The New South Wales transport minister, Andrew Constance, demanded the now-sacked head of his department create an 80-metre “clearance zone” around highways after the 2019-20 bushfires, an order Labor says could have resulted in countless trees being felled if followed. … Constance … issued the directive to the former department head, Rodd Staples, following last summer’s bushfire crisis. The directive … instructed Staples to create the zone stretching 40 metres on either side of state-managed highways. …He pointed to two examples where fallen trees led to delays after the fires, including in January 2020 following blazes on the state’s south coast … He wrote that “many evacuees [were] waiting for over 10 hours to evacuate due to fallen trees and spot fires causing delays”.