THE CURRENT fire disaster is unprecedented and catastrophic. We are living in a war zone with periods of respite till the next strong winds again fan the flames.
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Our gallant firefighters are exhausted but Morrison will not send in the fit, young men and women of our army to help fight this war. It can't be that they are needed to prevent foreign invasion: he has already continued the foreign land and commercial invasion that compromises our sovereignty. We need leadership that truly cares about protecting citizens and the environment.
Staff have been slashed from National Parks, including senior fire specialists. Our fire services are under-resourced: $40 million has been ripped out of funding. Why can't military aircraft be co-opted to be converted to water-bombers and technology for early detection be deployed?
If the Government consulted with former fire chiefs and declared a climate emergency, a comprehensive plan to tackle the crisis, its causes and exacerbating factors could be developed. We also need to listen to the wisdom of our Indigenous people and learn from their sophisticated cultural burning practices.
While the Coalition refuses to discuss climate change for fear of upsetting their coal backers' profits, our communities' economies will be devastated by the effects of the fires: farmers will lose their livelihoods, retail will slump, tourism will dry up. The health system will be impacted by the large numbers of people suffering from the smoke.
All parties should unite to help us battle the continuing disaster that confronts us. Unless we learn and change, innocent people, animals, and Nature will pay the ghastly price of heedlessness and greed.
Mary Forbes, Eungai Creek
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