Prime Minister Scott Morrison hits back over floods assistance war

Scott Morrison has fired back over accusations he short-changed NSW flood victims, after Liberals branded the Prime Minister “pathetic”.

Scott Morrison has hit back over allegations he short-changed NSW flood victims amid an angry war of words with senior Liberals who accused him of being “pathetic” and “screwing” the state.

The Prime Minister is under fire today after NSW Liberal MLC Catherine Cusack accused Mr Morrison of “pettiness” in refusing NSW’s plan to split funding for $20,000 grants to people who have lost their homes.

Those claims were backed up by a NSW Liberal who told news.com.au today that the Prime Minister was “pathetic”.

“People had lost everything and at a time they are running up a trillion dollars in debt, they were screwing us over a couple of million in grants to assist people clean up,’’ he said.

“It was pathetic.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has fired back at allegations he short-changed NSW flood victims. Picture: Nikki Short/NCA NewsWire

But the Prime Minister returned fire at a press conference in Sydney pointing out he had provided $1 billion in grants.

Figures confirm the Morrison government has spent $1.1 billion on direct assistance to 1,144,000 NSW flood victims.

NSW figures suggest only 538 people have been paid by the State Government to people who have applied for state grants.

Explaining why he refused to jointly fund a $112 million Back Home grant with the NSW government, Mr Morrison said the Commonwealth was providing far more assistance than that already.

“We’re prepared to meet half the costs of those places impacted by the one-in-500 year flood event,” Mr Morrison said.

“The types of programs (the states) are pursuing are the types of things done by state governments.

“When you come together to respond to a flood crisis, there are some things that the Commonwealth pays for and there are some things the state pays for.”

Earlier, the NSW MLC Catherine Cusack accused the Prime Minister of abandoning flood victims out of “pettiness” with the NSW Perrottet Government.

Outgoing NSW Liberal MP Catherine Cusack unleashed on the PM. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Scott Morrison is practised at bullying and getting his own way,’’ she said.

“We are in the middle of a massive catastrophe here in the Northern Rivers. So outrageous, it’s just outrageous. It is so petty. He’s obviously not happy with the New South Wales government.

“He’s blaming us, for him having some bad media or something. Obviously not happy with me for wanting the disaster funding extra money to be released to the other local government areas who were also flooded.

“So now in his pettiness, he’s not coming to the party in relation to those $10,000 disaster grants,’’ she said.

“Now the New South Wales government is having a dispute about funding for flood victims. “And this goes way too far. This behaviour has spilled out of the Liberal Party, and now into ethical use of public money.

“Everybody is fed up with this, by the way. You know, like I really feel that I am only speaking to the ordinary Liberal Party member.

“The only way to deal with this behaviour is to stand up to him. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Floodwaters inundating the northern NSW city of Lismore. Picture: NSW SES/AFP

In an extraordinary spray, Ms Cusack, who lives in the flood-affected Northern Rivers region, accused him of destroying the Liberal Party to seize control of NSW preselections and abandoning flood victims.

“Scott Morrison is practised at bullying and getting his own way,’’ she said.

“We are in the middle of a massive catastrophe here in the Northern Rivers.

“Everybody is fed up with this, by the way. You know, like I really feel that I am only speaking to the ordinary Liberal Party member.

“The only way to deal with this behaviour is to stand up to him. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Ms Cusack said that Mr Morrison, from his time as the state director of the Liberal Party in NSW – 20 years ago – to his ascension to Prime Minister had destroyed the party she had devoted her life.

“I am so upset that the party I’ve invested my life in has been ruined in this way. I have no idea now how it can even be fixed,’’ she said.

“But I’m sure that the electorate will do something about it.”