Prime Minister Scott Morrison washes woman’s hair on election trail in Victoria

Scott Morrison once famously declared he “doesn’t hold a hose” but he appeared to change his tune with an unexpected move on the campaign trail.

He famously declared he “doesn’t hold a hose” during the bushfires but Scott Morrison has wielded one on the campaign trail today in Victoria as he chases votes in a marginal seat.

The Prime Minister received a warm welcome in the Labor-held seat of Dunkley on the Mornington Peninsula, where he even offered to wash the hair of a woman in a local hairdressing salon.

Mr Morrison also appeared to deliver a head massage to the female voter as he brushed off the controversy over leaked text messages where he was called “a complete psycho” and “a fraud” by a mystery cabinet minister.

the prime minister is currently washing someone's hair pic.twitter.com/7vJmK7X2gL

— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) February 4, 2022

During his visit, Mr Morrison washed the hair of Courtnie Trotter, 22, a first year apprentice at Coco’s salon.

“It was very gentle. He did a good job for a first go,” she said.

The manager of Coco’s salon Nick said the Prime Minister gave it a go.

“Does he have a future in hairdressing? Unfortunately I don’t think we could afford him,” he said.

At the height of an international furore over his decision to holiday in Hawaii amid deadly infernos across Australia in 2019 the Prime Minister said “I don’t hold a hose, mate, and I don’t sit in a control room”.

At the time, he was facing a barrage of criticism for disappearing to Hawaii without revealing he was overseas, as he enjoyed “a few nice days” as deadly fires engulfed hundreds of homes, and claimed lives.

During an interview apologising for his decision and pledging to return to Australia immediately he made the point that he wasn’t personally on the frontline facing the fires.

“I don’t hold a hose, mate,’’ he said.

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Scott Morrison on the campaign trail in Melbourne on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“And I don’t sit in the control room. That’s the brave people who do that job. But I know that Australians would want me back at this time out of these fatalities. So I’ll happily come back and do that.”

As the Prime Minister chases votes in marginal seats, the fallout continues over the leaked text message affair.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has weighed in arguing the issue was not the fact that a cabinet minister had called the Prime Minister a “complete psycho”, but that they had chosen to release the messages.

Dismissing former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s observations on the matter as those of an “angry man”, Mr Joyce said the leak was driven by malice.

Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has weighed in on the leaked text message affair. Picture: NCA/ Gary Ramage

“It is done with vengeance and it is done with the purpose of creating hurt and that’s really a question for the person who released them … their motivations and the context in which they decided to release the text messages,” he said.

“No doubt between you and other people in the ABC, there are text messages about Ita Buttrose. Mr Turnbull is an angry man.

“He goes on the program and cans the government which once elected him as Prime Minister for Australia and that, for many people on either side of the political fence, it is a worry.

“They say, ‘Why wouldn’t you be loyal to the country that you led and the government that you led that gave you that great honour?’”

Originally published as Prime Minister Scott Morrison washes woman’s hair on election trail in Victoria