UPDATED 12.30PM, JANUARY 3
AS the ACT, shrouded in nearly a month of acrid bushfire smoke, sits poised in a formal State of Alert and Emergency Services Commissioner Georgeina Whelan has been effectively running the place as the emergency controller.
“So where is Andrew Barr?” asks Jo Menendez in a comment to citynews.com.au,”Hawaii? How typical that the same level of criticism aimed at ScoMo is not applied to Barr.”
As it happens, Mr Barr and Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry, Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman and Commissioner Whelan will provide an update on the bushfire situation for the ACT later this afternoon.
Until then, apart from a joint press release announcing the State of Alert from then-acting Chief Minister Berry and Mr Gentleman yesterday, there has been little apparent leadership through this challenging period from the government.
Amid NSW’s seven-day State of Emergency, Ms Whelan has declared a total fire ban for the ACT today (January 4) and tomorrow.
She says the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting hot, dry and windy conditions over this period with temperatures predicted to reach 42C. The smoke haze will remain in the region.
The forecast Fire Danger Rating is predicted to reach “extreme” tomorrow (January 4), which means if a fire starts it may be uncontrollable, unpredictable and fast moving.
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