Australia needs you now more than ever
3 min read
As our climate changes, Australia is going to face longer and more intense bushfire seasons. We need the UK's ongoing support, writes Senator Murray Watt
The world has been stunned in recent weeks by the bushfires raging across Australia.
The scale of the devastation is staggering.
Twenty-six people have died and nearly 2,000 homes have been lost. Half a billion native animals have perished in the bushfires. Over six million hectares have burned. For context, that’s the size of the United Kingdom.
There’s no rain on the horizon and summer is far from over.
The facts are hard to hear. But nothing could prepare us for the images of choking smoke, blood red skies and thousands of desperate people wading into the ocean in a last ditch effort to escape the fires.
These bushfires are unprecedented. But they were not unexpected. For months the Australian government has been urged to prepare. The science is unequivocal. As our climate changes, Australia is going to face longer and more intense bushfire seasons.
This advice has come from current and former emergency leaders, leading research centres and the Federal Opposition.
In November, the leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese wrote to the prime minister asking him to call an urgent meeting with federal, state and local government leaders on disaster preparedness.
Unfortunately this request fell on deaf ears, as did the multiple calls for action from former fire chiefs.
Much has been said in recent weeks about our prime minister’s slowness to respond to this national crisis. While firies (or firefighters as you may call them) were crowdfunding for equipment, the prime minister was hosting a cricket reception at his residence.
The anger across our community is palpable. But more than anything, Australians just want to see action to fight these bushfires and prevent this scale of devastation from ever happening again.
That’s why it has been overwhelming to see the international support that we have received.
In particular, support from the United Kingdom, which we are so close to culturally and historically, has been deeply appreciated.
These bushfires are expected to continue throughout our summer. As I write this, people across the country are preparing to defend their homes or are facing the enormous task of rebuilding.
We need your help now more than ever.
We appreciate all support from afar during this terrible time. But what is really going to make the difference to these communities is what happens after this bushfire season.
That’s why, on behalf of my country, I’m putting the call out to come and visit us.
For many of these communities, tourism is their lifeblood. These bushfires have struck right at the heart of their economies and we need to do all we can to bring them back. Even after these fires, they remain some of the most beautiful places on earth.
If you’re booking a holiday, book it here.
Murray Watt is Labor Senator for Queensland and Shadow minister for natural disaster and emergency management
If you’d like to support our firies and fire affected communities, you can donate here:
If you’d like to support our wildlife, you can donate here:
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