Why Jacinta Allan sparked outrage over her bushfire warning

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has sparked outrage with her blunt language in a bushfire warning as flames ravage parts of the state.

The Labor Party leader issued a warning to Victorians on Boxing Day as residents of a town near Victoria’s Grampians National Park were advised to ‘shelter now’.

“The message couldn’t be clearer: today is a day of total fire ban across Victoria,” Ms Allan wrote on X.

“Don’t be a publicity headline. No fires should be lit.”

The Prime Minister, who took office after Dan Andrews resigned last year, added that Thursday’s conditions were “expected to be the worst since the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfire season.”

“Make sure you keep up to date with the latest alerts via the VicEmergency app, website or your emergency transmitter,” she said.

“Reconsider traveling and if you plan to leave, leave early.”

But her choice of language sparked outrage, with many people saying it was inappropriate for someone in such a high-profile public position.

“I agree (with your message), but interesting choice of words from a Prime Minister,” wrote one.

“Since when was it appropriate for the Prime Minister of a state to take the oath in public statements?” asked another.

A third accused her of using “unparliamentary, condescending language.”

“Allan is not fit to be Primer,” they added.

However, some sided with the Bendigo East side.

“Love the language here, clear and to the point,” wrote one.

Residents of Bornes Hill near the Grampian Mountains National Park were told early Thursday morning that it is too late to leave and that they must take shelter as interstate firefighters continue to battle the flames.

They had previously been ordered to leave on Wednesday, along with residents of Moyston and Pomonal.

It comes after high temperatures and windy conditions on Boxing Day were expected to create an extreme fire risk in most parts of Victoria – possibly the worst conditions since the Black Summer of 2019.

The mercury is expected to reach the high 30s to 40s across much of the state and inland Australia, with the town of Birdsville in central western Queensland forecast to see a scorching 47 degrees Celsius.

Victoria State Control Center spokesman Luke Hegarty warned people in the Grampians, The Gurdies, Bullengarook and Creswick to prepare their bushfire survival plans.

“If you choose to leave these high-risk areas, go on the night of December 25 or no later than 10am on December 26, before the extreme fire danger begins,” he said.

Mr Narramore said the combination of high winds, high temperatures and dry air was creating dangerous fire activity.

“Any fire that starts or is already underway around the Grampians is likely to be out of control and out of control, leading to dangerous and erratic fire behavior,” he said.

Firefighters from multiple states have been deployed to assist their Victorian counterparts as crews work to secure containment lines.

The fire in the Grampians, caused by lightning strikes last week, has quickly grown to more than 50,000 hectares and could burn for weeks.

It remains unsafe for people to return to Bellfield, Halls Gap and surrounding areas.

Shelters have been set up at the Alexandra Oval Community Center in Ararat and Grampians Community Health, or The Shacc, in Stawell.

In other incidents, crews battled a grass fire in Smithfield, north Adelaide, on Christmas Day as temperatures soared in the South Australian capital.

Regional areas in South Australia are also expecting warm conditions on Boxing Day.

Adelaide is forecast to experience a high of 36 degrees Celsius, after a predicted 37 degrees Celsius on Christmas Day.

A total fire ban was declared for South Africa’s mid-north, Riverland, Murraylands, upper south-east and lower south-east regions on Thursday, with the fire risk considered extreme.

Multiple fires were also burning east of Perth and in WA’s north-west and south-west, with emergency services warning people to avoid the Laverton area and monitor conditions in Bornholm in Albany.

There were also reports of fires in central Victoria at Bullengarook and at The Gurdies in the state’s east on Wednesday.

Energy supplier AusNet warned customers that power cuts may be caused to prevent bushfires starting and power outages may last longer to ensure safety.

As a cool change washes over Victoria on Thursday night, hot, dry and windy conditions will move into parts of central north-eastern NSW, creating an extreme fire danger in that region on Friday.

In NSW, hot, dry and windy conditions pose an extreme fire danger in the Greater Hunter, Greater Sydney, Northern Slopes and North Western regions.