TFGA head lashes Greens Senator Nick McKim on Twitter

The head of the state’s farmers’ lobby says that while he should not have called Greens Senator Nick McKim a “d***” on social media, the politician could have been called worse.

The head of the state’s farmers’ lobby says that while he should not have called Greens senator Nick McKim a “d***” on social media, the politician could have been called worse.

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association head Wayne Johnston last month used the group’s official account to reply to a tweet from Senator McKim that drew a link between coal and the state’s fire crisis.

TFGA president Wayne Johnston with his sheep at Meander. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

Senator McKim wrote on Twitter: “Tasmania is burning. Supporters of coal like Scott Morrison have effectively struck the match that started these fires.

“He is not welcome in our state until he ends his love affair with coal.”

Tasmania is burning. Supporters of coal like Scott Morrison have effectively struck the match that started these fires. He is not welcome in our state until he ends his love affair with coal.

— Nick McKim (@NickMcKim) January 24, 2019

What do these shocking images have in common? They're both a result of the major parties turning their backs on the environment and being captured by corporate profiteers. pic.twitter.com/F2U0kxiD2g

— Nick McKim (@NickMcKim) January 31, 2019

Mr Johnston replied: “You’re not a Nick, you’re a D***”.

The Meander Valley Council Mayor today said he should not have responded in that way but maintained Senator McKim’s comments were ill-timed.

“I shouldn’t have made the comments, did, but he’ll get worse than that,” Mr Johnston said.

“Fires are burning around Tasmania with livestock and property being damaged at the moment and for a politician to come out and make comments like that I thought was totally insensitive.”

Australian Greens Senator Nick McKim. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

Senator McKim doubled down on his comments about the Prime Minister, saying that if he visited Tasmania “the first thing he should do is get down on his knees and apologise to our fire fighters for making their jobs more dangerous”.

“The breakdown of our climate is real, is caused by humans burning fossil fuel, and is massively increasing fire risk in Tasmania,” Senator McKim said.

“If Mr Johnston takes issue with that, then he should get out more because there’s not many climate deniers among Tasmania’s farming communities.

“Climate breakdown is biting our state particularly hard at the moment, and Tasmanian farmers know this because they work on the land.”