Australia seeks federal powers to tackle bushfires

Australia’s prime minister has asked for greater federal powers to fight raging bushfires in the country.

This follows an official warning that the blazes are about to brush through a national park near the capital, Canberra.

Prime minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that he wanted to establish a legal framework that would allow the commonwealth to declare a national state of emergency before the next summer bush fire season.

The Australian bushfires have killed 33 people and an estimated one billion animals since last September.