Politics

Scott Morrison Hopes Women Are Thankful They’re Not *Checks Notes* Being Shot While Protesting

I know what I'll be writing about in my gratitude journal tonight.

by Gyan Yankovich  15 March 2021

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Just as you can trust the sun to always set in the west, you can rest assured that whenever there’s a national crisis Prime Minister Scott Morrison will rise to the occasion by saying something incredibly tone deaf.

Today, as women around the country attended March 4 Justice events in an effort to end gendered violence and put pressure on the Federal Government to address issues of sexism, sexual assault, and workplace safety, Morrison had a simple message for those rallying: At least you’re not being shot.

Addressing today’s protests from the safety of parliament house, Morrison said: “It is good and right, Mr Speaker, that so many are able to gather here in this way, whether in our capital or elsewhere, and to do so peacefully to express their concerns and their very genuine and real frustrations. This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker. Not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country, Mr Speaker.”

Now, let’s be clear: The treatment of people protesting in Myanmar is, to put it simply, horrific — and the right to protest safely is one that is integral to democracy. But comparisons should never be made for comparison’s sake, which is why Australians have been simultaneously shocked, confused, and appalled by the prime minister’s comments.

People have also been quick to point out the irony that today — of all days — is the day Attorney General Christian Porter chose to announce that he is suing the ABC for defamation, which feels like… an interesting choice to say the least.

And, for those who didn’t know — like our prime minister, assumably — today also marked the two year anniversary of New Zealand’s Christchurch massacre, during which 51 people died.

Now, if only ScoMo had some kind of… collection of women… gathered at a single point in time… in a close proximity to the place he worked… to tell him what they really need to hear: that they are heard and that real, meaningful change is coming.