Queen, Adam Lambert, Alice Cooper and Michael Buble have played at a huge concert Sunday to support bushfire victims in Australia. More than 70,000 people attended the televised ‘Fire Fight Australia’ event in Sydney. 

“Mama, just killed a man,” said Queen Adam Lambert. “Put a gun against his head.  Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead.  Mama, life had just begun.”

Fans in Sydney were treated to a spectacular rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen and the American singer Adam Lambert.

They were joined by Olivia Newton-John and Alice Cooper, along with Australian stars 5 Seconds of Summer, Tina Arena and Delta Goodrem.

The ‘Fire Fight Australia’ concert aimed to raised almost $7 million for bushfire relief.  Fire services, devastated communities and animal welfare charities are to benefit.

Australia’s bushfire crisis began in September.  More than 30 people have been killed, and thousands of homes destroyed, while millions of hectares of land have been scorched.

The debate about the influence of climate change on the disaster continues.  The Lord Mayors of Australia’s two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, say they will intensify their efforts to mitigate the impact of global warming.  They  intend to introduce bolder targets on emissions, waste and water use. 

Sally Capp, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, says Australia needs more action at a federal level.

“Whatever heavy-lifting we do at a local government level we still desperately need national leadership, (a) bipartisan approach saying these are the sorts of initiatives that need to be supported.  We need to see a transition of our economy as part of that,” Capp said.

Australia is one of the world’s worst per capita emitters of greenhouse gases.  Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been criticized for underplaying the role of climate change in the bushfire crisis.  

His center-right government is an ardent supporter of the coal industry, which generates much of the nation’s electricity.  Morrison has insisted his climate and energy policies are both adequate and responsible.