The controversial backbencher, now only known for his prehistoric perspectives, appeared this morning on Good Morning Britain to discuss Australia’s bushfire emergency. But the interview quickly imploded in the best way possible when both hosts, Piers Morgan and Laura Tobin descended on Kelly’s denial of climate change and the Morrison government’s inertia.
“You are facing now one of the greatest crises you have ever faced, and there is you Mr Kelly, with respect, a senior politician who still doesn’t think this has anything to do with a heating up planet,” Morgan said.
“Basically nothing to see here, nothing to worry about, as virtually your entire country is eviscerated by fires.
Kelly’s retort did little to quash Morgan’s accusation: “This is a terrible disaster, this is one of our nation’s worst natural disasters, and in the past when we have these in our nation we all sat back and did what we could to fix it up, rather than people getting out there and scoring political points and that is what’s happening now.”
Kelly then argued that there was no long term data to back up assertions from scientists that the Australian climate was warming, and instead attributed the current tragedy to high fuel loads and the drought.
Laura Tobin, the show’s weather reporter had heard enough, reminding Kelly that 2019 was the hottest and driest year on record in Australia.
“You have the second highest carbon emissions per person on earth and you are burying your head in the sand. You aren’t a climate sceptic you are a climate denier,” she said.
The interview was cut short by an increasingly frustrated Morgan, who implored Kelly to “wake up” about climate change. “For senior politicians in Australia to still pretend there’s no connection is absolutely disgraceful,” he added.
Later on, a disgruntled Kelly took to Facebook attacking Tobin directly: “Oh no, ignorant Pommy weather girl calls me a climate change denier,” he wrote.
On ABC Radio shortly after, Kelly doubled down on his sexist drivel, telling host Tom Tilley that “the weather girl had no idea what she was talking about,” after Tilley suggested he had been “schooled” during the interview.
Using the hashtag, #notaweathergirl Tobin fired back, outlining her long list of credentials and posing a simple question to Kelly: “I know what I’m talking about. Do you?”
Yes I’m a Meteorologist
-A degree in Physics & Meteorology
-4 yrs as an aviation forecaster at the RAF
-12 yrs as a broadcast meteorologist
-Attended a @WMO Climate course last year & upto date with all the science #NotAWeatherGirl #IKnowWhatImTalkingAbout#DoYou?#ClimateChange https://t.co/fvwTpzftTI— Laura Tobin (@Lauratobin1) January 6, 2020
The rage is because he can’t see the link begins the devastating wild fires & #climatechange after Australia just had their hottest & driest years on record
There will be more fires in a warmer World
It’s important we keep taking about it but even more offer help to those in need https://t.co/WeOJtsrSlg— Laura Tobin (@Lauratobin1) January 6, 2020
This train-wreck performance by Kelly (though we hardly expect anything different) is a terrible look for Scott Morrison who’s currently in damage control.
The Prime Minister has tried to proffer the line that his government accepts the correlation between bushfires and climate change, suggesting last week “that there is no dispute in this country about the issue of climate change globally, and its effect on global weather patterns, and that includes how that impacts in Australia.”
“Because I have to correct the record here. I have seen a number of people suggest that somehow the government does not make this connection. The government I lead has always made that connection and that has never been in dispute.”
And yet, here’s one MP, making a global spectacle of himself by doggedly (and embarrassingly) arguing otherwise.
So what’s the excuse for that, Mr Morrison? We’re all listening.