Victoria Ablaze

Mr Tuckey, a former federal forestry minister, said policies that locked up forests created excessive fuel loads - an argument he has made for many years.

Wildfires, like those in Victoria at the weekend, had generally occurred every 25 years, he said. But forests now had nearly 10 times the number of trees to the hectare than they did previously.

He blamed the situation on the two main parties "who go running around putting in more reserves to get Green preferences".

Mr Tuckey, a former federal forestry minister, said policies that locked up forests created excessive fuel loads - an argument he has made for many years.

Wildfires, like those in Victoria at the weekend, had generally occurred every 25 years, he said. But forests now had nearly 10 times the number of trees to the hectare than they did previously.

He blamed the situation on the two main parties "who go running around putting in more reserves to get Green preferences".

The Catch the Fire Ministries has tried to blame the bushfires disaster on laws decriminalising abortion in Victoria.

The Pentecostal church's leader, Pastor Danny Nalliah, claimed he had a dream about raging fires on October 21 last year and that he woke with "a flash from the Spirit of God: that His conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb".

I'm OK. Well away from it. It's hard to think about those who aren't.

The same issue befalls the west coast of the USA. Decades of forest management have in fact created conditions that mean fires are more likely and more devastating.

I read another thread that Barack Obama did it....

The Cathedral fire on Wilsons Promontory is now 450 hectares in size and growing.

Ground crews and machinery cannot be deployed for direct attack on this fire as the terrain is too steep and rugged.

Attempts to slow its progress using aircraft have so far not been effective.

Asset protection works are continuing with bulldozers creating a full mineral earth fire break over the eight kilometres of existing park boundary track in Yanakie. Tractors will be used to re-slash all fire breaks through the Park.

Asset protection works are continuing at Tidal River.

Most of the southern boundary of the East Tyers-Thomson fire near Walhalla is now tracked. Fire behaviour is mainly quiet, but overnight the fire crossed the hand trail down into the Thomson River. Crews are now attempting to re-establish a hand trail around the fire in this area.

A fall back dozer line will be constructed as a contingency from the Thomson Valley Road to the Thomson River. Aircraft are supporting ground crews on this fire.

The fire at White Timber Spur, 15 kilometres north of Dargo is not spreading in size and is currently not posing a threat to any communities.

Mild weather conditions forecast for today will assist crews to continue to construct control lines around the southern, eastern and northern edges of the fire, in preparation for burning between the fire and control lines.