Australia is a bludger on carbon emissions, not an overachiever

The Prime Minister has been fond of telling people not to panic lately. Don't panic about the economy being as stagnant as the water in the Darling River (where NSW is preparing for "fish Armageddon"). Don't panic that most of the east coast of Australia is either engulfed in bushfires or choking on smoke.

Thick smoke haze from bushfires has covered Sydney
 and Canberra for much of the past few weeks. 

According to the Prime Minister, there's no need to be anxious about the bushfires. "These highly trained officers run towards dangerous incidents, not away from them," he said. "It is vital they have every resource necessary to help them do their job and protect the community." Unfortunately, his comments weren't about firefighters, but part of a $107 million security boost for Australia's airports, which will see police visibly wielding assault rifles at capital city airports across the country. Of course, there's nothing more reassuring than the sight of assault rifles in the airport. "That's the last time I run for the gate," commented a colleague.

But it isn't terrorism on people's minds when they arrive at Sydney airport these days.

"At 39,000 ft, we could smell Australia long before we saw it. Perhaps 300 miles out. And it smelt of bushfires. Then as we came in to land, it looked more like the End of Days," tweeted actor Sam Neill as he arrived in Sydney.

Read the opinion piece from The Canberra Times by Ebony Bennett - “Australia is a bludger on carbon emissions, not an overachiever.”