Scott Morrison Has Been Slammed For Releasing An Ad Spruiking The Government’s Bushfire Response
The ad has been described by people like Barrie Cassidy and Todd Sampson as "absolutely obscene" and like "being 'sold to' at a funeral".

Scott Morrison decided to post a video boasting about the Liberal Party’s actions during the bushfire crisis yesterday, a day where temperatures soared to 48.9°C in Sydney’s west (a global high!) and at least 200 fires continued to burn across NSW and Victoria.
Since September, 23 people have died in bushfires across the country, and more 6 million hectares of land has burned, the ABC reports.
But remember, now is not the time for politics, so Morrison himself has repeated endlessly.
We’re putting more Defence Force boots on the ground, more planes in the sky, more ships to sea, and more trucks to roll in to support the bushfire fighting effort and recovery as part of our co-ordinated response to these terrible #bushfires pic.twitter.com/UiOeYB2jnv
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 4, 2020
Set to an upbeat score, the ad plugged the Government’s efforts during the crisis, talking about the work of the Australian Defence Force, money pledged towards renting four new firefighting planes, the availability of face masks for bushfire smoke, emergency payments for victims, and Morrison’s commitment to paying volunteer firefighters.
The minute-long ad has been seen more than 1.6 million times. But it’s attracted plenty of negative criticism, as a misuse of public funds and as an effort to distract attention away from the real issues.
It’s also been called out thanks to the fast-talking closer, “Authorised by S. Morrison, Liberal Party, Canberra”, that we are mostly used to seeing in electoral advertising.
Did you just…spend time & money on an ad promoting your response? Mate. This is not the thing to do.
— Maeve Marsden (@maevemarsden) January 4, 2020
How much did this ad cost us? Imagine if the money wasted on this self – promoting ad was actually spent on helping our brave firefighters. Then again you’re all about spin no substance, self – interest not community so why should this honestly come as a surprise to anyone.
— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) January 4, 2020
It hit 48.9 degrees in western Sydney today. Make an ad about that
— Ben Quilty (@BenQuilty) January 4, 2020
Former Insiders host, political journo Barrie Cassidy described it as “absolutely obscene”.
That is absolutely obscene. They are advertising their responses to the fires – promoting themselves – at the height of the crisis. Their reputation is paramount apparently. https://t.co/QhnkW2hgSD
— Barrie Cassidy (@barriecassidy) January 4, 2020
“They are advertising their responses to the fires – promoting themselves – at the height of the crisis. Their reputation is paramount apparently,” he wrote on Twitter.
Gruen panellist and ex-ad man Todd Sampson described the feeling as being “‘sold to’ at a funeral”, pointing out how the music clashes with the devastating reality of the fires.
Advertising! There is something not right about running political advertising during a devastating National Crisis. It’s like being ‘sold to’ at a funeral. PR Crisis 101: say less and do more.(Btw, the bouncy elevator music is too juxtaposing and really annoying.) #bushfires https://t.co/lv9JEVl8bY
— todd sampson (@toddsampsonOz) January 4, 2020
While sitting Labor Senators and MPs admonished Morrison, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared that Morrison is “no longer fit to hold the high office of Prime Minister” after running that ad.
For God’s sake! On a day we have catastrophic fire conditions, in the midst of a genuine national crisis, Morrison, the marketing guy, does what? He releases a Liberal Party ad! He is no longer fit to hold the high office of prime minister. https://t.co/1OZqEZalOa
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) January 4, 2020
Ad Man Scott Morrison is at it again.
If only he put as much effort into running the country as he does into political advertising.
Just unbelievable. https://t.co/RvyuIQ0oDw
— Terri Butler MP (@terrimbutler) January 4, 2020
Scott Morrison. Show some respect to fire victims, the fireys, the ADF, and the people facing fire fronts right now. Take down this Liberal Party ad. Now. https://t.co/X7N1tOlEVe
— Senator Murray Watt (@MurrayWatt) January 4, 2020
The Australian Defence Association, a non-partisan security and defence watchdog, pointed out that the efforts of the ADF should not be used for political gain.
1) Party-political advertising milking ADF support to civil agencies fighting bushfires is a clear breach of the (reciprocal) non-partisanship convention applying to both the ADF & Ministers/MPs. 2) Also cliche-ridden. 3) Its "defence force", not "Defence Force". #auspol #ausdef https://t.co/RlepHHbIx9
— Australia Defence Association (@austdef) January 4, 2020
It’s also a convention not to attempt to politicise the non partisan ADF in order to exploit them for political advantage.
— Ray Martin (@Raymartin55) January 4, 2020
Better yet, the NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told The Today Show this morning that the first he heard about 300 ADF reservists being sent in to support bushfire effort through the media yesterday. A story Morrison within 24 hours used for his political advantage.
On a shocking day of fear and exhaustion, RFS Commissioner for NSW finds out about Commonwealth troop deployment … through the media. Astonishing. https://t.co/kxBUNOuQy7
— Annabel Crabb (@annabelcrabb) January 4, 2020
According to ABC, “The RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons has made comments this morning that he did not learn of Scott Morrison's plan to deploy 3,000 ADF reservists and extra military assistance until he read it in the media.”
Morrison had time to make an ad though. Incredible
— Nick Feik (@NickFeik) January 4, 2020
Bear in mind, the govt was mobilising its messaging to voters and the Liberal Party rather than, as we now know, picking up the phone to the @NSWRFS Commissioner. Tells you everything you need to know about the Prime Minister’s priorities; look good first, everything else second.
— Rick Morton (@SquigglyRick) January 5, 2020
Scott Morrison explained himself at 11.30pm last night, a totally normal time to be defending the marketing ploy you decided to launch in the midst of a national crisis. His defence was that he is legally required to add his authorisation to social media videos.
“The video message simply communicates the Government’s policy decisions and the actions the Government is undertaking to the public.”
The same practice is rightly employed by the Leader of the Opposition and the Labor Party. This is required and standard practice in Australia.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 4, 2020
But he’s been called out for his explanation, with politics professor and commentator Peter van Onselen, a former Tony Abbott adviser, saying that the legal requirement is only for party political ads.
Scott Morrison on Thursday last week: “what we won't allow to happen is for Governments to be tripping over each other in order to somehow outbid each other in the response. What is needed is the coordinated response that these agencies planned for”
— Peter van Onselen (@vanOnselenP) January 4, 2020
Exactly. THE GOVERNMENT. The legal requirement is for PARTY POLITICAL ads, which that was and hence why it needed the authorisation. Politics 101…they don’t teach that in marketing. https://t.co/CsHa3uzBJq
— Peter van Onselen (@vanOnselenP) January 4, 2020
It’s an astoundingly tone-deaf act from the Prime Minister. He’s been called upon to explain what exactly his government has been doing — not to leverage those sparse acts for political gain.
should make an ad explaining the other ad was not an ad
— Aus Gov Just Googled (@GovGoogles) January 4, 2020
Morrison says the PMO put together the video yesterday. But it was authorised by the Liberal Party? That doesn’t seem… appropriate.
— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) January 5, 2020