Bushfires: ‘I just wanted to tell Scott Morrison what happened to our community’

The woman who refused to shake Scott Morrison’s hand says she wanted to tell the PM of the pain being felt by the NSW town of Cobargo.

Zoey Salucci-McDermott, who refused to shake the PM’s hand at Cobargo. Sean Davey.

The woman whose refusal to shake Scott Morrison’s hand sparked a national debate about the government’s response to the bushfire crisis says she wanted to tell the Prime Minister of the pain being felt by the NSW town of Cobargo.

Zoey Salucci-McDermott accused Mr Morrison of “walking away” from her when he visited her town on Thursday, after she told him she would not shake his hand unless he committed more money to the town’s rebuild and the Rural Fire Service.

Mr Morrison walked away when former Bega Valley councillor Tony Allen intervened.

In the wake of criticism, US celebrity Bette Midler took to Twitter to criticise the Prime Minister over climate change policy while British media commentator Piers Morgan attacked Mr Morrison for holidaying in Hawaii as the fire crisis erupted.

Ms Salucci-McDermott, who has one child and another on the way with her partner Michael Harrington, 22, lost her family’s belongings as the home the couple rent was among dozens destroyed in the village on Tuesday. “I would happily have sat down with him and discussed what happened or just told him my story, put politics aside and just told him what happened to our community,” she said.

Mr Morrison said he did not take his reception in Cobargo personally. The town of just over 800 residents lost two people and at least 90 homes.

Ms Salucci-McDermott would not say who she voted for at the last election because the issue was not party political but about “being a leader”.

Labor’s Mike Kelly polled 60.25 per cent of the two-party-preferred vote in Cobargo at the May federal election.

The Cobargo booth of 695 people returned 282 votes for Mr Kelly, 87 votes for Green candidate Pat McGinlay, and 212 votes for Liberal Fiona Kotvojs.