Krambach Rural Fire Brigade attending Buladelah fire on Saturday, 6 December, 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Krambach Rural Fire Brigade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOn Sunday morning, authorities issued an emergency warning due to an uncontained bushfire at Redhead, south of Newcastle. Residents were told it was too late to leave and were urged to seek shelter. The warning was later downgraded.<\/p>\n
Albanese, speaking on the ABC Insiders program on Sunday morning soon after visiting the Emergency Management Australia headquarters, said it had been fortunate there was no loss of life, which is \u201calways the priority\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this summer of course, like all summers that would appear in recent times, is going to be a difficult one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut New South Wales in particular has a range of pre-conditions if you like for being quite a difficult one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the Koolewong fire on the Central Coast would have damaged more homes but for the work of firefighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust to put it in perspective, the fire embers jumped a stretch of water over a kilometre long,\u201d he told ABC TV.<\/p>\nA water-bombing plane flying over the fast-moving bushfire in the Koolewong area on 6 December, 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Ayush Kumar\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDamage assessment teams were on the ground on Sunday, along with investigators from NSW Police and the RFS, to determine the cause of the blaze.<\/p>\n
Federal and state disaster assistance funding has been activated for Central Coast, mid coast, upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Warrumbungle and Dubbo.<\/p>\n
The declarations activate support measures for residents, businesses, primary producers and councils.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we continue to contain the fires that have impacted communities across NSW, our priority is also to support those people whose homes and livelihoods have been impacted,\u201d NSW recovery minister, Janelle Saffin, said.<\/p>\n
Temperatures are expected to ease from Sunday for most of NSW and southern Australia, although the heat will build across northern Australia and WA. Hot conditions will return to much of the country early in the week.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, several bushfires are burning in Tasmania.<\/p>\n
More than a dozen homes and shacks, outbuildings and cars were damaged and two firefighters were injured fighting an out-of-control fire at Dolphin Sands on Tasmania\u2019s east coast on Friday.<\/p>\n
The fire has since been contained, although it\u2019s not safe for residents to return as access to the area remains dangerous.<\/p>\n