Australian PM announces compensation for volunteer firefighters in New South Wales

As raging wildfires continue to plague Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made an announcement that it would give the necessary compensation to all the volunteer firefighters in New South Wales (NSW). According to reports, Morrison said that payments up to 6,000 Australian dollars will be given to all those who spent more than a period of 10 days fighting the bushfires this season.

Volunteer firefighters to be compensated

Morrison in a statement said that he was aware of the fact that firefighters were tacking wildfires in tough conditions especially in regional and rural areas. He further added that the intensity of the wildfires this season has resulted in more than what volunteer firefighters normally do in a fire season. He also said that all the government employees volunteering will receive additional paid leave.

According to reports, a different set of rules apply across Australian states and people who volunteer directly talk to their employers for their time off. The raging wildfires have claimed more than 9.9 million acres of land in about five states since the month of September with additional reports suggesting that eight people have also lost their lives in the fires.

Read: Thousands Of Koalas Feared Dead In Australia Wildfires

Morrison defends policies

With firefighters battling raging wildfires in Australia and trying to put out fires in badly burned areas, Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended the country's policies on climate change alongside his decision to go to Hawaii for a holiday. According to reports, the Bureau of Meteorology mentioned that with the weather being cool and favourable over the next few days, firefighters will continue to put out fires in badly burned areas with special focus on the Blue mountains region located to the west of Sydney. Australia has also been criticized at the United Nations summit in Madrid because of its policy on climate change that uses old carbon credits to count future emission targets

Read: Australia: Thirsty Koala Stops Cyclist To Drink Water Amid Heatwave

Reeling under record-breaking heatwave

Australia is currently reeling under a record-breaking heatwave which led to the melting of roads in parts of the country. Port Augusta City Council, in a Facebook post, said that some roads were showing ‘signs of bleeding’ due to extreme heat conditions. It also advised commuters, other than the local residents, to avoid the roads and take an alternate route. In some of the parts of South Australia, the temperature soared to almost 50 degrees Celsius and Null arbour set the December record for the state, reaching 49.9 degrees Celsius.

Read: Sizzling Temperatures Hit Australia As Wildfires Persist

Read: 'Australians Of The Year'; Netizens Praise Firefighters For Working Around The Clock

(With inputs from agencies)