NOTE: this is just a re-post by me of the body of a comment I made on another thread, but it is relevant here anyway.

If you ever bothered to read the constitution then you would know that it does NOT mention fighting bushfires as a federal commonwealth responsibility. The ONLY powers that the commonwealth has are those that are specifically granted it in the constitution or those that the states have given/lent to it since the drafting of the constitution ( however the states can at any time take back powers that the commonwealth are yielding on their behalf). Never have the states transferred the fighting of bush-fires to the federal government. I don't think it has ever even been suggested.

This is why the rural fire serivces have names such as: QFS = Queensland Rural Fire Service or the NSWRFS = New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

However, I will grant that the federal government is responsible for the land it owns/controls- which is some of the land currently burnt/burning and thus are responsible for its fuel loading. But never-the-less the federal executive, under the current arrangements in place, is certainly NOT meant to be controlling/managing the fire fighting effort. This is purely a state matter! Anyone who says that the federal government has been slaking off the job simply doesn't understand the foundational governing structures of the society that they live in.

This Buckley mutt has got Buckley's to come across as a decent citizen ! What an eaten-up by jealousy vindictive git !

There is no shortage of knowalls with advice for the Prime Minister. They are all so bloody clever, it's a wonder that they didn't go into politics themselves and work towards getting the top job.

This character, who has only a blog to brag about, is one of the most egregious and sarcastic of the breed so far.

Wow..

Hear, hear and well said, Sir. Nobody with a still-functioning brain expects a PM to be out there fighting fires as a volunteer firefighter! That said, Tony Abbott was a volunteer firefighter and lifesaver?

What they/we expect is a PM who wears his Christianity as his cloak, would remain here in a time of national emergency. And looking at all an everything the Federal government could do, even if it meant spending that politically expedient reserve.

Perhaps that was the reason for the AWOL, was perhaps that meant no one could ask you to spend our money on our recovery!?

There are some things vastly more important than holding on to the budget surplus, and a genuine fair dinkum Christian would not only know that but be at the head of the queue doing the good Samaritan effort with it and then some!
Alan B.

As usual, the apologists for this miserable example is to blather on about jealousy and envy or just plain vindictive diatribes etc and so on Ad Infinitum, Ad Nusium!
Alan B.