Australia fires: Another death confirmed as NSW and Victoria bushfires heap pressure on Scott Morrison – as it happened

Extract from The Guardian

Bushfires

The PM pledges $2bn for a national bushfire recovery fund as NSW and Victorian towns gain brief reprieve from fires. This blog is now closed
• Coalition promises $2bn for bushfire recovery as it walks back from budget surplus pledge
• How big are the fires burning in Australia? Interactive map
• Scott Morrison’s bushfire ad is deceptive and raises serious integrity issues, expert says

Updated 10h ago

NSW fires and Victoria bushfires live: follow latest news and updates on the Australian bushfire crisis. People seek refuge on the wharf at Eden, on the NSW far south coast. Photograph: Andrew Quilty

Graham Readfearn, Naaman Zhou and Amy Remeikis

Mon 6 Jan 2020 20.56 AEDT First published on Mon 6 Jan 2020 07.57 AEDT

• 13h ago NSW police confirm eighth death from south coast fires
• 14h ago Emergency water purifer delivered to Kangaroo Island
• 17h ago 'Surplus is of no focus to me,' Scott Morrison says
• 17h ago $2bn national bushfire recovery fund established
• 18h ago Victoria establishes new agency 'Bushfire Recovery Victoria'
• 18h ago 'Long way to go,' says Daniel Andrews
• 19h ago Russell Crowe uses Golden Globes win to shine light on climate change

11h ago 20:47

Goodnight and stay safe – a summary

That’s all from our live bushfire blog for today. There’ll be another tomorrow.
Here’s a quick summary of where things stand, and some of the big stories from the day.
First, the fires.

• NSW police confirmed the 20th death in the state from the current fire season, after a search found a body on a property in the Eurobodalla shire at 4pm today.
• In NSW, all fires are at advice level with no immediate danger.
• In Victoria, 31 fires are burning, with 13 watch and act warnings in place.
• Authorities in Victoria are looking at Thursday and Friday this week as days with the potential for worse conditions.
• In South Australia, fire activity is increasing on Kangaroo Island and a total fire ban has been declared for Tuesday.
• Smoke haze continued to impact residents around fire areas, and in Melbourne and Canberra in particular.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, announced a new $2bn National Bushfire Recovery Agency to “coordinate a national response to rebuild communities and livelihoods”.
Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, announced Bushfire Recovery Victoria to coordinate the government’s recovery efforts.
About 300 people stuck on a major highway in Western Australia since Christmas are being escorted out after a break in dangerous fire conditions.
At the Golden Globes in Beverley Hills, California, Australian winner Russell Crowe and award presenter Cate Blanchett both took the chance to highlight climate change and the bushfire crisis.
Please stay safe and if you’re in fire-prone areas, keep a close eye and ear on local broadcasts and warnings from authorities.
We’re only just into January, so there are going to be many more weeks of this bushfire season still to go. And then there’s the recovery.
Keep being kind to one another. There have been many harrowing stories in recent weeks, and thousands of people have gone through severe and life-changing trauma. This will take a toll on our mental health.
So if you feel you need to, remember to talk to someone – it could be your GP, a psychologist, a counsellor, or a friend. Or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.