[421][422][423][402][7], Australian scientific organisations, including the CSIRO clearly acknowledged the role of climate change and record drought in the unprecedented bushfire season. Part of the fire was burning in inaccessible country and continued to head in a north-westerly direction towards Bombala as well as northerly to just south of Nethercote. [298] Both the Kangaroo Island dunnart and Kangaroo Island subspecies of the glossy black cockatoo are endangered and are only found on Kangaroo Island. firefighters head to Australia as wildfires continue to burn", "Canadian Forces plane, crew heading to Australia to fight bushfires", "RFMF Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Deployment To Australia", "President Macron offers French aid to Australia over bushfires", "5 French experts in Australia to provide assistance in the bushfires crisis", "TNI kerahkan personel ke Australia untuk bantu atasi kebakaran hutan", "Indonesia's support for bushfire fight appreciated: Oz ministers", "TNI to aid Australia in fighting bushfires", "Japan sends two Self-Defense Forces planes and personnel to help fight Australia fires", "Wan Azizah: Malaysia ready to assist Australia in fighting bushfires", "Malaysian firemen to leave for Australia to help fight bushfires", "Australia fires: More New Zealand firefighters on their way to help battle blazes", "New Zealand Defence Force sends support to Australia", "New Kiwi charity to ensure no animals left behind in natural disasters", "Kiwi charity focused on saving animals from Australia's bush fires", "SunLive NZ animal charities combine to assist Australia The Bay's News First", "Animal Evac New Zealand has deployed volunteers to support animals in the region", "Kiwi volunteers jump the ditch to help fire-affected Australian animals", "Return to the wasteland: Kangaroo sanctuary owner's emotional reunion with survivors after bushfire hell", "Australia bushfires: Heart-wrenching video shows wallaby recovering from injuries", "Badly-injured kangaroo spotted in charred remains of NSW forest dies", "Pacific nations Vanuatu and PNG pledge aid for Australia's bushfires", "Australia fires: PNG to send 100 soldiers", "Philippine Red Cross to donate $100K for Australia bushfires", "300 Filipinos affected in Australia bushfire; Local celebrities raising awareness", "Maguindanao tribal group prays to goddess of fire to end Australia bushfires", "Singapore deploys two Chinook helicopters to help Aussie bush fire recovery efforts", "UAE to send 200 volunteers to help fight Australian bushfires", "Emirati astronaut reaches out to Australia", "UAE to raise funds for wildfire-hit Australia because 'mates help mates' says minister", "UAE: World's tallest tower lights up for fire-stricken Australia", "Barrasso Honors the US-Australia Firefighting Alliance News Releases United States Senator John Barrasso", "US sends veteran firefighters to battle Australia wildfires", "Australien brnder, men siger nej tak til danske brandmnd", "Cine sunt pompierii romni pregtii pentru lupta cu incendiile devastatoare din Australia", "Ministerul Afacerilor Interne rspunde apelului lansat la nivel european i are fore pregtite pentru a fi trimise n Australia", "Pompierii romni, flituii de incendiata Australie: Nu avem nevoie de ajutor", "Australia rejected an offer by the European Union to help it against fires", "Turkey stands with Australia with bushfires raging", "Avustralya'daki Trklerden yangn madurlarna yardm", "Ukraine offers Australia help to combat wildfires, ready to send 200 seasoned firefighters", "Explainer: how effective is bushfire hazard reduction on Australia's fires? [378] Australia accepted 100 Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel. [80][81][82], On 23 January 2020, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules air tanker (N134CG) crashed at Peak View near Cooma while waterbombing a blaze. However, the fires were mainly in sparsely populated inland areas. The fires burnt 6.2 per cent of the state the largest burnt area recorded in a single fire season in eastern Australia. When she exited the plane onto the smoke-flooded tarmac, she suffered respiratory distress and then died. The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australias environmental history. Convoys of donated food, clothing and livestock feed were sent to affected areas. As further crews arrived and worked to protect properties, a C-130 Air Tanker made several fire retardant drops directly over firefighters and houses, saving the rest of the suburb. Above Australia, it rose by 3C. ", "We are seeing the very worst of our scientific predictions come to pass in these bushfires", "The truth about Australia's fires arsonists aren't responsible for many this season", "Media reaction: Australia's bushfires and climate change", "Final-Report-of-the-NSW-Bushfire-Inquiry", "NSW Bushfire Inquiry - Premier & Cabinet", "Legal action taken against 183 people this bushfire season", "Separating Fact From Fiction: A Breakdown Of The Small Role Arson Played This Bushfire Season", "Drought now officially our worst on record", "Australia records three years of hotter than average monthly temperatures", "Fire in NSW leaves more than 2,000 homes damaged or destroyed as authorities brace for bad conditions", "Hasta la vista El Nino but don't hold out for 'normal' weather just yet", "Water resources minister 'totally' accepts drought linked to climate change", "NSW Government says entire state in drought, new DPI figures reveal full extent of big dry", "Climate change impacts on fire-weather in south-east Australia", "Climate change is one factor affecting how fires in Australia burn, regardless of whether arsonists or lightning started them", "The 2019-20 bushfires: a CSIRO explainer", "Statement regarding Australian bushfires | Australian Academy of Science", "Australia ranked worst of 57 countries on climate change policy", "Australian PM Downplays Climate Change as Cause of Deadly Fires", "Scott Morrison says climate change 'contributed' to bushfires", "Tony Abbott, former Australian PM, tells Israeli radio the world is 'in the grip of a climate cult', "Malcolm Turnbull says Liberals' struggles with climate denial are hurting Australia", "Bushfire preparations stymied by climate change deniers in Government, says small business lobby", "NSW accepts all 76 recommendations of inquiry into summer bushfires and admits link to climate change", "Climate of the Nation: Climate Change Concern Hits 82%", "Melbourne climate change protest not appropriate: Daniel Andrews", "What is the evidence behind hazard-reduction burning? The fire caused significant damage, severely damaging the Selwyn Snow Resort, destroying structures in the town of Cabramurra and almost completely destroying the heritage-listed precinct (and birthplace of skiing in Australia) of Kiandra. [67] The last fatality reported was on 23 January 2020 following the death of a man near Moruya. WebThe major fires peaked during DecemberJanuary. A newspaper proposed a ban on smoking on the road to Sydney, to minimise the risk of starting new fires. By 26 December 2019, the Clyde Mountain fire was burning on the southern side of the Kings Highway, into the Buckenbowra and Runnyford areas. How is this possible? 28 October 2019. [507] On 14 January 2020, the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, announced an independent investigation into the 20192020 bushfire season in Victoria. [209] In December 2019 Peregian Springs and the surrounding areas came under threat by bushfires for the second time in a couple of months. The situation deteriorated on 21 December when the fire changed direction and attacked Balmoral and Buxton once more from the opposite side, with major property losses in both areas. Conclusion. [370] The team was the first international specialist animal rescuers to arrive[371] and included vets, animal management officers as well as animal disaster and technical animal rescue experts. [479], Further controversy surrounded prime minister Scott Morrison for taking an overseas family holiday to Hawaii, United States, during the bushfires. [citation needed] On the same day, a fire broke out in the Plenty Gorge Parklands, situated in Melbourne's northern suburbs between Bundoora, Mill Park, South Morang, Greensborough and Plenty. [68][69][70] NSW also experienced the longest continuously burning bushfire complex in Australia's history, having burnt more than 4million hectares (9,900,000 acres), with 70-metre-high (230ft) flames being reported. 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Mick and Marylin moved into their Cobargo haven just before Christmas 2019. Problem: Even before Black Summer, most Australian ecosystems were already struggling due to multiple threats. [519] Footballer Mathew Ryan, goalkeeper for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Australia national team announced he'll donate $500 for every registered save by an English Premier League goalkeeper on the weekend of 1112 January 2020. A new book released today, titled Australias Megafires, synthesises the extent of the losses. [495][496] Requiring the approval of the state and territory governments, the Commonwealth Government drafted terms of reference. The aircraft was destroyed, resulting in the death of the three American crew members on board. Solution: Indigenous people should be supported to rekindle cultural fire practices in forests. [503][504][505], On 5 December 2019 David Littleproud, the Minister for natural disasters and emergency management, announced that the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy would conduct an inquiry into the efficacy of past and current vegetation and land management policy, practice and legislation and their effect on the intensity and frequency of bushfires and subsequent risk to property, life and the environment. [500][501] On 20 February 2020, Morrison released the letters patent confirming the establishment of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, chaired by Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin AC (Retd), a former Chief of the Australian Defence Force, and supported by the Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC and Professor Andrew Macintosh, a specialist in climate risk and impact management. People in the entertainment industry such as Tina Arena,[341] Patricia Arquette,[345] Cate Blanchett,[345] Russell Crowe,[346] Ellen DeGeneres,[347] Selena Gomez,[348] Halsey,[342] Nicole Kidman,[345] Lizzo,[348] Bette Midler,[342] Pink,[348] Margot Robbie,[345] Paul Stanley,[342] Jay Park,[349] Jonathan Van Ness,[348] and Phoebe Waller-Bridge[345] also made statements about the fires. [228], On Kangaroo Island starting in the Flinders Chase National Park, the Ravine bushfire burnt in excess of 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) and a bushfire emergency warning was issued on 3 January 2020 as the fire advanced towards Vivonne Bay and the town of Parndana was evacuated. The work involved contributions from more than 200 scientists and experts. In an attempt to protect the Blue Mountains from the Gospers Mountain bushfire, firefighters commenced a large backburn on 14 December in the Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine areas.
[172], On 30 December 2019, the Green Valley fire burning east of Albury near Talmalmo (which had started the day prior) developed into an unprecedented fire event for the Snowy Valleys[173] as a result of extreme local conditions. [227], Another emergency warning was issued on 3 January for a fire near Kersbrook. For example, its likely that the Black Summer fires sent many invertebrate species such as insects and spiders - to extinction. The crews took shelter in their truck until the fire front passed. [322] On 4 January 2020, it announced that it would lease four waterbombing planes including two long-range DC-10s and two medium-range for use by state and territory governments. So Is the Disinformation Campaign", "Police contradict claims spread online exaggerating arson's role in Australian bushfires", "Here are the facts about arson and the bushfire crisis", "Jodi McKay says the NSW firefighting budget is facing a $40million cut. One hundred and seventy-three people tragically lost their lives, 414 were injured, more than a million wild and domesticated animals were lost and 450,000 hectares of land were burned. [46][83], On 1 February 2020, emergency warnings were issued for the Orroral fire and the Clear Range fire threatening Bredbo north of Cooma. Fire retardant was dropped from air tankers, and an irrigation system was installed on the ground by specialist firefighters, who were lowered into the area by winches from helicopters. An endangered Rosenbergs monitor at Kangaroo Island, after the Black Summer fires. [436][401][439], The effect of previous prescribed burns in slowing the 201920 Australian fires and assisting fire suppression efforts remains unclear, although in many instances the fires were observed to burn through cleared agricultural land and forest recently affected by unplanned and prescribed burns, owing to the extreme weather conditions and dryness of vegetation. Professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania David Bowmansaid fire thunderstorms could push aerosols into the stratosphere, and they're becoming more common. From at least 6 January 2020 a bushfire near Hospital Hill in the Namadgi National Park had started; it was extinguished on 9 January. The 197475 bushfire season burnt over 100million hectares (250million acres), but there are different figures reported: The 2004 National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management reported a total of 102million hectares (250million acres), This page was last edited on 4 April 2023, at 01:50. [486], On 4 January, volunteer firefighter Paul Parker, from Nelligen, rose to fame after he stopped his firetruck next to a Channel 7 news crew, and used colourful language to denounce what he perceived as an inadequate response by Morrison. A new report suggests the Black Summer bushfires significantly damaged the ozone layer The fires caused the temperature in the stratosphere to increase by 0.7 degrees Celsius The 2019-2020 summer fires burned across more than 24 million hectares and indirectly killed hundreds of people WebA particularly widespread event occurred in the forest and woodland regions of Australia over the summer of 2019-2020. The fire continued to grow in size and intensity, burning towards the township of Yerranderie. The stratosphere, which contains the ozone layer, is around 12 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. The small community of Caparra lost fourteen homes in a few hours as the bushfire continued towards the small village of Bobin, where numerous homes and the Bobin Public School were destroyed in the fire. Maximum temperature deciles, January to November 2019, Rainfall deciles, January to November 2019, Please help by moving some material from it into the body of the article. The study's co-author, atmospheric science professor Jim Haywood, said the findings were statistically significant and worrying. [91], The Gospers Mountain fire was the largest forest fire ever recorded in Australia, burning more than 500,000 hectares. For many species, recovery is a long road. The fires burnt 6.2 per cent of the state the largest burnt area recorded in a single fire season in eastern Australia. 81% of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area burned. A decision by the New South Wales Government to cut funding to fire services based on budget estimates, as well as a holiday taken by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, during a period in which two volunteer firefighters died, and his perceived apathy towards the situation, resulted in controversy. The NSWRFS sent out alerts to people in Killabakh, Upper Lansdowne, Kippaxs, Elands, and Marlee to monitor conditions. Morrison was criticised for grabbing and then shaking their hands despite their refusals. Put all these threats together, and recovery for these ecosystems which are slow to develop will not be easy. The crews were taken back to Lobethal were they continued to assist community members whilst on foot with asset protection as the fire front moved through. [222] Initial south-easterly winds put the towns of Lobethal and Lenswood in the line of the fire, and by the next morning the winds had changed to north-north-west, threatening other towns. [84] Reaching the crash site proved difficult due to the active bushfires in the area. [278], In December 2019, the air quality index (AQI) around Rozelle, an inner suburb of Sydney, hit 2,552 or more than 12 times the hazardous level of 200. WebA particularly widespread event occurred in the forest and woodland regions of Australia over the summer of 2019-2020. [114] In 201920, the fire season started early with drought affecting 95 percent of the state and persistent dry and warm conditions across the state. [151] On New Year's Eve there were fears of this fire impacting the towns of Mittagong, Braemar, and surrounding areas. F1 Delta Time, a blockchain game developed and published by Animoca Brands, raised 51 ether (ETH) in its charity auction by selling the "Australia Edition 2020" non-fungible token, which is a digital race car that is officially licensed by Formula One. [310][311], After fire burnt out a creek on a property at Cobargo, NSW, on New Year's Eve, a boomerang carved by stone artefact was found. A number of maps giving an exaggerated impression of Australia's fires went viral online, and were published by major news outlets. The bushfire season started in winter and was the worst on record for New South Wales in terms of its intensity, the area burned, and the number of properties lost. [512] An episode of Four Corners titled Black Summer comprised an audio-visual media collation of material provided by people impacted by bushfires and was broadcast in early February 2020. Besides immediate mortality from the fires, there were on-going mortalities after the fires from starvation, lack of shelter, and attacks from predators such as foxes and feral cats that are attracted to fire-affected areas to hunt. The fire had burnt more than 258,000 hectares (640,000 acres) and was out of control. The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australias environmental history. [189], On 23 January 2020, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules large air tanker crashed near Cooma while waterbombing a blaze, resulting in the death of the three American crew members on board. [271], The Northern Territory went through a relatively average annual bushfire season with respect to area of land burnt, in comparison to the scale of bushfires witnessed in other areas of Australia. Professor Bowman said scientists were worried about the idea of a "feedback loop", in which fires create conditions that accelerate climate change. An Emergency Warning was issued for Bendoc, Bendoc Upper, and Bendoc North on 30 January. Staff at Thredbo ski resort resorted to using sprayers and snow making technology to douse facilities on the mountain in water, in hopes of saving whatever they can", "NSW bushfire: Selwyn Snow Resort destroyed by bushfire", "Fires wreak destruction on Kosciuszko National Park that could take centuries to recover from, rangers say", "Southern Highlands blaze flares as two massive fires merge in Snowy Valley", "Bushfires NSW, ACT, Victoria: Dangerous fires flare in three states", "Residents told to leave now as twin East Gippsland bushfires bear down", "First day of New Zealand's tour match cancelled due to extreme heat", "Bundoora fire damages homes in Melbourne's north as bushfires intensify in Victoria's East Gippsland", "Grave fears in East Gippsland after horror wind change", "Australia wildfires: Thousands told it is too late to evacuate as blazes rage on", "Mallacoota evacuations begin as thousands trapped by bushfires are transported to navy ship", "Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews declares state of disaster as bushfires bring 'unprecedented risk to life and property', "Number of people missing in bushfire-ravaged Victoria rises to 28", "Fires in Victoria destroy estimated 300 homes, former police chief to lead Bushfire Recovery Victoria", "Australia bushfires: Two emergency warnings issued in Victoria", "Australia bushfires: brown rain falls in Melbourne as temperatures soar and fires flare in NSW", "Heatwave brings dangerous fire conditions to bushfire-ravaged Australia", "Huge East Gippsland bushfire that burned for three months finally declared 'contained', "Final significant fire contained in Victoria", "Inside the devastation and heartache of razed Binna Burra lodge", "Authorities declare 'state of fire emergency' in parts of Queensland", "NSW and Qld fires: teenager accused of lighting destructive bushfire near Yeppoon", "Lower Beechmont - bushfire as at 9.15am Tues 19 Nov", "Crews battle fire front 100 kilometres long as four homes destroyed in Ravensbourne", "Waterbombing aircraft crash-lands fighting bushfires in Queensland", "Australia fires: blazes 'too big to put out' as 140 bushfires rage in NSW and Queensland", "Queensland Fire and Emergency Services QFES", "Emergency warning issued for uncontrolled bushfire travelling towards Port Lincoln", "CFS crews battle more than 40 fires on day of record-breaking November heat", "Residents return to their homes after monster bushfire in Edithburgh and Yorkes", "SA bushfire that damaged 11 properties caused by 'power network fault', "Bushfire Watch and Act: Hollands Creek Road, Cudlee Creek", "Bushfire death toll rises as fires sweep across South Australia and NSW", "Adelaide Hills bushfire destroys more than 70 homes", "SA bushfires: Lobethal lights cancelled as fresh blaze rages at Virginia", "Adelaide Hills homes destroyed by huge bushfire as CFS heroes battle the elements across the state", "Strike teams and water bombers to battle out of control Kersbrook fire", "Kangaroo Island bushfire emergency declared as firefighters warn they can't stop fire spreading, Adelaide Hills ablaze again", "Ravine fire burning on Kangaroo Island 'virtually unstoppable' as major towns only safe place left on island", "Kangaroo Island fires: Two confirmed dead as blazes continue to burn", "Kangaroo Island fires continue as locals count cost of damage to infrastructure, animals", "Bushfire 'perfect storm' as twin blazes hit WA port city of Geraldton", "Petrol station razed in bushfire north of Perth as heatwave sets in", "More homes under threat as 'dynamic' Yanchep fires gain intensity", "NSW fires: residents in path of 370,000ha bushfire near Sydney told it's 'too late to leave', "Perth fires: Two Rocks fire emergency expands beyond Perth metro area", "Bushfire threat eases north of Perth and near Collie after heatwave", "Bushfires cutting off Nullarbor likely to cost millions and cause food shortages in Perth", "Coolgardie-Esperance Highway shut down as bushfire rages near Norseman", "Stirling Range bushfire continues to pose threat", "Western Australia bushfires devastate the Stirling Ranges one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots", "Volunteer firefighters say Stirling Range National Park mega-blaze underscores need for more resources", "WA Bushfire Emergency Warning: Lake Clifton In Shire of Waroona", "Raging bushfire threatens homes, lives in Lake Clifton", "Tasmania Now: Watch and act fire alerts for two blazes north of Hobart", "Longer fire season stretches volunteers, with calls for compensation", "Man charged with unlawfully starting fire in Tasmania during total fire ban", "Tasmanian fire crews battling blazes prepare for spike in weather conditions", "Canberra's air quality is 'the worst in the world' as bushfire smoke shrouds capital", "Canberra air quality 'worst in world' as bushfire smoke chokes capital", "Woman dies after exposure to bushfire smoke smothering Canberra", "State of alert extended as ACT firefighters target fire seven kilometres from border", "Canberra total fire ban, as Hospital Hill fire extinguished", "Canberra fire that caused cancelled flights, jumped Molonglo River downgraded to advice", "Canberra bushfire alert level downgraded", Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency, Government of the Australian Capital Territory, "A Defence chopper sparked Canberra's Namadgi bushfire, but its crew didn't tell authorities the location for 45 minutes", "Canberra facing 'most serious' threat since 2003 fires as Namadgi's Orroral Valley blaze worsens", "Orroral Valley bushfire breaks out in Namadgi National Park", "New fire breaks out south west of Canberra, near Tharwa", "Orroral Valley fire in Namadgi National Park upgraded to emergency level", "ACT enters state of emergency as Namadgi's Orroral Valley bushfire is upgraded to Watch and Act", "INFORMATION UPDATE: ORRORAL VALLEY FIRE DECLARED OUT", "Government set to revise total number of hectares destroyed during bushfire season", "Past bushfires: A chronology of major bushfires in Victoria from 2013 back to 1851", "The worst bushfires in Australia's history", "AUSTRALIA'S ENVIRONMENT SUMMARY REPORT 2019", "Australia's bushfires have emitted 250m tonnes of CO, "Fires in Australia Just Pushed Sydney's Air Quality 12 Times Above 'Hazardous' Levels", "Canberra experiences worst air quality on record as bushfire smoke from south coast sets in", "Blood red sun greets NZ on New Years Day as Australian bushfire smoke stains skies", "Australia fires sending 'pretty hefty smoke' New Zealand's way", "Bushfire smoke moves over North Island, creating an eerie sky", "Smoke from Australian bushfires turn skies orange above New Zealand", "Smoke from fires in Australia reaches Brazil", "More than one billion animals impacted in Australian bushfires", "We fact checked claims bushfires have killed more than a billion animals. [531], Tennis players, led by Nick Kyrgios, pledged to donate money for every ace served during the Australian summer of tennis. On 12 February 2020, the fire was declared extinguished after 210 days, having burnt 858 hectares (2,120 acres), of which approximately 400 hectares (990 acres) was underground;[123][124] near the Port Macquarie Airport. [168], As of 5January2020[update], in the Bega Valley Shire, the Border fire that started in north-eastern Victoria was burning north into New South Wales towards the major town of Eden, and had impacted the settlements of Wonboyn and surrounding areas including Kiah, Lower Towamba and parts of Boydtown. [66], By the time the fires had been extinguished there, they destroyed 2,448 homes, as well as 284 facilities and more than 5,000 outbuildings in New South Wales alone. The major fires peaked during DecemberJanuary. [418] In October 2019 David Littleproud, the Australian Minister for Water Resources, stated that he "totally accepts" the link between climate change and drought in Australia, as someone who has experienced it first hand. The Inquiry found that climate change played a major role in the summer's fires. [494], On 12 January 2020, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison outlined a proposal to establish a royal commission into the bushfires. [309], At the Budj Bim heritage areas in Victoria the Gunditjmara people reported that when they inspected the site after fires moved across it, they found ancient channels and ponds that were newly visible after the fires burned much of the vegetation off the landscape. He said the Black Summer bushfires offered scientists a window into the future of extreme fires, but now there are so many unusual fire events it's impossible to keep up. Solution: Governments must stop seeing spending on the environment as optional. [110], In August 2019 the federally funded Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC published a seasonal outlook report which advised of "above normal fire potential" for southern and southeast Queensland, the east coast areas of New South Wales and Victoria, for parts of Western Australia and South Australia. The 201920 Australian bushfire season[a] or Black Summer was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. Although Clarkson was attempting to be humorous with his comments, he was heavily criticised on social media for being insensitive and disrespectful to the victims. [497][498] A number of organisations raised objections to the commission of inquiry, citing cost, length and the emotionally exhausting process;[499] and that previous inquiries had failed to implement many of their recommendations. [476][477] The governing Liberal and National parties, accompanied by numerous news outlets associated with climate change denial, firmly deflected responsibility away from the record-breaking drought affecting the country and its associated links to climate change observations and projections. [483], While travelling throughout fire-affected towns in New South Wales, Morrison was filmed attempting to shake the hands of two residents in Cobargo who had refused to shake his outstretched hand. Fires were contained by early March.