Shorten to visit Tassie fire victims

Labor leader Bill Shorten will meet victims of the Tasmanian fires to make sure their battles aren't forgotten by the mainland.

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Bill Shorten will meet with victims of the Tasmanian bushfires and see the damage firsthand. (AAP)

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten will head to Tasmania to see firsthand the devastation caused by ongoing bushfires.

He will meet firefighters and volunteers in Huonville, in the state's south, and speak with residents who have evacuated their homes because of the fires.

"We are seeing unprecedented destructive weather right across Australia but I don't want Tasmania's fire battles forgotten by the mainland," Mr Shorten told AAP on Monday.

He wants to help make sure Tasmania gets whatever support it needs to help families recover from the disaster.

"I know there will be a lot of work ahead to rebuild and recover but I also know Tasmanians are resilient, and they'll have the support of the entire country behind them," he said.

Several Tasmanian towns remain under serious threat from bushfires while top tier fire warnings remain in place.

It is hoped a cool change overnight will sweep the state and bring millimetres of rain.

Just a day earlier, Premier Will Hodgman visited the Huonville evacuation centre and slapped down calls for an immediate review of the state's fire response.

"We have some of the best firefighting capabilities in the world here in Tasmania and they are currently under enormous stress - we don't want anyone to add to that," he said.

Fires threatening houses have been burning for weeks and have destroyed three homes, a near-century-old trapper's hut and damaged the Tahune Airwalk tourist attraction.

Wilderness in the state's southwest has been left charred by the fires.


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2 min read
Published 4 February 2019 3:36am
Source: AAP


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