Two senior New South Wales government ministers have defended not visiting a fireground that crosses both of their electorates, with one suggesting it would not be useful to "hold a hose".
During the Black Summer bushfires three years ago, then-prime minister Scott Morrison, who had been on holiday in Hawaii, admitted it "wasn't helpful" when he defended his absence by saying "I don't hold a hose, mate".
The Alpha Road Tambaroora fire near Hill End has burned more than 18,000 hectares of bush and farmland since it broke out 11 days ago.
It has raged across parts of the Dubbo and Bathurst electorates, respectively held by Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders and Deputy Premier Paul Toole.
Neither MP has been to the fireground since the blaze started and on Wednesday both said it would be inappropriate to do so.
Mr Toole and Mr Saunders, both of whom are seeking votes at next week's state election, were in Orange on Wednesday to announce funding for a business hub for farmers.
"Well what am I going to do, go and hold a hose? Seriously?" Mr Saunders said when asked why he had not visited the fireground.
"If I turned up on a fire field, what do you reckon people would say about me?
"I'm there to get cameras — that's what they'd say about me, let's be fair dinkum."
'No matter what'
Mr Saunders said his government's role was to support and facilitate the responses of agencies such as the Rural Fire Service.
"The government's always been there, we've been there through the worst drought in living memory which finished in 2020 after a mouse plague, we've had two years of COVID, we've had the worst floods in living memory," he said.
"We've rolled out billions of dollars in support and we will always be there to support primary producers and people who are losing homes and properties, so we will be there no matter what."
At a separate media event, Mr Toole said those in the impact zone were not being forgotten.
"I think one of the things you want to make sure is as a politician you're not getting in the way," Mr Toole said.
He said there was a process for the declaration of natural disaster areas.
That includes damage assessments that must be completed by agencies including the RFS, the Reconstruction Authority and councils.
A report is then given to the state and Commonwealth governments to determine if support is required.
But some in the fire zone said their MPs had let them down by not showing up.
'Just a cop out'
Born and raised in Hill End, Nick Harvey spent the day working on a friend's farm that was almost completely burnt.
Livestock that were injured by the blaze have been euthanased.
Considering that, and the larger scale of the fire, Mr Harvey can hardly believe that no politicians have turned up to show their solidarity.
"If you want to get re-elected, get out into the bush and speak to the people who you want to vote for you," Mr Harvey said.
"It doesn't matter if it's Labor or Liberal — at least show your face out here, especially when there's been a huge catastrophe."
Robyn Rayner's husband and son have spent days building containment lines to protect their merino sheep stud at Sallys Flat.
At times the fire came within metres of their boundary.
She said MPs had a duty of care for their electorates and said they could at least have picked up the phone.
"For starters, nobody expects Dugald Saunders to get near the fire — that's not what people would be asking," Ms Rayner said.
"And as far as Paul Toole getting in the road — well, politicians get in the road all the time, that's never stopped them before.
"So, seriously?" I find that just a cop out."
Farmers can contact Local Land Services for fodder and hay.
