Bushfire response 2019–20

Bushfire response 2019–20
Name	2019–20 Australian bushfire response
Caption	Aerial firefighting over New South Wales, 2019
Date	2019–2020
Location	Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory)
Cause	Drought, heatwaves, extreme fire weather
Fatalities	Hundreds
Area	Millions of hectares
Organizations	Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue, Country Fire Authority, State Emergency Service, Australian Defence Force

Bushfire response 2019–20 was the coordinated set of firefighting, emergency management, humanitarian, policy and recovery activities undertaken across Australia during the catastrophic 2019–20 bushfire season. The response involved federal, state and local agencies including Scott Morrison, Gladys Berejiklian, Daniel Andrews, Mark McGowan, Steven Miles, Peter Gutwein, Tasmanian Fire Service, Country Fire Authority, New South Wales Rural Fire Service, and international partners such as the United States Forest Service and New Zealand Defence Force. The campaign featured large-scale deployments by the Australian Defence Force, extensive aerial firefighting with aircraft like the Martin JRM Mars-type tankers historically referenced, and complex coordination among agencies including Australian Federal Police, Australian Red Cross, and World Wildlife Fund Australia.

Background and scale of the 2019–20 bushfire season

The season followed prolonged drought conditions linked to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, heatwaves associated with the Indian Ocean Dipole and record warm years such as 2019 and 2019 in Australia. Fires ignited across regions including Gippsland, Blue Mountains National Park, Kosciuszko National Park, Canberra, Mallacoota, Eden and Kangaroo Island, burning an estimated area comparable to events like the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires and the Black Saturday bushfires. Climate science research groups including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology reported extreme fire weather indices, spurring emergency declarations in states such as New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory.

Emergency response and firefighting operations

Frontline operations were executed by organizations including the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Country Fire Authority, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, South Australia Country Fire Service, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and volunteer brigades coordinated with the Australian Defence Force. Aerial assets were provided by contractors and international partners like the United States Forest Service, utilising types referenced by operators such as Super Scooper seaplanes and large airtankers. Incident management followed structures used in previous responses like those after Black Saturday bushfires, with multi-agency Incident Control Centres, Utilising leadership figures including state premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews, and emergency services commissioners such as those who have served in RFS leadership roles. Search and rescue operations saw coordination between the State Emergency Service and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in coastal evacuations such as the Mallacoota evacuations.

Government coordination and policy decisions

Federal-state coordination involved ministers and agencies including Scott Morrison, the Minister for Emergency Management, the Attorney-General of Australia, and state premiers Gladys Berejiklian, Daniel Andrews, Steven Miles, and Mark McGowan. The National Aerial Firefighting Centre and intergovernmental arrangements such as those postdating the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax debates were focal points for aircraft tasking and resource sharing. Policy debates referenced inquiries and commissions like the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and compared responses to prior reviews such as those after Black Saturday Royal Commission. Political scrutiny involved opposition leaders and crossbenchers, and interactions with institutions including the Australian Public Service and the Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience.

Community impact and humanitarian response

Humanitarian actors including the Australian Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul Society, Salvation Army, and World Vision Australia delivered relief to affected communities in regions such as Bega Valley Shire, Eurobodalla Shire, Wollongong, and East Gippsland. Evacuations used infrastructure managed by entities including the Country Fire Authority and local councils, while health impacts prompted responses from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and hospital networks including NSW Health and Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. High-profile philanthropic efforts mirrored campaigns led by figures associated with organisations like Australian Conservation Foundation and fundraising appeals involving celebrities and sports organisations such as Cricket Australia and Australian Football League clubs.

Environmental and economic consequences

Environmental consequences involved severe impacts on biodiversity in areas like Royal National Park, coastal reserves, and endemic habitats on Kangaroo Island affecting species in conservation listings such as those overseen by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Smoke pollution led to record air quality alerts documented by the World Health Organization-referenced studies and affected urban centres including Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. Economic costs were assessed by institutions including the Reserve Bank of Australia and Treasury, with losses in tourism sectors centred on regions like Yarra Valley, agricultural impacts in areas including Riverina, and insurance claims managed by providers such as Insurance Council of Australia.

Recovery, rebuilding, and resilience measures

Recovery efforts engaged federal programs administered by agencies such as the Department of Home Affairs, state recovery offices in New South Wales State Emergency Service and Victoria State Emergency Service, and community-led initiatives spanning local councils including Bega Valley Shire Council. Rebuilding incorporated building code reviews involving the Australian Building Codes Board and land management debates referencing practices from Indigenous Australian fire management traditions and scientific guidance from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Long-term resilience planning invoked climate policy discussions involving the Climate Change Authority, allocation of funding through parliamentary processes, and proposed reforms debated in bodies such as the Australian Parliament and state legislatures.

Category:Bushfires in Australia Category:2019 in Australia Category:2020 in Australia