Australia’s Scott Morrison regrets handling of bush fire crisis, proposes high-level inquiry

The prime minister rejected criticism that not enough was done before the fire season started, but admitted some responses could have been different

Cooler weather over the weekend has brought a temporary respite, but a firefighter was killed by a falling tree in Victoria

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitted that once the fires started, some responses could have been different. Photo: AP

Published: 10:34pm, 12 Jan 2020Updated: 10:34pm, 12 Jan 2020

After weeks of criticism over the handling of the bush fires scorching Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the response to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter’s life.

With the Australian bush burning for nearly three months now, killing 28 people, claiming 2,000 homes and raging across millions of acres of land and wildlife, the crisis is becoming increasingly political.

“There is obviously a need for a national review of the response,” Morrison said in an interview with ABC television.

A firefighter keeps an eye on a controlled fire as they work at building a containment line at a bush fire near Bodalla on Sunday. Photo: AP

Asked whether it should be a Royal Commission, a powerful judicial inquiry, Morrison said: “I think that is what would be necessary and I will be taking a proposal through the cabinet to that end, but it must be done with consultations with the states and territories.”

Bush fires are common during Australia’s summer months, but this fire season started unusually early, often moving quickly and unpredictably, and leaving swathes of the drought-stricken land a scorched earth.