‘Someone needs to pull their finger out’: Artist raises $60k by mocking PM in controversial mural

The artist behind a controversial mural of the PM has raised $60,000 for Aussie firefighters, saying he’s angered that brigade leaders can’t buy basic supplies.

A controversial Sydney mural mocking Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recent holiday to Hawaii has helped to raised tens of thousands of dollars for Aussie firefighters.

Artist Scott Marsh told news.com.au he was “so angry” after fire brigade leaders reached out, telling him they are strapped for resources and spending their time walking around “selling raffle tickets”.

The mural, which appeared on Christmas Eve on Chippen Lane in Chippendale, in inner Sydney, depicts Mr Morrison wearing a Hawaiian shirt, lei and a Santa hat while holding a fancy cocktail.

Behind the Prime Minister large flames burn, and a speech bubble depicts the words “Merry crisis”. The mural made national headlines and was painted over by an unknown person four days after it appeared.

Marsh painted the mural after Mr Morrison faced intense scrutiny over his decision to take a planned family holiday as dozens of fires burned across the country. Mr Morrison’s staff deflected questions from the press for days about his whereabouts, and during his absence two firefighters were killed as they fought fires.

Marsh yesterday announced on social media that funds raised from sales of merchandise associated with the mural had reached $50,000, all of which he would donate to the NSW RFS. Today Marsh told news.com.au that number had exceeded $60,000 and was continuing to climb.

The controversial mural was painted in inner Sydney. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

Funds from sales of T-shirts and merchandise depicting the mural have now exceeded $60k. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty

Marsh said the response had been overwhelming and he’d been contacted by people from across the country, including firefighters and brigade leaders, who told him they were struggling to properly resource their teams.

“I’ve talked to a couple of fire brigade leaders,” Marsh said. “They’re going out (into fire zones) with paper masks, they’re raising money to get two-way radios, to buy rechargeable torches. It made me so angry.

“One of them said to me, ‘I don’t want to walk around the pub selling raffle tickets’.

“It’s disappointing. Someone’s got to pull their finger out.”

Since painting the mural, Marsh has been given 2000 stickers by Ziller Print and T-shirts by aisle6ix, which he’s sold online to make money for the NSW RFS. He’s sold more than 1500 T-shirts alone.

“I was hoping to make $10,000,” he said. “It all happened really last minute. It’s been cool.

“I think it’s connected with how Australians are feeling broadly.”

Marsh said people were irritated by a “lack of any kind of action” by politicians despite the ongoing bushfire crisis. He said he hoped the T-shirts stayed in people’s closets until the next federal election.

Marsh is a politically-motivated artist who recently won GQ’s award for the 2019 Agenda Setter of the Year.