Morning tweeps! I will be live tweeting David Speers’ interview with Scotty from Marketing on this thread. You’re welcome👇🏻
Starts with a question: do you acknowledge you could have done more to address this crisis:
SM: the response to these fires have been extraordinary. Biggest response ever.
He won’t admit there have been any issues. It’s been great. The anger is the pain and grief, not about him.
SM: the response to these fires have been extraordinary. Biggest response ever.
He won’t admit there have been any issues. It’s been great. The anger is the pain and grief, not about him.
SM admits people have wanted to see Federal govt have a role in national disaster. This is a new expectation (is it?). He’s now talking about defence force involvement. He’s admitting he could have handled raw emotion on the ground much better. No acknowledgement of fault. None.
Q: should you have seen the warnings and done more?
SM: they were unprecedented.
Q: former fire chiefs warned it would be a catastrophic season. Should you have listened?
SM: bluster. He says they did take advice and did everything necessary. Again no acknowledgment of a problem.
SM: they were unprecedented.
Q: former fire chiefs warned it would be a catastrophic season. Should you have listened?
SM: bluster. He says they did take advice and did everything necessary. Again no acknowledgment of a problem.
Q: national disaster risk framework had been prepared and gathered dust.
SM: that’s not true. (He’s denying the report wasn’t used. Lie!)
SM is saying they knew there would be hotter, dryer summers and be put $130 million in budget to prepare.
SM: that’s not true. (He’s denying the report wasn’t used. Lie!)
SM is saying they knew there would be hotter, dryer summers and be put $130 million in budget to prepare.
Speers calls him out - how can you say it’s only just occurred to people national response is needed, yet also saying you knew climate change had caused dangerous conditions.
SM: bluster, that’s not true, called out of the reservists - first time ever - unprecedented response.
SM: bluster, that’s not true, called out of the reservists - first time ever - unprecedented response.
SM is defensive. Has said unprecedented numerous times. Narrative is: I called in the defence forces which is the only thing I could do so what else do you want?
Now he’s saying we’re facing a new normal. Rather than response to request, he wants to integrate from start.
Now he’s saying we’re facing a new normal. Rather than response to request, he wants to integrate from start.
It is quite obvious that the only thing Morrison wants to talk about is the defence force going in. That’s the only topic he wants to focus on. He doesn’t want to talk about preparation before the fires. He keeps saying ‘first time’ - code for ‘not my fault’.
Getting into the nitty gritty about how and when the defence force are called is a sideshow. They were called in eventually when SM was taken kicking and screaming to a response. He has absolutely no intention of taking any responsibility for things not being 100% perfect.
SM now says he only wants a Royal Commission if states want one - because states might want to look at their own operational response. Shifting blame again.
He has just said climate change has impacted on fire and we need to look at how we respond.
He has just said climate change has impacted on fire and we need to look at how we respond.
He’s just lied that his government are meeting their Paris agreement emission reduction standard. We’re now talking about climate change.
Q: Are you willing to change your position on climate change?
SM: speed of bluster increases, rattling off periphery things.
Q: Are you willing to change your position on climate change?
SM: speed of bluster increases, rattling off periphery things.
SM has just said once again that he’ll meet the Paris target. Speers brings up the carry over credits.
SM: let’s talk about right now. He’s just blamed NZ for using carry over credits.
There is no evidence Morrison is changing the emissions reduction policies.
SM: let’s talk about right now. He’s just blamed NZ for using carry over credits.
There is no evidence Morrison is changing the emissions reduction policies.
SM: says he can meet Paris reduction targets without destroying the economy.
Again, he reiterates he won’t be changing policy.
SM: we are only 1.3% of the global emissions.
Q: should we use carry over credits?
SM: confirms he won’t be bringing in a carbon price. No action.
Again, he reiterates he won’t be changing policy.
SM: we are only 1.3% of the global emissions.
Q: should we use carry over credits?
SM: confirms he won’t be bringing in a carbon price. No action.
SM: ‘I am not going to put a person’s job at risk or put up someone’s electricity to reduce emissions’.
Q: will you increase targets?
SM: we will continue on as we have been.
Q: are there people who don’t accept climate change in your party? Christensen says arson causes fires.
Q: will you increase targets?
SM: we will continue on as we have been.
Q: are there people who don’t accept climate change in your party? Christensen says arson causes fires.
SM: says position of government is that climate change linked to bushfires.
He won’t answer the question about the views of other people in his party.
SM: blames division in community for misrepresenting the government’s climate change record. (Code, the left are lying).
He won’t answer the question about the views of other people in his party.
SM: blames division in community for misrepresenting the government’s climate change record. (Code, the left are lying).
Speers brought up Malcolm Turnbull’s Guardian piece calling on the NEG to be brought back.
SM: ‘we’re going to meet and we’re going to beat our targets’.
So answer is no.
Speers asked if he’s taking any responsibly for fault in the response to fires.
SM: in a nutshell, no.
SM: ‘we’re going to meet and we’re going to beat our targets’.
So answer is no.
Speers asked if he’s taking any responsibly for fault in the response to fires.
SM: in a nutshell, no.
SM: we will spend whatever we need to in response to crisis. Says the $2 billion is there because ‘we have managed our money well’ - he says ‘we haven’t splashed cash here and splashed cash there’.
Confirmed there will be no levy or tax to deal with recovery efforts.
Confirmed there will be no levy or tax to deal with recovery efforts.
Speers brings up trip to Hawaii. Family trip when there were warnings.
SM: in hindsight I wouldn’t have taken that trip if I knew what I do now.
Speers reminds him he’s been defensive about the trip - calling 2GB to say he couldn’t hold a hose.
SM: ‘I texted Albo’. (So what?)
SM: in hindsight I wouldn’t have taken that trip if I knew what I do now.
Speers reminds him he’s been defensive about the trip - calling 2GB to say he couldn’t hold a hose.
SM: ‘I texted Albo’. (So what?)
Speers: what’s wrong with holidaying in Australia?
SM: I was going to holiday on the South Coast.
Last question: what lessons have you learned as PM during this crisis.
SM: these are new conditions which no other PM has had to deal with. People want to see me on the ground.
SM: I was going to holiday on the South Coast.
Last question: what lessons have you learned as PM during this crisis.
SM: these are new conditions which no other PM has had to deal with. People want to see me on the ground.
SM: I want to turn up. There will be plenty of critics. I will never allow distractions to remove me from keeping Australians safe during a crisis. Code for - the criticism is diverting the response. This is a new narrative emerging blaming climate change focus for diversion.
Unroll please @threadreaderapp
