Firefighter and woman refuse to shake hands with Australian PM, watch videos

While touring the fire-ravaged town of Cobargo in the NSW region Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received a hostile welcome and two videos of people who refused to shake hands with him have since gone viral. In one video, a firefighter refused to shake Morrison's hand when he approached him during a coffee break. In the video one can hear the firefighter saying “I don't really want to shake your hand”. 

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In another video, one can see a woman who did not immediately take Morrison's outstretched hand, so the Prime Minister reached down to take her hand and shake it. In the clip the woman could also be heard saying, “I am only shaking your hand if you give more money to the RFS, so many people here have lost their homes. We need more help”. 

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This is not the first time Morrison was criticised as recently he received flak for spending New Year's Eve with cricketers and watching fireworks over Sydney Harbour from his official waterfront mansion, Kirribilli House. In December, he again faced a backlash for going on a family holiday to Hawaii even as fires raged across five states. He, however, then cut his holiday short and apologised for making a mistake. 

State of emergency declared

According to international media reports, the bushfires have already destroyed hectares of land and killed several. On January 2, the Australian Fire Service department had also declared a state of emergency for seven days as the country still battles unprecedented bushfires and a record-breaking heatwave. The Premier of the Australian state of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday that the emergency would come into effect by the morning of January 3 as the weather conditions are expected to degrade significantly in the coming week while raising the fire danger even further.

This is the third time NSW has declared a state of emergency in the several months, the last two being in November and December. The previous emergency calls were also for seven days and granted extraordinary powers to the Rural Fire Service. The residents could also be subjected to forced evacuations, road closures along with other necessary means in order to keep the citizens safe. Berejiklian said she wants to be prepared for what could be a 'horrible day on Saturday'.

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