Now Australia's PM suggests a Royal Commission

Now to acknowledge the noble actions of the PM supporting Australians.

You gotta hand it to ScoMo the way he has turned the bushfires into a massive vote winner.

No surprise the Lefties are spitting chips.




Scott Morrison announces $1.4B for Australian bushfire relief agency
By Darryl Coote  Jan. 6, 2020 at 3:40 AM


 Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (L) and Australian Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg speak during a press conference regarding the government's bushfire response at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday. Photo by Lukas Coch/EPA-EFE

Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday committed more than $1.4 billion over the next two years to aid with recovery from bushfires ravaging the country's southeast.

"If further funds are required, further funds will be provided," he said during a press conference announcing the plan.


With the initial money, the federal government will establish the National Bushfire Recovery Agency to coordinate a response to rebuild the communities affected by fires in Victoria and New South Wales, which have been battling devastating blazes for months, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

The agency will function as a "one-stop shop" to coordinate relief efforts, Morrison said.

The agency will foster relationships between state, territory and local governments to work with stakeholders in affected communities and ensure those communities have access to support, provide advice and recommendations to the government on the economic and social impacts of the bushfires and develop and coordinate a long-term recovery plan, among other objectives, it said.


When asked about whether he'd still be able to deliver a government surplus, which had been projected at around $3.4 billion for 2019-2002, Morrison replied a surplus was of no focus to him when lives are at stake.

"What matters to me is the human cost and meeting whatever cost we need to meet," he said.

The additional roughly $1.4 billion will be on top of the more than $69 million worth of assistance going to families, small businesses and farmers affected by the fires, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said.

"Our initial [$1.4 billion] investment help to get communities back on their feet by assisting with restocking and replenishing, rebuilding roads and telecommunications infrastructure, mental health support, attracting tourists back to the regions and helping restore the local environment and impacted wildlife," Frydenberg said.

The fund's announcement follows Morrison deploying the Australian Defense Force Reserve Brigades and the HMAS Adelaide to help battle the blazes that have killed at least 24 people, destroyed more than 1,700 homes and burned some 5 million hectares of land.

It is the first time the country has issued a compulsory Call-Out of the Australian Defence Force Reserve Brigades.

Morrison also said they have leased four extra waterbombing planes for about $14 million.

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said Monday that there were over 150 fires across the state but that easing conditions may bring some relief to those fighting the blazes.

"There's even a bit of drizzle happening down here on the south coast," he told reporters and though the rain isn't putting out the fires, "it's certainly a welcome reprieve. It's a psychological relief if nothing else."

He said people can take a reprieve in the weather but they must stay focused because "complacency kills and we've still got a long part of this summer to go."

On Monday, the NSW Police Force announced it had arrested more than 180 people for bushfire-related offenses since Nov. 8, including 40 juveniles, for 205 charges.

While the majority were charged for failing to comply with a fire ban or illegally discarding a lit cigarette, 24 people were charged for deliberately lighting bushfires, it said in a statement.

https://www.upi.com/amp/Top_News/World-News/2020/01/06/Scott-Morrison-announces-14B-for-Australian-bushfire-relief-agency/8711578296443/

Cunning ScoMo can see the opportunity to permanently cut the repulsive sick Greenies' water off after they caused the bush fires.

There should be an RC into this. Of particularly interest is the effects of Bob Carr turning NSW into the worlds largest National Park. Then appointing various Greeny environments to run all the various state government departments such as National Parks & Wildlife Services, the Environmental Protection Authority etc. Even thought this happened a number of years ago, this is when the Greeny (rot) set in, and it continues today. 

If a royal commission confirms mismanagement of the state forest fuel loads is a major contributing factor then every politician and councillor who praised the Greenies policies against all common sense should be named and their retirement benefits reduced to compensate the victims of their stupidity.



Scott Morrison considers bushfires royal commission
ROSIE LEWIS 6:43AM JANUARY 6, 2020


The Prime Minister used a one-hour press conference to declare that now was not the time for blame and fend off a backlash over his performance. Picture: Getty


Scott Morrison will consider establishing a bushfire royal commission once the disastrous summer season is over as he is forced to stare down critics over his handling of the crisis.

The Prime Minister used a one-hour press conference to declare that now was not the time for blame and fend off a backlash over his performance, which has been labelled ad hoc and lacking in urgency by his political opponents and some defence analysts.

He praised the response from the country’s firefighters, emergency services and defence force as “world-leading”.

Mr Morrison has relocated with his family to Canberra, where there will be daily Defence briefings on the fires burning across four states, and on Sunday said he would talk to the states about a royal commission into the circumstances that led to such a long and extreme fire season.

“It is something I would consider in concert with states and territories and these are matters that we are assessing right now,” Mr Morrison said at Parliament House.

“The message I have from state premiers and from fire commissioners is we are fighting the fires now. We are dealing with the emergency response now. We are dealing with the co-ordination and delivery of resources right now.

“There is a broad agreement about the need … for there to be a thorough and proper review of both the contributing factors and the response and improvements that can be made … What form that ultimately takes is something that I will work closely with the premiers on.”

On Sunday a political furore erupted over the federal government’s failure to tell fire chiefs about its unprecedented compulsory call-out of up to 3000 army reservists, after NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons revealed he learnt about the announcement through the media.

Mr Fitzsimmons said he spent much of Saturday — one of the worst fire days this season — with commonwealth and military liaison officers trying to “work out” how the additional resources could be integrated into the existing firefighting effort.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds conceded her department “could have worked a little quicker” to push information out about the deployment but said it was up to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who was informed of the decision shortly before it was announced, as to how she communicated with the state fire chief.

Senator Reynolds, who admitted she spent a few days with family in Bali over Christmas but said she was not on leave, confirmed the states and territories would have the final say on requests for ADF assets. The ADF call-out was designed to maximise the resources available, she said.

A social media video promoting the government’s response to the fires was slammed by the Australia Defence Association and Labor MPs as being in bad taste.

The video was set to music and featured Mr Morrison visiting firezones. Anthony Albanese said he was stunned it had been released.

“It took six weeks for the government to agree to a national response (to the bushfires) and six minutes for them to put out an authorised Liberal Party ad, which can only be seen as being for party-political purposes at a time where it requires national leadership and it requires a non-partisan and non-political approach,” the Opposition Leader said.

Mr Morrison rejected the suggestion there was “some other purpose” in the video other than communicating the government’s response. He dismissed criticism of his performance as “noise and blame” that were “a long way away from the main issue”.

“There has been a lot of commentary, there’s 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,” Mr Morrison said. An overhaul of hazard reduction and land clearing and planning laws will be discussed at the next Council of Australian Governments meeting in March.


https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/now-is-time-for-response-not-blame-scott-morrison-concedes-fire-response-shortfalls-announces-recovery-agency/news-story/4883cc2751ba41a23e52c341f8791c42