PM announces $75,000 grant offers to farmers

(See translation in Arabic section)

Canberra - M E Times Int'l: The Prime Minister has announced farmers and primary producers affected by bushfires will soon have access to grants of up to $75,000. The money will come out of the government's $2 billion fire recovery fund. “We have agreed on an important package to support our farmers…we will provide grants up to $75,000 to farmers and primary producers in the affected areas,” Scott Morrison said. Meanwhile, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews launched a review of this bushfire season on Tuesday, soon after Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged a potential shift in the Coalition's climate policy after he called for a royal commission into crisis on Sunday.

Delivering More Immediate Support

An extra $400 for each child that has qualified for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment in bushfire-hit towns and regions as well as more food vouchers, financial assistance and support services will help Australians affected by the ongoing bushfire disaster.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package of more than $58 million in support for families would also help stimulate bushfire affected communities.

 “I know many Australians are doing it really tough, they’ve seen their homes and livelihoods destroyed or damaged by these devastating fires,” the Prime Minister said.

“For many people right now it’s the basics that count. We need to make sure everyone has food on the table and clothes on their backs.

Labor: climate inaction worries Aussies

Melbourne: Australians are more concerned about the cost of inaction on climate change than the cost of action, former Labor leader Bill Shorten says.

"One thing I have noticed travelling around Victoria - people don't stop me and ask: 'What is the cost of acting on climate change," he told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.

"People now, right across Australia are saying: 'What is the cost of not acting on climate change."

The cost of Labor's climate policies were heavily criticised by the Morrison government during last year's election campaign, with the coalition labelling their ambitious targets as "economy wrecking".

Think-tank the Australia Institute on Wednesday published a survey of more than 1000 people, finding that almost half are now "very concerned" about climate change compared to less than 40 per cent six months ago.

"The bushfire crisis has intensified concern about climate change for many Australians, a majority of whom think the country is experiencing the impacts of climate change right here and right now," institute deputy director Ebony Bennett said.

About 80 per cent of Australians are concerned about climate change, an increase of five points from July.

The Australia Institute has proposed a national climate disaster fund, which would be created by a levy on pollution from coal, gas and oil production.

Australians 'may become climate refugees'

Sydney: As global temperatures soar, Australia could become so hot and dry that the country's residents could become climate refugees, US climatologist and geophysicist Michael Mann says.

Australia is in the midst of one of its worst fire seasons on record, with bushfires burning since September and claiming nearly 30 lives, killing more than a billion animals and razing forests and farmland the size of Bulgaria.

Some fires were so monstrous that they created their own weather pattern causing dry lightening and fire tornadoes as a three-year drought left woods tinder-dry.

"It is conceivable that much of Australia simply becomes too hot and dry for human habitation," Dr Mann, who is director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, told Reuters.

"In that case, yes, unfortunately we could well see Australians join the ranks of the world's climate refugees."

Climate refugees, or environmental migrants, are people forced to abandon their homes due to change in climate patterns or extreme weather events.

Dr Mann, the recipient of last year's Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, is on a sabbatical in Australia where he is studying climate change.

Firies reject Morrison's national inquiry

Sydney: Australian firefighters are urging Scott Morrison not to call a royal commission into the unprecedented bushfires ravaging the country.

The United Firefighters Union of Australia has penned a letter to the prime minister, saying there's already been scores of bushfire-related inquiries over the past two decades.

Instead of a royal commission the prime minister should set up a Council of Australian Governments audit all of the existing recommendations that haven't been implemented, the union believes.

UFUA's national secretary Peter Marshall said previous inquiries had already considered issues such as the deployment of defence personnel, the role of the commonwealth, climate change and prescribed burning.

NSW prepares for heavy rain in fire areas

Sydney: Bushfire-ravaged communities are preparing ahead of forecast heavy rainfalls that authorities fear could impact water quality and cause landslips and flooding in some parts of NSW.

Rainfall totals of 30 to 80 millimetres are forecast from Thursday, with strong falls possible for fire grounds in the Snowy Mountains, southwest of Sydney and South Coast regions.

Water NSW said it is preparing to limit potential impacts on the water quality in dam storages caused by ash run off but the rain forecast this week is not considered intense enough to wash material into catchments.

Chief executive David Harris said no water quality problem is expected this week but catchments will need to be managed to protect future water supply.

Several precautionary measures have been taken including using silt curtains to stop ash being washed into Warragamba Dam by heavy rainfall.

PM Morrison intervened on US tourism alert

Canberra: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has praised the White House for revising a warning for travellers to Australia.

The United States is one of the top source countries for tourists to Australia, along with China and New Zealand.

But last week the State Department published a warning saying tourists should "exercise increased caution" when flying down under.

The advice has now been changed to "exercise normal precautions".

Mr Morrison thanked US President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for their urgent intervention in the travel warning.

Resignation of Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman

Tasmania: In a media release the Prime Minster Scott Morrison said that Will Hodgman is a Tasmanian and Liberal legend whose leadership has engineered the state’s remarkable turnaround.

He leaves behind a record of distinguished service.

Cutting unemployment from 7.6 per cent to 6.0 per cent and creating more than 19,200 new jobs.

Turning the tide on the 1,000 Tasmanians who left the state each year with the latest figures showing the population grew by almost 2,000 people from mainland Australia in net terms.

Working closely together to deliver the Hobart and Launceston City Deals, a $2.8 billion infrastructure program for projects like the Bridgewater Bridge, Bass, Murchison and Midland Highways, not to mention the Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects.

I want to congratulate Will on his leadership and the achievements of his government and thank him for his friendship and support.

Westpac to pay bushfire affected customers' mortgage payments

Sydney: Westpac has confirmed customers affected by the bushfire crisis will have their mortgages paid for an entire year. The bank is escalating attempts to assist communities directly impacted by the emergency. The recovery support package will also allow customers to access interest free loans - to help with rebuilding costs. The bank has also pledged a further $2.5 million for bushfire emergency cash grants.