‘Leadership vacuum’ over fires
A coalition of former fire chiefs is threatening to take matters into their own hands if the federal government doesn’t act to address Australia’s bushfire crisis and its link to climate change.
Emergency Leaders for Climate Action – a coalition that’s now grown to include 29 former emergency services bosses – is calling for a national summit to fill the ‘‘leadership vacuum’’ left by the Morrison government.
Former Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner Greg Mullins says the group is prepared to act if the federal government doesn’t.
‘‘I hope the prime minister will suddenly show some national leadership and say ‘Yes, I get it and I can see it and we’ll get people together to deal with the crisis’,’’ he told AAP.
‘‘But I don’t see any suggestion that’s going to happen. They really are missing in action.’’
Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently announced A$11 million (NZ$11.4m) for aerial firefighting.
But Mullins argues the government was ‘‘embarrassed’’ into providing that funding.
‘‘My major concern with the policy response from Canberra is they have resisted extra funding requests, initially resisted the use of the military, and they were embarrassed into doing those things.’’
Emergency Leaders for Climate Action wants a national emergency summit to be held at the end of the current bushfire season.
Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said Labor would engage if invited.
‘‘I think it’s shameful that the government has not sat down with the fire chiefs,’’ he told reporters yesterday.
‘‘It is shameful in the extreme that Scott Morrison hasn’t taken the views of those senior firies on board.’’
But federal Water Minister David Littleproud insisted the government was doing its bit.
‘‘As the prime minister has said, and most cabinet ministers, we’ve made a commitment to the global community around emissions and we’re working towards that and we’ll put the shoulder to the wheel and make sure we live up to it,’’ he told ABC television.
Littleproud said his door was open to speak with the ex-fire chiefs and ‘‘anyone else with the wisdom and knowledge I don’t have’’.
Former ACT Emergency Services Authority commissioner Peter Dunn says climate change is contributing to massive droughts and extreme weather events.
‘‘The fires in those circumstances will be difficult to control,’’ he said.
‘‘We need to co-ordinate at a national level new methods of firefighting.
‘‘Business as usual doesn’t work and we need a roundtable to get that sort of thinking with all agencies involved.’’
Former Tasmania Fire Service chief Mike Brown agreed.
‘‘We are seeing major losses at the moment and we are only a week into summer. There’s some urgency about this.’’
This year’s fire season got off to an earlier than usual start in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
NSW has fared the worst so far, with bushfires consuming almost three million hectares of land amid hot, dry and windy conditions.