‘Regretful’ Scott Morrison cuts his Hawaii holiday short

Scott Morrison has issued an apology to the families of firefighters killed battling catastrophic blazes.

Scott Morrison said he would come home after two volunteer firefighters were killed when a falling tree caused their firetruck to roll off a road. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Morrison has cut short his holiday in Hawaii and issued an apology to the families of firefighters killed battling catastrophic blazes on the outskirts of Sydney.

The Prime Minister said he “deeply regrets” any offence caused by his holidaying in Hawaii while fires wreaked havoc in his homeland.

Mr Morrison on Friday said he would come home after two volunteer firefighters were killed when a falling tree caused their firetruck to roll off a road.

He will arrive in Sydney on Saturday, two days before his holiday was supposed to end, and visit the headquarters of the NSW Rural Fire Service, where he will speak with firefighters and victims.

His decision to leave Hawaii comes after he faced a week of criticism for going overseas while the fires raged and without an ­official statement being released from his office.

“I deeply regret any offence caused to any of the many Australians affected by the terrible bushfires by my taking leave with family at this time,” Mr Morrison said.

“I have been receiving regular updates on the bushfires disaster as well as the status of the search for and treatment of the victims of the White Island tragedy.”

The statement came after a photo circulated on Thursday of Mr Morrison standing on the beach in boardshorts and a T-shirt posing with other Australians.

His office could not confirm yesterday whether the photo was taken on his holiday in Hawaii.

Labor senator Murray Watt said there were “more serious questions” about the judgment of the Prime Minister. “For the last week in particular, Australians have been crying out for leadership, for some sense that we have a government that has a plan to deal with these bushfires that are simply unprecedented in Australia’s history,” he said.

“Instead of having a plan, instead of having national leadership, we have had a Prime Minister who was absent without any idea of what was going on and phoning in from Hawaii when it suits him. Sometimes leadership is simply just turning up. It is about handing out food to the fireys who are exhausted after shifts they work.”

Mr Morrison expressed “sincere condolences and sympathies” to the families of two volunteer firefighters who were killed.

“Our hearts go out to their families, friends and colleagues who have been working tirelessly beside them, particularly during this Christmas period,” he said.