Labor leader comes under fire after accusing Gladys Berejiklian of killing koalas

A leading Labor politician has come under fire after accusing Gladys Berejiklian of killing koalas and kangaroos through her response to the bushfire crisis.

New South Wales opposition leader Jodi McKay on Wednesday said the state’s premier was responsible for the death of native animals during the unprecedented 2019/20 bushfire season. 

‘The situation with the bushfires was so distressing and it wasn’t just koalas she killed, there were wallabies and kangaroos and wombats,’ Ms McKay said in an interview with comedian Jordan Shanks for his YouTube channel Friendlyjordies. 

Gladys Berejiklian has been on the receiving end of a bitter political barb by the state’s opposition leader Jodi McKay – who accused the NSW Premier of killing animals with her response to the bushfire crisis

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The comments drew condemnation from Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Sydney radio host Ben Fordham.

‘To blame Gladys with the death of koalas or wildlife is desperate,’ Mr Barilaro told 2GB.

‘People can criticise me, I’ve been a bit of a distraction at times for this government, but Gladys from the fires, she stood tall every day … right through the crisis, into the recovery, then into the COVID crisis and now into the recovery. 

‘Hasn’t had a day off, mate. I’ll defend her every day of the week and I won’t accept that sort of narrative from someone like Jodi McKay.’

Ms McKay declined to comment to Daily Mail Australia on the backlash, but said she would not be apologising for her words.  

Fordham meanwhile said the state Labor leader should be held accountable for her comments. 

NEW SOUTH WALES OPPOSITION LEADER’S EXPLOSIVE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT STATE PREMIER

Interviewer: The statistic that really sits in my mind as soon is as the Labor government was un-elected the amount of land clearing went 88-fold

McKay: Yeah they changed the biodiversity laws – it’s shocking. 

Interviewer: Would you be able to canvas between us the difference between Labor and their environmental protection policies and Liberal?

McKay: Well I think you just have to look at what we value – we have always as a party valued the environment and focused on making sure biodiversity mattered in this state.

Ms McKay has declined to comment to Daily Mail Australia on the backlash, but said she would not be apologising for the interview

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We can’t just have wanton destruction and that’s what we’ve seen under this government.

They’ve put this under the guise of “we’re gonna make this better for farmers” and that’s how they’ve managed to get this through.

But many people in rural New South Wales want a government that is responsive to the environment as well as rural communities. 

We should be valuing our biodiversity. The situation out of the bushfires was so distressing and it wasn’t just koalas she killed – there were wallabies and kangaroos and wombats.

There is $1million they [the state Liberal government] put up for wildlife carers after the fires – $400,000 has gone to create two bureaucrat positions and about $20,000 has actually gone to help wildlife carers. 

Addressing his listeners on Thursday morning, he called Ms McKay’s words ‘appalling’ and ‘completely out of line’.  

‘I know politics is a dirty game but I think NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay would regret her words,’ he said.

‘To suggest that Gladys Berejiklian has blood on her hands over the death of native animals is an appalling thing to say. Jodi, I don’t know what you were thinking. It was a bushfire.’  

Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Thursday morning she had ‘nothing to add’ to Ms McKay’s comments. 

‘I’m used to those types of criticisms,’ she said.  

A kangaroo escapes a fire near a property in Colo Heights on November 15. Ms McKay said ‘it wasn’t just koalas she killed, there were wallabies and kangaroos and wombats’