Heartless trolls have hijacked a family Christmas photo shared by Scott Morrison to attack the Australian prime minister about his climate change and refugee policies.
Mr Morrison uploaded the heartwarming picture with his two daughters, Abbey, 13, and Lily, 11, and wife Jenny to social media on Sunday.
‘From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year,’ Mr Morrison wrote.
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison (pictured with his wife and daughters) shared a heartwarming Christmas photograph of his family to social media on Sunday
Mr Morrison (right) posed with wife Jenny (middle) and his two daughters Abbey and Lily
Mr Morrison used the post to wish Australians a ‘Merry Christmas and a Happier New Year’
The picture showed the Morrison family posing together in a garden with ‘Merry Christmas!’ written in white cursive text over the image.
Mr Morrison appeared relaxed as he sat at the back of the group with a big smile, while the family dog Buddy was perched at the front.
His young daughters bore a striking resemblance to their father, while Jenny looked ageless in a simple white shirt and statement earrings.
Supporters praised the prime minister for his ‘lovely family’.
‘Merry Christmas to you and your gorgeous family Prime Minister. You’re doing a great job,’ one user wrote.
‘Beautiful picture of beautiful family, thank you so much for all you do for our country,’ another commenter said.
But some trolls also used the Christmas message as an excuse to lash out at Mr Morrison over a family’s ongoing deportation battle.
Priya and Nades Murugappan were removed from their home in the central Queensland town of Biloela in March 2018.
Commenters praised the ‘beautiful’ image and Mr Morrison’s ‘lovely family’ (pictured together)
The asylum seekers were taken to an immigration facility in Melbourne alongside their Australian-born daughters Kopika, 5, and Tharunicaa, 3.
The family are preparing for their third Christmas away from home and have spent over a year on Christmas Island.
‘Merry Christmas to all the asylum seekers that Scott Morrison is willingly keeping incarcerated on an island off the cost of mainland Australia,’ one critic wrote on Mr Morrison’s post.
‘Please release the family from Biloela so their Australian-born girls can have a Merry Christmas as well,’ added another.
Heartless trolls also used the post to lash out at the prime minister over asylum seekers Priya and Nades Murugappan who are fighting deportation with their daughters (pictured together)
‘Get stuffed Morrison. Hope you’re thinking of that poor Biloela family you’ve got locked up on Christmas island,’ wrote a third angered Australian.
‘You’re an incompetent leader.’
Australians also accused Mr Morrison of being a ‘global embarrassment’ and failing to take effective action on climate change.
‘All I want for Christmas is meaningful action on climate change, to know my children will have a liveable planet as they grow,’ one person wrote.
Related Post
‘A great Christmas present for your children and our future would be strong and urgent action on climate change. Please do it now,’ added another.
Kopika and Tharunicaa (pictured), aged five and three, have been on Christmas Island for more than a year awaiting a final decision in their case
Mr Morrison brushed off the criticism during an up-beat interview on The Morning Show on Wednesday, saying being a parent was his ‘most important job’.
‘As a family we’ve had so many wonderful messages this year and we’re quite overwhelmed by it I’ve got to say,’ Mr Morrison said.
‘The girls are great, Jen’s great, mum’s doing well and so is my mother in law, we’ll all be together for Christmas.
‘I’ll be down at The Lodge this year at Christmas with the family and we’ll take a bit of time off early in the new year just down the South Coast.
‘I’m certainly looking forward to my Christmas Day hugs with my family.’
