Scott Morrison cancels “cancel culture”
<p dir="ltr">Scott Morrison snapped at the idea of cancel culture saying Australians are “fed up with it”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The PM said he would not back down on his decision to back Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves, who caused an uproar by declaring trans teenagers are “surgically mutilated” that the rainbow Pride flag “triggers” her.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mr Morrison refused to let Ms Deves be a part of the “cancel culture” insisting she was entitled to her opinion about women and sport as long as it was respectful.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“She's made a number of remarks in the past, and on a number of occasions, not in the majority, she's stepped over the line, and she's acknowledged that. To go forward as a member of parliament, that is something you need to learn,” he said on Wednesday.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“But what I won't allow, what I won't allow, is for those who are seeking to cancel Katherine simply because she has a different view to them on the issue of women and girls in sport.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I'm not going to indulge that because you know in this country, I think Australians are getting pretty fed-up with having to walk on eggshells every day because they may or may not say something one day that's going to upset someone.”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ms Deves issued a statement apologising for her comments and accepted it had hurt people.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"In my dedication to fighting for the rights of women and girls, my language has on occasion been unacceptable. It has hurt people and detracted from my arguments," she wrote.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mr Morrison pointed out that an apology was issued and Ms Deves’s comments are in the past and should stay there.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Now you shouldn’t seek to upset anyone else, you shouldn’t seek to upset people, you should deal with things in a very sensitive way, but in this country, I think it’s time to allow people, where they have made mistakes in the past about how they have said things, where they’re prepared to put those behind them, and focus sensitively on the issues they’re seeking to promote, then that’s how they do it,’’ Mr Morrison said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It comes as NSW Treasurer Matt Kean was defended by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on speaking his mind about the issue following leaked text messages.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Mr Perrottet rejected claims he leaked the text messages about Mr Kean’s stance calling for the disendorsement of Ms Deves.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“Now in relation to this issue, obviously from my position I’ve made that very clear that I believe that girls should play sport against girls and women should play sport against women,’’ Mr Perrottet said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“But ultimately, as well, we in public, as politicians in the media, have an obligation in these areas of debate, to participate in a way that is sensitive, particularly in areas that are incredibly delicate and there are strong views on either side of the debate.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“And I think that’s the point that Matt was trying to make and I completely respect it.”</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>
