California wildfires: Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister says Australia ‘ready to assist’

Although no requests have been made, Senator McAllister said Australia has reached out through “diplomatic channels”.

“We are yet to receive any response for assistance, but of course, as always, we stand ready to assist our friends in the United States,” she told Sky News on Friday.

“We’ll do everything we responsibly can should a request come before us.”

Any potential request would be made by the US’ Federal Emergency Management Agency to Australia’s National Emergency Management Agency of Australia.

States and territories would then be approached to provide available resources, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and federal government co-ordinating Australia’s response.

While no formal request has been made, Emergency Management Minister Jenny McAllister said Australia would do “everything we responsibly can” to help. Picture: NewsWire/ Martin Ollman

She also acknowledged the “long history of co-operation” between the countries on firefighting, with the US notably lending Australia aircraft and personnel during the Black Summer fires.

“We actually had personnel in the US over the course of 2024, and of course, we’ve received great benefit from US personnel coming to Australia in years previous as well,” she said.

To date seven people have died and more than nearly 10,000 structures have been destroyed in the unseasonable blazes ravaging Los Angeles.

The weather event is estimated to be the costliest blaze in US history, with estimates insured losses could exceed US$20bn (AU$32.37bn).

The timing of the Californian fires could also pose a threat to Australia’s fire season, with Australia relying of leasing agreements from the US and Canada to sustain our firefighting fleet when needed.

As of Friday, at least seven people are known to have died as a result of the bushfires. Picture: Josh Edelson/ AFP

The blazes are estimated to be the costliest in US history. Picture: Apu Gomes/ Getty Images via AFP

Senator McAllister said while current advice suggested that the arrangements were the “best way to secure a sufficiently flexible fleet to meet a changing fire environment,” the government has committed a review into processes, and will review the results later this year.

To date, Labor has also committed $96m to 2025-26 to boost aerial firefighting resources, allowing the government to procure a Large Air Tanker and three heavy-lift helicopters.

“Co-operation will continue to be a feature of how we manage our fire seasons here in Australia and right across the world. But we do know we’ve got to step up,” she said.

“We’ve received advice from the scientists very clearly for years that these kinds of circumstances are going to arise more frequently, and we are going to confront fire seasons that in some instances will be unprecedented.”

Speaking from Perth on Friday, Anthony Albanese also said he was “very conscious” of the wide-ranging impact of the “unseasonal” weather event, and whether this will limit the US’ ability to help Australia during our fire season.

“It’s one of the issues that we need to be cognisant of. Climate change is real,” he said.

“Historically, what we’ve got is had an exchange of assets and personnel between the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere. and you’ve had assistance going both ways.

“We’ve seen a significant loss of life, an enormous loss of property and assets on the West Coast of the United States.”