Environment Minister Matt Kean has defended his government’s action on bushfires as debate rages on about what could be done to prevent them.

New South Wales is battling through unprecedented bushfires as dry conditions persist across the state.

The left of politics has blamed the fires on climate change but the right says it’s due to a lack of backburning in national parks to manage the fuel load.

Mr Kean has defended National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff who undertook 137,500 hectares of prescribed burns last year, exceeding their target of 135,000 hectares.

The government has faced criticism that not enough backburning has been done, with the Public Service Association claiming the number of rangers has also been cut.

Karl Stefanovic: Do you concede that you should have done more?

Matt Kean: Karl, we’ll take an evidence approach to this.

Karl Stefanovic: What more evidence do you need? The state’s burning!

Matt Kean: What we need to do is make decisions based on the science.

Mr Kean tells Karl Stefanovic they will conduct a review as soon as possible.

“We are not out of the woods yet, there will be plenty of time for reviews and to see how we can do things better. Now is not that time.

“As soon as these fires are over we will be looking at how we can do things better to ensure that these things don’t happen in the future.”

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Matt Kean image: Getty/Jenny Evans