CANBERRA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Government has announced support for a national aerial firefighting fleet as recommended by the landmark bushfire royal commission.
David Littleproud, the Minister for Emergency Management, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television on Thursday night that he would support any proposal for a national fleet from the country's fire chiefs.
"We're happy to have a sovereign fleet but we want the fire commissioners to tell us," Littleproud said.
"We'll support anything that the fire commissioners come back with in terms of their determination about what that fleet of aircraft needs to be. They are the professionals."
The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, which handed down its final report in October, found that Australia was left vulnerable during the devastating 2019/20 bushfire season because of the country's reliance on aircraft from North America.
Thirty-three people died, including six Australian firefighters and three American aerial firefighters, in the 2019-20 bushfires, which burned from July 2019 to March 2020. The smoke blanketed much of Australia, including capital cities, and contributed to hundreds of deaths, according to the report.
The report recommended that Australia create its own national fleet but at the time the government said "no desire to replicate or replace" the aerial capabilities of the states and territories.
However, Littleproud said on Thursday night that the government was open to owning the firefighting craft despite the aviation sector advocating for long-term leases as a more cost-effective approach.
"I have no issues with respect to the Federal Government or any federal agency owning aerial assets but again I'll take the advice from the fire commissioners," he said. Enditem
