Alan Jones is known for taking no prisoners when it comes to his radio interviews and Scott Morrison has become the latest person to be taken to task by the shock jock as the broadcaster blasted the government’s drought efforts as the pair chatted over the phone this morning.
The prime minister spoke to Jones on his 2GB radio show on Tuesday about the ongoing drought across the country, with Jones describing the government’s response as a “major political issue” before the chat ramped up and Jones got audibly more heated.
In one particularly irate moment, the radio host even cut the PM off and bluntly told him: “Oh don’t talk to me, I’m a farmer’s son and you’re not!” However the PM seemed unperturbed by Jones’ constant speaking over him and continued with his speech, despite Jones branding the situation a “national disaster”.
Things took a fiery turn after Jones urged Morrison to do more to support and assist the many farmers across the country who are struggling to keep their livestock alive, due to the decreasing affordability of feed and water. He added: “You’re talking about long term viability, I’m talking about today. Right now the farmers cannot afford any longer fodder and water to keep their breeding stock alive. And they can’t afford to get it from where it is to where they need it.
“These people, prime minister, cannot survive today, they’re sending the breeding stock to the sale yard to be slaughtered, they’re walking off their farms. They need cash now. They need cash to feed their breeding stock. They can’t survive today. What can you do today by the way of cash injection to individual farmers.”
Before things became so heated, Jones began the chat by asking the prime minister a question. He said: “Why, if the drought response was adequate, would a farmer write to me and say this ‘You’re going to interview Morrison. Why bother? I guarantee Australia will have no more confidence in the Morrison government after your interview than before’.”
“What I’m doing is exactly what I told the Australian people I was going to do,” Morrison replied, before reeling off a list of investments the Coalition have made, including $318.5 million in additional support to farmers, as well as funding for local councils and investments in water and infrastructure across Australia.
He added: “Wherever you look at it, it’s meeting the immediate needs of farmers, it’s about meeting the needs in communities that are affected by the drought and then it’s investing for the longer term in the water infrastructure.”
But Jones wasn’t satisfied with the prime minister’s response, and the host cut him off once more and said: “Yeah, I know you’re committed to dams and whatever but down the track, some of these farmers won’t be alive when that happens.”
Jones then played the prime minister a call from last week, from an emotional farmer named Mark who broke down in tears over the phone as he described the dire situation he and his family have found themselves in as a result of the drought. The call begins: “Mate I’m calling because at the last election I voted for Scott Morrison, I voted for him because I thought he was our hope.
“We’ve got no hope out here. We’re a tough mob out here Alan … we got no hope mate. Give us some bloody hope Scott!”
Morrison then revealed he had since spoken to the farmer personally, as well as other farmers affected by the drought, with Jones revealing the Liberal leader had approached him for the phone numbers of those who had phoned and written in to his 2GB show.
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