The Australian government has been very hesitant to link climate change to the horror start to the bushfire that parts of the country are experiencing.
Whenever Coalition politicians are quizzed on the matter they either say it's not the right time to talk about the issue or they say it's attributable to everything from the Greens to not enough back burning.
But the Prime Minister has, for the first time, admitted that climate change has played a part in the catastrophic bushfires plaguing nearly every state and territory.
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Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Morrison said: "We also know that there are many contributing factors that relate to these fires. The drought is obviously one, and the dryness of the bush is the biggest factor.
"And we all know...that climate change, along with many other factors, contribute to what is occurring today."
There has been some understandable distress during this period, especially with the smoke haze that has been choking Sydney and other regions.
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But Mr Morrison wants everyone to just chill out.
"I know, because I'm a Sydneysider, how unusual it is to see haze across my city. And I know how distressing this has been, particularly for young people, who wouldn't have seen that before...that's why it's important to have a sense of calm about these matters and calm on the basis of information," he said.
"But let me be clear about this - climate change is a global challenge. Australia is playing our role as part of this global challenge. In fact, I can tell you that emissions from Australia are lower today than at any other time than before we came to government."
The Prime Minister was also quizzed about a report released yesterday that ranked Australia at the bottom of the list of 57 countries when it came to national and international climate policy.
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When asked what he thought of the ranking, Scott Morrison didn't mince his words.
He told reporters that he 'completely rejects' the premise of the report and when he was questioned why he simply said that he didn't think it was 'credible'.
The 2020 Climate Change Performance Index, which has been put together by a group of thinktanks including the NewClimate Institute, the Climate Action Network and Germanwatch, has ranked dozens of countries for their emissions, renewable energy, energy use and policy.
Portugal came out on top of the list for its emissions targets however Australia was slammed for not showing any real progress or long-term commitments.
Featured Image Credit: Austinmer RFB/FacebookTopics: News, Australia, politics