Scott Morrison has been accused of dodging the media during a flood tour of northern NSW to avoid a repeat of awkward exchanges caught on camera during the Black Summer bushfires.
The Prime Minister touched down in Lismore on Wednesday morning ahead of several media events to announce disaster funding and declare the NSW floods a national emergency.
Seven News Political Editor Mark Riley revealed Mr Morrison made several visits in the flood ravaged town before the official events, but the media were not invited.
“PM has visited a farm near Lismore and an SES operations base this morning and will soon visit houses affected by floods. Media have not been allowed to film the visits,” Riley said.
“Media was not told of visits by PM Scott Morrison to flood-affected farm and SES base until after they had happened. PM’s official photographer was there.”
However, the Prime Minister’s office has refuted this claim, saying Mr Morrison wanted “to pay respects and say thanks privately without” media present.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce warned Mr Morrison he could face backlash in Lismore.
“I would be incredibly surprised that people got a happy reception because they’re not happy. They’re not in a happy place. And they want to be heard,” Mr Joyce told Sky News.
Angry locals threatened to greet Mr Morrison with a frosty reception when he arrived, with warnings of a “shirt fronting”.
Lismore residents threatened to “line up so he can’t shake our hands”.
That could spell a repeat of what Mr Morrison experienced in the NSW town of Cobargo during the 2019/2020 bushfires.
Many residents have despaired at the lack of government assistance announced since flooding began.
A $434.7m joint federal-state government package was announced last week to provide grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers and $50,000 for small businesses.
Mr Morrison said that funding was the first phase of the financial support for flood victims.
There is also $1000 federal disaster relief payments and 13-week income replacement available.
The Prime Minister has been in isolation after contracting Covid-19.
But Labor’s natural disaster spokesman Murray Watt said locals were lamenting the lack of federal government presence.
Senator Watt has been in Lismore for the last three days and said he had not seen a “single government minister or official” on the ground.
“People are grateful for the assistance from the arm, but it’s not enough,” Senator Watt told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
“People keep making cxjmtzywlaims about how you barely see the government and they’re being left to fend for themselves.
“A lot of people think it’s a rerun of the bushfires when people were abandoned then, the government turned up late and they didn’t mobilise their resources.
“People want to see him stump up.”
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said he expected locals to be upset upon Mr Morrison’s arrival.
“You’re not going to meet happy people,” Mr Joyce told Sky News.
“You’re going to meet people whose lives have been turned upside down, who are scared about their future, who are under immense financial pressure.
“I fully expect people to be incredibly upset.”
“I would be incredibly surprised that people got a happy reception because they’re not happy. They’re not in a happy place. And they want to be heard”
Senator Watt went on to say that Mr Morrison should make use of the powers he gave himself after the bushfires and declare a formal national emergency.
“To use his own words, (declaring a national emergency) would help him better mobilise commonwealth resources to assist people,” Senator Watt said.
“He said it would overcome bureaucracy and issues between states and give him a lot more unilateral power … to step up if a state is overwhelmed.
“He’s not used the powers. People think that he’s the bloke that goes missing when you need him.”
Mr Morrison has also been called on to ensure “every set of hands” available are on the ground in Lismore as the mammoth clean-up begins.
But Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud said the states needed to take more responsibility.
“There’s a long established protocol in whereby the states lead the process. They have the expertise on the ground through emergency services personnel,” he told ABC News.
“We allow states to make the determination when ADF should be injected into any disaster. It’s about making sure when they come in they’re undertaking those tasks that make the process simpler and help in the clean-up quicker, but that comes at the request of state governments.”
Defence Minister Peter Dutton came under fire on Tuesday for the lack of ADF personnel at the disaster zone.
Some locals have performed rescue missions and delivered essential supplies.
NSW Deputy Premier Paul Toole said there were 1300 troops now on the ground, but his government had requested more.
“We have got the request in for all of those 2000 and then we heard there was 5000 available,” Mr Toole told the Nine Network.
“We asked for every set of hands that could be here on the ground. I want to make the point that the ADF are doing everything they can, they have turned up.
“But we are asking if there are any available ADF out there that the commonwealth does send them into this area, because they need them right now … We will take every available ADF member into these communities.
“The commonwealth has said they’re available, we want them to come in now. 1300 is fantastic, but we will take every available person.”
Mr Toole said he would request additional immediate financial support from the federal government.
