Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has sparked outrage with her strong language in a bushfire warning, as parts of the state are ravaged by flames.
The Labor Party leader issued a warning to Victorians on Boxing Day when residents of a town near Victoria’s Grampians National Park were advised to “shelter now”.
“The message couldn’t be clearer: today is a total fire ban day across Victoria,” Allan wrote on X.
‘Don’t be an idiot. No need to light fires.
The premier, who took office after Dan Andrews resigned last year, added: “Thursday’s conditions are expected to be the worst since the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfire season.”
“Make sure you stay up to date with the latest warnings via the VicEmergency app, website or your emergency broadcaster,” he said.
“Reconsider traveling and if your plan is to leave, leave early.”
But his choice of language sparked outrage, with many people saying it was inappropriate for someone in such a high-profile public position.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan (pictured) has sparked outrage with her strong language in a bushfire warning, as parts of the state are ravaged by flames.
The Labor Party leader issued a warning to Victorians on Boxing Day (pictured), when residents of a town near Victoria’s Grampians National Park were advised to “shelter now”.
“I agree (with his message), but it’s an interesting choice of words from a prime minister,” one wrote.
—Since when is it appropriate for the prime minister of a state to swear in public pronouncements? asked another.
A third accused her of using “condescending and unparliamentary language.”
“Allan is not fit to be Prime Minister,” they added.
However, some were on Bendigo East’s side.
“I love the language here, clear and direct,” one wrote.
Residents of Bornes Hill, near the Grampian Mountains National Park, were told early on Thursday morning that it is too late to leave and they must shelter in place as interstate firefighters continue to battle the flames.
They had previously been ordered to leave on Wednesday, along with residents of Moyston and Pomonal.
His choice of language sparked outrage, with many people saying it was unbecoming of someone in such a high-profile public position.
Pictured: Fire crews photographed battling the Grampians fire on Monday
It comes after high temperatures and windy conditions were expected to create an extreme fire risk across most of Victoria on Boxing Day, potentially the worst conditions since the Black Summer of 2019.
The mercury is expected to reach 30 to 40 degrees across much of the state and outback Australia, with the central western Queensland town of Birdsville forecast to record a scorching 47C.
Victoria State Control Center spokesperson Luke Hegarty warned people in the Grampians, The Gurdies, Bullengarook and Creswick to prepare their bushfire survival plans.
“If you decide to leave these high-risk areas, do so on the night of December 25, or no later than 10 a.m. on December 26, before extreme fire danger conditions begin,” he said.
Narramore said the combination of strong winds, high temperatures and dry air caused dangerous fire activity.
Bushfires in Grampians National Park remain out of control
“Any fire that starts or is already ongoing around the Grampians is likely to be uncontrollable and uncontainable, leading to dangerous and erratic fire behaviour,” he said.
Firefighters from several states have been deployed to assist their Victorian counterparts as crews work to secure containment lines.
The fire in the Grampians, sparked by lightning last week, has since grown rapidly to more than 50,000 hectares and could burn for weeks.
It remains dangerous for people to return to Bellfield, Halls Gap and the surrounding area.
Help centers have been set up at the Alexandra Oval Community Center in Ararat and at Grampians Community Health, or The Shacc, in Stawell.
In other incidents, crews contained a grass fire in Smithfield, north of Adelaide, on Christmas Day, as temperatures in South Australia’s capital soared.
Regional areas of South Australia are also expecting hot conditions on Boxing Day.
Adelaide is forecast to face a high of 36C after the 37C predicted for Christmas Day.
Complete fire bans were declared on Thursday for South Africa’s Mid-North, Riverland, Murraylands, Upper South East and Lower South East regions, with the fire risk considered extreme.
Multiple fires were also burning east of Perth and in the northwest and southwest of WA, with emergency services warning people to avoid the Laverton area and monitor conditions at Bornholm in Albany.
There were also reports of fires in central Victoria at Bullengarook and at The Gurdies in the state’s east on Wednesday.
Energy provider AusNet warned customers that power outages could be triggered to prevent bushfires starting and that outages could last longer to ensure safety.
As a cold shift hits Victoria on Thursday night, hot, dry and windy conditions will reach parts of central northeastern New South Wales, bringing extreme fire danger to that region on Friday.
In New South Wales, hot, dry and windy conditions pose extreme fire danger in the Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney, Northern Slopes and North Western regions.