Caleb Bond: Politicians have no place on the frontline of bushfires
It’s perverse how quickly politicians turn disasters into media opportunities. So unless they’re going to do something of value to those hurting, they need to bugger off, writes Caleb Bond.
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If you’ve just had your home and all the memories that go with it razed by a bushfire, you probably don’t want a politician in your face.
But, like night follows day, pollies are out in fire zones, with cameras in tow, wanting to shake hands. Yes, it was rude of people in Cobargo to abuse Prime Minister Scott Morrison and not shake his hand. But also, their town is on fire so I’m prepared to cut them a bit of slack.
It is perverse how, during a natural disaster, politicians take it as a media opportunity. They wander around fire zones or flooded land, or whatever it might be, with a flurry of cameras tracking their every move. They know their handshakes are going to be on the 6pm news and I hazard a guess that’s often the reason they’re doing it.
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If your concern is genuine and heartfelt, there is no need for a camera to be there.
Mr Morrison and Anthony Albanese have both been doing it. They show up to a town that has been devastated, walk around having some awkward conversations with locals, and leave as quickly as they arrive. On to the next town to show their faces.
I don’t care if it’s the PM, the Queen or the bloke who makes my coffee every day – if I’m in the middle of fighting a fire or I’ve just lost my home to a fire, I’m pretty sure the last thing I’d want is someone distracting me with platitudes.
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They bring with them nothing of value. They are not donning the gear to go out and fight the fire themselves. I dare say they’re distracting people from doing their important work.
In the middle of the Sampson Flat bushfire of 2015, then state emergency services minister Tony Piccolo decided to go on a tour of the fireground.
A group of about 30 firefighters were told to perform tasks, including clearing roads, so Mr Piccolo could go through.
He posed for photos with CFS volunteers and whacked them up on Facebook. He even paid to have the posts promoted so more people would see that he’d been out on the ground.
Volunteers were furious their resources were diverted so a politician could look busy. And rightly so.
That’s what happens when politicians needlessly insert themselves into fire zones. The chats feel staged because they know the TV camera is five metres away. And what can they offer? An apology? Tell them they feel sorry? Big deal. Nice thoughts and saying sorry have never fixed a bushfire and they’ve never actually made someone feel better. They’re not about to start.
It’s almost like Morrison came back from Hawaii and thought he had to overcompensate for his absence by making sure he was everywhere. It hasn’t worked well.
He is now bearing the brunt of these people’s anger. They’ve needed someone to get angry at – to vent to – for weeks. And then the PM shows up. Of course he’s going to cop a bollocking.
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Politicians and leaders should stay as far away from the fireground as possible – unless they are actually going to do something of value.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall quietly visited Kangaroo Island with Vickie Chapman on the weekend to see what had happened and presumably talk to people. But he didn’t tell the TV stations where he’d be all the time and they weren’t following him with a camera. He was free to quietly survey the scene and talk to people genuinely if they felt like it.
That’s real leadership. No pretences and no PR opportunities. Just the Premier checking what is happening to his state. You don’t have to be seen. You don’t even have to be heard. People just want to know that you know what’s going on. They don’t want you to make a show of their misery or use it as an opportunity for personal benefit.
I’m sure a lot of people who’ve watched their homes go up in smoke would really like someone to talk to, but they want a genuine conversation – not a staged 30-second news grab.
Until such time as politicians can manage that, they should get out of the way.
This is not a news opportunity. It’s a real disaster and people are actually hurting.
Originally published as Caleb Bond: Politicians have no place on the frontline of bushfires