As of Saturday night, three lives were confirmed lost in some of the most horrific circumstances. The people were literally burned alive. Hundreds of homes were lost.

The communities affected will feel the brunt of the situation for days, months and years to come. The people and the environment may never fully recover.

And unbelievably, they are being warned that probably isn't the worst of it.

The Canberra community knows better than most the pain they will be feeling. Saturday, January 18, 2003 - and its aftermath - will never be forgotten by those who lost homes and loved ones.

But as the country burns, the government continues to trivialise the sincere and genuine concerns of the hundreds of thousands of young people, and adults, who continue to participate in climate strikes.

These people are so concerned for the future of our world that they're disrupting traffic in an effort to get the decision-makers to pay attention. The implications of the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report are dire and there are now few who doubt we are facing a potentially existential threat that will impact on the lives of billions of people for decades and centuries to come.

On Friday while northern NSW burned, it was snowing in southern NSW. The climate is changing, there is no doubt about it.

One veteran Queanbeyan firefighter said he and colleagues were shell-shocked by the footage of the fires on Friday.

"We're a week into November," he said. "We're already pulling out all the stops."

Thankfully, there is some immediate optimism amid the horror.

The ACT and surrounding regions are sending hope to these burnt-out communities in the form of firefighters to the battlegrounds. To our firefighters on the ground and to those preparing to be deployed, the community thanks you and wishes you a safe trip, and a speedy return home to your families.

In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, we need to focus on the wellbeing of the people on the ground.

Then, let's talk about climate change.