Australia wildfires: PM Scott Morrison says 'blame doesn’t help anybody' as he defends government's handling of crisis

Ellena Cruse5 January 2020

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted "blame doesn't help anybody" as he defended himself over his handling of the wildfire crisis and his government's record on climate change.

Mr Morrison has faced widespread criticism over his response to the fires, which have now claimed the lives of 24 people.

The country's leader, who came under fire for taking a family vacation as the crisis unfolded, was heckled last week when he visited a township in New South Wales which had been ravaged by the fires.

His announcement on Saturday that 3,000 army, navy and air force reservists would be drafted in to tackle the wildfires also attracted criticism after some said he he had taken too long to act.

PM Scott Morrison said now was "not a time for blame" amid the Australian wildfire crisis
Getty Images

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Mr Morrison backed his government’s record on climate change and said that he would not be "distracted" by the "commentary" surrounding the crisis.

"Blame doesn’t help anybody at this time and over-analysis of these things is not a productive exercise," he said.

Australia bush fires hit 'catastrophic level - In pictures

1/26

"There has been a lot of commentary, there has 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.

"And the public, I know, are not distracted by that."

He added: "What they need us to focus on, all of us, actually, all of us focusing on the needs that are in the communities and getting the support where it needs to go."

Mr Morrison faced backlash in the past for comments which critics say downplayed the link between climate change and Australia's wildfire situation.

He added: "There is no dispute in this country about the issue of climate change globally and its effect on global weather patterns and that includes how it impacts in Australia.

Australian wildfires turn sky red

1/12

“I have to correct the record here. I have seen a number of people suggest that somehow the government does not make this connection. The government has always made this connection and that has never been in dispute.”

Milder temperatures on Sunday brought hope of a respite from blazes that have ravaged three Australian states, a day after thousands were forced to flee as flames reached the edges of Sydney.

The Rural Fire Service says 150 fires are still active, 64 of them uncontrolled.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in