Dear Mr Morrison

[adidas]

https://mobile.twitter.com/nytimesworld/status/1203092272285392898?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1203092272285392898&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Ftechnology%2Fenvironment%2Fclimate-change%2Fhow-the-world-has-reacted-to-sydney-smoke-haze%2Fnews-story%2Fc6782de9b2782287740099cb42ac0176
 

Dude, I don’t need to download an app to tell me where the fires are. I can SEE them. Having an app to tell me where the fires are won’t help me to breathe.

I’ll tell you what will help: stop denying climate change so that your oil and coal buddies don’t get their feelings hurt.

Actually it might not help - it might already be too late.

[Ozlsn]

16 hours ago, adidas said:

https://mobile.twitter.com/nytimesworld/status/1203092272285392898?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1203092272285392898&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Ftechnology%2Fenvironment%2Fclimate-change%2Fhow-the-world-has-reacted-to-sydney-smoke-haze%2Fnews-story%2Fc6782de9b2782287740099cb42ac0176
 

Dude, I don’t need to download an app to tell me where the fires are. I can SEE them. Having an app to tell me where the fires are won’t help me to breathe.

I’ll tell you what will help: stop denying climate change so that your oil and coal buddies don’t get their feelings hurt.

Actually it might not help - it might already be too late.

I am nowhere near the fires. I am so angry at this pathetic excuse for a government. How dare Morrison faff off to lunch with Murdoch without having released any further funding for the fire fighting efforts or declaring a state of emergency so troops can be deployed or basically doing anything to make it look like he gives a shit. Between that and the "win" on Medevac - I am torn between despair and rage.

[adidas]

I simply can’t not understand how he can bury his head in the sand like this. In fact, if someone loses their home due to a lack of resourcing I hope they sue the government. 

[Ozlsn]

And now they're bringing up the effing religious exemption bill again and still not mentioning the fires. Seriously I'm at the point of "make parliament sit in the open in Sydney until they focus on what is a national emergency". Also train the lot of them and then deploy them to help fight fires. 

 

[Ozlsn]

People are furious at Scott Morrison for denying extra support to firefighters.

"Today bushfire smoke pushed Sydney’s air quality to more than 11 times the hazardous levels, yet when our PM called a press conference today, it was talk about the religious discrimination bill.

Keep in mind that Australia is in the middle of an unprecedented bushfire crisis that has burnt through two million hectares, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and killed six people — and it’s only expected to get worse.

ScoMo — or Smoko, as Twitter has renamed him — was asked how volunteers who have already been away from their jobs for weeks were expected to continue without pay.

In response, he told reporters they “want to be there”."

...

"He also rejected suggestions the federal government could be doing more, saying the relevant agencies were being directed to states and territories.

He did not address reports that RFS brigades were being forced to seek donations for water, food and sunscreen."

Of course he didn't. He's not interested in all that - he knows it's all either part of God's plan for the End Of Days, or God's Punishment For Same Sex Marriage  (the theology's a bit unclear) so obviously the way to fix it is the Religious Discrimination Bill, which was notably described on air this morning by representatives from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the Australian Medical Association and the Pharmacy Guild as not being something any of their members were calling for and as "a solution in search of a problem". 

Oh and if you're on Newstart (Australia's unemployment benefit)? Firefighting is not considered an approved volunteer activity, so despite the fact that you might have just spent a fortnight (or longer) on the fire front trying to save houses and get people out and contain the fires as much as possible on minimal sleep and that on floors in halls or in/around the trucks (maybe in tents) you will lose your benefits because you haven't applied for the requisite number of jobs, or failed to arrive at appointments. 

Fuck you ScoMo. You and all the MPs in your government who aren't speaking up and pushing for relief funds for the firefighters. I hope your houses burn because the volunteers couldn't afford to be there any longer and left. 

I am (just incidentally) about 800km from the nearest NSW fires, and about 350km from the nearest fires. Trucks from my area just arrived at the NSW area to relieve the NSW firefighters. There are firefighters from the USA, Canada, NZ and probably other places I've missed out there fighting. There are fires going in NSW, Qld, Vic - 140 just in NSW, which has lost more than 720 homes, with more expected.  And our pathetic, maggot-ridden primordial ooze of a Prime Minister is obsessed with making it OK for him and his ilk to be offended by other people's sex lives and to make it OK for them to legally be discriminatory bigots. Fuck you again ScoMo, you're a fucking disgrace.

[adidas]

I can see the smoke plumes from my house and we have our emergency kit ready to go (but we really doubt it will come to that. Better to be prepared though). 
This picture says it all, really. Our aqi got to 1900 (under 50 is safe and 300 is hazardous so everyone should avoid being outside).

[adidas]

Nuff said. 

[Ozlsn]

One of my friends in the army reserve was deployed after Black Saturday. She was involved in the public health side of things while the forensic teams were working. It's like this mob think "oh only 6 dead so far, no wuckers" - but Black Saturday came after weeks of other fires, and the only reason the Bunyip complex didn't wipe out Noojee (for the second time in less than 100 years) and parts of Drouin, Warragul and all the localities in that area is because it had been going for several days already and had a ton of crews working to contain it. 

These idiots in Parliament really do not understand how little has to change for a fire complex to break lines and become uncontrolled. Kinglake township wasn't under threat as late as 4pm on Black Saturday. The wind change was catastrophic, and sent the fire straight through the town.  Ember attack from the Bunyip complex was starting fires 30km ahead of the main blaze. I know that day was unusual - although unfortunately becoming less so - but the fires from Black Saturday were only all fully extinguished in March, when there was finally enough rain. I don't think the current fires are going to go out any more quickly - and while they are going you need resources to contain them, and at the moment those resources are mostly volunteer-based. Without payments this is just not sustainable. They need to be looking at payments - or at the very least not cancelling people's Centrelink payments - and look at deploying trained army units for relief. They are doing what exactly??

[Ozlsn]

It's pouring in Brisbane, hopefully rain is reaching both the fires and the drought-stricken areas as well. Keep going with the thoughts and prayers ScoMo, they're working! /sarcasm

[Katzchen24]

ScoMo is more interested in his freedom of religion bill than in having a climate you can live in.

[Ozlsn]

Fireys and Fury - volunteers respond to the PM.

Spoiler

Dozens of firefighters have responded angrily to Scott Morrison’s comments on the bushfires on Tuesday, saying they are exhausted and hurt, and those giving up their income for weeks at a time needed assistance.

In response to questions from Guardian Australia on Tuesday, Morrison dismissed concerns that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, the largest volunteer firefighting force in the world, was being stretched beyond endurance by the unprecedented scale of the bushfires.

“[The] fact is these crews, yes, they’re tired, but they also want to be out there defending their communities … And I thank them all for what they’re doing, particularly all those who support them.”

He said the government was not considering professionalising the service, and he did not address concerns that crews were crowdsourcing donations for food, water and equipment.

Morrison’s words prompted fury among firies and their families who contacted Guardian Australia, many of whom asked to remain anonymous.

Volunteer firefighter Stuart* said: “You’ve got an incurably giving, altruistic group of people donating hard strenuous labor, at high cost to themselves … and we’ve got a PM that’s quite happy to say we’ll work them till they break.

“Whether it’s wanton, wilful or plain stupidity, [it’s a] failure to recognise that things are not what they used to be. It’s not the same game any more, so the same model of fighting … is not going to work.”

Stuart said Morrison’s remark that volunteer efforts were “a big part of how Australia has always dealt with these issues” had also upset a lot of people.

“It shows a massive disconnect with what’s on the ground. Everyone knows something’s changed.”

Some firefighters have been working since August as the bushfire crisis devastating NSW has burnt through more than 2.7m hectares from the Queensland border to the south coast, destroyed more than 700 homes, caused unprecedented air quality hazards and taken six lives.

“Clearly the fire seasons are getting longer and more severe and the lack of political acknowledgment of this and the causes is distressing,” said one 71-year-old volunteer.

“This is a good time to talk about what we are experiencing on a daily basis.”

The RFS has more than 70,000 volunteers, stationed at brigades small and large across the state, under the direction of local captains.

April Atteridge, daughter and granddaughter of volunteer firefighters, said they joined “to protect Australian lives”, not because they wanted to be there.

“They want to make sure no one dies, it’s not fun, it’s not a leisure activity – they care more than the one man that is supposed to be looking after us, that’s why they’re out there,” she said.

“They gain nothing from it, if anything they gain mental scars and trauma that affects their sleep 10 years later.”

Many others responded to Morrison’s comments on social media.

“Does he honestly think that this is how we want to spend our summer?” wrote Meg McGowan, the wife of a firefighter, in a viral blogpost. “We have no idea how many days or weeks this will last.

“To say that we are out there because we want to be is insulting and belittling, but unsurprising,” wrote a commenter underneath.

“When I look around me on the fireground I see people just like me, driven by a sense of altruism but hurting emotionally, physically and financially.”

The captain of the Byron Bay RFS, Doug Rowley, said his members had put in 593 man hours over the past 14 days, fighting huge fires at Mount Nardi and Myall Creek.

Sleep deprivation, particulate inhalation and the distress of seeing scores of burned wildlife “day after day after day” was also taking its toll, he said.

“A lot of rural fire brigades are working in the community they live in. So when a house or, heaven forbid, a life is lost, it’s touching those people directly.”

He said the current campaigns were “a whole new dynamic” from the usual callouts lasting just a couple of hours or days.

“People can’t go without income,” said Rowley, who added he found Morrison’s comments inappropriate.

“If people are renting or paying off the mortgage … to be able to take extended periods of time off has a direct and negative financial impact and people are likely to say next time they can’t do it.”

Some NSW RFS members – such as public servants – receive pay while they volunteer, and those on some welfare payments (but not Jobactive) can be exempted from their mutual obligations for up to 13 weeks. The rest take annual or community leave, are retired, or just don’t do any paid work in that time.

“The laugh we had the other day at the station, was that the landlord won’t accept thoughts and prayers in his bank account,” Stuart said.

Therese Berriman works four days a week and takes leave without pay to fight fires in the Blue Mountains, where she has volunteered for about 12 years.

“I am a qualified crew leader and truck driver, so if I can’t take out a crew and there are no other crew leaders available, five other volunteers can’t attend the fire either,” she explained.

A spokesman for the RFS, Inspector Ben Shepherd, said the organisation understood there was a bigger burden on volunteers this year, especially the self-employed members, and that’s why the organisation was thankful “for any time they can give”.

“[By] and large it’s about striking that balance for why they do this, and encouraging people to do this for the right reason,” he said.

Shepherd said most volunteers wouldn’t want to be paid because it would detract from the reasons they do it.

“As a volunteer myself, the reason I did this was because I wanted to help my community, not for any financial gain.”

Volunteers Guardian Australia spoke to agreed they were not in it for the money. But they worried how much longer they could keep going and if conditions would continue like this season in future.

Deputy captain Geoff Goldrick said a flexible system could fund employers to hire replacement casuals during fires, refund daycare and after-school care, provide meal and laundry allowances, or just pay those who couldn’t take annual leave.

“But we need something, and soon. We are proud to be volunteers. We want to remain volunteers. But there are limits. Even ‘heroes’ need a safety net.”

Stuart said it was getting to the point where many volunteers would have to say “I can’t do it any more because it’s costing me too much."

Assuming that this is the new normal they are going to have to start looking at having more long term paid firefighters or having a lot more options available because the current model is not going to work with a longer fire season.

[Katzchen24]

16 minutes ago, Ozlsn said:

Fireys and Fury - volunteers respond to the PM.

  Reveal hidden contents

Dozens of firefighters have responded angrily to Scott Morrison’s comments on the bushfires on Tuesday, saying they are exhausted and hurt, and those giving up their income for weeks at a time needed assistance.

In response to questions from Guardian Australia on Tuesday, Morrison dismissed concerns that the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, the largest volunteer firefighting force in the world, was being stretched beyond endurance by the unprecedented scale of the bushfires.

“[The] fact is these crews, yes, they’re tired, but they also want to be out there defending their communities … And I thank them all for what they’re doing, particularly all those who support them.”

He said the government was not considering professionalising the service, and he did not address concerns that crews were crowdsourcing donations for food, water and equipment.

Morrison’s words prompted fury among firies and their families who contacted Guardian Australia, many of whom asked to remain anonymous.

Volunteer firefighter Stuart* said: “You’ve got an incurably giving, altruistic group of people donating hard strenuous labor, at high cost to themselves … and we’ve got a PM that’s quite happy to say we’ll work them till they break.

“Whether it’s wanton, wilful or plain stupidity, [it’s a] failure to recognise that things are not what they used to be. It’s not the same game any more, so the same model of fighting … is not going to work.”

Stuart said Morrison’s remark that volunteer efforts were “a big part of how Australia has always dealt with these issues” had also upset a lot of people.

“It shows a massive disconnect with what’s on the ground. Everyone knows something’s changed.”

Some firefighters have been working since August as the bushfire crisis devastating NSW has burnt through more than 2.7m hectares from the Queensland border to the south coast, destroyed more than 700 homes, caused unprecedented air quality hazards and taken six lives.

“Clearly the fire seasons are getting longer and more severe and the lack of political acknowledgment of this and the causes is distressing,” said one 71-year-old volunteer.

“This is a good time to talk about what we are experiencing on a daily basis.”

The RFS has more than 70,000 volunteers, stationed at brigades small and large across the state, under the direction of local captains.

April Atteridge, daughter and granddaughter of volunteer firefighters, said they joined “to protect Australian lives”, not because they wanted to be there.

“They want to make sure no one dies, it’s not fun, it’s not a leisure activity – they care more than the one man that is supposed to be looking after us, that’s why they’re out there,” she said.

“They gain nothing from it, if anything they gain mental scars and trauma that affects their sleep 10 years later.”

Many others responded to Morrison’s comments on social media.

“Does he honestly think that this is how we want to spend our summer?” wrote Meg McGowan, the wife of a firefighter, in a viral blogpost. “We have no idea how many days or weeks this will last.

“To say that we are out there because we want to be is insulting and belittling, but unsurprising,” wrote a commenter underneath.

“When I look around me on the fireground I see people just like me, driven by a sense of altruism but hurting emotionally, physically and financially.”

The captain of the Byron Bay RFS, Doug Rowley, said his members had put in 593 man hours over the past 14 days, fighting huge fires at Mount Nardi and Myall Creek.

Sleep deprivation, particulate inhalation and the distress of seeing scores of burned wildlife “day after day after day” was also taking its toll, he said.

“A lot of rural fire brigades are working in the community they live in. So when a house or, heaven forbid, a life is lost, it’s touching those people directly.”

He said the current campaigns were “a whole new dynamic” from the usual callouts lasting just a couple of hours or days.

“People can’t go without income,” said Rowley, who added he found Morrison’s comments inappropriate.

“If people are renting or paying off the mortgage … to be able to take extended periods of time off has a direct and negative financial impact and people are likely to say next time they can’t do it.”

Some NSW RFS members – such as public servants – receive pay while they volunteer, and those on some welfare payments (but not Jobactive) can be exempted from their mutual obligations for up to 13 weeks. The rest take annual or community leave, are retired, or just don’t do any paid work in that time.

“The laugh we had the other day at the station, was that the landlord won’t accept thoughts and prayers in his bank account,” Stuart said.

Therese Berriman works four days a week and takes leave without pay to fight fires in the Blue Mountains, where she has volunteered for about 12 years.

“I am a qualified crew leader and truck driver, so if I can’t take out a crew and there are no other crew leaders available, five other volunteers can’t attend the fire either,” she explained.

A spokesman for the RFS, Inspector Ben Shepherd, said the organisation understood there was a bigger burden on volunteers this year, especially the self-employed members, and that’s why the organisation was thankful “for any time they can give”.

“[By] and large it’s about striking that balance for why they do this, and encouraging people to do this for the right reason,” he said.

Shepherd said most volunteers wouldn’t want to be paid because it would detract from the reasons they do it.

“As a volunteer myself, the reason I did this was because I wanted to help my community, not for any financial gain.”

Volunteers Guardian Australia spoke to agreed they were not in it for the money. But they worried how much longer they could keep going and if conditions would continue like this season in future.

Deputy captain Geoff Goldrick said a flexible system could fund employers to hire replacement casuals during fires, refund daycare and after-school care, provide meal and laundry allowances, or just pay those who couldn’t take annual leave.

“But we need something, and soon. We are proud to be volunteers. We want to remain volunteers. But there are limits. Even ‘heroes’ need a safety net.”

Stuart said it was getting to the point where many volunteers would have to say “I can’t do it any more because it’s costing me too much."

Assuming that this is the new normal they are going to have to start looking at having more long term paid firefighters or having a lot more options available because the current model is not going to work with a longer fire season.

I think that this really highlights the difference between the Christianity preached by ScoMo, and the spirit of being part of a caring community as practiced by the volunteers who are battling the fires. To my mind the fireys are a living expression of giving. ScoMo is a hollow shell of Christian.

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, Katzchen24 said:

I think that this really highlights the difference between the Christianity preached by ScoMo, and the spirit of being part of a caring community as practiced by the volunteers who are battling the fires. To my mind the fireys are a living expression of giving. ScoMo is a hollow shell of Christian.

We have a Dutch saying: to practice religion with ones mouth (met de mond belijden), not with ones heart.

ScoMo is a perfect example of one such.

I've been thinking a lot of the place we stayed at in Bell, in the Blue Mountains two years ago, and the fireys we spoke to that had their station just up the road from us. I hope they are safe and coping with the enormity of the work that's facing them.

And, please, all my fellow Aussie FJ'ers that are in the fire's way, stay as safe as you can! 

[Ozlsn]

16 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

ScoMo is a hollow shell of Christian.

I have no idea who ScoMo is following but it isn't Jesus of Nazareth.

[Katzchen24]

Am I reading correctly, or is Mr Morrison now on a holiday somewhere while Australia burns? I can't actually find any proper sources that say he is, but the Twitters are saying he's gone overseas. The hashtag #WheresScotty would be amusing if half the country wasn't burning. 

It wouldn't surprise me if he had.

[Ozlsn]

3 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

Am I reading correctly, or is Mr Morrison now on a holiday somewhere while Australia burns? I can't actually find any proper sources that say he is, but the Twitters are saying he's gone overseas. The hashtag #WheresScotty would be amusing if half the country wasn't burning. 

It wouldn't surprise me if he had.

I've read that he's in Hawaii, but again it's social media so taking with a grain of salt. Having said that I am amused by the article Morrison's leadership failure not just climate change vacuum. Yes, he has amazingly bad political and leadership skills for someone in the top job - you might think an experienced politican would at the very least realise how bad it looked.

Actually just found an official source that says he's on leave (although not where). The Australian Financial Review confirms he's taking a short overseas holiday, back in the New Year. 

Nice for some. And I'm sure it'll be fine - it's not like there's a massive fire front in NSW with multiple 40oC days forecast. What could go wrong, right?

 

Edited December 16, 2019 by Ozlsn
Found source

[Ozlsn]

Australia is on fire and we can't breathe, but Scott Morrison just fucked off to Hawaii.

Spoiler

Just when you thought Prime Minister (leader of the country) Scott Morrison could not possibly give less of a fuck about the fires, he was spotted on a flight to Hawaii.

Yes, HAWAII.

I, too, am screaming.

Hawaii and #MorrisonFires are trending 1 and 2 on Twitter, largely due to the fact that we’d all love to be in Hawaii instead of breathing in Sydney’s toxic air. Meanwhile, the man in charge of the whole country is breathing fresh air and (probably) sipping mojitos on a beach somewhere.

It’s no secret that Scott Morrison gives less than half a fuck about the fires, the toxic smoke, or the future of the planet. But c’mon Scotty, you’ve gotta at least pretend to care.

Since the fires first started back in early November (yes, it’s been over a month of constant burning), Scott Morrison has been absent. It’s been a while, so let me give you a quick refresher on what exactly our PM has been up to in the last month.

Former fire chiefs tried to get him to address the issue, then he suggested a “great summer of cricket” would give the firefighters something to cheer about. Later, Q&A revealed that our deplorable climate change policy is somehow even more fucked than we thought,he came to Sydney to discuss the Religious Discrimination Act, said firefighters don’t deserve to be compensated for their efforts, then he got trapped in a building for 30 minutes as a result of the smoke.

Finally, on December 11, he admitted that hey, it’s a bit smokey in Sydney. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t actually going to do anything about it. But he’s finally admitted it.

So what has he done to deserve a Hawaii vacation? Absolutely nothing.

Volunteer firefighters have been risking their lives for over a month straight for $0 with no luxurious Hawaii holiday in sight. But somehow, Scott Morrison decided he’d take a quick little trip to get some fresh air.

Seriously it's worth clicking through for the slightly photoshopped picture, the tweets and the rest of the article  (not long but a lot of tweets). Christine Nixon incidentally was the Chief of Victoria Police - not the Premier, not actively involved in the emergency response (VicPol was but there were several levels of command structure there). And yes, she got mauled for having the temerity to go out to tea while the crisis was still unfolding. She at least had the political sense to acknowledge a gaffe.

[Katzchen24]

14 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Actually just found an official source that says he's on leave (although not where). The Australian Financial Review confirms he's taking a short overseas holiday, back in the New Year. 

 

Ahhh, thanks. I checked the Dept of the PM and Foreign Affairs, as well as searching news sites in a couple of places (I thought I saw something that said he was going to Vanuatu) but drew a blank. 

I'm in SA so I'm seriously not looking forward to the rest of the week.

Spoiler

Now the fires in NSW could become even more dangerous than they have been already. The article attached details the possibility of fire getting into coal stockpiles. The thought is horrifying. God forbid Scummo should be here providing leadership.

NSW worried bushfire could hit power station and coal mine

If you're in NSW, please stay safe. 

 

 

[Ozlsn]

I'm in Vic and about to check the emergency app to see where the fires changing the light are. Mind you our forecast  (south of the Great Dividing Range) is just typically weird: 39oC, 23oC, 41oC, 26oC. I mean could we just pick a season and stick with it?!

Edit: fire was about 5km from me, out now.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Ozlsn

[Katzchen24]

3 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

I'm in Vic and about to check the emergency app to see where the fires changing the light are. Mind you our forecast  (south of the Great Dividing Range) is just typically weird: 39oC, 23oC, 41oC, 26oC. I mean could we just pick a season and stick with it?!

Edit: fire was about 5km from me, out now.

Glad you're safe ?

Still no news on our missing PM. Not sure where the Deputy PM is either.

[Ozlsn]

Sydney is ringed by fire and enshrouded in smoke. Also it's bloody hot.

Firefighters have been injured, hoping no one has been killed. NSW has declared a state of emergency. Canberra is also smoky - it was described as being "like Delhi" on one post - but unfortunately ScoMo's on holiday so he won't notice. Hoping whoever's in charge (Michael McCormack - only 32% of Australians knew who he was, not including me - and we all know it's Rupert anyway) takes this as a sign that the "watch" part is over and maybe it's time to act.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Ozlsn

[Dandruff]

@OzlsnI hope the fires are put out soon, the air quality improves, and the weather cools off.  It sounds truly horrific and probably not getting the attention it deserves due to coverage of the impeachment.  Don't know how close you are to it, but stay safe.

[Katzchen24]

2 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Sydney is ringed by fire and enshrouded in smoke. Also it's bloody hot.

Firefighters have been injured, hoping no one has been killed. NSW has declared a state of emergency. Canberra is also smoky - it was described as being "like Delhi" on one post - but unfortunately ScoMo's on holiday so he won't notice. Hoping whoever's in charge (Michael McCormack - only 32% of Australians knew who he was, not including me - and we all know it's Rupert anyway) takes this as a sign that the "watch" part is over and maybe it's time to act.

Please stay safe to anyone in NSW. 

It's now forecast to be 46C (114.8F) where I am tomorrow, so that's really sucky. What gets me really riled is the Opposition Leader hasn't said anything about ScoMo being on holiday. In fact, any number of commentators have said that he's entitled to a holiday. While I agree that the PM is entitled to a break, he's not allowed to take a break while the sodding country alternatively burns and melts. 

I also had no idea who the Deputy was, which says very little about the National Party these days.

The other outrage is that up until earlier today, the horse races tomorrow at Morphettville were still scheduled to go ahead, despite the 45C forecast. They at least have now been postponed. 

[adidas]

On 12/17/2019 at 5:04 PM, Ozlsn said:

I'm in Vic and about to check the emergency app to see where the fires changing the light are. Mind you our forecast  (south of the Great Dividing Range) is just typically weird: 39oC, 23oC, 41oC, 26oC. I mean could we just pick a season and stick with it?!

Edit: fire was about 5km from me, out now.

I’m in NSW - they have told us not to rely on our app because they can’t update it fast enough  so we get texts.

We’ve had another day indoors - it’s too unsafe to go outside. But it seeps into the house and everyone feels sick constantly.

Having said that, the people fighting on the fires are going through a lot worse than us so I feel that my complaining is unfair. 

[Ozlsn]

2 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

While I agree that the PM is entitled to a break, he's not allowed to take a break while the sodding country alternatively burns and melts. 

Yeah it bugs me a lot that he's taking a break after having said the volunteer firefighters want to be there. At the very least the govt needs to be seen to be doing something, and that is what is noticeably lacking. I sincerely hope a lot of voters remember this at the next election (although they won't because the rags will have blamed it all on the Greens by then. For a party who's never been in government, or even Opposition, they are remarkably powerful.)

33 minutes ago, adidas said:

We’ve had another day indoors - it’s too unsafe to go outside. But it seeps into the house and everyone feels sick constantly.

The number of deaths from secondary causes is going to go up considerably. It scares me just thinking about the long term impact of this. 

2 hours ago, Katzchen24 said:

The other outrage is that up until earlier today, the horse races tomorrow at Morphettville were still scheduled to go ahead, despite the 45C forecast.

WTAF? I'm glad they were cancelled but what the hell were they thinking?