patrick suckling in sydney, welcome to hardtalk. just as some countries have a rainy season, some have a hurricane season, australia has a bushfire season. but how different would you say this one has been? this one's been the worst we've had in new south wales certainly, so it's been unprecedented. it's been horrific, it's been tragic, it's been a summer of hell. i would say though, upfront, taking the opportunity with all your viewers around the world, to say how heartened we've all been by the extraordinary response and support we've had around the world for this tragic time. so thank you to you and your viewers and those around the world who have supported us at this time of trouble. the government says while the threat to life remains, it wants to focus on containing the fires and protecting lives. on that metric, how do you think it has done? the fires have been unprecedented, they've been shocking, they've been all over australia, there's hundreds of them burning at the same time. normally, the fire season — we'll see fires

patrick suckling spent three years as australia's ambassador for the environment. he believes the threat is all too real. but with politicians and exporters committed to exporting masses of coal, is hejust wasting his time?