Scott Morrison visits Easter Show, chaotic scenes ensue
After a week of tightly controlled events, the Prime Minister ventured into the crowds of the Easter Show today. Chaos ensued.
After a week of tightly controlled events, Prime Minister Scott Morrison finally indulged in a little chaos on Saturday afternoon as he and his family visited the Easter Show in Sydney.
Mr Morrison, his wife Jenny and their children spent about 40 minutes walking through the show’s agriculture pavilions, meeting animals and humans of varying cuteness. And they were constantly swamped by hundreds of interested onlookers.
As we wrote earlier today, the Morrison campaign had thus far been characterised by low-risk events – visits to manufacturing businesses, meetings with youth sport teams and the like – so the mayhem at Homebush stood out. For the first time since calling the election, Mr Morrison was exposing himself to potentially hostile voters.
On top of that, huge crowds in tight spaces are naturally a recipe for unpredictable moments, so the Prime Minister’s security detail was noticeably beefed up.
They need not have worried though, as the reaction to Mr Morrison’s presence was largely apolitical. There were no confrontations with angry voters. A couple of people shouted out messages of support – “Go ScoMo!” as the group passed. Otherwise, most passers-by were just excited to be in the presence of a famous person, and focused on trying to get close enough to take a photo of the Prime Minister.
This is a story best told through photos, so I’m going to shut up in a moment, but first, here is a selection of things we overheard amid the bedlam.
“Is it ScoMo? F***in’ hell, it is.”
“Look, I just want to take a photo, is that all right? Jesus.”
“Is it him? Really? Is it ScoMo, really? From the TV?”
“I can’t see. I can’t seeeeeee!”
“Oh. I don’t like him.”
“Watch its legs. Watch its legs!” (while trying to guide an alpaca through the crowd).
“It’s the paparazzi!”
“Yeahhhh, Scoeyyyyyyyyyyy!”
“Go Sharkies!”
“You want one?” (offering the PM a beer as he walked past. He politely declined).
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The Morrisons were metres from their car, and though they had made it through the event completely unscathed, when one last sound of “ScoMo! ScoMo! Scott! Scott!” rang out.
After a brief moment of anxiety, the source of the sound came into view: it turned out to be the son of the Mayor of Cobargo, who wanted to give the Prime Minister a hat.
And with one last sigh of relief, the Prime Minister and his family hopped into their vehicle and drove away.
Earlier on Saturday, Mr Morrison defied calls from within his own party to disendorse the Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, over her anti-transgender views.
Speaking to reporters at the airport in Melbourne, Mr Morrison was confronted with comments by NSW Treasurer Matt Kean, a prominent member of his party.
“This is not an intolerant society,” Mr Kean told news.com.au.
“These kinds of horrendous views are not okay, and I’m sure the voters of Warringah agree. Time for the Liberal Party to beat them to it and disendorse her.
“There is no place in a mainstream political party for bigotry.”
A number of Ms Deves’ past social media posts, since deleted, have emerged in recent days. In one post, she described transgender children as “surgically mutilated”. In another, she claimed “half of all males with trans identities are sex offenders”.
“Does she have to go?” a reporter asked Mr Morrison today.
He replied that it was “important for there to be fundamental respect for human dignity of each and every human being” in political debates.
“And I think as we look at these issues and the debates, which can be sensitive debates, they can be controversial debates. It‘s always important to show respect for the person sitting across the table from you.
“And so I think the comments that Katherine has made, obviously, were insensitive. And she‘s admitted that.”
He proceeded to accuse Labor candidates of saying “insensitive” things as well.
“What Katherine has been saying is there’s been ways that she’s prosecuted her case on what she’s very passionate about – this is a woman standing up for women and girls in sport. That’s her primary issue that she’s raised,” the Prime Minister said.
Ms Deves wants to ban trans women from competing in women’s sport, a stance Mr Morrison supports.
“There are ways that she’s expressed this in the past that she no longer feels comfortable with. And it’s important that she understands that and learns those lessons. Which she has.”
Mr Morrison said he did not agree with Mr Kean and would not join the “pile-on” on Ms Deves, echoing remarks by former prime minister Tony Abbott.
In a follow-up question, Mr Morrison was asked whether his reluctance to ditch Ms Deves was rooted in the fact she was one of his “captain’s picks”.
“I think I‘ve explained my position very clearly. My position is that there are things that Katherine has said in the past – just like the Labor member for Hunter has said some pretty unfortunate and disrespectful things in the past. I haven’t called for him to be disendorsed. I haven’t called for that with others who have said insensitive things,” he said.
“(Katherine is) a strong woman standing up for things that she‘s believes in about women and girls in sport, which I know is a very sensitive issue in so many communities, but it has to be done respectfully, out of respect for the human dignity of every individual and I’m sure there are lessons that she has learned.”
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