As the world watches Australia battle one of the most unprecedented bushfire seasons we’ve ever seen, there’s a secondary story that’s been gaining momentum: Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his response to the fires.
Amongst the devastating losses, the spreading fire threat and the mass evacuations there has also been a lot of noise and anger being directed at our leader. His name is trending, but not in a good way.
It started with Morrison's Hawaiian holiday and boiled over after the Prime Minister held a New Year's Eve party that many deemed "tasteless" given the disaster that was unfolding. From there, the anger only grew when he held a cheery photo opp with the Aussie cricketers the next day while whole communities surveyed the damage from the night before.
After visiting fire affected communities, footage has emerged of locals and firefighters refusing to shake his hand. There's no denying the growing mood.
Here's the footage from Cobargo. Post continues after video.
Our Prime Minister is only one man, and most of the country knows he can't work miracles. He can't put the fires out, and he can't snap his fingers and make this all go away.
But it's the way he's being handling events, press conferences and speeches that have many feeling prickly.
Here are some of the reactions from not just here in Oz, but around the world.
Bette Middler, American singer/songwriter.
Nazeem Hussain, comedian.
Georgia Love, journalist and reality TV star.
International publications.
The New York Post labelled our Prime Minister “hapless” while writing about his meeting this morning in Cobargo, NSW.
The Independent's front page told its readers, "this is what a climate crisis looks like."
Magda Szubanski, actor/comedian.
Prue McSween, journalist.
Andrew Constance, Liberal member for Bega.
Senior NSW Liberal Andrew Constance says the Prime Minister got "the welcome he probably deserved" when he was heckled by angry residents in a bushfire-ravaged town.
"I say this to the Prime Minister today, the nation wants you to open up the cheque books, obviously help people rebuild their lives," Constance told Seven, after Morrison's visit.
“I know this is tough and I know I’m on his side of politics. But the only two people who are providing leadership at this stage are (NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner) Shane Fitzsimmons and (NSW premier) Gladys Berejiklian,” he added.
Greta Thunberg, climate activist.
... And there's more.
Mamamia Out Loud, our bi-weekly podcast, is coming to Melbourne for a live show, with 100 per cent of all ticket proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross disaster relief and recovery fund.
It's a brand new show, full of laughs and news and opinions and a few special surprises, with Mia Freedman, Holly Wainwright and Jessie Stephens, on February the 11th. You can buy tickets right now at mamamia.com.au/events. See you there!
Feature image: Getty.
Top Comments
I've always been reluctant to discuss politics on a heavily moderated site. It gets a bit too emotional and bat shit crazy with zealots and all
Climate change topics are even worse apparently - sheesh, hold my beer, I'm diving into this sweaty grubby mosh pit
So, the fire triangle is heat, oxygen and fuel. We can do nothing meaningful about the first two but government can certainly do a lot about fuel loads. Instead of managing them, the green agenda has prevented clearing and fuel reduction.
Victorians bought a class action here about our bushfires. The case ran 18 months and at the last minute, the state government settled for about half a billion because they knew they were about to lose over their mismanagement of fuel loads.
Government green tape needs to go in the bin and land management needs to be returned to land owners. Crown land needs to be managed responsibly, not ideologically.
Wasn’t the class action paid by an energy supplier as it was found the fires were caused by a faulty power line? Unless this is a different bushfire, but I’ve assumed it was the black Saturday ones.
If it were such an issue why have we not have bushfires this catastrophic until now? The extreme and prolonged bushfire season is exactly what was predicted by the CSIRO by 2020 due to climate change.
Explain how climate change is causing a spate of arson attacks and can you walk us through how a carbon tax alters the fire triangle of heat, fuel and oxygen? What wouldn’t fuel load reduction and management work better?
Just keeping count: so far you have blamed the Greens, now arsonists, and also likened a schoolgirl to a Nazi. I must say, it's hard to keep up with how many peripheral things you manage to point at simultaneously.