Deputy PM’s bushfire rant
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has slammed the climate change concerns of ‘‘raving inner city lunatics’’ at a time when rural Australians are dealing with catastrophic bushfires, venting his frustration at questions about climate.
‘‘We’ve had fires in Australia since time began, and what people need now is a little bit of sympathy, understanding and real assistance – they need help, they need shelter,’’ McCormack told ABC Radio National yesterday after a series of questions about climate change.
‘‘They don’t need the ravings of some pure, enlightened and woke capital city greenies at this time, when they’re trying to save their homes, when in fact they’re going out in many cases saving other peoples’ homes and leaving their own homes at risk.’’
McCormack singled out Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Melbourne MP Adam Bandt for ‘‘disgraceful’’ attempts to score political points by using the bushfires to prosecute their agenda on climate change and shut down the coal industry.
‘‘It is disgraceful, it is disgusting and I’ll call it out every time,’’ he said.
Glen Innes council mayor Carol Sparks, the first Greens member to hold that position, said last week ‘‘there’s no doubt’’ climate change was contributing to drought and the lack of rain and said Prime Minister Scott Morrison should act on this.
Asked about that comment, McCormack said yesterday morning that Australia was getting drier and the ‘‘situation in parts are getting very, very warm’’ but the government was acting on climate change.
‘‘What we are doing is taking real and meaningful action to reduce global emissions without shutting down all our industries,’’ he said.
‘‘Adam Bandt is very quick to really point the finger. What really galls me, and I think galls a whole host of other Australians, is the fact that he actually blames Scott Morrison and the government for the loss of those peoples’ lives.
‘‘If that doesn’t get called out he gets away with it. And I think sometimes people like him get way too much publicity.
‘‘Just like the protestors in
Melbourne – they get way too much publicity. They crave that, they yearn for that.’’
Asked if he was dismissing concerns about climate change, the Deputy Prime Minister said he was not doing that and the government was addressing climate change. Bandt responded by redoubling his call for the closure of the coal industry on the grounds that a global coal shutdown would help the climate and ease the risk of bushfires.
‘‘This government has had every opportunity to minimise the risk of these catastrophic fires and instead it has chosen to pour fuel on the fire,’’ the Greens MP said.
‘‘Michael McCormack and Scott Morrison bear some responsibility for what is happening at the moment because they have done everything in their power to make these kind of catastrophic bushfires more likely.’’
In response to questions, however, Bandt said he was not blaming the prime minister and deputy prime Minister for a ‘‘particular fire’’ or a ‘‘particular incident’’ and was arguing the government’s role should be to minimise the risk of people losing their lives. – Nine