Firefighters call on former minister Angus Taylor to apologise after he makes claims about the handling of the catastrophic 2003 bushfires. Multiple outlets report that Taylor argues bureaucrats allowed the fires to “rip” rather than containing them, presenting his account as a criticism of decision-making at the time. That version of events is disputed by firefighters involved in containment efforts, including the man who led the containment operation, who rejects Taylor’s narrative. The coverage describes the dispute as public and pointed, with firefighters urging Taylor to retract or apologise for what they say are inaccurate statements about the conduct and effectiveness of the response in 2003. The reports indicate that the disagreement centres on what caused the fires to escalate and whether adequate action was taken during containment. While Taylor’s statement attributes failures to bureaucratic choices, the firefighters’ rebuttal says that the account is unfounded and conflicts with what occurred on the ground during the containment effort.