Temperatures will again soar past 40 degrees in parts of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia today … as firefighters battle several blazes.

In Victoria, more than 110,000 hectares of farmland have been burnt — with eight homes believed lost in the Otways region. Fireys in the state have long complained of an ageing truck fleet and inadequate safety equipment despite the Victorian government's insistence that funding for the Country Fire Authority has increased.

• Guest: John Houston, President of the CFA Volunteers Group and a captain of the Grassmere branch in south-west Victoria.
• Producer: Grace Stranger