Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been widely criticized for taking a flight to visit his children on Father’s Day while families remain divided all across Australia due to stay-at-home and lockdown orders.
Mr Morrison said he was given the permit to travel from Canberra to Sydney by private plane over the weekend.
Why Was Mr. Morrison Allowed To Travel?
Health officials say that they have allowed Scott Morrison’s trip because of his unique role as “essential worker” in Australia.
But critics say the move is an example of hypocrisy and unideal leadership.
More than half of Australian population is in some sort of COVID restrictions due to the Delta outbreak in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Many regional borders are also sealed but amidst all this the PM flies to visit his family.
Opposition Party Speaks
The opposition party group accused Mr Morrison of showing a “shocking decision”.
“It’s not that he doesn’t deserve to see his kids, but so does every other Australian. And I think when your people are doing it tough, you’ve got to do it tough too,” said Labor MP Bill Shorten.
“You can’t have one law for Mr. Morrison and one law for everyone.”
‘Great Blessing’
On Father’s Day which was celebrated in the country on the first Sunday of September, Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted a photo of his family, describing fatherhood as a “great blessing”.
The post caption says pic was from “the beginning of the year”.
Scott Morrison’s post did not mention that he was in Sydney during Father’s day spending with his family, which led critics to accuse him of hiding facts about his trip.
What Did Scott Morrison Say?
On Tuesday, Mr Morrison dismissed the allegations as “absurd” attacks by political opponents.
He also added that he was living under the official conditions imposed by health authorities on his return.
The debate sparked a lot of discussion on social media as well.
Some people online have compared it to divorced families celebrating Father’s Day across the border at the state border on Sunday.
International Travel Remains Banned
Mr Morrison – who is facing general election before May – has seen his support decline recently due to delays in the issuance of his government’s policies, according to the polls and surveys.
Earlier this year, he was also criticized for extending his G7 trip to the UK to explore more about his ancestory in Cornwall.
Australians are currently restricted to foreign travel and must get an exemption if they wish to travel outside the nation.