Scott Morrison clashes with pensioner at Hunter Valley pub

Scott Morrison was largely greeted with selfies and handshakes in the Hunter Valley, but one angry punter took the PM to task. See the pictures.

An angry pensioner confronting Scott Morrison with a list of broken promises and personal grievances in a Hunter pub has overshadowed the Prime Minister’s visit to the Labor heartland where the Coalition is hoping to gain seats this election.

Footage of the man taking Mr Morrison to task in front of a large crowd at the Edgeworth Tavern in Lake Macquarie on Wednesday night has gone viral, though the PM was overwhelmingly welcomed by the other pub patrons.

He raised a number of issues, including concerns with the NSW iCare insurance scheme, immigration problems for his partner, and wanted to know why he wasn’t able to earn an income without it impacting his pension.

“Listen to me for a change. You can have a million dollar house, $250,000 in the bank and franking credits but a disability pensioner can’t have an income,” the man said to Mr Morrison.

“I’ve been fighting for 12 years, mate – you treat a disability pensioner that worked all his life … he paid his taxes, now he’s getting taxed ahead.

A man took Scott Morrison to task over iCare as the Prime Minister visited the Edgeworth Tavern in Newcastle. Picture: Damian Shaw

“This is what you said when you got elected last time, ‘we’re going to help all those people that worked all their lives, paid their taxes and those that have a go, we’ll look after you’.

“Well, I’ve had a go, mate, I’ve worked all my life and paid my taxes.”

The pensioner also said Mr Morrison has broken his “promise” to have an integrity commission.

“You better f*****g do something. I’m sick of your bull****.”

Video shows the man confronting Scott Morrison at Edgeworth Tavern. Picture: Damian Shaw

Mr Morrison listened to the pensioner for several minutes and tried to calm him before offering to have a member of his staff speak with him about the grievances.

A member of the bar staff then assisted the pensioner to sit at a table on the deck at the pub, but he did not want to sit and was then escorted from the venue.

Asked on Wednesday about his “frosty” reception at the Edgeworth Tavern the pervious night Mr Morrison he had found locals generally welcoming.

“Of course there was one gentleman, Ray, who was there last night he was very upset about what was a very complicated case,” he said.

“It was a complicated case involving iCare, it was involving immigration issues. and also involving income definitions and under the pension regime.

“He’s had a lot of complications with those with those cases.

“And my staff met with him also after I carefully listen to what he had to say.”

Mr Morrison said the interaction was respectful and Ray “wasn’t asked to leave or anything like that”.

“I did understand that he was very upset about some really significant issues that have happened in his life,” he said.

“And so I was … keen to understand what he was saying to me and I believe it is a complicated case and we’ll see how we might be assist him to progress that.”

Mr Morrison said he liked visiting local venues like the pub at Edgeworth.

“I like hearing people all the time,” he said.

In a separate incident, a woman named Chantelle approached Mr Morrison to take a selfie, but instead recorded herself saying “congratulations on being the worst prime minister we’ve ever had”.

The PM also got behind the bar to pouring a few pints. Picture: Damian Shaw

Despite the prickly confrontations, the majority of local patrons were eager to line up and shake Mr Morrison’s hand, with most of the interactions overwhelming positive.

A tradie who watched Mr Morrison speaking with the pensioner said the “heckler” was “not how everyone felt”.

Even the Prime Minister could not get between a young girl and her pub meal, however. Picture: Damian Shaw

A local woman who described herself as a “longtime Labor voter” said she would not support Mr Morrison at the upcoming election, but believed he was well-liked in pockets of the Hunter community.

“He has made the effort to visit this area a lot which I think people notice,” she said.

In a sign of how significant the Hunter is to the Coalition, Mr Morrison revealed the ­government’s strategy for ­Australia’s regions was very much based on its approach to the Hunter ­region.

“I know when it (has) worked in the Hunter, it’s got to work all around the country,” he said. “Because it’s combining ­together our traditional industries with our new manufacturing industries, supported by great universities and a strong workforce.”

Morrison rubbed shoulders with VB-loving Edgeworth punter Ryan Turnbull on his visit Picture: Damian Shaw

Mr Morrison also visited a manufacturer in Shortland with his candidate Nell McGill, who said key government ­initiatives like the apprenticeships subsidy would help businesses in the region continue to expand.

Shortland MP Pat Conroy said the key issues in his electorate were difficulties in ­seeing a doctor due to a local GP shortage, aged care, cost of living and boosting manufacturing.

“We would ease cost of living pressures with our plans for cheaper childcare, cheaper power bills and more secure (and) well-paid jobs,” he said.

Nell McGill is the Liberal candidate for Shortland. Picture: Damian Shaw

Labor MP Pat Conroy is the incumbent.

In the electorate of Hunter, two fresh faces are vying to fill the void left by Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, who has retired from the seat after more than 25 years in office.

Labor’s pick to replace Mr Fitzgibbon is Olympic shooter Daniel Repacholi, but with a margin of just 3 per cent and preference flows complicated by One ­Nation, the Coalition are closely eyeing the seat.

Mr Repacholi said the “exploitation of casual ­labour hire minors” was a major concern in his community.

“Having two people working the same job doing the same hours and one getting paid tens of thousands of dollars less a year is unfair,” he said.

His challenger, Nat­ionals’ candidate James Thomson, has vowed to ensure the Hunter’s world-class manufacturing, mining and small businesses remain the “backbone of the Australian economy”.

Originally published as Scott Morrison clashes with pensioner at Hunter Valley pub