A billionaire who bankrolled a host of climate independents has come under fire for comparing Scott Morrison’s popularity to that of a pedophile.
Businessman and climate activist Simon Holmes à Court posted a photo of the former Prime Minister with Donald Trump and their wives at a New Year’s Eve party earlier this week, with a controversial caption.
“If (Mr Morrison) ever reads the responses to this tweet, it will be the second time he will wish he could stay in America and avoid returning home,” he wrote.
“Morrison is almost as popular as Rolf Harris,” Holmes à Court added, comparing the Liberal Party stalwart to the late Australian entertainer who was convicted as a child sex offender.
The response to Mr Holmes à Court’s comment was swift and brutal, with one woman calling him “a sick attention-seeker”. Disgusting!
‘No matter what your opinion of ScoMo is, this comparison is beyond contempt. ‘You should be ashamed of yourself, but we all know you love to move around just to get attention,’ he wrote.
Another added: “It really doesn’t take much to peel away the thin veneer of civility and expose the nasty work beneath left-wing activists like this.”
“Here – the big one – compares a former prime minister to a convicted sex offender, all because he doesn’t like Morrison’s politics.”
In the photo, businessman and climate activist Simon Holmes à Court.
Politicians also criticized Mr Holmes à Court, with Liberal senator James Paterson saying: “It is insane to compare a former Prime Minister to a convicted child sex offender, and that reflects on Simon Holmes à Court, not Scott Morrison.”
Paterson also called on MPs elected with his money to have their say on the comments.
“As the main funder of teal MPs, Holmes à Court’s flamboyant views do matter,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘A hung parliament in the next election could give the Teals immense influence over the foreign and national security policy of a minority Albanian government.
‘The Teals should reassure their constituents and the Australian people that they will not allow Holmes à Court to dictate policy on AUKUS or the US alliance.
Rolf Harris arrives with his wife Alwen Hughes (second right) and daughter Bindi (left) at Southwark Crown Court in central London on June 30, 2014.
“In a dangerous world, the last thing we need is reckless and irresponsible opinions like these influencing our foreign and defense policy.”
One of those teal MPs, Kylea Tink, who represents North Sydney, said The Australian that the opinions of ‘Simon Holmes à Court are his own.
“He was not, nor has he ever been, my primary fundraiser and I have never consulted him on policy.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Holmes à Court and Tink for further comment.