Australia Day: Scott Morrison mocked as ‘Captain Cooked’ in new January 26 mural

Scott Morrison features in a new street mural depicting him as Captain Cook, with its artist saying politicians need to step up when it comes to Australia Day.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been mocked in a new mural, painted on the side of a pub in time for Australia Day.

The mural shows Mr Morrison dressed like Captain James Cook – in a powdered white wig and white pants and shirt with a blue lapelled jacket with knee high black boots.

Mr Morrison is also wearing a Hawaiian lei, and holding a Pina Colada in the air, and looks to be bleeding from the chest, where he’s been speared with a flag pole.

Artist Scott Marsh told news.com.au he’s wanted to paint an Australia Day mural for some time, and was inspired by Mr Morrison’s multimillion plans to build a replica of the Endeavour.

He said he saw the painting as “ScoMo as Captain Cook from the seat of Cook”.

Marsh said he doesn’t understand why politicians don’t step up to acknowledging Indigenous issues.

“These things, (like) the National Apology, it’s a matter of time,” Marsh said.

“It’s a matter of when not if. These politicians are pretty self-serving, but I don’t know why they don’t want to take the historical footnote for themselves.”

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The mural on the side the Botany View Hotel in Newtown. Picture: Bianca De Marchi/NCA NewsWire

‘How goods (sic) cricket?’. Picture: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images

In the rear of the image, the Ruby Princess cruise ship floats in the water. Next to the PM’s head is a speech bubble with the word’s, “How goods (sic) cricket?”.

The words “Captain Cooked” are painted below the mural.

It comes after Mr Morrison was criticised for comments he made about Australia Day.

“You know on Australia Day, it’s all about acknowledging how far we’ve come,” Mr Morrison said last week.

“When those 12 ships turned up in Sydney all those years ago, it wasn’t a particularly flash day for the people on those vessels either.”

The comments caused widespread outrage, and were criticised by Indigenous Australians including Cathy Freeman and Anthony Mundine.

It’s not the first time artist Scott Marsh has depicted the Prime Minister.

During the height of the black summer bushfire crisis, Marsh painted a mural of Mr Morrison in a Hawaiian shirt, drinking a Pina Colada in a Santa Hat. In the mural, Morrison was surrounded by black and red flames, and a speech bubble saying, “Merry crisis”.

Marsh painted the mural on Christmas Eve, but it was quickly painted over by a member of the public.

The mural was quickly painted over by an unknown member of the public. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Marsh turned the image into merchandise, making T-shirts and stickers, and raised more than $60,000 for the NSW Rural Fire Service in sales.

He told news.com.au at the time he’d been talking to fire brigade leaders who said the fire fighters had been ill equipped during the unprecedented fire season.

“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.”

Marsh is one of Australia’s most high profile political artists.

His painting of musician Briggs was a finalist in the 2020 Archibald Prize.

In 2019 Marsh won GQ’s Agenda Setter of the Year award.