Peter Dutton has been criticised for setting up a GoFundMe page for a flood-affected Queensland community, with one Labor MP suggesting it proved the Coalition was incompetent and couldn’t deliver commonwealth support.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said on Sunday evening he did “not understand” the backlash to the fundraiser set up by the defence minister for the Pine Rivers community in his electorate.
“That sounds to me like someone doing their job,” Morrison said in Brisbane on Sunday evening when announcing commonwealth-state disaster payments for flood-affected communities.
“As a local member of parliament, you always look to try and harness community support for responding to major disasters, that’s what our job is – to work with our communities when they’re in times of stress and times of need.”
The Labor frontbencher Josh Wilson suggested it reflected the government’s incompetence.
“Tell me you have no idea what a competent government does without telling me you have no idea what a competent government does,” Wilson said on Twitter.
Tell me you have no idea what a competent government does without telling me you have no idea what a competent does. https://t.co/AHRSgmBRgQ
— Josh Wilson (@Josh4Freo) February 27, 2022
Morrison commended Dutton “for what he’s doing” and insisted “I don’t understand the criticism”.
“He is working with his community to add to the significant contributions that have been made by the commonwealth and the state and the local governments. He’s looking after his community. That’s what a good member for Dickson does.”
But Tim wrote on Twitter: “Isn’t this the role of government? Y’know, the one you’re a part of.”
Isn’t this the role of government? Y’know, the one you’re a part of
— Tim (non-spooky, non-Halloween version) (@burgotastic) February 27, 2022
In the fundraiser set up by Dutton, which had raised about $2,000 of its $25,000 goal on Sunday evening, the minister calls for support to provide “immediate financial assistance” to people in need.
“The water hasn’t gone down yet, and we haven’t seen the full extent of the damage to our community due to catastrophic flooding,” Dutton said. “We have started a fundraiser to help local residents and businesses who have been affected. Every dollar donated will go directly to helping them.”
The minister said any amount donated to the cause would go towards residents and business owners in Pine Rivers whose lives and livelihoods were affected by the February 2022 floods.
“Your donation will provide immediate assistance in the aftermath of the flood to those most in need,” the page states, including food and essential supply packages for families who need it, essential clean up supplies to assist community volunteers, equipment to help businesses get back up and running and “any other assistance we can provide the community”.
But on Dutton’s own Facebook page people questioned why the federal government was not providing the direct financial assistance itself.
The criticism comes amid an ongoing row between Labor and the government about the government’s disaster readiness – and particularly the $4.7bn emergency response fund.
The fund was set up by the Coaltion in 2019, with the money to be spent on recovery and mitigation – but none of the fund has been allocated, with the government referring to it as a fund of last resort.
Labor has pledged to revamp the fund to direct $200m a year to disaster prevention and resilience, such as flood levees, sea walls, cyclone shelters, evacuation centres, fire breaks and telecommunications improvements.
In the 2021 budget the government announced a similar fund called the Prepare Australia fund, which committed $600m over six years for disaster resilience measures.
Labor accused the government of continuing to sit on the emergency response fund which had “done nothing to help” prepare the country for natural disasters.
Morrison on Sunday said personal hardship assistance was being made available to flood-affected and evacuated communities in the Gympie and North Burnett areas.
The assistance – of $180 for individuals and $900 for families – is provided through the joint commonwealth-state disaster recovery funding arrangements.
The federal government’s disaster recovery payment of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child will also be available from Monday.
