Watch This Badass Teenager Blast Scott Morrison’s “Thoughts And Prayers” Nonsense On ‘Q&A’
A Liberal MP could only respond by saying they "can't speak for the Prime Minister."
Scott Morrison is very invested in acting as though he’s busy.
After all, most of NSW is on fire, the environmental devastation caused by the climate change that he and his government keep telling the Australian public is not happening.
A politician looks removed and elitist when they’re swanning about the country in private jets while ordinary people are suffering. They only look more removed when they’ve spent most of their political careers trying to deny that suffering is happening at all.
Hence, Morrison spending the last few days appearing at press conferences, looking concerned, and dropping “thoughts and prayers” soundbites. But that illusion of busyness is just that, an illusion, and last night on Q&A, all it took is one question from a teenager to blow it apart.
“With 150 burning across NSW and the devastating loss of lives and homes, our Prime Minister has offered ‘thoughts and prayers’,” the young student said. “As young student leaders and citizens we are more inclined for direct action.
“We would like to know why Prime Minister Morrison did not heed the warnings of Greg Mullins, the former commissioner of fire and rescue NSW, and plan preventative action to avoid the devastation.”
The question was turned on Liberal MP Jason Falinski — and to say that he whiffed it is probably an understatement.
Opening with a lot of chin-wagging about how great NSW firefighters are and an admission that some people find the idea of sending thoughts and prayers “pat”, Falinski was eventually forced to contend with the Prime Minister’s inaction thanks to host Tony Jones and a follow-up question by professional firefighters.
I'm a firefighter and I want to talk about climate change – now! It's our lives, our workplaces. #qanda
— Darin Sullivan (@darinsullivan) November 11, 2019
In particular, Falinski was asked why the Prime Minister did not meet with firefighters in order to discuss preventative measures.
“I can’t speak for the Prime Minister or his diary manager,” Falinski managed.
“I don’t know why the Prime Minister hasn’t met with those fire chiefs yet. I suspect… Y’know, he’s a very busy person,” Falinski said.
Watch the whole exchange below:
Student leaders have opted for practical help rather than “thoughts and prayers” but why didn’t the Prime Minister heed the warnings and implement preventative action to mitigate bushfires? #QandA pic.twitter.com/c0jH1W0yEg
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) November 11, 2019
What is the role of both federal and state governments in properly funding fire services to respond to worsening fire events? #QandA pic.twitter.com/7OWnqOQsQ6
— ABC Q&A (@QandA) November 11, 2019