Q&A’s Bega bushfire special forced to relocate to Canberra due to bushfire risk

The first episode of Q&A of the year, and for new host Hamish Macdonald, has been forced to relocate, with Monday night’s bushfires special live from Bega deemed too risky due to worsening fire conditions. The special episode will instead be filmed more than two and a half hours away, in Canberra.

Bega is set to reach 41 degrees today, and other parts of the NSW south coast 43. In just a week, since 24 January, six houses and 27 outbuildings have been burnt across the Bega Valley Shire, but the south coast is again preparing for the worst after already being ravaged by blazes over New Years.

The special episode in response to the bushfires was expected to be broadcast from Bega, a town affected by the blazes (Click to enlarge)