PM hits out at Barnaby Joyce over bushfire death comments

Scott Morrison has criticised Barnaby Joyce’s suggestion that two people who died in the NSW bushfires “most likely” voted Greens, as the former Nationals Leader attempted to explain his comments. WATCH OUR LIVE BUSHFIRE COVERAGE.

Federal MP for New England Barnaby Joyce has attacked The Greens for this bushfire. Picture: Adam Yip

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Scott Morrison has labelled Barnaby Joyce’s comments “unhelpful” after the Nationals backbencher suggested two people who died in NSW bushfires “most likely” voted for the Greens.

The prime minister wants his colleagues to “take it down a few notches”, urging all politicians to stop bickering over the link between climate change and natural disasters.

“There have been a lot of provocative comments made over the last few days from all sides of the debate and I find it very unhelpful,” Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

“The last thing that people in an urgent crisis need at the moment is hearing politicians shout at each other.

“There is a time and a place to debate controversial issues and important issues, right now it’s important to focus on the needs of Australians who need our help.”

Scott Morrison labelled Barnaby Joyce’s comments “unhelpful” after the Nationals MP suggested two people who died in NSW bushfires “most likely” voted for the Greens. Picture: Getty

Mr Joyce stirred controversy while blaming the minor party for increasing the threat of bushfires.

“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,” he told Sky News on Tuesday.

“That’s the last thing I want to do. What I wanted to concentrate on is the policies that we can mitigate these tragedies happening again in the future.”

Mr Joyce told The New Daily the victims lived in an alternative community where most residents voted for the Greens, and his comments were meant to urge politicians to show more respect to their group.

“My point is I was saying ‘just be careful, you don’t understand’. If you came into my community and talked to them – I am not having a go at the Greens, I think that’s completely wrong,” Mr Joyce told The New Daily.

“The people who live there are in a commune basically. Wytaliba is an alternative community. They don’t vote for me, they vote for Greens, and I’ve got no problem with it. They agree there should have been more burn reduction, fuel reduction.”

Mr Joyce also said in a statement: “No matter which party an individual votes for, they do not deserve the tragedy that fell upon the Wytaliba bushfire victims.”

“Any suggestion that I said otherwise is a deliberate misinterpretation. Tragedies such as this transcend party politics.”

Mr Joyce also doubled down on disputed claims the fire service had conducted insufficient hazard reduction burns this year as a result of opposition from Greens councils.

He also criticised Greens MP Adam Bandt for demanding an end to coal production.

“To make these spurious links - that a policy change would have stopped the fire - is so insulting and just completely beyond the pale,” Mr Joyce said.

Mr Joyce doubled down on disputed claims the fire service had conducted insufficient hazard reduction burns this year. Picture: Adam Yip

Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally slammed his remarks during a Senate estimates hearing.

“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. The Greens Larissa Waters asked Finance Minister Mathias Cormann about Mr Joyce’s “vile” comments during Senate Question Time.

Senator Cormann, responding on behalf of the prime minister, said the comments were not appropriate.

“We believe that it is not an appropriate time to bring politics into this debate when people have lost their lives and while these same fires continue to burn,” he told parliament.

“Equally, the time to have policy discussions is not in the middle of an operational response.”

Mr Joyce’s remarks are the latest in an increasingly bitter stoush between the Nationals and Greens over the cause of the bushfires.

On Monday, Nationals leader Michael McCormack attacked “raving inner-city lunatics” for linking climate change to the fires.

In return, the Greens labelled the deputy prime minister a “dangerous fool” who was putting lives at risk.

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Greens senator Jordon Steele-John branded major party politicians “arsonists” for supporting the coal industry.

His incendiary spray on climate policy came as catastrophic fire conditions gripped NSW.

“You are no better than a bunch of arsonists - borderline arsonists - and you should be ashamed,” Senator Steele-John told the chamber.

- with staff writers

Originally published as PM hits out at Barnaby Joyce over bushfire death comments