polli publicity

[Tonyz]

seriously I cannot understand all this hoo haa about him being away.
Ive heard a few CFS guys getting quite ****ty when the knobs arrive at a disaster,
'just F off and let us get on with our job'....
'we are wasting time with you ass holes farting around'

are not uncommon,
if my house was in line of a fire, Id want the team doing their job not some dickhead pollie wanting media attention.

Sure Scotty is allowed a little privacy to go on holidays

[Beardy]

I think some want him to come home and stop the global warming so the fires go out

But yes I agree he is of no benefit to the job at hand, it could be construed as uncaring by some but no doubt it would of been planned well ahead to fit in with his schedule of commitments

[China]

Nothing to do with the fires it is just a opportunity to get some "look at me" press time

[Kuffy]

Getting your face on TV works...up to a point. It almost worked for Bill Shorten. I still remember when his face was plastered all over the news during the Beaconsfield mine disaster. Talk about capitalising on tragedy! Lucky I am not the only one that remembers that Bill is in it for Bill.

Waffling and wind-sniffing, the hollowness of Bill Shorten

Bill Shorten most unpopular Labor leader in more than 30 years | The Canberra Times

[damian]

There are people in society full of hate and looking for someone/something to aim it at. Scomo is a large target.

Nothing to do with reality, nothing to do with the perception of the majority. Everything to do with the noisy few, pretty much like everything in the media these days...

[poundy]

So here's my take.

This is all about face, and about leadership.

This is not about someone being a part of a situation to directly help, or to directly add value to the front line troops.

It's disrespectful to go on leave and bugger off without telling anyone. His claims about it being no different to any other time seem hollow - I expect the press at least to be able to confirm that the deputy PM is the stand-in if that's the case, and that's just wrong that it went round and round without being confirmed by anyone. The magnitude of the fire situation should have also been a red flag - his team should have been thinking is this a situation where he should be around, for better or worse, to bring positive PR opportunities to the fore.

He should have owned up to *everything*. He should have been very clear about the things they learnt (instead of avoiding the question).

But the fact that he then goes to press events with others and stands in the background and grins? Wow. If that's not a sign he's disjointed from reality, or can't show emotions, then I don't know what it is. It just adds to the disrespect he portrays.

I'm the first to admit that I'm not "the common man", being a higher educated, well paid white collar worker from the city, but I can't see how anything he has done since taking the top job would win favour with anyone, let alone the average family.

[DavidG]

Please explain the difference between a person at the end of a phone in either Hawaii or Canberra?

[poundy]

he was on leave. Not the leader - there was a stand in (that nobody knew who it was - and nobody still knows who he actually is?!?!? McCormack has no presence)

If he said "I was still at the reigns, while having beers with those other Aussie tourists at the beach" then does that make it better?

But this is about face - and to be the face, you need to be where the camera crews are, and that's at the front line. It's not about being there to hold a hose and see the flame wall. It's about being there to say they're going to do something about the situation, to offer support and condolences in person.

[AlexS]

I detest Morrison for a whole lot of reasons, but I can't see that there's anything wrong with him having a short, pre-arranged holiday with his family during the fires. It's not as if he could do anything useful, and as far away as possible from the people doing the real work is probably the best place for him.

[poundy]

I can't see that there's anything wrong with him having a short, pre-arranged holiday with his family during the fires.

totally agree there. But a pre-arranged holiday isn't a surprise to the nation, and it's not a surprise to the press. This one however seems to almost be like he slinked out of town hoping nobody would see him leave and nobody would ask for him while away, and he'd slink back to town and nobody would be the wiser. Be open and honest and transparent. And sure, you've still got to be on the first plane back when lives are lost like they were, but that's the consequence of being in the top job

[AlexS]

Yep. Most years there's a brief announcement that the PM is going on leave to wherever, and the deputy PM will be acting PM. The way this was handled, with denials from his office, firstly that he was on leave and then that he was in Hawaii, made it look far worse than it was.

[Beardy]

Yep. Most years there's a brief announcement that the PM is going on leave to wherever, and the deputy PM will be acting PM. The way this was handled, with denials from his office, firstly that he was on leave and then that he was in Hawaii, made it look far worse than it was.

Yes I agree that it is strange that it was done on the sly, I am sure there was nothing sinister going on but it is a bad PR experience that probably didn’t need to be that way

[Moti]

Interesting that first response of his office was to lie about it. Made not a good look much worse. And it's not as if it wasn't going to get out eventually.

[China]

"In politics, nothing happens by accident, if it happens you can bet it was planned that way

Franklin D. Roosevelt

[rustynail]

On Saturday we had 70 acres of our 80 acre lot burnt out. While fighting for the house, my wife said, "Look behind you!" My woodwork shed was next to go but I couldn't leave the house unattended so just resigned myself the the impending loss. Next thing, blue and red flashing lights appear in the drive way. They spot the problem and head straight for the shed. I am bloody thankful it was a truck load of firies rather than our blathering prime minister that showed up in the nick of time.