“A combination of aerial surveillance and our damage teams will be out there on the ground assessing and prioritising the tasks — it will take us some time to get to all of those particularly challenging jobs,” Ms Whelan said.

The Bureau of Meteorology had issued a warning for “damaging, locally destructive winds, large, possible giant hailstones and heavy rainfall” due to hit the ACT at about 12:30pm, and advised residents to move cars undercover and stay indoors.

The BOM later reported wind gusts of 116 kilometres per hour.

Hilary Wardhaugh, who was at the National Library of Australia when the hail started to fall, described it as an “unbelievable” sight.

“My friend and I were going to go outside and have our lunch and then we came out and saw it was raining and then the hail started,” she said.

Indonesia’s President has used an historic address to Australia’s Parliament to call for both countries to do more to address climate change and lower carbon emissions.

Joko Widodo delivered his speech in the official Indonesian language, Bahasa, describing Australia as Indonesia’s closest friend.

He said Australia and Indonesia needed to become anchors for sustainable development and environmental protection across the region.

“To prevent forest and land fires and commitment to lowering carbon emission and develop renewable energy and other green technologies,” Mr Widodo said.

His speech called for both nations to join forces in the battle against identity politics, to improve human rights, foster greater tolerance and stop terrorism.

“We must continue to advocate the values of democracy, human rights, stop intolerance, stop xenophobia, stop radicalism and stop terrorism,” the President said.

“Identity politics is a trap to democracy, a threat to adversity and a threat to tolerance.

“These threats will become more actual exploitation for short-term political interests, resulting in hatred, fear and even social conflict.

“These democratic and diverse countries, we must work hard, side by side together, to defend the values of democracy, tolerance and adversity and to look at the clash of civilisation.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Widodo made joint remarks together outside the House of Representatives but journalists were unable to ask either leader questions.

Mr Widodo arrived in Australia for a brief visit just days after the Indonesian Parliament ratified a free trade agreement with Australia.

That deal will come into force in 60 days, with high hopes among Australian farmers it will lead to greater exports of agricultural products.

Australian universities will have greater access to the Indonesian education sector under the agreement.

Mr Morrison confirmed his Government would look at ways to simplify visa application processes for Indonesians visiting Australia.

That is a change Mr Widodo has been seeking in a bid to stop Indonesians having to fill out a 17-page visa application form and pay $140.

Australians visiting his country can do so visa-free for a limited period.

“Our Home Affairs Minister here in Australia will be engaging with his Indonesian counterpart to proceed to look at how we can simplify and streamline the issues of entry to Australia,” Mr Morrison said.

Senators crammed into the Lower House so politicians from both chambers could listen to Mr Widodo’s speech in the House of Representatives.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was in the chamber, as were the heads of Australia’s defence, cyber and spy agencies.

“By continuing to work together, we can build the region’s resilience and make our people safer and our economies stronger,” Mr Morrison told the House of Representatives.

“Our ambitious comprehensive strategic partnership, which was finalised 18 months ago, gives Australia framework for even closer ties.

“We now have a plan of action to take the next steps in our relationship — from trade and investment to defence, counter-terrorism, maritime security, ocean sustainability and education, to name only some — and even today we add energy and the future of fuel sources for our nations to this long list.”