"I want everyone to be assured that the NSW government and emergency services personnel are doing everything we can to protect life and property and we have all the resources in place to make sure that occurs,"Ms Berejiklian said.

"I have been on deck on the whole time and intend to continue to be. This is when we all come together as a state and we all work together to keep everyone safe.

"At the end of the day,the buck stops with me in making decisions and supporting emergency services personnel ... I feel completely supported."

Mr Elliott's decision to leave the country during the deadly fires was criticised by colleagues.

"He should be here,not in London. We just lost three lives,"a senior minister said.

One Liberal colleague said:"Why do we even have an Emergency Services Minister if he is not going to be here in an emergency."Another Minister said it was"nuts"that Mr Elliott chose to leave.

A senior government source said Ms Berejiklian had made it clear that she expected ministers to remain in Sydney,telling a cabinet meeting that ministers should not travel far from the city.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro has also been criticised by his colleagues forhis recent comments about the New Year's fireworks,which he made while on holidays in London.

Mr Barilaro tweeted on Monday that cancelling the fireworks would be"a very easy decision",citing the fire risk along with fairness for regional areas where fireworks have been banned.

"The risk is too high and we must respect our exhausted RFS volunteers. If regional areas have had fireworks banned,then let's not have two classes of citizens. We're all in this crisis together,"Mr Barilaro tweeted.

A senior minister said:"In some ways what he did is worse than Elliott."