A Melbourne breakfast radio host repeatedly asked Prime Minister Scott Morrison to say sorry for the country’s bungled vaccine rollout on live radio on Wednesday morning, in an interview that got heated quite quickly.
Jason Hawkins – the ‘Jase’ of Jase & PJ – put the heat on Morrison in the live interview, noting that throughout this whole vaccine rollout, he’s never heard the word “sorry” said by the federal Government.
This morning on Jase & PJ, Jase asked @ScottMorrisonMP two simple questions.
What are the benefits of being vaccinated?
Will you admit the rollout has been a bit of mess across Australia and say sorry?
Here is the response: #COVID19AUS #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/yxrbxORdfX
— KIIS 101.1 Melbourne (@kiis1011) July 21, 2021
“We have this thing on the team here,” Jase began.
“We get along very well and work our asses off. When someone stuff up, it’s all about accountability. Say sorry, you admit the problem, and we move on.
“Can you honestly say to me that the government’s taken accountability? Like, I’ve never heard the word ‘sorry’. ‘Guys, you know what? Sorry. We did screw it up, but we’re getting it right now’.”
Morrison replied by confirming that there have been problems that have been “dealt with”, and noted that it’s part of his day-to-day job to deal with such things.
“Yes, the government is accountable for this, and I am accountable for this,” he said.
“That’s why we take the accountability by fixing the problems and getting it right.”
Still not pleased with hearing the words coming from the horse’s mouth, Jase then pushed for Morrison to actually say the word “sorry”, even in the capacity of a personal apology.
“I’m not trying to have a go, I think it’s just frustration, we’re in lockdown,” Jase said.
“Can you… you know what? Can you just say ‘sorry Jase’? It’ll make me feel so much better.”
But no, Morrison doubled down on his prepared line of “fixing the problem and getting on with it”, to the quiet laughter of the hosts.
“Scott, I’d even take a ‘my bad, Jase’,” he conceded.
Still nothing but “fixing problems” and “getting on with it”, like the man was stuck on some kind of media-trained loop.
Jase’s final attempt was to ask Morrison what ‘S-O-R-R-Y’ spells out, before he got a stern ‘Jason…‘ from his co-host PJ.
The result? Still no official apology from the Prime Minister, a man who’s more than happy to chat at length on-air about how he definitely didn’t shit his pants at Engadine McDonald’s.
Love this for us.
