Craig Kelly says Australia had more rainfall in the first 20 years of this century than the first 20


At the height of Australia's recent bushfire crisis, Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly made the rounds of national and international media outlets.

In a combative exchange with meteorologist Laura Tobin on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Kelly argued against the long-term drying out of the Australian landscape.

Ms Tobin said: "Australia have just had, in 2019, their highest year temperature-wise ever recorded and their driest year ever recorded, with forecasts and temperatures that go back over 100 years."

Mr Kelly responded: "There's a few issues there. Firstly, the first 20 years of this century we've had more rainfall in Australia than [over] the first 20 years of the last century."

He expanded on the claim on his Facebook page, writing:

Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-06/fact-check-craig-kelly-rainfall-drought/12016214

Craig Kelly's claim is flawed