Prime Minister Scott Morrison "deep down" knows he made a mistake by failing to engage with a visibly distressed woman who lost her home in the fire-ravaged NSW town of Cobargo, according to Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
Zoey Salucci McDermott posted on Facebook saying she lost her house in the bushfire on New Year's Eve and that the prime minister "turned his back" on her.
That refers to an incident filmed by a local television crew on Thursday, where Mr Morrison appeared to walk away from Ms McDermott after she urged him to allocate additional funding towards the Rural Fire Service.
Before she could finish speaking to the prime minister, Bega Valley councillor Tony Allen put his arm around Ms McDermott and gently told her to "shush".
That incident came on the same day Mr Morrison was heckled by other Cobargo residents, including one man who told the prime minister not to "come back".
Mr Clennell said he believes Mr Morrison will imminently roll out "a bigger national response to this bushfire emergency because he wants those images forgotten".
He said the prime minister understands the depth of community concern regarding the bushfires, which is why he is poised to cancel his upcoming trip to India.
Image: News Corp
