Scott Morrison cuts his holiday to Hawaii short and says he is coming back to Australia because of the bushfire crisis – after he was snapped chilling by the beach in his boardies
- The Prime Minister had been criticised for going to Hawaii with his family
- He said he ‘deeply regretted’ any offence his trip had caused to Australians
Scott Morrison is cutting short his family holiday and returning to Australia.
The Prime Minister faced criticism for going on a family break to Hawaii during the bushfire crisis.
In a statement Friday morning, Mr Morrison said he ‘deeply regretted any offence caused’ by his holiday during the raging fires.
‘I will be returning to Sydney as soon as can be arranged,’ he said.
The criticism levelled at the Prime Minister had been mounting for days, with many attacking his overseas holiday while bushfires ravage the country he’s in charge of.
A photo of a group of Australian tourists who claimed to be with Prime Minister Scott Morrison (second from right) has emerged on social media
‘Over the course of the past week I have been taking leave with my family,’ his statement confirmed.
‘Our leave was brought forward due to the need to cancel our scheduled leave in January because of our official government visit to India and Japan at the invitation of PMs Modi and Abe.
It comes after a group of Australian tourists seemed to end the ongoing mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Mr Morrison.
The surprise holiday inspired the popular Twitter hashtag #wherethebloodyhellareya in reference to the famous Tourism Australia ad which Mr Morrison, then its managing director, created.
His team had refused to confirm where he was holidaying for ‘safety reasons’.
As the ‘where the bloody hell are you’ hashtag continues to trend, a photo emerged from Hawaii showing a man claimed to be Mr Morrison with two men and a woman as the sun sets behind a beach.
While it is unclear where exactly the photo was taken, the man appearing to be the prime minister was sporting a pair of board shorts Mr Morrison wore just weeks ago.
On December 2, Mr Morrison posed with lifesavers on Cronulla Beach in southern Sydney in blue and white shorts – identical to those in the photo.
It is unclear where exactly the photo was taken, but the man appearing to be the Australian prime minister was sporting a pair of board shorts he wore just weeks ago to a surf lifesaving event in Cronulla in southern Sydney
The tourist who shared the photo also published a separate post, showing a driver at the wheel of a left-hand drive – as would be the norm in the US.
She added the hashtags ‘Hawaii’ and ‘it’s on ScoMo’s tab’.
The group in the photo are also shown flashing the ‘shaka sign’ – a highly-used hand gesture in Hawaii.
More to follow.