NSW bushfires: Barnaby Joyce attacked for saying fire victims ‘most likely’ Greens voters

The PM has appealed for people to ‘take it down a few notches’ after Barnaby Joyce suggested fire victims were Greens supporters.

Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has taken aim at Greens MP Adam Bandt. Picture: Adam Yip

Scott Morrison has appealed for people to “take it down a few notches” after Barnaby Joyce suggested two NSW fire victims were Greens supporters and the government faced new accusations it was no better than a bunch of “borderline arsonists.”

Visiting the crisis co-ordination centre in Canberra, the Prime Minister said the government’s focus was ensuring operational support was in place to help people threatened by the fires in NSW and Queensland.

“There are plenty of opportunities for people to say things about any number of other issues on other occasions,” Mr Morrison said. “But right now, what they want to see is Australians coming together.

“So I would urge people, let’s just focus on what we need to focus on right now. There are plenty of other topics for other days, but today let’s just focus on those who need it most. They’re not helped by this type of argument that is going on.”

Mr Joyce, the former Nationals leader, earlier suggested two NSW bushfire victims - Vivian Chaplain and George Nole - were “most likely” Greens voters.

“I think ... (firefighters) may need more resources. But they also need legislation regulations to allow them to get in there and (backburn) in a more substantial way,” Mr Joyce told Sky News. “And that the crazy thing there, and I acknowledge that the two people who died were most likely people who voted for the Green party, so I am not going to start attacking them. That’s the last thing I want to do.”

Labor’s Deputy Senate Leader, Kristina Keneally, condemned Mr Joyce’s comments, saying the voting preferences of the two victims were irrelevant.

“How does he know who they voted for and why does it matter? They’re dead; they died in a bushfire. Isn’t that enough?” Senator Keneally said.

Kristina Keneally has attacked Barnaby Joyce’s comments. Picture: Kym Smith

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young also weighed in, accusing Joyce and Nationals leader Michael McCormack of acting like “obnoxious uncles at a Christmas party” over their comments on climate change.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr McCormack lashed the “disgraceful, disgusting” behaviour of “raving inner-city lunatics” earlier this week for linking climate change to the ferocious bushfires.

Mr Joyce was on Tuesday fighting bushfires at his parents’ NSW property in his electorate of New England, saying they looked “scary as all sh*t” and that rural communities were enraged by red tape preventing them from conduct haxard reduction burns.

“We’ve got to get on top of this shit. We’ve got to get on top of this crap where there’s all this bureaucracy that just stands in the way of people keeping their place safe,” Mr Joyce told 2GB.

“We’re just absolutely sick of people who have got nothing to do, nothing to do with our bloody life telling us what to do.

Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John blasted the government over their management of the climate, telling parliament they were “no better than a bunch of arsonists, borderline arsonists” who should be “ashamed”.

His lower house colleague, Greens MP Adam Bandt, said the Prime Minister should make a National Climate Agreement and follow the lead of former prime minister John Howard, who announced a National Firearms Agreement in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.