Twenty-three former fire and emergency chiefs tried for months to warn the government about the bushfire crisis but were ignored.
Horrific bushfire conditions that have plagued New South Wales for days eased overnight, but crews today continue to battle multiple blazes in the state, while several alerts remain in place for Queensland and Western Australia.
The death toll from the emergency has risen to four, with authorities locating the body of a man on the NSW mid north coast on Thursday morning.
Here's a snapshot of the latest developments.
- More than 1000 firefighters remain in the field to protect properties
- Conditions eased in New South Wales overnight but crews continue to battle multiple blazes
- Authorities believe at least 300 homes have been destroyed since the weekend
- A range of warnings remain in place across Queensland
- WA fierys are on alert as blazes break out
"We tried to warn the PM"
A group of 23 former fire and emergency chiefs tried repeatedly for several months to warn Scott Morrison and senior government ministers of a looming bushfire crisis.
Had they been successful in their requests for a meeting, the group would've urged authorities to immediately lease aerial firefighting resources from overseas, they say.
Those aircraft would've been invaluable in battling the blazes that have so far destroyed one million hectares of bushland, at least 300 homes and claimed the lives of four people.
Greg Mullins, former commissioner of the NSW Fire & Rescue Service, said he and the other seasoned experts from around Australia pleaded with the government to hear their concerns.
The group, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, first wrote to Mr Morrison in April and then again in September. Those requests fell on deaf ears, with the letter bouncing between multiple offices.
"This is very frustrating," Mr Mullins said.
"Had we spoken back in April, one of the things we would've said is to try to get more aircraft on lease from the northern hemisphere because (we knew) this was going to be a horror fire season. They can be a decisive weapon."
He said the group was well aware that it's "very difficult for current (fire) chiefs to get through the door" of senior figures in the federal government.
A business case for increased funding for aerial firefighting resources had been "languishing" in Canberra for some time, Mr Mullins claimed.
That report pointed out the urgent risk posed by bushfires and the effectiveness of aircraft in battling blazes when they break out.
"No answer. If there'd been an answer, there'd be more of those aircraft in the air as we speak," Mr Mullins said.
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Mr Morrison hasn't directly addressed the ignored correspondence in the past week, but has described the conversation about climate change while fires rage as "unhelpful".
Mr Mullins said David Littleproud, Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, had "reached out" in the past couple of days.
The issue of climate change and its role in increasingly intense and longer fire seasons has caused political tension this week.
"You've got a group of 23 former fire and emergency chiefs with varying views and political backgrounds, they live in different areas, who've all come together," Mr Mullins said.
"If it's not time now to speak about climate change and what's driving these events, when?"
"Some people want the debate gagged because they don't have any answers."
The scale of the fires, now burning across three states, is unprecedented, he said.
"Never before in NSW history have we suffered such heavy fire losses outside of November, except in 2013, which was an exceptional event.
"This is showing how climate change is super-charging the bushfire problem in Australia."
He was joined today by other former chiefs, including Lee Johnson, who was the commissioner of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
Mr Johnson said ferocious fires in the state over recent weeks were "unprecedented".
"The word unprecedented has been used a lot but it's correct. Abnormal fire conditions," he said.
"In my 40 years-plus of operational experience, I cannot recall a fire season in Queensland where we have had so much property loss and destruction.
It was "abnormal" to lose property in multiple numbers from bushfire in Queensland, he said.
"There's something going on and climate change is exacerbating the dry conditions we are all experiencing and in Queensland alone."
And the crisis there could be far from over.
The state needed "hundreds of millimetres of rain" in order to bring the current level risk back to a normal level.
Bureau of Meteorology forecasts indicate the chance of significant rain in Queensland is highly unlikely.
"There's no rain forecast by the bureau until at least January, if not February, conditions are going to be extreme."
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