Quite recently Scott Morrison has been spruiking the government's initiative of providing $30 million for firefighting aircraft and equipment.

The going rate for hiring a Skycrane helicopter is about $3 million for six months; the length of our fire season.

To buy one outright is about $25 million. Either way, when measured against $1 billion in bushfire damage the expenditure on the PM's Shark One comes across as a gross indulgence.

A lot of people are quick to jump on the bandwagon and to point the finger and blame our PM and climate change for our bushfires. Yes, our PM has handled the situation badly but what about the rest of our pollies and MLAs?

Where were they when the fires were burning? I know our Chief Minister was on holidays like the rest, and we haven't heard much from any of them. The only leaders showing any gusto were the Premiers of Victoria and NSW.

Yes, climate change may have some bearing on the hot and dry weather we have had, but who lit the fires? 87 per cent by humans, 13 per cent by lighting strikes.

Re: "New vehicle sales crash to record lowest level in eight years" (canberratimes.com.au, January 7).

Not mentioned in the article was that electric vehicle sales are increasing.

Anecdotally, many people are holding on to their existing cars a bit longer in the expectation that their next car will be either fully electric or at least a plug-in hybrid.

To those contemplating the replacement of Scomo as Prime Minister, may I remind them of Hilaire Belloc's sage advice to children: "... always keep a-hold of Nurse, For fear of finding something worse".

Whilst I fully agree with the sentiments of Jack Palmer (Letters, January 5) about the beauty of the Spitfire, it would be wrong to attribute the victory in the Battle of Britain to that aircraft alone.

The other very important aircraft was the Hawker Hurricane. The essential difference between the two aircraft was that the Spitfire was designed for perfection whilst the Hurricane was designed for production. Although the Spitfire had a slight edge in performance the Hurricane could be produced more quickly and cheaply.

Operationally, when the RAF was attacking incoming formations of German bombers the Spitfires took care of the fighter escorts while the Hurricanes dealt with the bombers.

Success was very much a partnership between the two aircraft but the less beautiful Hurricane has been given the Cinderella treatment ever since.

How much is ScoMo spending? Not much.

If Australia's total income over three years was equivalent to a $100 note, $2 billion is equivalent to 8 cents this financial year, 17 cents next, and 8 cents in 2020-21.

This is a time when our nation should be rising above politics and working together as Australians so often have in difficult times.

It is shameful that any party should choose to place a political advertisement regarding the bushfire situation which also contained a request for people to make a donation. Wait, how could that be criticised? How could it not, when the donations were sought for the party; not those impacted by the fires.

Perhaps it is time for the state premiers to take the initiative and gather to provide a plan, not just for the immediate situation but for the long summer months still to come. How many more fires will there be between now and March when the government is scheduling the next COAG meeting?

Defence Minister Reynolds says the Prime Minister did not have to inform the NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner about the deployment of 3000 army reservists. That was the role of the NSW Premier. Quite right. May it please Her Majesty to request the Governor-General to inform the Prime Minister that his arse is on fire.

What a great photograph on page six of The Canberra Times on January 6.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is leaning forward towards NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons with his fists clenched and his face set to look determined.

Shane Fitzsimmons is standing with his arms by his sides, both palms open and his uniform cap respectfully under his arm. His face reflects unflinching confidence.

State Premier Gladys Berejiklian has her right hand across her body. Her left hand is over her mouth. The impression is one of apprehension and concern.

One of the males is resolutely telling it like it is (neither fight nor flight) and the other leans forward trying to hammer home his version of history (fight).

Fitzsimmons is a national treasure. If only he would enter federal politics.

Given the scale of the national bushfire crisis it would seem prudent if the Commonwealth government set aside the bulk of their budget surplus; say at least $2 billion dollars for bushfire recovery costs which with the past experience from the Canberra 2003 fires takes 18 months or more to work through.

In comparison, John Howard managed to find $1 billion in a hurry for the Aceh tidal wave recovery so it is over to the PM and his cabinet to act quickly and appropriately in making this obvious decision or continue to be a day late and a dollar short.

The disastrous fires have highlighted the problems inherent in our federal system of government.

How fortunate is New Zealand in not having states fighting each other for a share of a federal government's handouts.

With a population of only 25 million it is ridiculous to have some eight states and territories, each with its own rules and regulations, health, education, etc, and last, but not least, road rules.

If only we could reach agreement the states be scaled back to some form of local government.

The time has come to leave all the important regulations to a central authority.

It would be much simpler for everyone; especially during a national emergency.

I suggest we set a 30 year timeframe for such a transformation.

This would allow those presently in power to still have their fiefdoms as we hopefully slide into a real, modern world.

Perhaps we could persuade Jacinda to take some time off from New Zealand to advise us on what form the new arrangement should take.

Gladys Berejiklian seems to be the only pollie whose stature has increased during the fire disaster.

It seems worthwhile to ask why the others only seem to find comfort in the arms of their public relations advisers, people who know nothing.

If we are in a lifeboat earth paddling away from that sinking ship it would be wise to poke off with oars anyone who claims superior manipulative skills.

Why should any pollie listen to a PR flack at a time like this?

Among lessons learnt from this national disaster should be that we need pollies who speak directly to all, and no slogans please.

The contribution to the fire relief efforts by the Australian armed services is fantastic and greatly appreciated.

However, we should all remember the federal Coalition government has been recalcitrant in their approach to contributing to the fire response.

For the Prime Minister to claim that he had not been asked to assist by any of the states on fire so he took the decision to act is a shameless attempt to show his strong leadership.

Shifting the blame for his and his government's failure to act earlier onto the states is not leadership.

It's, at best, an embarrassing admission they've been too focused on the surplus to care about the people.

Will Scott Morrison now listen to the South Pacific Islanders?

Send the Prime Minister and his ministers to the fire fronts. They can put out the fires by spraying them with slogans.

The poor ABC; it can't bite the hand that feeds it.

How good are these promotional Liberal Party bushfire videos? (Awkward silence...)

I wonder how Australia would be faring today if we had kept Julia Gillard's carbon tax which gave us the only two years of decreasing omissions. At least we would not be feeling such shame world wide.

While the fires are still burning I hope someone in government has turned their minds to the many who will now be unemployed and reduced to poverty given the abysmal level of Newstart payments.

Oh for a prime minister more like Jacinda Ahern and less like Donald Trump. A leader who is empathetic and decisive; who does not try to make political capital out of a national tragedy. Our political leaders have much to learn.

I wish I was in the Canberra Bubble with clear air.

The salesman died because he had nothing to sell. The shelves were either empty or full of goods that had passed their use-by date long ago.

Mr Trump's predecessors already had the bar down at zero, Cynthia Allen (Letters, December 31). It's impossible for him to accomplish "an unacceptable lowering of the bar for presidential behavior."

The human cost of global warming is now sadly apparent. Let none forget Australia's shameful role in the recent Madrid climate conference.

The best present the Prime Minister and Premiers together could give the spouses of firefighters who lost their lives saving others would be a one-off lifetime, tax-exempt, indexed pension of $1000 a week.

I thoroughly enjoyed Cats, the movie. Ignore the mean review in Panorama.

Hell hath no fury like an electorate scorned! (Apologies to William Congreve).

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