Global figures and media react to horror Australian bushfires as Scott Morrison faces pressure
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing more backlash online for a video he has posted, detailing what the government has done for bushfire victims.
World
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing more backlash online for a video he posted Saturday, detailing what the government has done for bushfire victims.
The video, posted to Twitter, shows the contribution the Federal Government has made to the fires against the backdrops of bushfire footage.
He also wrote: “We’re putting more Defence Force boots on the ground, more planes in the sky, more ships to sea, and more trucks to roll in to support the bushfire fighting effort and recovery as part of our co-ordinated response to these terrible #bushfires.”
The video has angered social media users, who have continued using the hashtag #ScottyFromMarketing.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd attacked Mr Morrison, saying: “For God’s sake! On a day we have catastrophic fire conditions, in the midst of a genuine national crisis, Morrison, the marketing guy, does what? He releases a Liberal Party ad! He is no longer fit to hold the high office of prime minister.”
For God’s sake! On a day we have catastrophic fire conditions, in the midst of a genuine national crisis, Morrison, the marketing guy, does what? He releases a Liberal Party ad! He is no longer fit to hold the high office of prime minister. https://t.co/1OZqEZalOa
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) January 4, 2020
Piers Morgan attacked Mr Morrison a second time, saying: “Wow. A self-promotional commercial with cheesy elevator music? This is one of the most tone-deaf things I’ve ever seen a country’s leader put out during a crisis. Shameless & shameful.”
Wow. A self-promotional commercial with cheesy elevator music? This is one of the most tone-deaf things I’ve ever seen a country’s leader put out during a crisis. Shameless & shameful. https://t.co/ISgYEtlsb7
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 4, 2020
Many others accused him of making an ad, which was inappropriate.
It comes as he announced up to 3000 army reservists and an extra naval ship will join bushfire disaster and recovery efforts.
Four extra firefighting planes will also be leased to tackle the blazes.
We’re putting more Defence Force boots on the ground, more planes in the sky, more ships to sea, and more trucks to roll in to support the bushfire fighting effort and recovery as part of our co-ordinated response to these terrible #bushfires pic.twitter.com/UiOeYB2jnv
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 4, 2020
Australian Defence Force bases from Brisbane to Adelaide will accommodate bushfire victims left without somewhere to stay.
HMAS Adelaide will also leave Sydney on Saturday to help with coastal evacuations at the NSW-Victoria border.
Mr Morrison defended the amount of time it took the government to deploy the extra resources despite warnings from previous fire chiefs.
“That was the same advice we received from existing fire commissioners,” he told ABC News radio on Saturday.
“I just simply don’t accept that.” Defence is poised to set up a national task force to coordinate personnel involved in bushfire assistance across the country.
It will also deploy more planes and helicopters to help with transport and evacuation in bushfire areas.
The federal government will cover the $20 million bill for leasing the firefighting aircraft, with operational costs to be shared with states and territories.
MORRISON’S AWKWARD INTERVIEW
On Friday night, Mr Morrison has copped fresh criticism after a disasterous interview on A Current Affair.
Leila McKinnon started the interview by saying “people didn’t even want to shake your hand out there. Do you feel that you have lost the respect of Australians?”
Mr Morrison responded by saying “I don’t take any of that personally”.
“Some want to reach out, some are a little more standoffish, and look, I understand that. It is a very emotional time,” Mr Morrison said.
He was asked about an awkward exchange with 20-year-old mum Zoey Salucci-McDermott in Cobargo where he basically forced her to shake his hand and then walked away from her when she said she would shake his hand if he promised more money for firefighters.
“Zoey and I did speak, actually, of her concerns, and she did raise the issue of the level of support for the RFS,” Mr Morrison said.
Ms Salucci-McDermott has disputed that claim accusing the Prime Minister of turning his back on her.
“My house is burnt to the ground and the Prime Minister turned his back on me,” Ms Salucci-McDermott said on Facebook. “I would’ve happily sat down and had a cup of tea with him if he had of asked ‘are you OK, what can we do to fix this situation’. It’s a war-zone and he walked away when I asked for help … we’re desperate.”
Disastrous attempt by Australian PM Scott Morrison to console victims of wildfires pic.twitter.com/GzFHEOGQGu
— Rohit Kachroo (@RohitKachrooITV) January 2, 2020
Mr Morrison told A Current Affair that his ill-judged comment about how Australians would be “inspired” by the national cricket team has “been taken a bit out of context”.
Asked if he regretted his leadership during the crisis, he responded by saying “it’s not about me”.
“It’s about the people who need support on the ground, and that’s what I’m focused on. Not the other issues. That’s for others to Twitter about,” he said.
Mr Morrison was then evasive when McKinnon asked whether he has been trying to get more resources from overseas.
“Can we expect any more planes?” McKinnon asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“When will we see them? That is good news this evening,” she asked.
“It is. This is what we do, as things escalate,” he said. However he did not asnwer when the new planes would arrive.
Photographer Sean Davey, who took pictures of Mr Morrison’s visit to Cobargo ripped into him on Twitter in a post that has gone viral.
He said that Mr Morrison’s wife Jenny comforted Cobargo RFS brigade Mark Ayliffe with a hug during the visit, while the Prime Minister didn’t.
“It’s a lot to feel the embrace of another human in such times. It’s a shame our Prime Minister has no idea how to do this,” he wrote. “Six riot and public order four wheel drives preceded the Prime Minister. None of the PM’s convoy had any water, food, snacks or anything for the RFS volunteers in Cobargo.
“When Mark said he hadn’t eaten all day, Morrison just shook his hand and said, ‘Well I’ll let you get back to it.’
“I haven’t felt so ashamed for a long time.”
MORE NEWS
RFS chief clashes with government over fire funding
Escape from the Kangaroo Island inferno
Inside the 20-hour journey for Mallacoota’s evacuees
Bush pilot Dick Lang and son killed in KI disaster
WORLD REACTS TO MORRISON’S HANDLING OF FIRE CRISIS
It comes amid global criticism directed at Mr Morrison from everyone from conservative commentator Piers Morgan to singer and actress Bette Midler.
Mr Morgan has one of many global figures to express horror at Australia’s ongoing bushfire crisis, which has killed at least 18 people.
Morgan, who usually backs conservative politicians, called the fires a “staggering, terrible tragedy”.
Morgan was particularly angry about Mr Morrison’s response to people in Cobargo, including Ms Salucci-McDermott.
“I’m only shaking your hand if you give more money to RFS, so many people here have lost their homes,” she said in the video, breaking down in tears. At that point Mr Morrison walks away.
The crowd yells at him that they are being ignored by his government.
Morgan said the PM “got what he deserved … absolutely unconscionable for a Prime Minister to holiday in Hawaii as his nation burns”.
When another Twitter user asked “when is a good time for a holiday?” Morgan said, “If you’re a Prime Minister, not when your country’s burning to the ground. This is not ‘something going on’ – this is one of the biggest disasters in Australia’s history.”
Morrison got what he deserved... absolutely unconscionable for a Prime Minister to holiday in Hawaii as his nation burns. https://t.co/mT9jlcPO5Q
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 2, 2020
If you’re a Prime Minister, not when your country’s burning to the ground. This is not ‘something going on’ - this is one of the biggest disasters in Australia’s history. https://t.co/Zxc0BmhNDi
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 2, 2020
Half a billion animals killed by the Australian bush fires.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 2, 2020
So far.
Kangaroos, koalas, wombats, possums, cockatoos... all manner of species.
A staggering, terrible tragedy.
pic @mattabbottphoto @nytimes pic.twitter.com/iXAD7etDlI
Bette Midler slammed Mr Morrison on Twitter, calling him an “idiot”.
“Pity the poor #Australians, their country ablaze, and their rotten @ScottMorrisonMP
saying, ‘This is not the time to talk about Climate Change. We have to grow our economy.’ What an idiot. What good is an economy in an uninhabitable country? Lead, you f**kwit!!”
Former US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton also weighed in, saying, “With Australia on fire and the Arctic in meltdown, it’s clear we’re in a climate emergency,” Mrs Clinton said.
Mrs Clinton’s one-time nemesis Bernie Sanders, said the scenes in Australia would become “increasingly common around the world” and said immediate action must be taken to combat climate change. “The future of the planet is at stake. We must act.”
What is happening in Australia today will become increasingly common around the world if we do not aggressively combat climate change and transform our energy system away from fossil fuels. The future of the planet is at stake. We must act. https://t.co/JvspMDtqAD
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 2, 2020
I say to those who are delaying action on climate change: Look at the blood-red sky and unbreathable air in Australia because of raging forest fires.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 2, 2020
Our futures are all connected. That is why we must bring the world together and enact a Green New Deal. pic.twitter.com/GBQQpDc4vE
Renowned American feminist author Naomi Wolf shared a message from an Australian father who had been trapped by the bushfires to the PM.
The message read: “Hey @ScottMorrisonMP, my family and I got out of Mallacoota just before the road closed and spent four days stranded in NSW by the #climatefires. I can assure you the cricket being on provided zero solace. I hope you’re good at other things because you’re a useless Prime Minister.”
Australia Environmental Offenses and Penalties Act 1989: 7 years in prison "where a person without lawful authority, wilfully or negligently
— Dr Naomi Wolf (@naomirwolf) January 2, 2020
causes a substance to leak, spill or otherwise escape in a manner that harms or
is likely to harm the environment (s. 6)."
The fires have been extensively covered by global media, with major British newspapers publishing on their front pages a confronting photo by Sydney-based photographer Matthew Abbott which shows a kangaroo trying to escape a wall of bright orange flames in Conjola on the NSW South Coast.
“Been covering the Australian bushfires for the last six weeks, but haven’t seen anything like yesterday’s fire that decimated the town of Conjola, NSW,” Abbott wrote on Twitter alongside the heartbreaking image.
The BBC’s report on angry Combargo residents was its number one story all day.
The New York Times reported that "thousands flee fires as states warn crisis will worsen”.
Among the risks of the climate crisis is a normalization of its horrific and deadly consequences. The bushfires in Australia represent a startling climate catastrophe unfolding before us. Important piece from â¦@dwallacewellsâ©. https://t.co/LIvXYbxhPp
— Al Gore (@algore) January 2, 2020
Popular British rapper Yungblud, who was scheduled to play at the cancelled Falls Festival, played a solo gig in Melbourne where he implored the crowd to “f**k Scott Morrison”.
Former Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore tweeted that “the bushfires in Australia represent a startling climate catastrophe unfolding before us”.
Mr Gore also pointed to an “important” piece running in New York magazine that says “global apathy toward Australia’s bushfires is a scary portent for the future”.
With Australia on fire and the Arctic in meltdown, it's clear we're in a climate emergency. I'm proud to support @EarthshotPrize from @KensingtonRoyal, a new effort to inspire Earth's greatest problem solvers to repair the natural world. https://t.co/5LE0W7TAms
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) December 31, 2019
this place means the world to me and the people here have touched my heart forever. it means so much that i could contribute anything at all. we’re in this together 🖤 https://t.co/ie6qT1d1VD
— h (@halsey) December 31, 2019