An emotional Alan Jones has broken down in tears on his television show describing the horrific plight of drought-stricken farmers and renewing his criticism of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The PM appeared on Jones’ 2GB breakfast radio show this morning where the shock jock peppered him with questions about measures to help desperate primary producers.
Mr Morrison’s answers didn’t suffice and the very tense exchange between the pair garnered significant media attention throughout the day.
Addressing the stoush on his Sky News program Jones & Credlin tonight, Jones continued to lash Canberra’s response and rail against the PM. And in doing so, the normally tough-as-nails broadcaster cracked.
“The Prime Minister today on radio with me has disappointed millions of Australians,” Jones said.
“I begged him to provide fodder, water and freight so farmers wouldn’t have to send their breeding stock to slaughter. He just didn’t understand.”
Jones spoke about a call from a farmer he received this morning, just 10 minutes after his interview with Mr Morrison, in which the man began to cry about having to sell off his stock.
Jones then addressed a listener named Mary, who had contacted him and urged him to keep up the pressure on political figures.
“We will fight because I have been exactly where the people of Bourke are,” he said. “My old man would be ashamed of me if I didn’t fight. I can’t speak for Canberra …”
A choked-up Jones then struggled to speak, putting his hands up and asking to “take a break”, before a series of ads played.
“Look, sorry about that,” he said when the show returned.
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Jones was fierce in his criticism of the Coalition’s slow response to drought relief, saying that a major investment for a new dam in New South Wales was welcome, but “it is the here and now that has to be addressed”.
The Sky News show played the audio of a series of calls from 2GB listeners today slamming Mr Morrison’s remarks, describing him as out-of-touch.
Jones also read out messages sent in to his program.
“They have never been where we have been,” Jones said, referring to politicians.
Despite the crisis facing many farming communities, he said “in Question Time today, it was as if the drought didn’t exist”.
And then Jones delivered a stark warning for the PM.
“The Morrison government tonight has a massive political crisis on its hands. It can be solved, but it’d want to be solved in a hurry otherwise the political fallout will be terminal.”
If the fury of listeners on 2GB is anything to go by, Jones could be right.
He said the switchboard was “on fire” after Mr Morrison’s appearance today, with outraged farmers keen to share their fury.
“I’m just devastated. This guy’s a waste of space. I just can’t believe it,” Jim said.
Caller Robert added: “My blood’s boiling after hearing that. I’ll describe it, right. Complete failure as a Prime Minister. He’s arrogant. They’ve been conning the public after the election.”
“As a former one-eyed Liberal, I felt like putting my fist through the radio listening to Scott Morrison this morning,” Anna added.
Those are just a selection of the angry and emotional calls 2GB received.
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Mr Morrison defended his government’s policies during the interview, highlighting more than $300 million it has made available to help struggling farmers.
“What I’m doing is exactly what I told the Australian people I was going to do. Whether it’s on energy, on water, our support for farmers in the drought, and we just finished the most recent financial year, where we put an additional $318.5 million in additional support to farmers,” he said.
“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 about investing in the water infrastructure.”
He did, however, admit there were limits to the government’s power.
“The government, whether it’s state, federal or anyone else, we can do a lot of things to try and help people get through this. But the government can’t make it rain, and it can’t make life as it was before the drought,” he said.
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