As bushfires threaten, Australian PM seeks greater federal powers

FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday he wants greater federal powers during natural disasters, as authorities warned bushfires ravaging the country for months were sweeping through a national park near the capital.

Morrison said he wanted to set up a "legal framework that would allow the Commonwealth to declare a national state of emergency" before the next summer bushfire season, adding the chain of command between states and the federal government remained unclear.