CANBERRA (XINHUA) – Australian Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said he is “confident” the nation is prepared for the upcoming bushfire season despite warnings of a significant threat.
The minister hosted his counterparts from state and territory governments on Friday for a briefing from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and Natural Emergency Management Agency on the summer bushfire outlook.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Watt said Australians should not panick about the threat.
“While we are looking at a more significant risk of fire this year than we’ve seen in recent years, in many parts of Australia what that really means is returning to a normal fire risk and emerging from those La Nina wet conditions that we’ve been through the last couple of years,” he said.
“I am confident that we are well-prepared as a country for the fire risks that we will face this season.”
The Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) released its own outlook on Wednesday, urging rural communities to prepare for the most significant bushfire season since the devastating 2019-2020 Black Summer. More than 240,000 square kilometres were burnt during the 2019-2020 season, and much of the country was blanketed in heavy smoke.
