Prime Minister Scott Morrison ‘bans media’ from visit to flood-affected NSW

Scott Morrison was accused of stage-managing his visit to flood-affected areas in NSW, but he says he was just trying to be respectful.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his decision to ban television cameras from his visits to flood-affected communities in northern NSW today.

Mr Morrison made several visits with an official photographer, but media outlets were not invited. His office said the taxpayer-funded photographer didn’t take any pictures.

Asked about that decision during a press conference, Prime Minister said he wanted to allow residents to “speak from the heart” and not face media intrusion.

“Out of respect for the privacy of those I came to speak to,” he said.

“In these disasters, not everybody wants a camera shoved in their face. I came down to listen to them and what they are going through and understand what was needed for their primary produuction business, paint business, all those householders, what was needed to make sure we can get this town back on its feet, and that is assisting me with other matters.

“The primary purpose is to make sure I understand fully what we need to do, and the alignment of what our plans are and our announcements are with the needs here in the community.”

Mr Morrison said he “wouldn’t cop” criticism of the Australian Defence Force as he was asked whether or not it was the case that a majority of rescues were by private citizens in tinnies and crowdfunded helicopters.

During the press conference, one journalist shouted that people “couldn’t get through on 000”.

“Let’s just do this civilly,” Mr Morrison responded.

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Scott Morrison boarding a plane out of Sydney.

Asked about the effect of climate change, Mr Morrison said it was “an obvious fact” that “Australia is getting hard to live in”.

And he offered sympathy when a reporter brought up the anger of local residents, who feel the government “abandoned” them.

“Do you understand why they feel that way?” the reporter asked.

“Yes I do,” he said.

“It is very common, in natural disasters, their frustration and the anger and the sense of abandonment. This happens in every national disaster.

“I feel deeply and empathise absolutely with how people feel when they find themselves in this situation.

“I absolutely understand the frustration, I understand the anger, I understand the disappointment, I understand the sense of abandonment.”

He conceded there could “never be enough support” for people during a natural disaster.

“No amount of support is going to measure up to what people need in a desperate situation like this. I’m just being honest with you,” said Mr Morrison.

“Every resource can be applied but I can guarantee you, whatever is supplied will still not measure up, because of the sheer desperation of the situation.

As the press conference ended, a journalist shouted: “Why didn’t you do a street walk, Prime Minister?” There was no response.

Lismore residents await the arrival of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Media Mode

This is what's waiting for Morrison at his first press event, at the local emergency operations centre. One protester says:
"Every person that is hurt, that is what climate change looks like. It's not abstract. And we need our prime minister to show up and... talk about it." pic.twitter.com/wUfaqhRs5h

— Christopher Knaus (@knausc) March 9, 2022

Scott Morrison has been accused of carefully stage-managing his visit to flood-affected areas in NSW to exclude the media from certain visits. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

The farmer the Prime Minister visited during one of the private visits today was Paul Weir, a dairy farmer in Tuncester, NSW.

Mr Weir owns the farm that was the site of devastating footage of cows floating away in the flood. He said he was grateful that Mr Morrison and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet had come to his farm to listen to what had happened.

“I was really grateful. He was a very empathetic man. I felt listened to and I was really thankful that they actually came out and heard what happened for us.”

But he warned that governments need to do more to address insurance concerns. Mr Weir said he had 300 cows in his herd and had buried 60, with more than 30 still missing.

“Our dairy was decimated in the water,” he said.

“We had a really good conversation. I was fortunate enough to have flood insurance, and so it will recoup a lot of it, but I would be totally silly if I were to rebuild it and then the next flood wipes you out, if I can’t get flood insurance or can’t afford it.

“So I certainly asked them to take that on board, and that is something that they must address with the Insurance Council. We need certainty.”

This footage is both distressing and heartbreaking. Please be warned. This is Paul Weir’s milking herd being swept away by floodwaters on his Tuncester dairy farm outside Lismore. 🐄 🌧 💔 #NSWFloods#LismoreFloods#dairypic.twitter.com/JyztPUBJAe

— Kim Honan (@kimhonan) March 4, 2022

Families given $2,000 flood payment

Flood affected families in eligible areas in northern NSW will be awarded an extra $2,000 in flood payments for every adult over the next month.

The Prime Minister confirmed that more support was on the way for families, farms and businesses affected by the catastrophic flooding disaster as he declared a national emergency.

The additional payments will also deliver an extra $800 for each child with payments.

These payments will be made from 15 and 22 March in two installments of $400 a week.

Mr Morrison confirmed that the National Recovery and Resilience Agency and Emergency Management Australia had assessed the flood extent area, the proportion of the populations affected, the latest residential impact assessments and the proportion of population seeking assistance for Disaster Recovery Payments to declare the Richmond Valley, Lismore and Clarence Valley LGAs are the highest impacted areas and in need of additional support.

“The sheer scale and impact to these areas in northern NSW highlights the need for extra support right now,” the Prime Minister said.

“While people in northern NSW aren’t able to work, are still clearing out their homes and businesses, the extra two lots of $1,000 payments we’re rolling out to eligible families and individuals will give them some certainty as they start to rebuild their lives.

The Prime Minister also confirmed he was formally announcing a national emergency clearing the way for more defence force support and streamlined red tape.

“I intend to recommend to the Governor-General to make a National Emergency Declaration covering this severe weather and flooding event across New South Wales and Queensland to ensure all our emergency powers are available and that we cut through any red tape we might face in delivering services and support on the ground,” the Prime Minister said.

“I have made this decision today, in consultation with the Premiers, after further briefings from government agencies about the situation in northern NSW and seeing the catastrophe firsthand. We introduced the power to make a National Emergency Declaration after the Black Summer bushfires and it will ensure our Ministers and agencies don’t face any unnecessary bureaucracy as they roll out what communities need.

“The feedback we’ve had from communities, state governments and my own ministers who have visited the impacted areas has helped us identify where the gaps are right now, and how we can get support out the door quickly to where it’s needed.”

Government bracing for blowback

In 2020, a furious firefighter refused to shake the Prime Minister’s hand and the incident was caught on camera.

A pregnant woman also refused to shake his hands saying she would only do so if he gave “more money” to the rural firefighting service.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce told Sky News that the government was bracing for blowback when they visit farms that have spent days without food, power and clean water.

“People are incredibly vulnerable and it’s understandable that they want to express the pain that they’re going through,” Mr Joyce said.

“I would be incredibly surprised if people got a happy reception because they’re not happy, they’re not in a happy place. They want to be heard and that’s the main thing you do, you try your best to listen to them and say, ‘Okay, how can we better make the things you require fit the things that we’re doing?’ That’s politics and that’s just being human.”

The PM was heckled by locals in Cobargo as well as a young pregnant woman and an RFS firefighter refusing to shake his hand during a 2020 visit. Picture: Supplied

In 2020, the Prime Minister visited Cobargo and met with locals and fire fighters at the town’s emergency centre.

During the meet and greet, he walked up to a fireman who was taking a break and attempted to shake his hand.

But the man, who is believed to have lost his own home in the blaze, refused, simply looking at Mr Morrison’s outstretched hand and shaking his head.

'I understand Paul was feeling incredibly exhausted and incredibly drained by those events and he was working his tail off,' said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a volunteer firefighter's viral tirade​​​​​​​ during the bushfire crisis pic.twitter.com/AF4FQ7JnWP

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 18, 2020

“I don’t really want to shake your hand,” he can be heard saying in a short clip.

Mr Morrison then leaned down to touch the man’s hand before the firefighter pulled it away and ignored the Prime Minister, who awkwardly started to walk away and pat the man on the shoulder.

In Cobargo, a pregnant woman also told him: “I’m only shaking your hand if you give more funding to our RFS [Rural Fire Service].”

“So many people have lost their homes.”

“We need more help,” she said, as the Prime Minister walked away.

A group of residents later yelled at the prime minister with a volley of expletives as he left the area in 2020.

“You won’t be getting any votes down here buddy. You’re an idiot.”

“Go on, piss off.”