Bushfire

Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt has said ANU “is reporting for duty again”, as Australia looks to recover from devastating bushfires and meet the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic.The comments come as ANU marks the 74th year since its founding as Australia’s only national university on 1 August 1946.Speaking at…

A looming eviction crisis is rising across South Australia as the economic impacts of a summer of bushfires and COVID-19 leave both landlords and renters in dire financial situations. Read More

Australia's tourism industry is reeling with the impacts of the summer's bushfires COVID-19 restrictions, with warnings domestic tourism may not fill the void left by foreign tourists.Key points:The Tourism Export Council warns that without assistance and borders reopening some operators are facing closureJobs in the tourism sector fell by three…

Australia needs a national database of soil information to better prepare for the effects of future intense bushfires, according to a group of experts.Key points:Last summer's bushfires ravaged millions of hectares of Australian soils, some of which may take decades to fully recover. Academics say Australia needs a national database…

Nearly three billion koalas, kangaroos and other native Australian animals were killed or displaced by bushfires in 2019 and 2020, a study said on Tuesday, triple the previous estimates. Joe Davies reports.Read More

Nearly three billion animals are thought to have been impacted by Australia’s devastating summer bushfires.The figure, revealed by conservation group WWF-Australia, is nearly three times the estimate made by Australian mammal expert Professor Chris Dickman in January.WWF-Australia commissioned a group of scientists to provide a more detailed estimate of the…

You might think working with flames would be the last thing 16-year-old Tyler Budden would want.Key points:School science lessons ignited Tyler's interest in blacksmithingIntricate designs help sharpen interest in young knifemaker's workThe teen says orders have come from as far as Dubai and South AmericaHis family's Rainbow Flat property came…

Emergency Leaders for Climate ActionEMERGENCY LEADERS for Climate Action has welcomed the Federal Government’s $88 million funding to expand research into bushfires and natural hazards.“Climate change is increasing bushfire danger in Australia to unprecedented levels, and ongoing research on this rapidly escalating threat is essential,” said Greg Mullins, former Commissioner,…

Australia’s apocalyptic bushfires earlier this year weren’t just unprecedented in their scale and ferocity—they weren’t even supposed to be possible yet. Over the past 20 years, the average percentage of Australia’s “temperate broadleaf and mixed” forests—lots of eucalyptus, basically—that burned each year was 1 percent. During the 2019-2020 fire season,…

Coronavirus restrictions are expected to make it challenging to bring in the international firefighting aircraft and crews that Australia needs in the coming bushfire season.Emergency Management Victoria deputy commissioner Chris Stephenson says the possible impact on international assistance, particularly in terms of aircraft, is an issue across Australia."One of the…