Tony Abbott praised for fighting fires as ScoMo slammed over Hawaii holiday

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has been praised by fellow Aussies for putting on his protective gear and heading out to help fight the bushfires ravaging the country.

The politician was captured in his RFS uniform in the small town of Bargo in New South Wales at the local BP. Abbott was on his way to battle the Green Wattle Creek fire which has been ravaging the state for days.

The photo was taken by Josh Crawford and published to the Wollondilly Fire Watch Facebook page on Friday. And it didn’t take long for it to go viral, with Australians commending the former PM for helping to save homes and businesses from disaster.

“Ran into this fella [sic] at Bargo BP heading into the fire front … good on him,” Josh Crawford wrote on his Facebook post.

The post has since been shared over 1,500 times with hundreds more leaving comments of thanks for Abbott. Meanwhile, others have slammed current Prime Minister Scott Morrison for jetting off to Hawaii for a holiday with his family, claiming he should be in his home country helping those in need.

“I was not a fan of Tony as PM at all!” Craig Fynmore wrote. “However, this just shows he has more to like than Mr Hawaii! Great work Tony! As for you Morrison, go have a long hard look in the mirror and then look at this picture.”

“You Tony, along with all our firefighters are true legends!” Trudi McDonald said.

“What a LEGEND!” Marika Barone Goodlip added.

Morrison has found himself in hot water over the past week for taking his family on a holiday to Hawaii as bushfires burned out of control throughout the country.

As Abbott headed out to the fires photos were posted of Morrison relaxing with his wife.

“@ScottMorrisonMP sighted a very short time ago (Fri 20/12 7pm) by my uncle in Hawaii,” Ben Parsons wrote in a post on Twitter. “Looks like he’s in a real hurry to get back!”

https://twitter.com/parso81/status/1207947280721924096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1207947280721924096&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Ffinance%2Fwork%2Fleaders%2Fscott-morrison-returns-from-hawaii-holiday-today-amid-fires-crisis%2Fnews-story%2F452caff1344287c1650bb7990b32ee37

The politician has since announced he will be returning home to Australia shortly. In a statement on Friday Morrison expressed his regret at any offence caused to any of the Aussies impacted by the bushfires and said he’s been receiving regular updates on the disastrous fires back home and the White Island tragedy in New Zealand.

“Given the most recent tragic events, I will be returning to Sydney from leave as soon as can be arranged,” he said.

His announcement comes days after two volunteer firefighters, identified as Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, were confirmed dead after their truck rolled as they were making their way to tackle blazes in Sydney’s south west on Thursday night.

The 2 firefighters killed in a vehicle accident last night are Deputy Captain Geoffrey Keaton 32yrs & Firefighter Andrew O’Dwyer 36yrs, both from Horsley Park Brigade. Our thoughts are with their family, friends & fellow brigade members. #nswrfs pic.twitter.com/p3Y8zX3hBj

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) December 19, 2019

A tree came down on the truck which was travelling as part of a convoy on Wilson Drive, near Buxton, at around 11.30pm. The two men, both young fathers from Sydney, died in the tragic incident, while three others suffered injuries that are not believed to be serious or life-threatening.

The RFS released a statement on Thursday night, confirming the sad news and extending their sympathies to the families of the deceased who belonged to the Horsley Park Brigade. A spokesperson said: “The deaths occurred following a vehicle rollover earlier this evening during firefighting operations. It is believed the vehicle, while travelling in convey, hit a tree before rolling off the road.

“The Service’s thoughts are with all the firefighter’s family, friends and fellow brigade members. This is an absolutely devastating event in what has already been an incredibly difficult day and fire season.”