I am disappointed with Mark Kenny's suggestion the Prime Minister must abdicate his role as a firefighter in order to fulfil the role of the leader of the land (''Maybe it's time to hang up the fire gear, Mr Prime Minister'', smh.com.au, October 22). Why is it a failing to want to contribute at the frontline along with fellow volunteers?

As has been said many times before, the volunteer firefighters are from all walks of life - tradies, doctors, lawyers and, in this case, a politician. But when fighting fires they are all equal.

Mr Abbott was a volunteer firey long before he was elevated to the upper echelons of politics. He is providing a solid role model for all Australians. He should be lauded for this (along with all the other paid and volunteer firies)

 

Having said that, at any time in the future if it becomes evident that his role on the frontline is genuinely affecting his role as Prime Minister, the latter must take precedence.

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Ashwin Garg Strathfield

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-letters/pms-fire-brigade-service-sets-a-worthy-example-for-the-nation-20131022-2vzga.html#ixzz2iUkAKZ8W

 

 

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Gus: and the more fires, the more need for firefighters... The situation ISN'T GOING TO IMPROVE WITH ABBOTT'S POLCY of removing the carbon pricing... The carbon pricing is essential to reduce our emissions of CO2 — increase which, by a not so strange cause and effect process, also increases the risks of bushfires. 

Eventually, with Abbott, we will be a country of firefighters or a country where there won't be any forest left... As the earth blackens, the albedo goes through the roof, I mean goes into the pits... making the surface WARMER as well as the enormous release of CO2 that cannot be recaptured by natural processes......

By removing our only proper mechanism to deal with our emission reductions, Abbott is a hypocritical pyromaniac... 

Sure go fighting fires as long as you like but KEEP THE CARBON PRICING AND TWEAK IT UP, not off. Abbott is an idiot.

Tony Abbott has accused the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, of “talking through her hat” for suggesting there was a link between global warming and bushfires.

The head of a United Nations committee on climate change told CNN this week global warming was "absolutely" linked to wildfires and heatwaves.

"Yes there is, absolutely," Figueres said when asked whether there is a link between climate change and wildfires. "The World Meteorological Organisation has not established a direct link between this wildfire and climate change – yet. But what is absolutely clear is the science is telling us that there are increasing heatwaves in Asia, Europe, and Australia; that these will continue; that they will continue in their intensity and in their frequency."

But asked about the remarks on on radio 3AW on Wednesday, Abbott said: “The official in question is talking through her hat.”

Abbott said Australia had suffered “terrible fires” throughout its history

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/23/abbott-figueres-talking-hat-bushfires

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Yes we know that Tony, BUT THE FREQUENCY, THE INTENSITIES AND THE EARLIER START OF THE BUSHFIRE SEASON IS AN INDICATION OF FAST GLOBAL WARMING... TONY, YOU ARE AN IDIOT FOR NOT SEEING BEYOND YOUR FIREY HEAD GEAR... The changing climate is not a fallacy. The bushfire season is not opened yet, WE'RE IN MID SRPING!!! 

SUMMER IS LIKELY TO BE A SCORCHER POSSIBLY BREAKING ALL THE 123 RECORDS OF LAST SUMMER... YOU DICK!

 

KEEP THE CARBON PRICING AND TWEAK IT UP NOT OFF, YOU IDIOT...

 

When I was at school, and we learnt about climate change, it was a dry, scientific subject; all ''four degrees hotter by 2100'' and ''sea level rise of one metre''.

Of course, those numbers were fairly terrifying given what they meant; scary enough that I started campaigning to get Australians to change their light bulbs. Yet climate change was always an abstract, rational thing.

Then I grew up, and was lucky enough to travel around Australia and the world, I started seeing the human face of climate change. People I met from Pacific islands told me how their homelands were disappearing due to rising sea levels.

And of course there were the bushfires. Growing up in Melbourne, I always knew bushfires were distinctly Australian, but they tended to happen on the news rather than in my backyard.

Then on Black Saturday in 2009, shortly after my 18th birthday, a friend lost her home. I also started meeting firefighters who told me that ''mega-fire'' was a word they hadn't used when I was born. These firefighters are not professionals - they are brave local volunteers just trying to protect theirs and their neighbours' homes.

Every summer, friends who live in fire-risk areas tell me of their preparations - wetting towels, filling gutters. These are the mundane rituals that more Australians are getting used to. Rituals that sit strangely next to the horrifying spectacle of a 40-metre wall of fire that threatens homes and lives. We shouldn't have to become accustomed to these tasks. We still have a choice.

After years of being told climate change would lead to more - and worse - bushfires, the real price we pay for our addiction to pollution started to hit home. Now that climate change has that human face, the facts and figures I learnt in high school start to take on a new poignancy.Since I was born in 1990, the world - and Australia - has experienced the two hottest decades on record. Since I turned seven, we have had all of the 10 hottest years.

Today I am 22 and those predictions are becoming a reality faster than anyone thought. No one is suggesting that some mystical climate change monster is running around starting fires, but when scientists tell us that there will be more fires and droughts, and I hear again about a ''once in a hundred year'' weather event, I become nervous.

How many ''once in a hundred years'' disasters can a 22-year-old mathematically have lived through?

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/how-many-oncein100years-disasters-can-a-22yearold-have-lived-through-20131022-2vz6c.html#ixzz2iVCHEskd
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Gus: we are still on track for the figures mentioned at the top of this article, above : four degrees Celsius higher in 2100 and a one metre rise in sea level... Bye bye New York... But the problems won't stop there... By 2150, it will be at least six degrees and another metre up on the sea level... And it could be worse still... as these are the lower median scientific predictions. By 2015, after a few more scorchers we'll know with more precision...

Actually I can predict with about 90 per cent chance that a huge storm similar to that of the century in 2000 and 2010 in Europe will rip through the north Atlantic and show who's boss... I could be wrong but there is the smell of this in the air...

TONY ABBOTT IS AN IDIOT.

 

With at least 60 per cent of Queensland in drought, concern is growing for the mental health of farmers.

Charles Burke from the rural lobby group Agforce says farmers are facing financial, physical and emotional pressure.

"Day after day after day of relentless hot weather and having to feed deteriorating stock and watch water disappear, and all that associated angst about what is going to happen," he said.

Mr Burke says he is lobbying the Queensland and Federal Governments for better mental health assistance.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-23/fears-queenslands-drought-will-lead-to-more-farmer-suicides/5041148

 

Whenever a major bushfire occurs in Australia, it also ignites a debate over whether enough has been done to reduce the risk, often in the form of hazard reduction burning.

The Mayor of Port Stephens on the NSW central coast, Councillor Bruce MacKenzie, recently blamed "bureaucrats sitting on their backsides in Sydney" for the loss of five homes in his area. "Because of the lack of burning off, underscrubbing and hazard reduction, they've lost their home and that's a bloody disgrace," he said.

As the fires intensified in the NSW Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Shoalhaven regions, Premier Barry O'Farrell told the ABC that there had been a significant increase in bushfire hazard reduction in his state.

"In the past two years, we have increased the amount of hazard reduction two-and-a-half times," he told ABC's 7.30 program on October 21.

ABC Fact Check assesses Mr O'Farrell's claim.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-23/nsw-hazard-reduction-barry-ofarrell/5037662

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Now councillor Bruce MacKenzie can blame Tony Abbott for being a little shit...

Former US vice-president and environmentalist Al Gore says there is a proven link between climate change and bushfires.

This week, a United Nations official said the devastating fires in New South Wales proved the world is "already paying the price of carbon".

Prime Minister Tony Abbott today dismissed the comment, accusing the official of "talking through her hat".

He argued that "fire is a part of the Australian experience" and not linked to climate change.

"Climate change is real, as I've often said, and we should take strong action against it, but these fires are certainly not a function of climate change - they're just a function of life in Australia."

But Mr Gore, a Nobel laureate for his work to fight climate change, has told the ABC's 7.30 that climate change will bring about more extreme weather.

"Bushfires can occur naturally, and do, but the science shows clearly that when the temperature goes up, and when the vegetation and soils dry out, then wildfires become more pervasive and more dangerous.

"That's not me saying it, that's what the scientific community says."

Christina Figueres, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, also criticised the Abbott Government's direct action plan to tackle climate change as being potentially "much more expensive" than the carbon pricing scheme that it is moving to dump.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-23/al-gore-weighs-into-debate-over-bushfire-climate-change/5041776

 

From Tony Abbott, writer...
This sunburnt country of ours tests us often. In the last week it has tested us, but we have not been found wanting.

Our ability to endure natural disasters has been built up over many years. Fires and floods have tested our character, but they have also strengthened our resolve.
That we are not mourning mass casualties is testament to the dedication and skill of the many thousands of emergency services workers and volunteers; as well as the preparedness of the communities affected by fires to leave their homes before it is too late.

In the face of rapidly changing fire, leaving early is always the safest option.

I urge everyone living in bushfire prone areas to develop a bushfire survival plan or visit www.rfs.nsw.gov.au to access a plan prepared by experts.
On behalf of Parliament and the Australian community I pay tribute to the Rural Fire Service's 70,000 volunteers.

For the past 13 years I have been privileged to serve in the Davidson Brigade with highly trained men and women who will always have my back, as I will have theirs.

I intend to continue to serve with the brigade. Protecting homes and communities would be all the more difficult without the commitment of Rural Fire Brigade volunteers from across the country.

If it's right for citizens from all walks of life to be involved, it can hardly be wrong for a prime minister, likewise, to do what he can to help.

It may well be a long, hot summer and, regrettably, the current fires may only be a preview of what's to come.

It's heartening that fire crews from across the country are rallying behind NSW in its time of need. State rivalries matter little when our fellow citizens are in danger.

The extent of loss from these fires will not be known for some time and, despite the herculean efforts of fire crews across the state, we know not when a reprieve will arrive.

To assist individuals, families and businesses the federal government has activated the disaster recovery payment in eight local government areas: Lake Macquarie, the Blue Mountains, Lithgow, Muswellbrook, Port-Macquarie-Hastings, Port Stephens, Wyong and Wingecarribee.

A one-off recovery assistance payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child will be provided to those who have lost their homes or whose homes have been directly damaged by fires, or who have been injured.

We have also made available the disaster recovery allowance, which will assist employees, primary producers and sole traders who may experience a loss of income as a result of the fires.

My thoughts continue to be with the emergency service crews and local communities across NSW. Stay safe.

The Hon Tony Abbott MP is Prime Minister of Australia and a Member of the Davidson Brigade of the NSW Rural Fire Service.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/brave-hearts-cool-heads-will-guide-us-through-long-hot-summer-ahead-20131024-2w4a4.html#ixzz2ifuxBToh


Gus: well done Tony... No mention of global warming of course...
As an essay from a twelve year old, this would get a B+ or an A-. Actually I am prepared to believe this dissertation was written by one of the junior staff under Credlin's Instructions... The numbers of clichés is fantastic, as if most of the spiel was plagiarised from an old speech by a school captain to his troops before going to fight in the first world war.
But a great effort for being inspirational. An F for not realising anything about global warming of course and canning our only proper defence against its faster increase... Yes, Tony, THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN BUSH FIRES AND GLOBAL WARMING. The more global warming, the more frequent the likelihood of bushfires...
And warn the Defence department to prepare its cheque book to pay for some of the damage, possibly the whole lot if it can be proven that some embers from detonating some ordinance sparked the other fires as well...

 

 

"Climate change is real, as I've often said, and we should take strong action against it. But these fires are certainly not a function of climate change, they're a function of life in Australia," declared the Prime Minister.

But is that the advice Mr Abbott is getting from the experts at his disposal?

Environment Minister Greg Hunt has been briefed this week by the Bureau of Meteorology about the NSW fires, and that wouldn't be its advice.Risks rise

As the bureau told a Senate inquiry into extreme weather events earlier this year: "The Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI), which essentially 'sums' daily fire weather danger across the year, has increased significantly across many Australian locations since the 1970s.

"The number of locations with significant increases is greatest in the southeast, while the largest trends occurred inland rather than near the coast. The largest increases in seasonal FFDI have occurred during spring and autumn. This indicates a lengthened fire season."

Yet, despite this, why Mr Hunt found the need to consult Wikipedia is not so clear.

Mr Hunt did, though, point to a hotly debated link in the climate-bushfire chain.

"Senior people at the Bureau of Meteorology” take a precautionary line, Mr Hunt said. “They always emphasise never trying to link any particular event to climate change."

Actually, Mr Hunt is slightly off the mark. To say that such a link can “never” be made is only true if you add the words “right now”.

In fact, climate scientists around the country and beyond will already have pointed their super-computers towards identifying a signal from the changing climate system.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/tony-abbott-should-never-say-never-about-climate-change-bushfire-link-20131025-2w5pt.html#ixzz2ihcZAw1k

When our pyromaniac in chief says "global warming is real", beware! TONY ABBOTT DOES NOT BELIEVE A WORD OF WHAT HE SAYS... Tony Abbott is the crap bullshit-artist who claimed "climate change is crap" and that "it was warmer during the time of Jesus"... TONY IS AN IDIOT.

 

Emergency services and Government officials briefed hundreds of fire-affected residents about the recovery effort at a community meeting in Winmalee last night.

Upset locals used the meeting to vent their frustration at the Federal Government for tightening eligibility rules for disaster assistance, with payments of $1,000 per adult and $400 per child available.

However, the payment is only available for people who are severely injured or if their homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.

Unlike victims of the Tasmanian bushfires or Tropical Cyclone Oswald, the Government is not offering assistance to those who have been cut off from their homes or who are without electricity or water.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-26/nswfire-warnings-disaster-relief-winmalee-meeting-bushfires/5047638

 

Let's be under no illusions the carbon tax was socialism masquerading as environmentalism," he said.

"That's what the carbon tax was."

More than 150 members attended the address and gave the Prime Minister a standing ovation as he entered the room.

Mr Abbott thanked the Tasmanian division of the Liberal Party for running a strong election race.

He says the Liberal Party did better in Tasmania, where there was an 11.7 per cent swing to the party, than anywhere else.

Mr Abbott told the room that his first 50 days in power had been a "success".

He said the Government is delivering on key election promises, such as setting up business and Indigenous advisory councils, and reigning in the cost of the National Broadband Network.

"This country is now once again as it should always be, open for business," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-26/abbott-attacks-shortencarbon-tax-socialism-labor/5047758

 

Under no circumstances should Bill Shorten given in to the dismantling of the carbon pricing Labor policy... The future depends on the carbon tax being tweaked up, not removed — helping more and more reducing our carbon dioxide emissions...

Let that little rat Abbott stew till July next year... If he wants to go a full double dissolution before-hand, he's likely to loose the fight since between now and Christmas, more heat waves would derail his stupid bravado... The more one sees Abbott climb on his little plastic toy-horse, the more he appears like an idiot... The PM-ship has not made him improved... Contrarily, Abbott seems to have placed more rocks in his heart and more straw in his head. Totally bonkers!!!!!! A populist shit-head!!!

 

Leading economists have overwhelmingly rejected Tony Abbott's direct action climate change policy and backed carbon pricing.

 

A Fairfax Media survey of 35 prominent university and business economists found only two believed direct action was the better way to limit Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Thirty - or 86 per cent - favoured the existing carbon price scheme. Three rejected both schemes.

Internationally renowned Australian economist Justin Wolfers, of the Washington-based Brookings Institution and the University of Michigan, said he was surprised that any economists would opt for direct action, under which the government will pay for emissions cuts by businesses and farmers from a budget worth $2.88 billion over four years.

Professor Wolfers said direct action would involve more economic disruption but have a lesser environmental pay-off than an emissions trading scheme, under which big emitters must pay for their pollution.

BT Financial's Dr Chris Caton said any economist who did not opt for emissions trading "should hand his degree back".

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbotts-new-direct-action-sceptics-20131027-2w9va.html#ixzz2ixheoSyt


See hot air ergas... Ergas goes one further: he does not believe in global warming despite the solid sciences on this subject. But he's prepared to subscribed to iffy-fairy views on economics as long as these are those of the extreme rabid right. AS I have mentioned before, CAPITALISM IN THE HANDS OF CONSERVATIVES IS DANGEROUS.