Australian PM seeks greater federal powers to tackle bushfire crisis

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that he wants greater federal powers during natural disasters. Morrison said he wanted to set up a legal framework that would allow the Commonwealth to declare a national state of emergency before the next summer bushfire season. Although he gave no details, the plan showed the conservative leader moving to head off criticism he was too slow to act when the seriousness of the country's worst bushfire season in a generation became apparent late last year.

Since September, bushfires in Australia have killed 33 people and an estimated 1 billion native animals, while 2,500 homes and a wilderness area the size of Greece have been destroyed, prompting critics to accuse Morrison of not doing enough to cut the country's carbon emissions.