OUR SAY: Don't take Scott Morrison's words for gospel

'If all you know about GetUp is how they've been portrayed in the media, then take a moment before jumping on the bandwagon.'

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reacts during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, August 1, 2019. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING. Picture: LUKAS COCH

BE SURE to verify statements before you take them with a grain of salt - even when they're delivered by our most trustworthy Prime Minister.

It's probably not a profound statement given today's world leaders and proliferation of fake news. But once upon a time, you could trust your national leader to rise above the spin.

Scott Morrison's response to the GetUp campaign during the federal election - which succeeded in ousting colleague Tony Abbott, if little else - was to smear the activist group with nothing short of propoganda.

He has accused GetUp of bullying and misogyny - two words more apt for describing some of the far-right politicians who were targeted not because of their political allegiance, but because they actively blocked progress on environmental and humanitarian issues that, in the eyes of GetUp, shouldn't be political footballs.

As an observant member of the media with no political allegiance, but an environmentally conscious soul, I was on the GetUp mailing list.

In this age of ruthless political tactics, GetUp's consistency to their cause using fact-based evidence in an articulate, respectful and considered tone gave them far more credibility in my mind than any political party.

If all you know about GetUp is how they've been portrayed in the media, then please read a couple of their releases, before jumping on the bandwagon.

You might not agree with their philosophies, but they do play clean and fair.

Originally published as OUR SAY: Don't take Scott Morrison's words for gospel