Friday, 3 January 2020

Prime Minister Scott Morrison got bushfire 'welcome he deserved' in Cobargo, says Andrew Constance

Updated 35 minutes ago


Senior NSW Liberal Andrew Constance says the Prime Minister got "the welcome he probably deserved" when he was yesterday driven out of a bushfire ravaged town.

Key points:

  • Mr Constance, is the NSW Government's Transport Minister
  • The PM yesterday visited the town of Cobargo, which is in Mr Constance's electorate
  • Mr Constance says he did not know the PM was planning the trip

Pictures from Scott Morrison's awkward visit to Cobargo, on the NSW South Coast, were beamed around the world and went viral on social media.
People in the town, where a father and son died in a blaze earlier this week, shouted and heckled the Prime Minister during the brief trip.
In one particularly tense interaction, Mr Morrison grabbed the hand of a woman who had refused to shake his hand.
As the Prime Minister was leaving, people swore at him and told him he should be "ashamed of himself" after he "left the country to burn".



Mr Constance is the Member for Bega, which includes Cobargo.
He said he was not aware the Prime Minister would be visiting his electorate.
"Well, I didn't even know he was coming, I haven't had a call from him," Mr Constance told Seven News.
"To be honest with you, the locals probably gave him the welcome he probably deserved."
"I say this to the Prime Minister today, the nation wants you to open up the cheque books, obviously help people rebuild their lives."

Mr Morrison was criticised for holidaying in Hawaii while the deadly bushfire emergency gripped NSW and Queensland in December.
Some people have also taken aim at his Government for not doing enough to combat climate change.
Mr Constance, who defended his own home in the area from flames on Tuesday, said "this was the feeling people were going through".
"Having lived through this myself, it's tough," he said.
"You can't experience this ... it's cruel, it's nasty. The Cobargo community lost people, a wonderful family there."

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In another awkward exchange, Mr Morrison grabbed the hand of an exhausted firefighter in Cobargo who told him "I don't really want to shake your hand".
"Tell that fella I'm really sorry, I'm sure he's just tired," Mr Morrison told a local incident controller afterwards.
"No, no. He lost a house," the controller responded.

Liz Innes, the Mayor of the neighbouring Eurobodalla Shire Council, apologised to the Prime Minister in the wake of his chaotic visit.
"There's a few examples of not so great behaviour and so I just want to say sorry to Scott Morrison for the behaviour and treatment he received," she said.
"Look I know people are scared, they're angry, they're hurt but that's not the images that I want to see coming out of my beautiful area."
After the confrontations in Cobargo, Mr Morrison told the ABC: "I'm not surprised people are feeling very raw at the moment."
"That's why I came today, to be here, to see it for myself [and] offer what comfort I could.
"I understand the strong feelings people have; they've lost everything. There's been a lot of emotion ... and I understand that emotion."

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