How the tragedy is set to change nation
AUSTRALIA’S bushfire crisis has become “a mark of national significance”, experts say as Prime Minister Scott Morrison prepares to speak to state premiers about the mammoth clean-up.
The catastrophe has been compared to seminal events in Australia’s history, including the 1996 Port Arthur massacre and 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
The nation is mourning the deaths of 29 people, as the scope of the disaster continues to unfold.
Fires have burnt more than 11 million hectares of land – the size of Ethiopia – killed at least 50,000 livestock and razed more than 3000 homes.
Billions of animals could also be wiped out with fears the threatened species found in the path of the fires could be decimated. They include 272 plant, 16 mammal, 14 frog, nine bird, seven reptile, four insect, four fish and one spider species.
National Bushfire Recovery Agency boss Andrew Colvin said this summer would be “an important time in our history”.
“This bushfire is different because it’s a longer period of time, it’s still ongoing and it has touched many jurisdictions,” he said.
“There’s a long way to go to understand the full impact and the damage.”
Mr Morrison will this week host a phone hook-up with the premiers of Victoria, NSW and South Australia to discuss the bushfire response and address any issues.
The full economic impact of the fires remains unclear but continues to mount with homes lost, infrastructure destroyed and tourism operators hit hard during peak season.
The Federal Government has already committed to spending at least $2 billion over the coming two years, but has indicated further economic impact will be revealed in the May Budget.
“We do know that obviously those communities have been absolutely devastated and that has impacted on everything from tourism to household consumption,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said this week.
“The full economic impact is still uncertain.”
In NSW, fires began near Drake in the state’s north on
September 7, before 44 homes in Rappville were razed in October and the South Coast was torched from November.
Three people have died in South Australia with a fire in Cudlee Creek on December 20 and two major fires on Kangaroo Island on January 4 and 9.
In Victoria, 1.5 million hectares of land and 387 properties have been burnt, while 35,000 Queensland firefighters and volunteers have battled a string of fires in the state’s south