AUSTRALIA — The Berejiklian government has been accused of seeking to downplay the 2019-2020 bushfires to allow its logging arm to cut down more trees after it called for the results of a study on the impact on state forests to be kept secret. The Natural Resources Commission announced it had been asked to provide “independent, evidence-based advice” on how the huge fires had affected the state’s public forests and their ability to meet supply contracts under so-called coastal integrated forestry operations approvals. Planning Minister Rob Stokes “has directed the commission to provide its advice in confidence and consult with relevant agencies and subject matter experts only”, the agency said. Richard Kingsford, director of the University of NSW’s Centre for Ecosystem Science, said the public will wonder which experts the commission taps for its study.