Australia's conservative government has been heavily criticised for its inaction on climate change, and now it seems they're also happy to wisecrack about it when they think they're alone.
On Friday, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was unknowingly recorded joking about the plight of areas in the Pacific that are under threat from rising sea levels, ABC News reported.
The exchange began when Dutton said that meetings that day were running on "Cape York time," meaning they were running late. Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded, "We had a bit of that up in Port Moresby," referring to recent climate talks that had taken place in the Papua New Guinean capital.
Abbott and Dutton's comments could be regarded as both offensive to Australia's indigenous community, as Abbott recently visited the remote Cape York community in northern Australia, and Papua New Guineans, but Dutton didn't stop there. In a confusing quip, he then replied, "Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to have water lapping at your door."
The banter could have gone on, one supposes, but Social Services Minister Scott Morrison wisely pointed out the giant boom mic hanging overhead. Neither Abbott nor Morrison said anything about Dutton's off-colour comment, and when later questioned, Dutton said it was a "private conversation."
Boom microphone pic.twitter.com/ERtAn3fsrC— ellinghausen (@ellinghausen) September 11, 2015
Australians, from Labor and Greens politicians to regular citizens, have been expressing their disgust on social media, though it says something about how badly the Abbott government is perceived on this topic that no one seems particularly surprised.
As @POTUS said earlier this year, any leader who treats climate change as a joke isn't fit to lead. https://t.co/4XRloiVLkE— Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) September 11, 2015
Minister Dutton, you're a disgrace.— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) September 11, 2015
because having your whole country wiped off the map by sea level rise is *hilarious* #dutton #TheresABoomUpThere— Scott Ludlam (@SenatorLudlam) September 11, 2015
Clowns exposed by breathtaking global warming gaffe. If there's a joke here, it's Abbott's climate policies >> http://t.co/dD36E8faVR— Larissa Waters (@larissawaters) September 11, 2015
Oh, a wise guy, huh? #auspol #dutton pic.twitter.com/MrkD59xflM— Paul Salmond (@PSalmond) September 11, 2015
You can actually pinpoint the moment when Immigration Minister Peter Dutton realises the microphone is on. pic.twitter.com/OUfJlFaZBt— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) September 11, 2015
freeze frame of peter dutton's face when he realizes he's on mic pic.twitter.com/5bpJoDABai— thomas violence (@thomas_violence) September 11, 2015
Disgusting to see Abbott & Dutton joking about rising sea levels. Abbott will never take climate change seriously https://t.co/nMP2mVA5Kh— Wayne Swan (@SwannyQLD) September 11, 2015
Media yet again displays anti-government bias by reporting what Minister said into microphone. #auspol #Dutton— Mercurius Goldstein (@greengoldstein) September 11, 2015