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Published 15:17 IST, January 2nd 2020

Twitterati accuse Australia PM Scott Morrison of placing cricket above bushfire victims

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison was heavily called out on Twitter after he hosted Australia and New Zealand players in a party on December 31.

Reported by: Mrigank Pandey
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Australia has been facing its yearly bushfire season and global climate change has made it hard for the country to contain the raging flames. The state of New South Wales has been most heavily hit with these fires which are usually triggered by dry lightning. The smoke from the fires has heavily decreased air quality levels and firefighters are constantly struggling hard to get these situations under control. In the middle of this tragedy, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has landed himself into hot waters.

ALSO READ | Cricketers to pay tribute to Australia firefighters, brace for smoke delays

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Scott Morrison: A case of mismatched priorities?

Morrison was hosting the New Zealand and the Australian cricket sides at Kirribilli House as part of a traditional yearly New Year's Eve reception. As reported by NZ Herald, Morrison spoke at this event and encouraged the cricketers on how people through the country will be inspired by their remarkable feats on the cricket field as the rescue forces fight against the fires that are ravishing the nation. While the comment had the best of intentions, it did not go down well with many Australian people who felt that the PM lacked compassion and was glorifying cricket against a bushfire "backdrop", which was highly insensitive to the victims who were losing their houses and amenities. Some people also felt that the PM should have been helping the victims rather than hosting New Year parties.

ALSO READ | Australia bushfires claims three lives, death toll likely to rise

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Australians take down Scott Morrison

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15:17 IST, January 2nd 2020