Former prime minister John Howard believes Scott Morrison has handled the “very difficult” bushfire crisis well but urged him to work more closely with the states.
Mr Howard spoke to the Prime Minister on Sunday morning, saying people must move on from his ill-timed holiday and judge his actions on the ground fairly.
Former prime minister John Howard has praised Scott Morrison's handling of the bushfire crisis. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“It’s obviously an incredibly difficult time for the country,” Mr Howard told the Herald during a break in play on day three of the Sydney cricket Test match.
“I don’t think he’s interested in the next opinion poll, if you want my opinion, I think what he wants to do now is make certain all of the responses are the right ones. In a federation like Australia, working closely with the states is the most important requirement a federal government has.”
Mr Howard said continuing criticism “from the centre-left of politics about his handling of the climate change issue” was to be expected but Mr Morrison should be credited for not deviating from his policy position.
“I’m not a climate scientist or anything but it’s pretty obvious to me that the fuel loads, aggravated and intensified by the long drought, are the proximate cause of the spread of this disaster,” Mr Howard said.
“There’s a debate about the contribution that climate change is making to that state of affairs but we’re all aware of that and naturally people who don’t agree with him on that issue ... will use this as another occasion to criticise him.”
Mr Howard said the issue of the PM’s Hawaiian holiday had been “dealt with”, arguing that what he had done before and after that trip deserved greater credit than he’d been given.
“He’s been on the case – he’s visited the bushfire areas. There’s a danger when people come under attack of a particular aspect of your handling of something that everything surrounding that can be over-analysed,” he said.
“Every human being is different and handles things differently. I think what I’ve seen of him in crowds, showing sympathy and compassion, I can’t really fault. I don’t have any criticism. I think he is a very human, warm sort of person. That’s my experience with him. He does understand human emotions very well.”
Mr Howard said his own experience working with a Labor premier, Peter Beattie, during the North Queensland cyclone showed what could be done when politics was put aside.
“Peter Beattie and I got on very well, I like Beattie; we disagreed on certain political issues but whenever anything like that came up we were able to work together very closely,” Mr Howard said.
“I think the way in which he’s demonstrated the capacity to work with the Victorian Premier and the Victorian government is admirable.”
Ultimately, Mr Howard said he did not believe Mr Morrison had lost some of the “quiet Australians” he had credited with his May election victory.
“I think they understand that it’s the aggregate quality of his response to this issue that will determine their judgment,” he said.